From Resident to Patient: A Surgeon Shares His Journey with Lung Cancer

As a resident, Dan Tran, DDS, experienced the unthinkable – he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. In this episode, Tran shares his story – from diagnosis, to undergoing treatment and finishing residency amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Intro :04
• About Tran :13
• The interview 1:59
• How did you end up in oral and maxillofacial surgery? 2:06
• How were you diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer? 2:52
• How did you process your diagnosis? 7:07
• Was your program supportive? 8:22
• How did you go through surgery? 11:20
• When did you start blogging about your experience? 17:10
• Do you feel this has changed the way you practice as a physician? 20:50
• Has your work/life balance changed significantly? 22:39
• How did you balance residency and treatment during COVID-19? 25:49
• Have you become more vocal about cancer screening or advocacy topics? 29:59
• Where do you see yourself in the next few years? 33:17
• What would you want someone to take away from this episode? 35:48
• How to reach Tran 36:48

Dan Tran, DDS, is a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Dr. Tran can be reached via email at [email protected] or via his blog at www.danfightscancer.com. Follow us on Twitter @HemOncToday @ShikhaJainMD

Disclosures: Jain reports she is a paid freelance writer for Lippincott. Tran reports no relevant financial disclosures.