G. Alexander Patterson, MD
Dr. G. Alexander Patterson is the Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine and at the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Patterson sees patients for general thoracic surgery, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and Barrett’s esophagus, as well as tracheal tumors, diseases of the airway, and adult lung transplantation. His skills include lung volume reduction and heart-lung transplantation.[1]
As part of the Lung Cancer Team at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), Dr. Patterson works with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pulmonologists as well as psychologists, nurses, and additional medical support staff. WUSM’s lung cancer team treats approximately 900 new lung cancer cases each year and is ranked 13th in the nation for cancer treatment by U.S. News and World Report.
Education and Career
Dr. Patterson earned his medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He continued at that institution for his internship and residency in General Surgery, then completed residencies in both Vascular Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He followed that experience with a Pulmonary fellowship in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital.[1]
After completing his education, Dr. Patterson spent several years in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto, then arrived at Washington University Medical School where he became a Professor of Surgery and Head of the Section of Thoracic Surgery. He is also the Editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Research
Dr Patterson’s areas of research are varied and include lung transplantation, lung cancer, surgery for emphysema, esophageal tumors and disorders, and lung reperfusion injuries. His publications include:
- Neoadjuvant atezolizumab for resectable non-small cell lung cancer: an open-label, single-arm phase II trial. Nat Med. 2022 Oct;28(10):2155-2161. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01962-5. Epub 2022 Sep 12. Erratum in: Nat Med. 2023 Oct 10; PMID: 36097216; PMCID: PMC9556329. Chaft JE, Oezkan F, Kris MG, Bunn PA, Wistuba II, Kwiatkowski DJ, Owen DH, Tang Y, Johnson BE, Lee JM, Lozanski G, Pietrzak M, Seweryn M, Byun WY, Schulze K, Nicholas A, Johnson A, Grindheim J, Hilz S, Shames DS, Rivard C, Toloza E, Haura EB, McNamee CJ, Patterson GA, Waqar SN, Rusch VW, Carbone DP; LCMC study investigators.
- Surgical results of the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium 3 trial: A phase II multicenter single-arm study to investigate the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with stages IB-select IIIB resectable non-small cell lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Mar;165(3):828-839.e5. doi 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2022.10.007. Epub 2022 Oct 8. PMID: 36369159; PMCID: PMC10288861.Rusch VW, Nicholas A, Patterson GA, Waqar SN, Toloza EM, Haura EB, Raz DJ, Reckamp KL, Merritt RE, Owen DH, Finley DJ, McNamee CJ, Blasberg JD, Garon EB, Mitchell JD, Doebele RC, Baciewicz F, Nagasaka M, Pass HI, Schulze K, Johnson A, Bunn PA, Johnson BE, Kris MG, Kwiatkowski DJ, Wistuba II, Chaft JE, Carbone DP, Lee JM.
- The more we learn, the more there is to know: the clinical management of stage I non-small cell lung cancer. J Thorac Dis. 2022 Oct;14(10):3654-3659. doi 10.21037/jtd-22-1145. PMID: 36389313; PMCID: PMC9641361. Engelhardt KE, Patterson GA.
Professional Memberships
Dr. Patterson is an active member of many regional, national, and international professional organizations, including:[1]
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery (Editor in Chief, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, AATS)
- European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery
- European Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- General Thoracic Surgical Club
- Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
- Society for Thoracic Surgeons
- Thoracic Surgery Foundation
