Dr. Daniel Labow
Chair of Surgical Services at Nuvance Health
Dr. Daniel Labow is a mesothelioma doctor with extensive experience performing HIPEC with cytoreductive surgery. He has more than two decades of medical experience and has helped hundreds of people with malignant mesothelioma.
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More About Mesothelioma Specialist Dr. Daniel Labow
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It usually begins in the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity. The type forming in the abdominal cavity lining is called peritoneal mesothelioma, which is Dr. Labow’s specialty.
Dr. Labow is the Chair of Surgical Services at Nuvance Health. He leads all aspects of trauma and surgery, including inpatient and outpatient services, at Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital.
Throughout his career, he has performed more than 750 procedures for people diagnosed with peritoneal malignancies. Many patients live much longer than expected thanks to a surgery called cytoreduction with HIPEC, which Dr. Labow is an expert in performing.
Move to Nuvance Health in 2023
Dr. Labow joins the Nuvance Health team and brings with him his years of experience developing cutting-edge surgical programs, such as the peritoneal malignancies program at Mount Sinai Health.
Dr. Labow also serves as chair of surgery at Danbury Hospital and the New Milford Hospital location. He is a board-certified surgeon with a specialty in surgical oncology, including surgery for gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma.
“I want people in our communities to know they do not need to travel away from their family, friends and home to access the best possible surgical services and experience,” Dr. Labow said, as quoted on the Nuvance Health website.
Nuvance Health began as a small non-profit health care system with three hospitals in western Connecticut – Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital. It merged with Health Quest, which had several hospitals in the Hudson Valley region of New York, and now includes seven locations between Connecticut and New York.
- Medical Degree from Brown-Dartmouth Medical Program, 1995
- Residency in general surgery at the University of Chicago Hospitals
- Fellowship in surgery oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Master’s Degree in Health Care Quality and Patient Safety from Northwestern University in Chicago
- Board-certified in general surgery
- Membership in the American College of Surgeons, American Hepatopancreaticobiliary Association and Society of Surgical Oncology
Get Connected to Dr. Daniel Labow
Dr. Labow is one of the leading surgeons for peritoneal mesothelioma. He’s a strong communicator and prioritizes patient quality of life. He also leaves open the possibility of surgery or other therapies with neoadjuvant treatment.
Why Choose Dr. Labow?
- Proponent of HIPEC with debulking surgery
- Belief in immunotherapy for specific cases
- Performed nearly 1,000 surgeries in career
Dr. Labow’s Experience at Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. Labow joined Mount Sinai Health System in 2004 and three years later began the peritoneal surface malignancies program. He saw patients at the hospital’s cancer affiliate, the Tisch Cancer Institute.
Mesothelioma treatment primarily includes surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The main surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma is called cytoreduction with HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy). This surgery combines debulking of tumors and a heated chemotherapy delivered directly into the abdomen.
“In about a six-month span, I probably see seven or eight mesothelioma cases,” he said. “The awareness of HIPEC has become more prevalent. … I feel like the curve is increasing at a faster rate,” Dr. Labow said during his time at Mount Sinai.
Family History in Medical Care
Dr. Labow’s father was a physician, his mother was a biochemist and his brother is a pediatric surgeon. The medical profession runs in the family, an inspiration for his life’s work.
“It definitely started me on the science and medical pathway,” he said, noting he enjoys having long-term relationships with patients. “I really like longitudinal patient care, seeing patients over time. Having a long-term relationship with patients you realize the privilege of having a relationship with patients during this vulnerable time. That is always the most rewarding thing.”
Dr. Labow remembers multiple stories of patients sending him Christmas messages or other notes years after surgery and treatment ended. They owe their lives to his expert surgical hand.
“Some of the notes are patients saying I bought them two or three more years to see the birth of their grandchild,” he said.
Deciding on Surgery for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Deciding on whether to perform mesothelioma surgery is one of the toughest parts of treatment. If the tumors spread too much, any surgery can be too risky without a long-term survival improvement.
“As a physician, we need to listen to the patient,” Dr. Labow said. “We can have the same conversation with two different patients, say the same words, and they’ll want two different things.”
Improved Mortality Rates for HIPEC Surgery
HIPEC surgery is much safer today than decades ago. They were higher than wanted and now are below 1%.
“We’ve got the safety of the operation down pretty well,” he said. “Our patient selection is better.”
The process is also much better. Dr. Labow removes the omentum and the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdominal cavity. This lining is where peritoneal mesothelioma forms.
Dr. Labow uses laparoscopy to uncover the scope of the cancer. It provides him a visual idea of the tumors within the abdominal cavity. Other organs he possibly removes are the spleen and part of the small bowel.
“If I send the patient for neoadjuvant therapy, I have a visual in my head for if they undergo therapy for 3-6 months,” he said.
Support for Immunotherapy as an Option
Dr. Labow is one of many surgeons who sees value in immunotherapy for mesothelioma. The treatment isn’t yet approved for peritoneal mesothelioma, although it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pleural mesothelioma.
“I think the dual immunotherapy protocol with nivolumab and ipilimumab is one of the best innovations,” he said. “It used to be that all you had was HIPEC. We’d do it and there wasn’t another avenue. I’m not a believer in a single bullet for cancer.
“Having an immunotherapy regimen in our back pocket will probably make more patients eligible for the HIPEC surgery to clean up the residual disease.”
Connect With Dr. Daniel Labow
Dr. Labow sees patients from anywhere in the United States. People in the northeast have quick access to Nuvance Health, but those in other regions can get financial help traveling to him. If you want to meet Dr. Labow personally, we can help. Please send us your contact and diagnosis information through our free Doctor Match form.
Sources & Author
- Daniel M Labow, MD. Mount Sinai. Retrieved from: https://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/daniel-m-labow. Accessed: 09/14/2021.
- New chair of surgery joins Nuvance Health, comes from Mount Sinai Health System. Nuvance Health. Retrieved from: https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/daniel-labow-md-new-chair-of-surgical-services. Accessed: 05/18/2023.
