Dr. Nasser Hanna, a clinical team member of the Thoracic Oncology Program of the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, specializes in both lung and esophageal cancer. As part of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, Dr. Hanna helps bring the most advanced care to individuals suffering from various cancers of the chest, including lung, esophagus, pleura, chest wall, and mediastinum. While with this campus facility, Dr. Hanna also has access to the science research going on at this state-of-the art facility. Research includes using advanced molecular biology to more fully understand tumor biology and improve patient care options. Dr. Hanna is also an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine in the Departments of Medicine and Division of Hematology/Oncology. Research Interests With a scientific interest in thoracic oncology, and more specifically in the study and management of all lung cancer forms, Dr. Hanna is currently part of a multi-disciplinary thoracic clinic at IU one day a week. In addition, he has developed and is running a multi-disciplinary thoracic clinic at the VA. The numerous study areas the Thoracic Oncology Program is involved in includes various aspects of lung cancer research, including areas of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition, anti-angiogenesis, cell-cycle inhibitors, and novel chemotherapeutic agents. The Thoracic Oncology Program also sponsors basic lung cancer research as well. In addition, Dr. Hanna is a full member of the Experimental & Developmental Therapeutics Program (EDT), which Indiana University describes as “highly translational,” with “members from numerous departments of the IU School of Medicine, IUPUI, and IU Bloomington campuses.” According to the university, this program allows “collaboration across departments with regular program meetings (third Tuesday of every month), seminars, and pilot projects.” Goals of this program include the following: The identification of “markers and mechanisms of carcinogenesis to more effectively diagnose and prevent cancer.”
The discovery of “new new targets and the development of therapies that will be more effective and less toxic in the prevention and treatment of cancer.”
The design and performance of “preclinical studies to validate new rationally targeted therapies.”
The facilitation of “novel and innovative clinical trials that compliment and support the scientific strengths of EDT members.”
Educational Background Dr. Hanna earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, in 1995. His residency took place at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa, and lasted from 1996 until 1998. From there, Dr. Hanna took up his fellowship at the Indiana University Medical Center of Indianapolis, Indiana, which lasted from 1998 until 2000.
