Meet Thoracic Surgeon Matthew Bott

Thoracic surgeon Matthew Bott outlines his reasons to be hopeful in the setting of lung or esophageal cancer at MSK, including late stage treatments, minimally invasive surgery, and a focus on the emotional as well as physical needs of his patients.
Video Details
 Matthew Bott

Matthew Bott, MD

Thoracic Surgeon

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer
  • Esophageal cancers and conditions
  • Thymic carcinoma

My Specialties

  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)
  • Robotic bronchoscopy
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Dr. Bott's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a surgeon who specializes in treating cancers of the chest, including lung cancer, esophageal cancer, thymic tumors, and neuroendocrine tumors. I have experience using the latest technology to diagnose and treat a wide variety of thoracic diseases of the lung, esophagus, and chest wall. I also have expertise in treatments for noncancerous conditions, including anti-reflux procedures and hiatal hernia repair.

I see about 1,000 patients per year. Most are concerned about their outcomes following cancer treatment and how it will impact their lives moving forward. I try to reassure them by explaining that we offer a number of treatment options that not only offer good long-term outcomes but also help people heal quickly so they can return to their daily activities. I perform most operations using minimally invasive techniques, which require smaller incisions and have been shown to minimize discomfort and speed up recovery.

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I chose to become a thoracic cancer surgeon because surgery can often offer the highest likelihood of a cure for people with early-stage disease. In fact, people with early-stage lung cancer can often be successfully treated with minimally invasive surgery and other techniques that have a lower long-term impact on their breathing and overall health. I also focus on techniques and procedures to improve symptoms and quality of life in people with advanced cancer. Working with my colleagues in medical and radiation oncology, we offer treatment plans that are unique and tailored to each patient’s needs.

MSK is a world leader in developing and refining new approaches to care for people with cancer. There are a number of exciting developments in the treatment of lung and esophageal cancer. Immunotherapy, which was pioneered at MSK, has become an important treatment option. I am co-investigator on a number of clinical trials to evaluate its effectiveness prior to surgery in people with early-stage disease. We are also performing lung biopsies using newer techniques such as robotic bronchoscopy, which is extremely safe and effective.

A significant portion of my time is spent conducting scientific research to better understand how tumors form and investigating new ways to treat them. Using a patient-centered approach, I am working to design new models to study cancer and then use these experimental models to develop better treatments. It is my hope that discoveries made in the laboratory will result in more-effective therapies and will ultimately help to cure people afflicted by thoracic diseases.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family. My children are active in a variety of sports such as baseball and soccer as well as scouting. We also enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, fishing, and running, and I have even completed two marathons with my wife.

I am especially fond of traveling, periodically visiting family in Germany and France and exploring places like Peru, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, and China. In medical school I participated in a mission trip to Ghana to deliver medical care to remote villages.

What I Do at MSK

I'm a thoracic (thor-A-sik) surgeon. This is a doctor with special training in surgery for the chest, lungs, airway, esophagus (swallowing tube), and thymus. They’re also known as a chest surgeon.

  • Associate Attending Surgeon
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer
  • Esophageal cancers and conditions
  • Thymic carcinoma
  • Thymoma
  • Lung metastases
  • Mesothelioma
  • Neuroendocrine tumors

My Specialties

  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)
  • Robotic bronchoscopy
  • Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
  • Lung biopsy
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, University of Virginia

Residencies

  • General Surgery - NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Fellowships

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • Research Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • General Surgery
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Bott sees patients at two locations.

Office Phone
Location
Commack, NY
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack Nonna’s Garden Foundation Center
650 Commack Road Commack NY 11725
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David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
530 East 74th Street New York NY 10021
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Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Bott’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

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Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Matthew Bott discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • AstraZeneca
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Intuitive Surgical Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Merck & Co Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities

If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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