Thoracic Surgeon
A thoracic surgeon specializes in performing surgery in the chest area. A thoracic surgeon may perform surgery to treat coronary artery disease or abnormalities of the heart’s valves or great vessels or birth defects involving the heart or chest. They can perform heart or lung transplants. And they perform surgery to treat cancer involving organs in the chest cavity, including the lungs, esophagus or chest wall.
For a mesothelioma patient, the thoracic surgeon initially may be called upon to perform a biopsy to help diagnose the patient’s disease. Later, if it is determined that surgery is an appropriate treatment, a thoracic surgeon will perform the surgery.
Source: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons