John Kunstman, MD, MHS, FACS
Cards
About
Research
Overview
As a surgeon, it is my goal to improve the survivorship of patients affected by pancreatic neoplasms, which requires timely detection and management of these diverse tumors. Thus, as a scientist, my research efforts are focused on early detection and better characterization of precursor lesions within the pancreas, enabling better access to potentially curative treatment. Clinical management of such lesions is controversial and objective data to guide decision-making is notably lacking. Currently, we are performing a two-part project in examining intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, the precursor lesion for 15-20% of invasive pancreas cancers. We are seeking markers at the single-cell level to understand the mechanism by which some of these lesions progress to cancer while others remain benign and are also attempting to define the genetic characteristics of patients that exhibit a cyst-forming phenotype, as they are a uniquely at-risk population for developing pancreas cancer.
Our clinical research is focused on optimizing outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery. In particular, pancreaticoduodenectomy, or the Whipple procedure, which is the most common technique utilized to resect the head of the pancreas and associated structures for cancer, has been plagued by an operative mortality rate in excess of 20%. This has greatly improved over the past two decades to under 3% at high-volume academic centers. This has allowed a renewed focus in decreasing procedure-related complications such as delayed gastric emptying and pancreatic fistula formation. We have been at the forefront of this trend and have conducted numerous studies both at Yale and as part of a multi-institutional group aimed at optimizing surgery-related outcomes. In particular, we authored the first large study on forgoing nasogastric decompression after pancreaticoduodenectomy and have contributed multiple manuscripts detailing optimal management of surgical drains and fistula mitigation using both institutional and international datasets.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
John W. Kunstman, MD, MHS, is a board-certified surgeon specializing in the care of patients with cancers or benign diseases of the pancreas, liver, bile ducts, stomach, and intestines.
Dr. Kunstman has expertise in cystic diseases of the pancreas. He maintains an active research program at Yale examining the development of such cystic lesions as well as the genetics of associated pancreatic cancers. He also conducts clinical research seeking to improve the outcomes of those patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.
He says his favorite part of his job is incorporating innovative research from Yale into his practice and directly seeing the results benefit patients.
“The rapid development and refinement of new cancer treatments and surgical techniques allows us to offer potentially curative surgery to an increasing number of patients over time,” Dr. Kunstman says. “More than anything, I am excited about the prospects for the future as we continue to offer better and more effective therapies to our patients.”
Surgical oncology, he says, is unique in combining the technical demands of complex surgery with deep integration in a multidisciplinary team of experts in medical oncology and other fields.
“During training, I had a fantastic series of mentors that demonstrated the enormous impact the surgeon has on patients with cancer. It is that impact and those interactions with every patient and family that drove me to a career in surgical oncology,” Dr. Kunstman says. “My relationship with patients is built on durable trust and mutual understanding. Determining a course of treatment is a joint decision, made with the patient and their family after a thorough review of all the possible outcomes. No matter what happens, our team will always be there for our patients, even if the treatment does not include surgery. No question or concern is too small for us to address.”
He has received numerous awards throughout his career recognizing his contributions to research and teaching, as well as excellence in clinical care, including the Samuel Harvey Award for Outstanding Performance as a Chief Resident and Resident of the Year Award for Research in the Basic Sciences. Dr. Kunstman is a member of numerous professional societies including the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American College of Surgeons.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Gastrointestinal Cancers
Learn More on Yale MedicineSmall Intestine Adenocarcinoma
Learn More on Yale MedicineCancer
Learn More on Yale MedicinePancreatic Cancer
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Surgery General
- Certification Organization
- AB of Surgery
- Original Certification Date
- 2017
Yale Medicine News
Links & Media
News
- June 20, 2024
Chemotherapy Before Surgery Benefits Some Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
- June 30, 2023
Pancreatic Cancer Risk Lower if Cysts Remain Stable for Five Years
- October 04, 2022
Yale Cancer Center’s Luisa Escobar-Hoyos Awarded NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Grant
- June 16, 2022
Discoveries & Impact (June 2022)