Dr. Smita Sihag

Dr. Smita Sihag, MD, MPH, FACS, is a board-certified thoracic surgeon specializing in cancers of the chest at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her clinical expertise encompasses primary tumors of the esophagus, lung, mediastinum, airway, pleura, and chest wall, as well as metastatic disease spreading to those regions from elsewhere in the body. She also brings special expertise to esophageal and tracheal diseases and a range of benign conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux, high-grade Barrett's dysplasia, hiatal hernia, achalasia, esophageal diverticula, and tracheal stenosis. Performing more than 200 operations per year at MSK's inpatient hospital in Manhattan, she sees patients at the Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion in Manhattan and at MSK Nassau on Long Island. Dr. Sihag works closely with colleagues in medical, interventional, and radiation oncology to develop personalized treatment plans, ensuring that patients, family members, caregivers, and primary care providers are all included in the decision-making process.

A strong proponent of minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Sihag employs robotics and video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATs) whenever possible for lung and esophageal surgery, allowing for smaller incisions and faster recovery. Her commitment to patient access to cutting-edge options extends to her research leadership at MSK, where she directs a collaborative effort with the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology focused on discovering new therapeutic strategies for esophageal cancer. Her team works to develop more precise tools for diagnosing and staging the disease and for predicting which patients will respond to specific treatments. She is also actively involved in clinical trials investigating targeted therapies and immunotherapy for esophageal cancer, areas she regards as among the most promising frontiers in the field.

Beyond her clinical and scientific work, Dr. Sihag is guided by a deep sense of purpose in helping patients achieve excellent outcomes through complex surgery. She is committed to fostering hope and comfort in her patients from the very first consultation, and she places great value on the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that defines care at MSK. Outside of medicine, she enjoys long-distance running, traveling to new destinations, and exploring food and wine in New York City.