Memorial Cardiac & Vascular Institute
Thoracic Surgery
Memorial Healthcare System’s Division of Thoracic Surgery is a leader in the multidisciplinary care of patients, and is on the forefront of technological advances in thoracic medicine. These advances include the application of such minimally invasive techniques as endoscopic ultrasound, navigational brochoscopy, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and robotic surgery, and CyberKnife®.
These techniques and technologies are used routinely in the diagnosis and therapy of such chest diseases as lung and esophageal cancers. The goal is to work collaboratively with referring physicians and consultants to provide the highest level of individualized patient- and family-centered care.
The Division of Thoracic Surgery provides specialty care to patients who have:
- Lung Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Benign Esophageal Disease (e.g., achalasia, Zenker’s diverticulum)
- Mediastinal Tumors (e.g., bronchogenic cysts, schwannoma, thymoma)
- Pleural and Chest Wall Diseases (e.g., chest wall tumors, empyema, pleural effusion)
- Trachea and Airway Disorders
- Hyperhidrosis (excessive perspiration)
Mark Block, MD, FACS, FCCP
Chief of Thoracic Surgery,
Memorial Healthcare System
Dr. Block has practiced general thoracic surgery since completing his residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis in 1997. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University, and then completed his general surgery residency at the University of Chicago. He also received fellowship training in surgical oncology at the National Cancer Institute.
Before coming to Memorial Healthcare System, Dr. Block practiced general thoracic surgery as an assistant professor of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and then at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was also the director of the Thoracic Oncology Working Group.
Dr. Block holds certifications from the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians, and is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society and the General Thoracic Surgery Club. He has published more than 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals and been an invited contributor to several authoritative textbooks on thoracic surgery.