Anyone know of DR Manjit Bains? - 1264059

No. I would prefer to use the discussion forum for more general topics and not as a site for getting recommendations on a specific doctor.

-Dr. West

I think if you Google him, you'll get the info you need. He's been a thoracic surgeon for over 40 years.
Take care, Judy

Small distinction perhaps, but I think it would be better to ask "who's a very good lung cancer specialist in ______?" than to ask for an internet-based referendum on someone specifically named. Moreover, there's an extremely high probability that nobody will know of that specific person unless they are nationally to internationally known in their field, even if they happen to be very good.

-Dr. West

Dr West-
Followong your suggestion above, who is a very good lung cancer specialist in the Milwaukee, WI area?
Nanknits

I am from the milwaukee area. My thorasic surgeon is Dr. Mario Gasparri and my pulmonary dr is Dr july Biller.. Both exceptionally sell thought of. They are at Froedtert hospital. I am sbout to under go a RUL.i have multifocal Bac.

I meant to say Dr. Julie Biller.

All of the large teaching research hospitals have dedicated thoracic surgeons that do only thoracic surgeries. Those are the surgeons who are easily found, such as Memorial Sloan Kettering.

You can find excellent dedicated thoracic surgeons all over, large research centers and smaller local ones. But at the larger centers like MSK all thoracic surgeons are among the tops in their fields (easy to go to a place like MSK and know your getting the best). In many areas you still find general surgeons or cardiothoracic surgeons doing an occasional thoracic surgery even though it's been studied and shown that dedicated thoracic surgeons who do nothing else have higher success rates.
Does that make sense?
Sorry, I sometimes am less clear than I should be.

My husband had thoracic surgery done by a cardiothoracic surgeon who did most heart surgery. He still has a lot of pain that wasn't from the tumor but sounds just like post thoracotomy syndrome 5 years later. The only decision I regret.

Janine

My inquiry was for a lung cancer specialist in the Milwaukee area, not for a thoracic surgeon or a pulmonologist such as Dr Biller who lists cystic fibrosis as her special interest. So, my inquiry is unanswered so far.
Nanknits
PS Janine-Still quilting?

Hi Nan, So good to hear from you. I hope you are alright. Are you looking for a new onc?
Yes I'm still quilting. As a matter of fact I have a quilt in my sewing machine right now just beginning the quilting process. It's the biggest one I've done, king sized. Only a year and half late for it's intended, a high school graduation present for my niece, she's finished her 1st year of nursing school. :-? I think she'll appreciate it no matter how late it is but I'm hoping for a month or 2.

Specialists are often found in large research hospitals. Most smaller hospitals and cancer centers have medical oncologists (oncologists who see different types of cancers). It's not unusual for people who live in smaller communities that don't have access to specialists but want a specialist's input to see a specialist at a major oncology center for a second opinion then return to the local cancer center for treatment. They will return to the specialist for appointments at transition times. So looking at large med centers or cancer centers will be your best bet.
I found Medical College of Wisconsin has many lung cancer clinical trials in the works so I looked at their site. This link has oncology specialists with several specializing in lung cancer. http://www.mcw.edu/providerdirectory/SearchHome.htm (edited to say when I tried the link after pasting it it didn't show the results. So mark specialist for the search and use search term "oncology".)

This weekend and the beginning of next week our doctors are at a large oncology conference, ASCO, some of whom will be presenting. So their appearance here will be a bit sparse.

I hope this helps and keep us posted,
Janine

I'm sorry, but Milwaukee is too far for me to know of any thoracic surgeons.

There are many excellent thoracic surgeons in NYC, and centers like Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Einstein, Montefiore, Cornell, and some others have very experienced ones. As I am not a surgeon and am 2500 miles from there, I really am not in a position to make personal recommendations of individuals.

-Dr. West

Janine,
Thanks for your input.
There are no oncs at MCW who have lung cancer as there only specialty. Nor are there in the Milwaukee area as far as I can see. I was picking up on Dr. West's suggestion in his 5/29 post above as to how to put the question when asking about a lung cancer specialist in a certain area.
There are two oncs at MCW who list only one other specialty-one in breast cancer and the other in amyloidosis.
Several include lung cancer in a long list of other cancers: colon, GI, breast, etc
When I started with the onc I am seeing, one of his specialties was lung but he has since dropped that as a specialty but continues to see some of the lung cancer patients that were with him earlier such as me.
I have been lucky in that since my left upper lobectomy in Aug, 2010, there has been very little growth in the nodules in the left lower lobe or in the right lung and no mets. I have had two four-cycle chemo treatments, the last one ending in Dec 2012. Since then, I had four CT scans, all showing no or extremely minor growth. I will have another on June 5, and have been looking for someone to provide a second opinion in the event my luck has run out. I am looking for a medical oncologist who concentrates on lung cancer, not a thoracic surgeon.
I may have to go to the U of W cancer center in Madison.
As for your quilt, I know how sometimes it's hard to find time to finish a project. I have that problem, too.
Nanknits

Nan, I think Dr. West just misunderstood the question. Maybe he will see this post and reply. I'll look at the clinicaltrials.org site to see if they give a name to the lung cancer researchers. Many doctors have more than one specialty. Dr. West and Dr. Weiss do.

Very good to hear there's little progression in the 4 years. My signature needs replacing but my husband too has done very well.
I've moved the quilting to my kitchen island being the largest flat surface in the house, it's taken over. :-|

Hopes for another good scan,
Janine

Nan look through these. They describe Drs West, Weiss, and Pennell's specialties. They all have more the one some 5 or 6. All have been so very helpful in my search for understanding any would be number one on my list of people to see if I were in need and in the area. Seems that it's not unusual to have more than one specialty.

http://www.swedish.org/physicians?SpecialtyType=&AdultSpecialtyID=-1&Pe…

http://findadoc.unchealthcare.org/directory/profile.asp?dbase=main&sets…

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_directory/physician_name_search.aspx Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD
216.444.6833
Location(s): Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Department: Hematology and Oncology
Specialties: Cancer, Chemotherapy Related Symptoms, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Thyroid Cancer, Clinical Trials, Screening and Testing

Here is what I would think is what you'd look for without a specific recommendation, http://www.froedtert.com/lung-cancer

Unfortunately, I don't know of any lung cancer specialist in Milwaukee. I know many in Chicago, and if you ever got a second opinion from a Chicago lung cancer specialist (such as Dr. Melissa Johnson or Jyoti Patel at Northwestern, or Tom Hensing at U Chicago/NorthShore, or Phil Bonomi at Rush), they would likely be able to identify 1-2 people quite strong in lung cancer in the Milwaukee area.

-Dr. West

Janine-
My luck has suffered a setback. The June 5 CT scan report says what were separate nodules at the level of the aortic arch in January, 2013 have coalesced into a conglomerate mass which has increased in size since Dec 2013 from 22 x 41mm to 27x42mm and that there are innumerable other areas of gg opacitification which have also increased in size and, in some cases, become more solid.
I have a question or two for the faculty about these developments. I am posting these questions as a new topic in the Q&A,AskUS, New Question forum. I hope that is the right thing to do. I don't feel confident that I understand all of the Cancer Grace protocols.
Nanknits

Oh Nan, I'm so sorry about these new developments. If at all consolation those number changes are extremely small, small enough to say it could easily be from the cut difference in the CT from one to the other and not so much the tumor.

Don't worry about doing it the Grace way, I'll make sure it gets in the right hands. It's not so much sticking to any rule but trying to get the biggest bang for the faculty doctors' time while getting the word out to as many as possible, plus or minus some etiquette and pet peeve wishes. You're absolutely good, I'm the one who wants to throw out some cuss words about the progression. I'll look for the new thread to come through.

Much hope and best wishes,
Janine

Janine,
Your kind and reassuring words are music to my ears [really to my eyes, I guess].
Nan