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Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH


Medical Oncology

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Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH

Physician

  • Chief Clinical Access and Equity Officer
  • Christopher and Constance Hadley Family Chair at Dana-Farber
  • Associate Chief Medical Officer and Director, DFCI Network
  • Deputy Associate Director for Community Engagement, DF/HCC
  • Faculty Director for Cancer Care Equity
  • Senior Network Physician
  • Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Clinical Interests

  • Lung cancer
  • Midline NUT carcinoma
  • Racial disparities in lung cancer treatment

Contact Information

  • Appointments617-562-7208 (New - St. Elizabeths)
    617-789-2903 (Follow-up - St. Elizabeths)
    617-632-6875 (new - Boston)
    617-632-6190 (follow-up - Boston)
  • Office Phone Number617-632-6041 (Boston main campus)
    617-789-2903 (St. Elizabeths)
  • Fax617-632-5786 (Boston main campus)
    617-789-2064 (St. Elizabeths)

Bio

Dr. Lathan’s primary research interests are centered on the effects of race, class, and access to care in cancer outcomes, including racial disparities in lung cancer treatment, differences in access to precision medicine by race and social class and equitable distribution of new treatment across historically marginalized populations. Dr. Lathan aims to bridge the gap between research efforts in disparities and the realities of patient care by developing interventions to increase access to high quality care, developed in part through community engagement. He remains a clinical oncologist focusing on lung cancer patients and is the founding Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a clinical outreach program that aids in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer for patients at Federally Qualified Health Centers. He is the Chief Clinical Access and Equity Officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research interest focus on: leading system wide efforts to broaden access to cancer care for historically marginalized groups to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes. Specific projects include: 1) development of cancer focused health equity measurement and data reporting tools 2) patient navigation integration throughout the cancer service line 3) improving uptake of precision medicine in marginalized communities to advance cancer care.

Board Certification:

  • Medical Oncology

Fellowship:

  • Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, Medical Oncology

Residency:

  • Boston Medical Center, Chief Medical Resident
  • Boston Medical Center, Internal Medicine

Medical School:

  • Tufts University School of Medicine

Research

Dr. Lathan’s primary research interests are centered on the effects of race, class, and access to care in cancer outcomes, including racial disparities in lung cancer treatment, differences in access to precision medicine by race and social class and equitable distribution of new treatment across vulnerable populations. Dr. Lathan aims to bridge the gap between research efforts in disparities and the realities of patient care by developing interventions to increase access to high quality care, developed in part through community engagement. He remains a clinical oncologist focusing on lung cancer patients and is the founding Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a clinical outreach program that aids in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer for patients at Federally Qualified Health Centers. He is the Chief Clinical and Access Equity Officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research interest focus on: leading system wide efforts to broaden access to cancer care for historically marginalized groups to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes. Specific projects include: 1) development of cancer focused health equity measurement and data reporting tools 2) patient navigation integration throughout the cancer service line 3) improving uptake of precision medicine in marginalized communities to advance cancer care.

The Colocation Model in Community Cancer Care: A Description of Patient Clinical and Demographic Attributes and Referral Pathways. JCO Oncol Pract. 2023 06; 19(6):e916-e926.
View in: PubMed

Training Hematologists/Oncologists for the Academic-Community Hybrid: Creating a Fellowship Framework for the Future. JCO Oncol Pract. 2023 06; 19(6):e927-e934.
View in: PubMed

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the Enhanced Smoking Cessation Approach to Promote Empowerment (ESCAPE) digitalized intervention to promote lung health in high-risk individuals who smoke. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 01; 124:107005.
View in: PubMed

The SHARE Study: Pilot Study of a Communication Intervention Designed to Elicit Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients' Preferences and Goals. J Palliat Med. 2022 Nov; 25(11):1646-1654.
View in: PubMed

Inequities in Alliance Acute Leukemia Clinical Trial and Biobank Participation: Defining Targets for Intervention. J Clin Oncol. 2022 Nov 10; 40(32):3709-3718.
View in: PubMed

Maintaining and Advancing Quality Cancer Care During a Global Pandemic. Cancer J. 2022 Mar-Apr 01; 28(2):134-137.
View in: PubMed

Racial disparities in treatment delay among younger men with prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2022 09; 25(3):590-592.
View in: PubMed

Increased Access for Vulnerable Patient Populations to Promote Equity in Lung Cancer Screening-Clearing a Path. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 08 02; 4(8):e2120699.
View in: PubMed

Lung Cancer Strategist Program: A novel care delivery model to improve timeliness of diagnosis and treatment in high-risk patients. Healthc (Amst). 2021 Sep; 9(3):100563.
View in: PubMed

Access to Cancer Care Resources in a Federally Qualified Health Center: a Mixed Methods Study to Increase the Understanding of Met and Unmet Needs of Cancer Survivors. J Cancer Educ. 2021 06; 36(3):591-602.
View in: PubMed

Race, Age, Gender, and Insurance Status: A Comparative Analysis of Access to and Quality of Gastrointestinal Cancer Care. J Gastrointest Surg. 2021 08; 25(8):2152-2162.
View in: PubMed

How a Priority of Community Outreach and Engagement Is Changing Health Equity at Cancer Centers. Health Equity. 2021; 5(1):227-235.
View in: PubMed

Equity-Driven Approaches to Optimizing Cancer Care Coordination and Reducing Care Delivery Disparities in Underserved Patient Populations in the United States. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021 05; 17(5):215-218.
View in: PubMed

Special Convening and Listening Session on Health Equity and Community Outreach and Engagement at National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Health Equity. 2021; 5(1):84-90.
View in: PubMed

Recommendations from a Dialogue on Evolving National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Requirements: A Path Forward. Health Equity. 2021; 5(1):76-83.
View in: PubMed

Laparoscopic pancreatectomy for cancer in high volume centers is associated with an increased use and fewer delays of adjuvant chemotherapy. HPB (Oxford). 2021 04; 23(4):625-632.
View in: PubMed

ROS1-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma with peritoneal carcinomatosis on initial presentation. BMJ Case Rep. 2020 Mar 25; 13(3).
View in: PubMed

An Anatomical Site and Genetic-Based Prognostic Model for Patients With Nuclear Protein in Testis (NUT) Midline Carcinoma: Analysis of 124 Patients. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2020 Apr; 4(2):pkz094.
View in: PubMed

New Treatment Options in Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2019 Jan; 39:e198-e206.
View in: PubMed

Race and sex differences in patient provider communication and awareness of lung cancer screening in the health information National Trends Survey, 2013-2017. Prev Med. 2019 07; 124:84-90.
View in: PubMed

Race, Poverty, and Initial Implementation of Precision Medicine for Lung Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2019 04 01; 111(4):431-434.
View in: PubMed

Racial Differences in Smoking-related Disease Risk Perceptions Among Adults Completing Lung Cancer Screening: Follow-up Results from the ACRIN/NLST Ancillary Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2019 08; 6(4):676-685.
View in: PubMed

Facilitators of and barriers to high-resolution anoscopy adherence among men who have sex with men: a qualitative study. Sex Health. 2018 11; 15(5):431-440.
View in: PubMed

Facilitators of and barriers to HPV vaccination among sexual and gender minority patients at a Boston community health center. Vaccine. 2018 06 18; 36(26):3868-3875.
View in: PubMed

Laboratory Eligibility Criteria as Potential Barriers to Participation by Black Men in Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials. JAMA Oncol. 2018 Mar 01; 4(3):413-414.
View in: PubMed

A comparison of cancer risk assessment and testing outcomes in patients from underserved vs. tertiary care settings. J Community Genet. 2018 Jul; 9(3):233-241.
View in: PubMed

Patient-Clinician Communication: American Society of Clinical Oncology Consensus Guideline. J Clin Oncol. 2017 Nov 01; 35(31):3618-3632.
View in: PubMed

Charting the future of cancer health disparities research: A position statement from the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the National Cancer Institute. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017 09; 67(5):353-361.
View in: PubMed

Charting the Future of Cancer Health Disparities Research: A Position Statement from the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the National Cancer Institute. Cancer Res. 2017 09 01; 77(17):4548-4555.
View in: PubMed

Charting the Future of Cancer Health Disparities Research: A Position Statement From the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the National Cancer Institute. J Clin Oncol. 2017 09 10; 35(26):3075-3082.
View in: PubMed

Patient and caregiver perspectives on decision support for symptom and quality of life management during cancer treatment: Implications for eHealth. Psychooncology. 2017 08; 26(8):1105-1112.
View in: PubMed

Comparison of Prevalence and Types of Mutations in Lung Cancers Among Black and White Populations. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Jun 01; 3(6):801-809.
View in: PubMed

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Early-Stage Lung Cancer Survival. Chest. 2017 09; 152(3):587-597.
View in: PubMed

Deploying Team Science Principles to Optimize Interdisciplinary Lung Cancer Care Delivery: Avoiding the Long and Winding Road to Optimal Care. J Oncol Pract. 2016 11; 12(11):983-991.
View in: PubMed

Intensive treatment and survival outcomes in NUT midline carcinoma of the head and neck. Cancer. 2016 Dec 01; 122(23):3632-3640.
View in: PubMed

Association of Financial Strain With Symptom Burden and Quality of Life for Patients With Lung or Colorectal Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2016 05 20; 34(15):1732-40.
View in: PubMed

Racial Differences in Tobacco Cessation and Treatment Usage After Lung Screening: An Examination of the National Lung Screening Trial. Oncologist. 2016 Jan; 21(1):40-9.
View in: PubMed

Lung cancer care: the impact of facilities and area measures. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2015 Aug; 4(4):385-91.
View in: PubMed

Primary Pulmonary NUT Midline Carcinoma: Clinical, Radiographic, and Pathologic Characterizations. J Thorac Oncol. 2015 Jun; 10(6):951-9.
View in: PubMed

Perspectives of African Americans on lung cancer: a qualitative analysis. Oncologist. 2015 Apr; 20(4):393-9.
View in: PubMed

Receipt of chemotherapy among medicare patients with cancer by type of supplemental insurance. J Clin Oncol. 2015 Feb 01; 33(4):312-8.
View in: PubMed

Population-based assessment of cancer survivors' financial burden and quality of life: a prospective cohort study. J Oncol Pract. 2015 Mar; 11(2):145-50.
View in: PubMed

American Society of Clinical Oncology policy statement on medicaid reform. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Dec 20; 32(36):4162-7.
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Income inequality and treatment of African American men with high-risk prostate cancer. Urol Oncol. 2015 Jan; 33(1):18.e7-18.e13.
View in: PubMed

Disparities in perceived unmet need for supportive services among patients with lung cancer in the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium. Cancer. 2014 Oct 15; 120(20):3178-91.
View in: PubMed

Racial disparities in an aging population: the relationship between age and race in the management of African American men with high-risk prostate cancer. J Geriatr Oncol. 2014 Oct 01; 5(4):352-8.
View in: PubMed

Getting back to equal: The influence of insurance status on racial disparities in the treatment of African American men with high-risk prostate cancer. Urol Oncol. 2014 Nov; 32(8):1285-91.
View in: PubMed

Structural, biochemical, and clinical characterization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations in lung cancer. Sci Transl Med. 2013 Dec 18; 5(216):216ra177.
View in: PubMed

A novel community-based delivery model to combat cancer disparities. Healthc (Amst). 2013 Dec; 1(3-4):123-9.
View in: PubMed

Race by sex differences in depression symptoms and psychosocial service use among non-Hispanic black and white patients with lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Jan 10; 32(2):107-13.
View in: PubMed

Using FastTrack to Implement an Academic Medical Center and Community Health Center Collaborative for Cancer Care Delivery. Healthc (Amst). 2013 Dec; 1(3-4):130-135.
View in: PubMed

Utilization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) testing in the United States: a case study of T3 translational research. Genet Med. 2013 Aug; 15(8):630-8.
View in: PubMed

Clinical trial participation among ethnic/racial minority and majority patients with advanced cancer: what factors most influence enrollment? J Palliat Med. 2013 Mar; 16(3):256-62.
View in: PubMed

Clinicopathologic features and long-term outcomes of NUT midline carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Oct 15; 18(20):5773-9.
View in: PubMed

Attitudes of patients with cancer about personalized medicine and somatic genetic testing. J Oncol Pract. 2012 Nov; 8(6):329-35, 2 p following 335.
View in: PubMed

Pathologic characteristics of NUT midline carcinoma arising in the mediastinum. Am J Surg Pathol. 2012 Aug; 36(8):1222-7.
View in: PubMed

Integrating multiple social statuses in health disparities research: the case of lung cancer. Health Serv Res. 2012 Jun; 47(3 Pt 2):1255-77.
View in: PubMed

A novel ALK secondary mutation and EGFR signaling cause resistance to ALK kinase inhibitors. Cancer Res. 2011 Sep 15; 71(18):6051-60.
View in: PubMed

Clinical trial participation among patients with advanced cancer: What characteristics most influence enrollment? J Clin Oncol. 2011 May 20; 29(15_suppl):9073.
View in: PubMed

Factors associated with histologic versus cytologic diagnosis of lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2011 May 20; 29(15_suppl):6048.
View in: PubMed

Support of cancer patients' spiritual needs and associations with medical care costs at the end of life. Cancer. 2011 Dec 01; 117(23):5383-91.
View in: PubMed

Support of Cancer Patients' Spiritual Needs and Associations with Medical Care Costs at the End of Life (419-C). J Pain Symptom Manage. 2011 Jan; 41(1):243-4.
View in: PubMed

Racial differences in the perception of lung cancer: the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey. Cancer. 2010 Apr 15; 116(8):1981-6.
View in: PubMed

Commentary: One Small Step. J Oncol Pract. 2009 Nov; 5(6):317-318.
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Racism in the chemotherapy infusion unit: a nurse's story. Oncologist. 2008 Nov; 13(11):1177-80.
View in: PubMed

Racial composition of hospitals: effects on surgery for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Sep 10; 26(26):4347-52.
View in: PubMed

Racial differences in prostate cancer screening by family history. Ann Epidemiol. 2008 Jul; 18(7):579-83.
View in: PubMed

Religiousness and spiritual support among advanced cancer patients and associations with end-of-life treatment preferences and quality of life. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Feb 10; 25(5):555-60.
View in: PubMed

Similar outcomes between African American and non-African American patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung carcinoma: report from the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Jan 20; 24(3):407-12.
View in: PubMed

The effect of race on invasive staging and surgery in non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Jan 20; 24(3):413-8.
View in: PubMed

The effect of hospital racial composition on obtaining surgery for non-metastatic small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). J Clin Oncol. 2005 Jun; 23(16_suppl):6019.
View in: PubMed

The effect of race on recommendation and acceptance of surgical resection for non-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). J Clin Oncol. 2004 Jul 15; 22(14_suppl):6018.
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Brighton, MA 02135
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