Director, Thoracic Pathology
Professor of Pathology; Vice Chair and Director of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology
Yale Thoracic Pathology
The Yale Thoracic Pathology Service specializes in analysis of tissue obtained from the thorax, including lungs, trachea, and chest wall, for evaluation for neoplastic conditions(e.g. lung cancer, mesothelioma, other tumors) as well as specific non-neoplastic conditions (inflammatory lung disease, including specific infections and fibrotic diseases of the lung). Diseases and conditions include but are not limited to: biopsies and surgical resections for lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic neoplasms, interstitial lung disease, occupational lung disease and infections.
Clinical Service
The Yale Thoracic Pathology Service specializes in analysis of tissue obtained from the thorax, including lungs, trachea, and chest wall, for evaluation for neoplastic (e.g. lung cancer, mesothelioma, other tumors) conditions as well as specific non-neoplastic conditions (inflammatory lung disease, including specific infections and fibrotic (scarring) diseases of the lung). The Service includes evaluation of prognostic features relative to tumor immunotherapy (PD-L1 expression levels).
Services and Expertise
Diseases and conditions include but are not limited to: lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, lung fibrosis, occupational lung disease, chronic extrinsic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, early lung cancer, screening detected cancers, small cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, bronchial biopsies, thoracoscopic biopsies, mesothelioma, thymoma, sarcoidosis, emphysema, asthma, airways diseases, immunohistochemistry.
Yale Thoracic Pathology Team
Professor of Pathology; Associate Director of Cytopathology, Pathology
Professor of Pathology and of Medicine (Pulmonary); Director of Medical Studies, Anatomic Pathology
Assistant Professor; Chair & CLIA Medical Director, Bridgeport and Milford Campus Laboratories, Pathology
Associate Professor of Pathology; Director of Anatomic Pathology and Cytopathology, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven Campus, Pathology and Cytopathology; Director Cardiovascular Pathology, Pathology
Research
Drs. Homer and Zhang have had a long-standing interest in interstitial lung disease and animal models of lung disease. Dr. Cai works on translational research including molecular markers of lung cancer.
Current Projects:
- Molecular profiling of fibrotic lung disease in context of morphologic analysis (with Naftali Kaminski)
- Diagnostic criteria for neuroendocrine tumors of the lung
- Analysis of genetically engineered mouse models of lung cancer (with Katie Politi)
- Immune profiling of lung cancer (Kurt Schalper)
- Adequacy of cytology specimens for molecular analysis (Cai)
- Adequacy of cryobiopsies for evaluation of interstitial lung disease (Homer)
- Pathology of lung cancers treated with neoadjuvant therapies
Education & Training
Yale Thoracic Pathology provides training for the Pathology Residency Program.