David J. Finley, MD
David J. Finley is the Program Director of Dartmouth Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Thoracic Oncology Program. A thoracic surgeon triple board certified in Surgery, General Surgery, and Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, he is skilled in a wide range of surgical techniques. He specializes in the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and other thoracic malignancies.[1]
Dr. Finley’s professional interests include robotic thoracic surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and minimally invasive esophageal surgery, including esophagectomy. He believes that it is important to take a personal approach to cancer patients and their surgery, saying, “There is the best treatment, and there is the best treatment for the patient, and the two may not be the same.” He works to ensure that he offers each patient the option that best suits their goals.
Education and Career
Dr. Finley attended Duke University as an undergraduate, earning his bachelor of science in Biology. He earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and then completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He then pursued a Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College and another General Surgery Residency at New York-Presbyterian. He completed his education at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with a Thoracic Surgery Fellowship.[1]
Dr. Finley served as a thoracic surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for several years before joining the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Cancer Center. He is also the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Research
Dr. Finley is actively involved in the following clinical trials at Dartmouth Cancer Center:[1]
22FIN437 – LEADER Neoadjuvant Screening Trial: LCMC4 Evaluation of Actionable Early Stage Lung Cancer
F20074 – NAUTIKA1: A Multicenter, Phase II, Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Study of Multiple Therapies in Biomarker-Selected Patients with Resectable Stages IB-III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
F21055: Phase III, Randomised, Controlled, Multi-centre, 3-Arm Study of Neoadjuvant Osimertinib as Monotherapy or in Combination with Chemotherapy versus Standard of Care Chemotherapy Alone for the Treatment of Patients with Epidermal Growth Factor Recept
H21010 – CHIO3 Trial: Chemotherapy Combined with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor for Operable Stage IIIA/B Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
He has also published frequently in noted medical journals, including:
Reducing Unnecessary Type and Screens Before Thoracic Surgery: A Quality Improvement Initiative.
David J Finley, Kayla A Fay, Eleah D Porter, Rian M Hasson, Timothy M Millington, Joseph D Phillips>; The Journal of Surgical Research. 2023 Mar 1
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 neoa…
Valerie W Rusch, Alan Nicholas, G Alexander Patterson, Salama N Waqar, Eric M Toloza, Eric B Haura, Dan J Raz, Karen L Reckamp, Robert E Merritt, Dwight H Owen, David …>; The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2023 Mar 1
Residing in a food desert is associated with an increased risk of readmission following esophagectomy for cancer.
Kayla A Fay, Matthew E Maeder, Jennifer A Emond, Rian M Hasson, Timothy M Millington, David J Finley, Joseph D Phillips>; Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2022 Jun 1
Professional Memberships
Cardiothoracic Surgery Network
International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American College of Surgeons
