Julie E. Lang, MD, FACS

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Director of Breast Surgical Oncology

Phone Number: 
(520) 694-2873
Fax: 
(520) 694-0255
Short Bio: 

Dr. Julie Lang joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in the Department of Surgery in the section of Surgical Oncology in 2007. She has recently been appointed as Director of the Breast Surgical Oncology Program at the University of Arizona's Cancer Center. Before joining the Department of Surgery here at the University of Arizona, she completed a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Lang completed a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. She completed her residency in General Surgery at the same University. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lang earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in English with honors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lang is involved in various research endeavors that will allow her to continue to provide her patients with the most up to date treatment options available. Her research interests include breast cancer stem cells, circulating tumor cells, cancer genomics and inflammatory breast cancer.

Clinical Information
Specialty: 
Breast Surgical Oncologist
Clinical Focus: 

Dr. Lang’s breast surgery practice focuses on the full spectrum of malignant and benign breast diseases, including breast masses, breast pain, abnormal mammograms and breast cancer. She also consults with high-risk patients, such as those with a family history of breast cancer or prior breast biopsies showing atypical findings. Additionally, she will open a clinic for women with inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer at the Arizona Cancer Center so that these patients will have the opportunity to be treated by a multidisciplinary team with extensive experience with these diseases.

Specializing in skin sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction, Dr. Lang employs surgical techniques that optimize results both medically and cosmetically for her patients. She is very enthusiastic about oncoplastic surgery, a technique in which the surgeon plans a lumpectomy and rearranges the local tissue to improve aesthetic outcomes. She performs ultrasound-guided minimally invasive core needle biopsy of suspicious breast lesions and uses sentinel lymph node biopsy, a minimally invasive technique to check to see if cancer has spread to lymph nodes.

 

Clinical Practice Sites: 
The University of Arizona Cancer Center - North Campus
The University of Arizona Cancer Center - Orange Grove
Research Information
Research Program: 
3. Cancer Biology
Member Status: 
Associate Member
Year of Membership Acceptance: 
2007
Summary of Research Activity: 

Dr. Lang is involved in various research endeavors that will allow her to continue to provide her patients with the most up to date treatment options available. Her research interests include breast cancer stem cells, circulating tumor cells, cancer genomics and inflammatory breast cancer.

Selected Publications: 

Lang JE, Esserman LJ, Ewing CA, Rugo HS, Lane KT, Leong SP, Hwang ES. Accuracy of Selective Sentinel Lymphadenectomy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Effect of Clinical Node Status at Presentation. Journal of the American College of Surgeons December 2004; 199(6): 856-62.

Breast Cancer and Reconstruction. Mathes S and Lang J, in Plastic Surgery, Second Edition, 2005, chapter 138. W.B. Saunders publisher.

Lang JE and Babiera, G. Locoregional Resection in Stage IV Breast Cancer. Surgical Clinics of North America 2007; 87(2): 527-538.

Lang JE and Kuerer, HM. Breast Ductal Secretions:Clinical Features, Potential Uses and Applications. Cancer Control October 2007; 14(4):350-359.

Lang JE, Hall CS, Singh B, Lucci A. Significance of Micrometastasis in the Bone Marrow and Blood of Operable Breast Cancer Patients: Research Tool or Ready for Clinical Application? Expert Rev Anticancer Ther, 2007; 7(10)

Liu LC, Lang JE, Jenkins T, Lu Y, Ewing CA, Hwang SE, Sokol S, Alvarado M, Esserman LJ, Morita E, Treseler P, Leong SP. Is It Necessary to Harvest Additional Lymph Nodes After Resection of the Most Radioactive Sentinel Lymph Node in Breast Cancer? Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2008; 207:853-858.

Lang JE, Liu L.C., Lu Ying, Jenkins Tyler, Hwang E.S., Esserman Laura, Ewing Cheryl, Alvarado Michael, Morita Eugene, Treseler Patrick, Leong Stanley. Prognostic Implications of Non-sentinel Lymph Nodes Removed During Selective Sentinel Lymphadenectomy for Breast Cancer. The Breast Journal 2009 May/June 2009.  15(3):242-245.

Lang JE, Mosalpuria K, Cristofanilli M, Krishnamurthy S, Reuben J, Singh B, Bedrosian I, Meric-Bernstam F, Lucci A. HER2 Status Predicts the Presence of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Operable Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, March 9 2008  

Lang JE, Scott JH, Ginzinger DG, Wang G, Makrigiorgos GM, Nonaka DF, Crothers J, Federman S, Khodabakhsh DB, Esserman LJ, Park JW and Haqq C. A Comparison of RNA Amplification Techniques at Low-Input Concentration. BMC Genomics July 2009, 10:326doi:10.1186/1471-2164-10-326

E-Medicine Chapter: Breast Cancer. Swart R, Downey L, Lang JE, Thompson P, Livingston R, Stopeck A. URL http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/283561-overview.  Published online 5/11/09.

 

Collaborative Research: 

Sherry Chow – Chemoprevention

Dave Alberts – Karyometry

Bernie Futscher - Epigenetics

 

Bio sketch: 
application/msword iconJulie_Lang_Biosketch_4-6-10.doc
Professional Information
Board Certifications: 

2006, American Board of Surgeons, General Surgery

Professional Affiliations: 

Society of Surgical Oncology, Fellow

American Society of Breast Surgeons, Active Member

American Society of Breast Disease

Association of Academic Surgeon

American College of Surgeons, Associate Member

American Society of Clinical Oncology, Active Junior Member

 

Honors: 

1991-1995, University of North Carolina Deans List

1994-1995, Golden Key National Honor Society

May 1995, Honors in English Literature

Spring 1995, Outstanding Senior Award by the UNC Class of 1995

1995, Campus Y Volunteer of the Year

1995, Phi Beta Kappa

1995, Graduation with Distinction, University ofNorth Carolina

1996, UNC School of Medicine Foreign Fellowship Award for Clinical Research with the Director of a Hemophilia Center in Lyon, France.

June 2006, UCSF Chief Resident Research Award

May 2006, UCSF Resident Research Day Award

March 2007, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Foundation Merit Award

July 2008, University of Arizona Medical Student Summer Research Program Clinical Faculty Mentor Award.

 

Academic Information
Fellowship: 
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Breast Surgical Oncology
Residency: 
University of California, San Francisco
Medical School: 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Undergraduate School: 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill