Dr. H. Richard Alexander, Jr. is an accomplished surgical oncologist and cancer researcher. He focuses on the surgical removal of solid organ surface tumors. Specifically, his focus is on peritoneal mesothelioma and other cancers impacting the peritoneal surface.

Dr. Alexander has more than 20 years of experience in surgical oncology. He has also expanded his expertise to include hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). HIPEC is a heated chemotherapy wash commonly used to treat patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Dr. Alexander’s Professional History

Dr. Alexander received his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Alexander’s medical career began with the United States Navy. During his service, Dr. Alexander worked out of the Walter Reed Military Hospital to complete his surgical residency.

After completing his residency, Dr. Alexander worked as a medical officer aboard the USS Mt. Whitney and the USS Midway. He served for eight years.

Dr. Alexander then completed a surgical oncology fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During his time at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Alexander was an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Fellow.

After the completion of his fellowship, Dr. Alexander joined the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He eventually became the Deputy Director in the Center for Cancer Research.

In this position, Dr. Alexander led research teams for patients with advanced cancers.

After his work with the NCI, Dr. Alexander joined the department of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He served as the head of surgical oncology.

In 2017, Dr. Alexander moved to the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey as the chief of surgical oncology. He has continued in this position for several years. He is also the regional director of surgery for Monmouth Medical Center.

Clinical Interests and Research

Dr. Alexander’s research focuses largely on surgical resection for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. One of his largest areas of interest is surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma.

Dr. Alexander‘s Medical Areas of Interest

• Appendiceal cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Cytoreductive surgery
• Endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors
• Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
• Metastatic solid organ cancers
• Peritoneal mesothelioma
• Peritoneal surface metastases
• Surgical resection and treatment
• Recurrent solid organ cancers

Dr. Alexander is a member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey’s Mesothelioma Treatment and Research Program. Here, he researches ways to surgically remove tumors and help stop mesothelioma cancer from spreading.

Two of Dr. Alexander’s specialties, cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC, are often used to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. Such peritoneal surface tumors can cause patients abdominal discomfort, swelling and pain. Dr. Alexander’s work to remove these tumors can potentially extend life expectancy and also help patients with their symptoms.

Selected Publications

The Chicago Consensus on peritoneal surface malignancies: Management of ovarian neoplasms. Cancer. April 2020;126(11): 2553-2560. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32867

Management of Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Using Cytoreductive Surgery and Perioperative Chemotherapy. Journal of Oncology Practice. October 2016;12(10):928-935. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2016.011908

Mesothelioma: Scientific clues for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. July 2019;69(5):402-429. doi: 10.3322/caac.21572

Transglutaminase is a mesothelioma cancer stem cell survival protein that is required for tumor formation. Oncotarget. October 2018;9(77):34495-34505. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.26130

Treatment factors associated with long-term survival after cytoreductive surgery and regional chemotherapy for patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Surgery. June 2013;153(6):779-786. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2013.01.001

Dr. Alexander’s Accolades

Dr. Alexander has received many awards during his long career in surgical oncology. In addition to several teaching awards, Dr. Alexander continues to make an impact through various organizations.

• Fellow – American College of Surgeons
• Fellow –American Surgical Association
• Fellow – Society of Surgical Oncology
• Honorary Member – Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
• MERIT (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award 2005 – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Former Chair of the Board – Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation