The Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute has announced that Dr. Christine Kyuyoung Lee will serve as the director of its Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Program and co-director of skull base surgery.
In her new role, Lee will collaborate with Brown Neurosurgery to expand the Skull Base Surgery Division, partnering with Dr. Curtis Doberstein, director of the Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery Program at Rhode Island Hospital. Lee will also focus on establishing a multidisciplinary endoscopic skull base program with the aim to become a regional and national referral center for pituitary lesions, complex cranial tumors and skull base pathologies.
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Along with these roles, Lee will serve as director of the Translational Skull Base Laboratory. Her research will include identifying therapeutic targets in chordomas, investigating the cancer neuroscience of skull base tumors and developing innovative tumor imaging tools.
PBN: What are your priorities for your new role?
LEE: My priority is to build a world-class skull base and pituitary center to serve patients in Rhode Island and the Greater New England region. I am focused on bringing together state-of-the-art expertise of multiple surgical and medical teams at Brown University and Lifespan [Corp.], as well as utilizing a range of cutting-edge surgical equipment that we have just acquired.
We now have tremendous, newfound capabilities to provide the highest level of care to our patients with complex brain, skull base and pituitary tumors, and it is a true privilege to direct this effort. I am excited to add to the momentum of our outstanding Department of Neurosurgery at Brown University and Lifespan, which has tripled in size over the past several years. This has been possible under the leadership of our chair and internationally renowned surgeon, Dr. Ziya Gokaslan, and our program now excels at every subfield of neurosurgery.
PBN: I understand you’re launching a clinic to remove tumors through the ear, nose and mouth. How would this clinic build upon existing treatments available to patients in the region?
LEE: We will now be able to offer all possible surgical and medical options to treat complex brain, skull base and pituitary tumors. From a surgical standpoint, this includes established open transcranial and craniofacial surgical approaches, as well as newer, evolving techniques in expanded endoscopic surgery to remove tumors through the nose, mouth and ear.
We are launching a new, multidisciplinary clinic where patients can “one-stop shop” and meet top experts in all the relevant fields of neurosurgery, otolaryngology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, radiation oncology, and neuro-oncology. This will make it much easier for our patients to be seen by multiple physicians in one setting and have a customized care plan that can be implemented immediately, allowing patients to move forward with their treatment quickly.
PBN: You will also serve as director of the Translational Skull Base Laboratory. What topics within the field are you planning to research?
LEE: My group will be focusing on three main areas. First, we will study the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and radiation resistance of skull base tumors such as chordomas, with the goal of developing new treatments for these tumors. In addition, we will work on improving imaging techniques for pituitary tumors, which can often be small and difficult to detect in diseases such as Cushing’s disease or acromegaly. Finally, we will study the interactions of brain tumors and the neurons [that] surround them, specifically in the context of skull base tumors such as esthesioneuroblastomas and meningiomas.
PBN: You mentioned you hope to use open microsurgical and expanded endoscopic techniques. How do these techniques work? How are they different from other techniques used in skull base surgery?
LEE: Endoscopic skull base surgery is a field of surgery that has evolved over the past few decades and is performed by neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons working together. We use endoscopes, which are small high-resolution cameras, and specialized instruments to operate through the nasal cavity to get to the base of the skull and center of the brain to remove deep-set tumors.
Expanded endoscopic techniques allow us to remove tumors in regions such as the cavernous sinus and around the carotid artery, which had previously been “no-fly zones” for surgery, making it possible to cure more tumors surgically than ever before.
Open or transcranial surgery involves going through the head and skull to remove tumors, using a surgical microscope. This is a more traditional way of neurosurgery but is every bit as valuable as endoscopic surgery, as both techniques have strengths and weaknesses. Every patient should have their surgical approach tailored to their specific tumor or lesion.
PBN: How did you get interested in skull base, pituitary and brain tumor surgery?
LEE: Neurosurgery combines science, art and craftsmanship, all for the single-minded purpose of treating a patient who is seeking a solution to her or his condition. In my training, I was inspired by skull base surgeons who possessed an extraordinary understanding of neuroanatomy and tackled the most complex cases, aiming to achieve perfection in the operating room.
I was equally inspired by the many patients I met with skull base, pituitary and brain tumors who faced their conditions with spirit and great courage. There is no end to the study and there are no shortcuts when it comes to striving to improve our surgical capabilities, and it is an immense privilege to have such a meaningful lifelong challenge and be able to work to improve our field.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
