Stuart Seropian, MD, is a medical oncologist who specializes in treating patients with blood cancers, including acute and chronic leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Dr. Seropian also sees patients with non-cancerous bone marrow disorders, including aplastic anemia. He is director of the adult Stem Cell Transplant program and co-director of the CAR T-cell Therapy Program for adults.
In medical school, Dr. Seropian enjoyed studying the biology of cancer and wanted to provide long-term patient care, which led to his pursuing medical oncology. “I have patients who see me as their primary care physician—as the doctor most responsible for their long-term care,” Dr. Seropian says. “Patients will say they’ve experienced a physician who had one foot out the door before all questions were answered. But the relationship with the patient is vital for cancer treatment.”
During his career, Dr. Seropian has witnessed treatment options for patients with blood cancers improve by leaps and bounds, from chemotherapy to the personalized CAR T-cell and stem cell transplantation therapies.
“The general view among the public is that cancer is terminal,” Dr. Seropian says. “People are always surprised to hear that cure rates [for certain cancers] range from 30 to 65 percent.”
He points out that a transplant physician is one of many providers of care in a large cast, which includes other physician subspecialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, coordinators, laboratory physicians and technicians. “Patients who come here are cared for by a family of people,” he says.
Dr. Seropian is an associate professor of medicine (hematology) at Yale School of Medicine.
