David C. Rice, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O. F.R.C.S.I.
Dr. David C. Rice is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon and Professor in Surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. His focus is on providing the best and most modern surgical care possible to patients with thoracic malignancies like pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer. As a thoracic surgeon, he has led the way in introducing innovative surgical techniques that minimize trauma and pain while offering the same oncologic benefits as traditional surgeries. His skill in the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has made him a leader in the field, as has his ability to perform other technically demanding and highly complex minimally invasive surgical procedures.[1]
Education and Career
Dr. Rice earned his medical degree (M.B., B.Ch.) at the School of Medicine, Trinity College, the University of Dublin. He interned at St. James Hospital in Dublin and then completed a residency in General Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. While at Mayo Clinic, he also completed a research fellowship in Tumor Immunology, then continued his training in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.[1]
After completing his medical education and training, Dr. Rice accepted a position at UT M.D. Anderson and has practiced there ever since.
Professional Activities and Memberships
Dr. Rice is a member of several professional organizations and committees. These include:[1]
- SWOG, Ann Arbor, MI
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Beverly, MA
- IASLC Mesothelioma Staging Committee, London
- General Thoracic Surgical Club, Zumbrota, MN
- Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, Chicago, IL
- American College of Chest Physicians
- The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
- American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG), Durham, NC
- Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society
- American Medical Association
Research
Dr. Rice’s research interests center on clinical research. He is the surgical principal investigator (PI) on the Vanguard study, which prospectively examines the use of novel targeted biological agents to prevent cancer recurrence in patients who’ve undergone lung cancer surgery. He is also the surgical PI on a prospective randomized trial to evaluate the hemostatic effects of aprotinin during extrapleural pneumonectomy. He is the institutional PI for an American College of Surgeons Oncology Group clinical protocol (Z0040) and the institutional surgical PI on two other multi-center trials, one of which is investigating the significance of circulating tumor cells in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery: The other is a prospective trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and adjuvant radiation therapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.[1]
His publications include:[1]
- Shewale JB, Correa AM, Brown EL, Leon-Novelo LG, Nyitray AG, Antonoff MB, Hofstetter WL, Mehran RJ, Rice DC, Walsh GL, Roth J, Vaporciyan AA, Swisher SG, Sepesi B. Time Trends of Perioperative Outcomes in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Resection Patients. Ann Thorac Surg 109(2):404-411, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31539514.
- Chen Y, Zhang R, Wang L, Correa AM, Pataer A, Xu Y, Zhang X, Ren C, Wu S, Meng QH, Fujimoto J, Jensen VB, Antonoff MB, Hofstetter WL, Mehran RJ, Pisimisis G, Rice DC, Sepesi B, Vaporciyan AA, Walsh GL, Swisher SG, Roth JA, Heymach JV, Fang B. Tumor characteristics associated with engraftment of patient-derived non-small cell lung cancer xenografts in immunocompromised mice. Cancer 125(21):3738-3748, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31287557.
- Nelson DB, Cata JP, Niu J, Mitchell KG, Vaporciyan AA, Antonoff MB, Hofstetter WL, Giordano SH, Sepesi B, Mehran RJ, Rice DC. Persistent opioid use is associated with worse survival after lobectomy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Pain 160(10):2365-2373, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31149979.
- Mitchell KG, Ikoma N, Nelson DB, Maru DM, Erasmus JJ, Weston BR, Vaporciyan AA, Antonoff MB, Mehran RJ, Rice DC, Roth JA, Swisher SG, Sepesi B, Walsh GL, Correa AM, Das P, Blum MA, Badgwell BD, Hofstetter WL. Mediastinal Nodal Involvement After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation For Siewert II/III Adenocarcinoma. Ann Thorac Surg 108(3):845-851, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31102632.
- Nelson DB, Rice DC, Mitchell KG, Tsao AS, Gomez DR, Sepesi B, Mehran RJ. Return to intended oncologic treatment after surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 158(3):924-929, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31430846.
