Cancers Treated:
Research Interests:
- Regional lung chemotherapy (Suffusion)
- Thoracoscopic advanced resection (pneumonectomy, chest wall resection, sleeve resection)
- Needlescopic lung resection
Biography
Since 2002, my support of less invasive treatment options for patients helped our lung cancer program become the busiest in upstate New York State. Achieving high minimally invasive reliability for even complex tumor operations, inventing useful instruments, and communicating techniques to other surgeons by annotated video productions led to national and international recognitions.
Because Robotic and Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (RATS and VATS) are minimally invasive there is a tendency for fewer complications, thus enabling faster recovery and access to surgical options for patients formerly too frail for traditional operations. Such techniques also allow patients to move on faster to other cancer treatments like chemotherapy.
My primary research interest involves the use of a regional lung chemotherapeutic technique called “Suffusion” to address cancer that we cannot see during our operations. We are currently using this for patients with cancers metastatic to the lung.
After Jefferson Medical College graduation, I completed a general surgery internship at Baylor College of Medicine followed by a residency and research fellowship in cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Allegheny General Hospital-West Campus, Medical College of Pennsylvania. I authored may peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and present regularly at national and international professional meetings.
I have been named as a 'Top Doctor' in U.S. News and World Report, as well as one of 'Americas Top Doctors' in New York State. Working closely with experts across multiple disciplines, including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses and social workers, I provide patients with a comprehensive evaluation. This helps educate them about their disease so that they can make informed decisions about their treatment options. I encourage patients to listen to audio recordings of my meetings with them so that they can understand their conditions better.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Professor of Oncology
- Department of Thoracic Surgery
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo
- Professor of Surgery
Background
Education and Training
- MD - Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Residency
- General Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Thoracic Surgery, Medical College of Pennsylvania-Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Board Certification
- Surgery, American Board of Surgery
- Surgical Critical Care, American Board of Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery
Professional Memberships
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Clinical Trials
Publications
1: Nitsche LJ, Curtin L, Sexton S, Khoury T, Prey JD, Yendamuri S, Demmy TL. Preclinical experience with cisplatin, gemcitabine, and doxorubicin in pulmonary suffusion. JTCVS Open. 2025 Jan 20;24:484-495. doi: 10.1016/j.xjon.2024.12.012.
PMID: 40309702; PMCID: PMC12039423.
2: Huang J, Tan KS, Altorki N, Antonoff M, Blackmon S, Bueno R, Burt B, Demmy T, Evans N, Donahoe L, Harpole D, Jarrar D, Kozower B, Lanuti M, Liberman M, Lin J, Liou D, Liptay M, Luketich J, Pennathur A, Petersen G, Ripley R, Rochefort M, Seder CW, Shrager J, Su S, Tong B, Shargall Y, Vaporciyan A, Waddell T, Weksler B, Wigle D, Yendamuri S, Jones DR. Initial patient characteristics of Thoracic Surgical Oncology Group 102: A multicenter prospective registry of active surveillance in patients with multiple ground-glass opacities. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Apr;169(4):1100-1107. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2024.09.054. Epub 2024 Oct 10. PMID: 39395785.
3: Liou DZ, Berry MF, Brown LM, Demmy TL, Huang J, Khullar OV, Padda SK, Shah RD, Taylor MD, Toker SA, Weiss E, Wightman SC, Worrell SG, Hayanga JWA. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Expert Consensus Document on the Surgical Management of Thymomas. Ann Thorac Surg. 2024 Nov;118(5):975-1004. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2024.04.013. Epub 2024 May 7. PMID: 38718878.
4: Hennon MW, Demmy TL. Thoracoscopic right intrapericardial pneumonectomy. JTCVS Tech. 2023 Sep 10;22:275-280. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2023.08.022. PMID: 38152220; PMCID: PMC10750796.
5: Nitsche LJ, Jordan S, Demmy T, Dexter E, Hennon M, Nwogu C, Yendamuri S, Picone A. Analyzing the impact of minimally invasive surgical approaches on post-operative outcomes of pneumonectomy and sleeve lobectomy patients. J Thorac Dis. 2023 May 30;15(5):2497-2504. doi: 10.21037/jtd-22-654. Epub 2023 Apr 18. PMID: 37324102; PMCID: PMC10267906.
6: Chamberlain S, Bellnier D, Yendamuri S, Lindenmann J, Demmy T, Nwogu C, Ramer M, Tworek L, Oakley E, Mallory M, Carlsen L, Sexton S, Curtin L, Shafirstein G. An Optical Surface Applicator for Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy. Lasers Surg Med. 2020 Jul;52(6):523-529. doi: 10.1002/lsm.23168. Epub 2019 Oct 6. PMID: 31587314; PMCID: PMC7131890.
7: Demmy TL. Thoracoscopic Lung Suffusion. Thorac Surg Clin. 2016
Feb;26(1):109-21. doi: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2015.09.013. PMID: 26611516.
8: Demmy TL, Yendamuri S, Hennon MW, Dexter EU, Picone AL, Nwogu C. Thoracoscopic maneuvers for chest wall resection and reconstruction. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2012 Sep;144(3):S52-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2012.06.005. Epub 2012 Jun 27. PMID: 22743175.
9: Demmy TL, Mayfield WR. Anvil extension technology in thoracic surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2012 Apr;93(4):1280-4. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2011.11.030. PMID: 22450075.