Mark J. Krasna M.D.

  • Medical Director
  • Cancer Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center
  • 410-427-2220

In general cancer care Dr. Mark Krasna was the first to develop and begin using the idea of multidisciplinary care. He is also a promoter of making cancer treatment a patient centered experience, therefore doctors and specialists work with the patient at their bedside rather than making numerous visits to the doctor’s office. Dr. Krasna was the Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Associate Director for Surgical Oncology in the Greenebaum Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dr. Krasna was influential in establishing and building the cancer program at the University of Maryland. And at the Greenebaum Cancer Center he became a leader in the development of thoracic surgery and wrote the first textbook on thoracoscopic surgery. He is known worldwide and has taught and lectured many surgeons all over the world on his techniques. Not only does he teach through himself but through writing as well, he has published three books, thirty-five book chapters, over one-hundred journal articles, sixty-five abstracts, and six films. Currently he is the Medical Director of the Cancer Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center and is a leader at The Cancer Institute. He also advises the Catholic Health Initiatives, which is St. Joseph’s parent organization, in the development of a national cancer service line strategy.

Dr. Krasna has clinical expertise in lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and thoracoscopy. He is a supporter of the multimodality treatment for mesothelioma, which uses surgery and a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He also advocates the use of extended surgical staging for potentially resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. He encourages this through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. To more precisely stage patients he promotes the use of lacroscopy, peritoneal lavage, or mediastinoscopy.

References:
  • St. Joseph Medical Center. Physician Profile.

Last modified: February 15 2010.