SUMMARY
For over 30 years, Mayo Clinic researcher David E. Midthun, M.D., has dedicated his clinical practice and research to lung cancer, contributing to advancements in screening and treatment since the field's early days. His areas of expertise include lung cancer screening, risk assessment, and the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.
Dr. Midthun has led or co-led several major lung cancer research protocols, including Mayo Clinic's seminal CT lung screening trial, the National Cancer Institute's National Lung Screening Trial, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's National Emphysema Treatment Trial.
He directs the Mayo Clinic Lung Screening Program, a multidisciplinary effort involving Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin in addition to Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. The program team has screened more than 20,000 patients at eight sites. Dr. Midthun also is dedicated to educating the next generation of lung health experts. He directed the second-year pulmonary pathophysiology course at Mayo Clinic's medical school for 20 years.
Focus areas
- Lung cancer screening and nodule evaluation. Dr. Midthun is the site principal investigator for the Cancer Screening Assay Using DELFI (CASCADE-LUNG) study and the Screening for High Frequency Malignant Disease study. These studies assess the use of blood tests to screen for lung cancer in patients who are undergoing CT screening.
- Screening disparities. Dr. Midthun serves as co-principal investigator of the R01-funded study Promoting Equity Through Multicomponent Strategies for Cancer Screening, which focuses on optimal lung cancer screening for all.
- Proteomic nodule classification. Dr. Midthun is the site principal investigator for the ALTITUDE study, a multicenter, randomized controlled trial that prospectively evaluates the clinical utility of the Nodify XL2 proteomic classifier in patients with incidentally discovered lung nodules at low to moderate risk for cancer.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Midthun's research shows that it's possible — and important — to find lung cancer early. He has used CT scans and studied changes in airway cells and blood tests to help detect cancer before symptoms appear. Early study results showed that low-dose CT scans could be a helpful way to screen for lung cancer.
More recently, Dr. Midthun's team shared results from their lung screening program. They found that using a person's individual risk to guide screening helped catch more cancers early and avoided unnecessary procedures for people who didn't have cancer.
Dr. Midthun also assisted in leading a major national study called the National Lung Screening Trial. It included over 53,000 people at higher risk for lung cancer, with more than 1,200 from Mayo Clinic. The study showed that screening with low-dose CT scans reduced lung cancer deaths by 20%, proving that this type of screening saves lives.
Professional highlights
- Mayo Clinic:
- Teacher of the Year Award in Internal Medicine, Mayo Fellows' Association, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, 2018, 2020.
- President of the Staff, Officers and Councilors, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, 2018.
- Deputy Editor, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, 2005-2013.