Dr. Daniel M. Labow

About Dr. Daniel Labow

Daniel Labow is one of the world’s leading experts in heated chemotherapy treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma. He is known for prioritizing the needs of his patients. Dr. Labow uses minimally invasive treatments wherever possible to maximize patients’ comfort and accelerate their recovery.

He joined the team at Nuvance Health Praxair Cancer Center in Danbury, Connecticut, in March 2023. Previously, Dr. Labow spent nearly 20 years with Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. As founder and director of its HIPEC program, he performed hundreds of life-saving chemotherapy procedures.

HIPEC is a procedure that combines cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy to remove mesothelioma tumors from the abdominal lining.

After removing a tumor, the organs and tissues potentially affected by cancer cells are bathed in a warmed chemotherapy solution. Infected areas of the body are directly targeted by the medical solution, which is then absorbed by the body.

“HIPEC is a big operation. But if it is an option, it’s good news since it means surgery is a choice and can impact the outcome. I suggest patients stay active and look at it like training for a marathon.”
—Dr. Daniel Labow, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist

Dr. Labow’s Career Highlights

Dr. Labow has dedicated his career to improving his patients’ health and quality of life.

Some of his biggest career accomplishments include:

• Creating the heated chemotherapy program at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2007
• Investing in the future of mesothelioma treatment by training and educating the next generation of surgeons as Program Director of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Surgical Oncology Fellowship
• Performing more than 600 HIPEC procedures since 2007

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Dr. Labow’s Background

Dr. Daniel Labow earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. He then attended medical school at Brown University before completing his general surgery residency at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Labow also completed a second residency at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in surgical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

During his long career at Mount Sinai, he was particularly dedicated to improving its educational program and developing new processes to improve the patient experience.

Medical Specializations

Dr. Labow focuses on a wide range of specialties besides mesothelioma and HIPEC.

Some of his other medical specializations include:

• Gastrointestinal cancers
• Radiofrequency ablation (a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the size of tumors)
• Soft-tissue sarcomas
• Splenectomy (surgery to remove the spleen)
• Surgery second opinions
• Thoracic surgery

Dr. Labow’s Career Accomplishments

Before joining the medical team at Nuvance Health Praxair Cancer Center, Dr. Labow dedicated much of his professional career to his work at Mount Sinai Hospital’s cancer center, where he supervised several clinical trials in an effort to further cancer research and find the best treatments available.

He published dozens of medical articles and mentored upcoming surgical oncologists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Labow personally championed the hospital’s HIPEC program in the early 2000s, when heated chemotherapy was still a relatively new treatment with many skeptics.

“HIPEC is quite unique in combating cancer and getting improved outcomes. We’re seeing patients that may have survived only months and are now living multiple years.”
—Dr. Daniel Labow, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist

Dr. Labow has performed more than 600 heated chemotherapy procedures and helped prove HIPEC’s viability as a cancer treatment. He is now one of the most experienced surgeons in the world in treating peritoneal mesothelioma and other abdominal cancers.

Awards & Honors

• Administrative Chief Resident – University of Chicago Hospital
• American College of Surgeons Fellow
• Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors – New York Metro Area
• Chief Research Fellow – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• New York Magazine’s Best Doctors
• Robert Paradny Teaching Award

Professional Affiliations

• American College of Surgeons (member)
• American Hepatopancreaticobiliary Association (member)
• Society of Surgical Oncology: Education Committee (member)
• Gastrointestinal Disease Focus Group at Mount Sinai Hospital (chair)
• Commission on Cancer (New York State Chair)

Recent Publications

• Macfie, R. C., et al. (2022). Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy does not increase the risk of major complications or failure to rescue in cytoreductive surgery. Journal of Surgical Oncology.
• Marron, T. U., et al. (2022). Neoadjuvant clinical trials provide a window of opportunity for cancer drug discovery. Nature Medicine.
• Shaltiel, T., et al. (2022). Hypophosphatemia is associated with postoperative morbidity after cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy: a retrospective study. Journal of Surgical Research.
• Vietti Violi, N., et al. (2022). FDG-PET/MRI for the preoperative diagnosis and staging of peritoneal carcinomatosis: a prospective multireader pilot study. Abdominal Radiology.

Use our Free Doctor Match to find top specialists near you who can treat your type and stage of mesothelioma.

Dr. Labow’s Cancer Research

Dr. Labow is extremely knowledgeable about numerous forms of cancer and has applied his extensive research to a wide range of medical challenges. Much of his experience is with abdominal cancers like peritoneal mesothelioma, but he also works with appendiceal, gastric, ovarian, and colon cancer patients.

“As we learn more and more about these diseases — how they start, identifying them on a genetic level, and categorizing and personalizing patient care — we can really impact patients more directly.”
—Dr. Daniel Labow, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist

Dr. Labow has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles in respected medical publications such as the Journal of Surgical Oncology, Abdominal Radiology, and the Journal of Surgical Research.

Notable Work

In a review of peritoneal mesothelioma cases, Dr. Labow looked at the existing research in hopes of helping the medical community better understand, diagnose, and treat this form of cancer in the future.

Because it is rarer than pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma is not as extensively researched and understood.

Dr. Labow’s review highlighted some of the challenges associated with the disease, including diagnostic difficulties, inaccurate staging, and the need for improved therapies. The study recognized that cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC is the most common first line of defense but that chemotherapy may be a more suitable treatment for some patients.

Dr. Labow ultimately concluded that while existing treatments have improved, these advancements aren’t enough to improve survival rates drastically.

He also found that research into signaling pathways — which are networks of multiple proteins that transmit signals and initiate cellular response — is promising and should continue to be pursued. Data shows that drugs developed to target specific molecules involved in these pathways may help keep cancer cells from growing.

Dr. Labow’s Patient Care Philosophy

Dr. Labow takes a patient-first approach to mesothelioma treatment, ensuring that each individual’s unique needs and circumstances are taken into account.

“Every patient is different, which is why I believe a personalized plan is appropriate for anyone with a rare disease.”
—Dr. Daniel Labow, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist

He integrates the latest advancements in medical technology and innovative treatment methods to provide the highest standard of care.

Get Connected With Dr. Labow

You may be eligible for cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC if you’ve been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. This procedure has helped several peritoneal mesothelioma patients live longer with fewer symptoms.

We can help you connect with Dr. Labow and other top mesothelioma doctors who provide this gold-standard treatment. Use our Free Doctor Match today to get started.