Lee Krug, M.D.

Medical oncologist Dr. Lee Krug specializes in the treatment of mesothelioma, the cancer that attacks the lining of internal organs. He currently leads the Mesothelioma Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Because this cancer is so rare, there are few specialists. However, Dr. Krug continues to advance our understanding of this disease.

Dr. Krug is a working medical oncologist who treats patients and conducts medical research. He oversees physicians working on better mesothelioma treatment while training residents and interns, the next generation of doctors who will battle this disease.

Education

Dr. Krug earned his medical degree from Washington University’s  School of Medicine in St. Louis. During his residency at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, he specialized in internal medicine. Dr. Krug then completed a hematology and oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute in New York. During this fellowship, he developed an interest in mesothelioma. Dr. Krug remained there as a medical oncologist, eventually becoming the director of the Mesothelioma Program.

Career as a Medical Oncologist

Because treatment of mesothelioma often involves surgery, many physicians who specialize in this cancer are surgeons. However, non-surgical doctors are also important to advance treatment using chemotherapy, radiation, and other techniques. To provide the best care for patients, medical and surgical oncologists collaborate on treatment.

As a medical oncologist, Dr. Krug collaborates with colleagues to diagnose and treat diseases like mesothelioma and other cancers. He also treats patients using imaging scans, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal treatments, immunology, and other evolving and innovative techniques.

Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center

Dr. Krug is an Associate Attending Physician in the Division of Thoracic Oncology at Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York, where he also ovesees the Mesothelioma Program.

Sloan Kettering has a unique group of professionals, led by Dr. Krug, working together to battle mesothelioma. Together, this team discusses each patient’s situation to determine the best individual treatment plan. They also enroll patients in clinical trials that might benefit them.

Research

Research has been an important aspect of Dr. Krug’s career in medical oncology and mesothelioma. Through research, he has learned about diagnosis and how to better treat mesothelioma patients. Dr. Krug has published more than 50 articles. In these publications, he has described studies on genetic mutations that may indicate a patient has pleural mesothelioma. He has also written about the use of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery in combination for treating the early stages of mesothelioma. This multi-modal approach to mesothelioma treatment is widely used by other cancer specialists.

Dr. Krug’s research also included clinical trials, studies where volunteer patients are used to test the safety and effectiveness of new treatments and procedures. Mesothelioma patients often participate in clinical trials to gain access to treatments not yet approved for general use. Dr. Krug led a clinical trial for chemotherapy before extrapleural pneumonectomy, a surgical procedure for treating pleural mesothelioma. In addition, other trials tested mesothelioma vaccines and new chemotherapy drugs.

Professional Organizations, Honors, and Achievements

In his decades of work in medical oncology and mesothelioma, Dr. Krug achieved many professional milestones and received many honors. For example, Dr. Krug led the National Comprehensive Cancer Network committee that established guidelines for treating mesothelioma. Today, doctors around the world use these guidelines.

Dr. Krug is also chair of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to ending mesothelioma through research, education, and advocacy. Dr. Krug belongs to a number of medical professional associations and was listed several years in a row as a Top Doctor in the New York Metro Area.

Dr. Krug has contributed tremendously to the cause of mesothelioma patients. From clinical work to his devoted research, Dr. Krug is making a difference in the lives of many patients and their families.