Dr. Alexander Drilon

Patients with complex lung cancers often meet Dr. Alexander Drilon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center when decisions feel overwhelming. As Chief of the Early Drug Development Service and Associate Attending on the Thoracic Oncology Service, he gathers surgeons, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, molecular pathologists, pharmacologists, nurses, and social workers around a single table. Each member reviews imaging, genomic profiles, and comorbidity assessments, then contributes to a consolidated plan that respects both oncologic urgency and everyday realities such as work schedules and family responsibilities. Dr. Drilon translates technical findings—like an ALK rearrangement or MET exon-14 skip—into plain language, comparing anticipated benefits and adverse-effect profiles of surgery, stereotactic radiation, and oral targeted therapy. Weekly web-enabled conferences open the discussion to community physicians, and nurse navigators telephone within hours of every infusion to check symptoms and arrange supportive therapies. Pharmacists pre-adjust antiemetic plans for kinase inhibitors, while financial counselors expedite grant coverage so treatment starts without delay. This choreography reduces redundant testing, accelerates therapy, and assures families that every expert remains aligned on a common mission: prolonging life while protecting quality of life.

 

In the translational research suite adjoining the clinic, Dr. Drilon studies how kinase fusions ignite lung tumor growth, then moves candidate inhibitors from cell cultures to first-in-human studies with remarkable speed. His program concentrates on ALK, ROS1, RET, MET exon-14 skipping, and tropomyosin receptor kinase alterations—molecular events that now define therapeutic subsets rather than curiosities. Fresh biopsy cores collected during bronchoscopy move directly to sequencing stations; when a novel mutation emerges, medicinal chemists synthesize matching compounds within days. The flagship LIBRETTO RET inhibitor study and the larotrectinib program for TRK fusion cancers rise from this pipeline, each designed to enroll across tumor types so every eligible person, regardless of primary site, gains access to precision therapy. Genomic data flow to open-source repositories in de-identified form, encouraging worldwide discovery while safeguarding privacy. Regular meetings with statisticians examine emerging resistance patterns and refine dosing algorithms, ensuring laboratory insights quickly shape bedside care. For patients, this means tomorrow’s medicine is already in the room today.

 

Innovation in Dr. Drilon’s practice extends beyond molecules to teaching and outreach. He moderates live case conferences that stream to accredited physicians worldwide, reviewing imaging and genomic profiles side by side so that colleagues in smaller centers can refine protocols without relocating patients. Within Memorial Sloan Kettering he guides fellows through a curriculum that pairs classroom sessions on kinase biology with supervised management of fatigue, neuropathy, and hepatic enzyme elevation. Simulation labs using digital bronchoscopy models allow trainees to practice biopsy techniques until motions become second nature, reducing complication rates once independent. He authors open-access reviews that translate complex trial data into pragmatic algorithms, and these resources anchor a multilingual patient portal where videos explain how targeted drugs switch off abnormal proteins. Continuing-education quizzes issue instant credits, and feedback surveys shape the next quarter’s sessions, ensuring guidance remains current. By building connections that span academic walls, he broadens access to state-of-the-art care and reassures patients that expertise travels with them wherever they live.