Thoracic Oncology Program - Homepage
Johannes Kratz, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Interim Chief of Thoracic Surgery
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology
Director, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery
Director, Thoracic Surgery Residency Program
Medical Director of Robotic Surgery, UCSF Health
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and the Thoracic Oncology Program is poised to conquer it. UCSF provides state-of-the-art care to patients with lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, sarcoma and cancer that has metastasized to the chest. The program is led by Johannes Kratz, MD, Interim Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery and Program Leader of the Thoracic Oncology Program. Patients receive treatment from a dedicated multidisciplinary team of specialists. At UCSF, one of the world's leading biomedical research centers, patients also have access to clinical trials for promising new drugs.
We are proud to be a regional, national, and international referral center for lung cancer. Our surgeons are known for their willingness to be aggressive in the appropriate case. We are also a high volume center for thoracic surgery, the largest on the West Coast. Our post-operative mortality rates are among the lowest anywhere.
We have extensive experience in performing minimally invasive thoracic surgery. That means shorter hospital stays, less post-operative pain, and a more rapid return to normal activities. For patients who need chemotherapy after surgery, it means they can begin their treatment faster and are better able to tolerate higher doses.
Our medical oncology group is led by Matthew A. Gubens, MD, MS, two the region's foremost and highly regarded thoracic oncologists. Other specialists treating patients, from radiation oncology, pulmonology, pathology, and imaging, are similarly dedicated and highly skilled. All have special expertise in treating patients with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies.
The Jablons' lab has been making great strides in both clinical and basic research over the past several years. We advanced cutting-edge therapeutics from in silico design and benchtop development with a first-in-class novel pan RAS inhibitor as well as a novel dual acting anti-PARP/anti-microtubule inhibitor, both in clinical trials. An international clinical trial for early-stage lung cancer is being conducted to test an innovative molecular risk stratifying diagnostic assay which has benefited thousands of patients.
Our mission is to develop the next generation of leaders in academic surgery.
A gift to the Thoracic Oncology Progam helps us discover new treatments and cures for lung cancer, esophageal cancer and mesothelioma.
