Richard J. Wong, MD, FACS

I am a head and neck surgeon who has served on the faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for more than a decade. I have a particular expertise and interest in the surgical removal of thyroid cancer, nodal metastases from thyroid cancer, and recurrent thyroid cancer. I also have a strong interest in treating oral cancer, parotid tumors, melanoma, sinus cancers, and parathyroid adenomas. I also perform vocal cord injections to treat vocal cord paralysis.

One of my main goals is to provide patients with optimal treatment for their cancer while maintaining high standards for their quality of life. The meticulous  identification of structures in the neck during thyroid surgery may enhance outcomes for voice and parathyroid function. I believe in providing multidisciplinary care with a team approach. I collaborate closely with my Memorial Sloan-Kettering colleagues from endocrinology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, medical oncology, and plastic surgery to design each patient’s treatment and surveillance plan.

I have a research interest in exploring why and how cancer cells actively migrate from one location to another, and how this behavior leads to cancer progression. My laboratory is currently funded by an R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute, and has been previously supported by the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Head and Neck Society, and the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute. We are working to identify novel targets that may be treated to improve outcomes for our patients afflicted with thyroid and other cancers.