8月下旬，医学博士David J. Sugarbaker是间皮瘤治疗和研究的先驱，一位有天赋的外科医生，也是万博专业版一位杰出的导师，享年65岁。这是整个间皮瘤社区的意外冲击。I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Sugarbaker for over 20 years at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) where he was the founding chief of the division of thoracic surgery, as well as the founder and director of the International Mesothelioma Program (IMP). Dr. Sugarbaker had a profound impact on the way we treat mesothelioma today, pushing the boundaries of surgery and multi-disciplinary care to prolong the life of his patients. He devoted his life to finding a cure for mesothelioma and had a tremendous influence on all of us here at the Brigham through training, collaboration, mentorship, and support.
David Sugarbaker was born in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1953. He was the eighth of ten children— five of whom became physicians. His father was a prominent surgical oncologist and inspiration to David who assisted his father in the clinic, operating room, and research lab starting at a young age. Dr. Sugarbaker double majored in biology and philosophy at Wheaton College and proceeded to Cornell Medical College, where he was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society for the best students in medical studies. He, like his three brothers, graduated from Cornell at the top of his class and was accepted into the renowned General Surgery residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (which later became part of what is now known as Brigham and Women’s Hospital) in Boston.
在担任BWH的首席外科居民时，Sugarbaker博士的医学知识，手术技能和无限能量影响了一代外科居民。在1986年在BWH的常规手术培训毕业后，他在多伦多综合医院又完成了两年的胸腔手术高级培训。在完成居住培训后，Sugarbaker博士被招募回波士顿，担任BWH胸腔手术的第一分区负责人。作为联合国胸腔手术的第一个非心脏分裂的负责人，他将继续成为该领域的领导者之一，赢得了声誉，并在BWH上做了一些最重要的工作。
In 2002, Dr. Sugarbaker founded the International Mesothelioma Program at BWH, where he led major developments in mesothelioma treatment that included extra-pleural pneumonectomy, an aggressive surgery that removes a cancerous lung, the lining around the lung and heart, along with nearby lymph nodes and a portion of the diaphragm. His experience in this operation led to a fives times reduction in the associated operative mortality rate and led to its acceptance as the appropriate surgical treatment of mesothelioma around the globe. Dr. Sugarbaker succeeded in obtaining even higher mesothelioma cure rates and developed intra-operative heated chemotherapy to bathe the inside of the chest for an hour at the time of operation. His surgical innovations at BWH helped lower the operative mortality rate, extended the lives of many patients, and moved the mesothelioma community closer to finding a cure. Dr. Sugarbaker was dubbed “Dr. Mesothelioma,” as he was considered one of the most forefront experts in mesothelioma.
Sugarbaker博士在广泛了解所有当前的间皮瘤疗法以及有效治疗患者的能力的能力中，万博专业版热切地与医学界分享了他的研究和专业知识。在BWH任职期间，他发表了300多篇学术文章。他还建造了一个薄纸，帮助描绘了癌症的性质以及人体对那些癌症的反应。该银行允许全世界的众多合作者促进我们对肺癌，食道癌和间皮瘤的了解。万博专业版
虽然他经常因临床卓越，创新，教学和研究而受到认可，但Sugarbaker博士也以他照顾患者的方式而闻名。他致力于为他们提供最佳的治疗方法，并创造一种环境，从而为病人最病的希望和舒适带来舒适。他模仿了同情心和热情，启发了患者和教师。他了解该疾病的临界性质，他在BWH创建了一个术后中级护理单元，用于胸腔手术患者提供专门的重症监护，以及另外的10张床专用胸腔ICU。他设计了与患者协商的个性化治疗计划，同时确保家庭的访问权限支持小组. Providing emotional support for the patients and their families is an essential part of the program, as it is vital to approach treatment with the right attitude, and BWH continues to offer different programs to support patients and their families throughout their journey.
博士。Sugarbaker ultimately built a one-of-a-kind surgical program at BWH that to this day brings in patients from all around the world who have been turned down for surgery in other hospitals and provides them with a new-found hope. To many of us here at the IMP, he was an inspiration and we are deeply committed to continuing to push the boundaries in mesothelioma care and research. To honor his legacy, we hope to keep his memory alive through the annual David J. Sugarbaker, MD Lectureship, where a leading national or international thoracic surgeon is invited each year as the Sugarbaker visiting lecturer to spend a few days with the faculty and residents as well as deliver a grand rounds lecture at BWH.
