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Giles Whalen MD

TitleProfessor Emeritus
InstitutionUMass Chan Medical School
DepartmentSurgery
AddressUMass Memorial Medical Center
119 Belmont Street
Worcester MA 01605
Phone508-334-5404
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    Other Positions
    InstitutionT.H. Chan School of Medicine
    DepartmentSurgery
    DivisionSurgical Oncology


    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United StatesBABiology
    Duke University, Durham, NC, United StatesMD

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview


    Research Interests:



    Dr. Whalen's clinical interests include GI tract tumors (gastroesophageal, hepatobilliary, pancreatic, colorectal),  endcocrine tumors (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal), melanoma and sarcoma.



    In particular, the patterns, processes and control of metastases from solid tumors are of interest to Dr. Whalen. Areas of potential research collaboration also include studies of patient outcomes, particularly QOL for surgical cancer “cures” and survivorship surveillance strategies.



    Other research areas for Dr. Whalen include adjuvant immunotherapy for surgically treated cancers and palliative surgical care. 



    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
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    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Whalen GF. The New England Surgical Society: Long May It Prosper. J Am Coll Surg. 2024 Jun 01; 238(6):985-988. PMID: 37909499.
      Citations:    Fields:    
    2. Krouse RS, Anderson GL, Arnold KB, Thomson CA, Nfonsam VN, Al-Kasspooles MF, Walker JL, Sun V, Alvarez Secord A, Han ES, Leon-Takahashi AM, Isla-Ortiz D, Rodgers P, Hendren S, Sanchez Salcedo M, Laryea JA, Graybill WS, Flaherty DC, Mogal H, Miner TJ, Pimiento JM, Kitano M, Badgwell B, Whalen G, Lamont JP, Guevara OA, Senthil MS, Dewdney SB, Silberfein E, Wright JD, Friday B, Fahy B, Anantha Sathyanarayana S, O'Rourke M, Bakitas M, Sloan J, Grant M, Deutsch GB, Deneve JL. Surgical versus non-surgical management for patients with malignant bowel obstruction (S1316): a pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 10; 8(10):908-918. PMID: 37541263.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    3. Mallouh M, Linshaw D, Barton B, De La Cruz G, Dinh K, LaFemina J, Vijayaraghavan G, Larkin A, Whalen G. Changes in Stage at Presentation among Lung and Breast Cancer Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Am Coll Surg. 2023 06 01; 236(6):1164-1170. PMID: 36799501.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    4. Chung SK, Bludevich B, Cherng N, Zhang T, Crawford A, Maxfield MW, Whalen G, Uy K, Perugini RA. Paraconduit Hiatal Hernia Following Esophagectomy: Incidence, Risk Factors, Outcomes and Repair. J Surg Res. 2021 12; 268:276-283. PMID: 34392181.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Narain AS, Kitto AZ, Braun B, Poorman MJ, Curtin P, Slavin J, Whalen G, DiPaola CP, Connolly PJ, Stauff MP. Does the ACS NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator Accurately Predict Complications Rates After Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Procedures? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2021 Jun 15; 46(12):E655-E662. PMID: 33337678.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. McIntosh LJ, Rosen MP, Mittal K, Whalen GF, Bathini VG, Ali T, Edmiston KL, Walsh WV, Gerber JM. Coordination and optimization of FDG PET/CT and COVID-19 vaccination; Lessons learned in the early stages of mass vaccination. Cancer Treat Rev. 2021 Jul; 98:102220. PMID: 34029956.
      Citations: 10     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    7. Bai S, Lindberg J, Whalen G, Bathini V, Zou J, Yang MX. Utility of HNF-1B and a panel of lineage-specific biomarkers to optimize the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Am J Cancer Res. 2021; 11(3):858-865. PMID: 33791159.
      Citations:    
    8. Fong ZV, Lim PW, Hendrix R, Castillo CF, Nipp RD, Lindberg JM, Whalen GF, Kastrinakis W, Qadan M, Ferrone CR, Warshaw AL, Lillemoe KD, Chang DC, Traeger LN. Patient and Caregiver Considerations and Priorities When Selecting Hospitals for Complex Cancer Care. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Aug; 28(8):4183-4192. PMID: 33415563.
      Citations: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Whalen GF. Invited Commentary. J Am Coll Surg. 2020 06; 230(6):942-943. PMID: 32451053.
      Citations:    Fields:    
    10. Shaw SM, Middleton J, Wigglesworth K, Charlemagne A, Schulz O, Glossop MS, Whalen GF, Old R, Westby M, Pickford C, Tabakman R, Carmi-Levy I, Vainstein A, Sorani E, Zur AA, Kristian SA. AGI-134: a fully synthetic a-Gal glycolipid that converts tumors into in situ autologous vaccines, induces anti-tumor immunity and is synergistic with an anti-PD-1 antibody in mouse melanoma models. Cancer Cell Int. 2019; 19:346. PMID: 31889898.
      Citations:    
    11. Sakhdari A, Moghaddam PA, Ok CY, Walter O, Tomaszewicz K, Caporelli ML, Meng X, LaFemina J, Whalen G, Belkin E, Zivny J, Wassef W, Woda BA, Hutchinson LM, Cosar EF. Somatic molecular analysis augments cytologic evaluation of pancreatic cyst fluids as a diagnostic tool. Oncotarget. 2019 Jun 18; 10(40):4026-4037. PMID: 31258847.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    
    12. Barth RJ, Mills JB, Suriawinata AA, Putra J, Tosteson TD, Axelrod D, Freeman R, Whalen GF, LaFemina J, Tarczewski SM, Kinlaw WB. Short-term Preoperative Diet Decreases Bleeding After Partial Hepatectomy: Results From a Multi-institutional Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Surg. 2019 01; 269(1):48-52. PMID: 29489484.
      Citations: 9     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    13. Whalen G. Invited Commentary. J Am Coll Surg. 2018 06; 226(6):1043-1044. PMID: 29803244.
      Citations:    Fields:    
    14. Whalen G. Invited Commentary. J Am Coll Surg. 2018 06; 226(6):986-987. PMID: 29803257.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    15. Dinh KH, Harris AF, LaFemina J, Whalen GF, Sullivan M, Licho R, Hill T, Lambert LA. Advantages of day-before lymphoscintigraphy and undiluted methylene blue dye injections for sentinel lymph node biopsies for melanoma. J Surg Oncol. 2016 Dec; 114(8):947-950. PMID: 27634654.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    16. Whalen G, Sullivan M, Maranda L, Quinlan R, Larkin A. Randomized trial of a short course of preoperative potassium iodide in patients undergoing thyroidectomy for Graves' disease. Am J Surg. 2017 Apr; 213(4):805-809. PMID: 27769543.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    17. Albertini MR, Ranheim EA, Zuleger CL, Sondel PM, Hank JA, Bridges A, Newton MA, McFarland T, Collins J, Clements E, Henry MB, Neuman HB, Weber S, Whalen G, Galili U. Phase I study to evaluate toxicity and feasibility of intratumoral injection of a-gal glycolipids in patients with advanced melanoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2016 08; 65(8):897-907. PMID: 27207605.
      Citations: 8     Fields:    Translation:HumansCTClinical Trials
    18. Lim PW, Dinh KH, Sullivan M, Wassef WY, Zivny J, Whalen GF, LaFemina J. Thirty-day outcomes underestimate endocrine and exocrine insufficiency after pancreatic resection. HPB (Oxford). 2016 Apr; 18(4):360-6. PMID: 27037206.
      Citations: 18     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    19. Flores K, Dinh K, Rouleau E, Whalen G, Wassef W, LaFemina J. Identification of genetic risk for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Cancer Genet. 2015 Nov; 208(11):559-63. PMID: 26481832.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    20. Rajeshkumar BR, Paliwal S, Lambert L, Grossman SR, Whalen GF. Treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis with intraperitoneal administration of Ad-hARF. J Surg Res. 2015 Jul; 197(1):85-90. PMID: 25935465.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    21. Collins CE, Cherng N, McDade T, Movahedi B, Emhoff TA, Whalen GF, LaFemina J, Dorfman JD. Improving patient notification of solid abdominal viscera incidental findings with a standardized protocol. J Trauma Manag Outcomes. 2015; 9(1):1. PMID: 25670964.
      Citations:    
    22. Furman MJ, Picotte RJ, Wante MJ, Rajeshkumar BR, Whalen GF, Lambert LA. Higher flow rates improve heating during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion. J Surg Oncol. 2014 Dec; 110(8):970-5. PMID: 25171494.
      Citations: 8     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    23. Rao SN, Swami A, Khan A, Toke M, Whalen G, Fischer A, Torres MS. Metastatic mesothelioma to the thyroid. Cytojournal. 2014; 11:11. PMID: 24987442.
      Citations:    
    24. Arous EJ, McDade TP, Smith JK, Ng SC, Sullivan ME, Zottola RJ, Ranauro PJ, Shah SA, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. Electronic medical record: research tool for pancreatic cancer? J Surg Res. 2014 Apr; 187(2):466-70. PMID: 24326179.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Furman MJ, Lambert LA, Sullivan ME, Whalen GF. Reply to S. Senthi et al. J Clin Oncol. 2013 Oct 01; 31(28):3608. PMID: 24002498.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    26. Cetin V, Piperdi B, Bathini V, Walsh WV, Yunus S, Tseng JF, Whalen GF, Wassef WY, Kadish SP, Fitzgerald TJ, Mikule C, Wang Y, Grossman SR. A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab, Gemcitabine, 5-Fluorouracil, and Radiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Nonmetastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2013 Jul; 6(4 Suppl 1):S2-9. PMID: 24312684.
      Citations:    
    27. Furman MJ, Lambert LA, Sullivan ME, Whalen GF. Rational follow-up after curative cancer resection. J Clin Oncol. 2013 Mar 20; 31(9):1130-3. PMID: 23358986.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. Whalen GF, Sullivan M, Piperdi B, Wasseff W, Galili U. Cancer immunotherapy by intratumoral injection of a-gal glycolipids. Anticancer Res. 2012 Sep; 32(9):3861-8. PMID: 22993330.
      Citations: 15     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsCTClinical Trials
    29. Furman MJ, Whalen GF, Shah SA, Kadish SP. Gastric perforation following stereotactic body radiation therapy of hepatic metastasis from colon cancer. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2013 Jan-Mar; 3(1):40-44. PMID: 24674262.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    
    30. Straza MW, Paliwal S, Kovi RC, Rajeshkumar B, Trenh P, Parker D, Whalen GF, Lyle S, Schiffer CA, Grossman SR. Therapeutic targeting of C-terminal binding protein in human cancer. Cell Cycle. 2010 Sep 15; 9(18):3740-50. PMID: 20930544.
      Citations: 42     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    31. Larkin AC, Cahan MA, Whalen G, Hatem D, Starr S, Haley HL, Litwin D, Sullivan K, Quirk M. Human Emotion and Response in Surgery (HEARS): a simulation-based curriculum for communication skills, systems-based practice, and professionalism in surgical residency training. J Am Coll Surg. 2010 Aug; 211(2):285-92. PMID: 20670869.
      Citations: 20     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    32. Hayward J, Alvarez SA, Ruiz C, Sullivan M, Tseng J, Whalen G. Machine learning of clinical performance in a pancreatic cancer database. Artif Intell Med. 2010 Jul; 49(3):187-95. PMID: 20483571.
      Citations: 13     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    33. Galili U, Albertini MR, Sondel PM, Wigglesworth K, Sullivan M, Whalen GF. In Situ Conversion of Melanoma Lesions into Autologous Vaccine by Intratumoral Injections of a-gal Glycolipids. Cancers (Basel). 2010; 2(2):773-93. PMID: 23087817.
      Citations:    
    34. Zhou Z, McDade TP, Simons JP, Ng SC, Lambert LA, Whalen GF, Shah SA, Tseng JF. Surgery and radiotherapy for retroperitoneal and abdominal sarcoma: both necessary and sufficient. Arch Surg. 2010 May; 145(5):426-31. PMID: 20479339.
      Citations: 19     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    35. Piperdi M, McDade TP, Shim JK, Piperdi B, Kadish SP, Sullivan ME, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. A neoadjuvant strategy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma increases the likelihood of receiving all components of care: lessons from a single-institution database. HPB (Oxford). 2010 Apr; 12(3):204-10. PMID: 20590888.
      Citations: 11     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    36. Murphy MM, Witkowski ER, Ng SC, McDade TP, Hill JS, Larkin AC, Whalen GF, Litwin DE, Tseng JF. Trends in adrenalectomy: a recent national review. Surg Endosc. 2010 Oct; 24(10):2518-26. PMID: 20336320.
      Citations: 34     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    37. Hill JS, Zhou Z, Simons JP, Ng SC, McDade TP, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. A simple risk score to predict in-hospital mortality after pancreatic resection for cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 Jul; 17(7):1802-7. PMID: 20155401.
      Citations: 40     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    38. Simons JP, Hill JS, Ng SC, Shah SA, Zhou Z, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. Perioperative mortality for management of hepatic neoplasm: a simple risk score. Ann Surg. 2009 Dec; 250(6):929-34. PMID: 19855257.
      Citations: 14     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    39. Murphy MM, Simons JP, Hill JS, McDade TP, Chau Ng S, Whalen GF, Shah SA, Harrison LH, Tseng JF. Pancreatic resection: a key component to reducing racial disparities in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Cancer. 2009 Sep 01; 115(17):3979-90. PMID: 19514091.
      Citations: 35     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    40. Hill JS, McPhee JT, Whalen GF, Sullivan ME, Warshaw AL, Tseng JF. In-hospital mortality after pancreatic resection for chronic pancreatitis: population-based estimates from the nationwide inpatient sample. J Am Coll Surg. 2009 Oct; 209(4):468-76. PMID: 19801320.
      Citations: 11     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    41. Jaffar R, Pechet L, Whalen GF, Banner BF. Spontaneous hepatic hemorrhage secondary to prolonged use of oral contraceptives. Pathol Res Pract. 2010 May 15; 206(5):318-21. PMID: 19577854.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    42. Gammon DC, Dutton T, Piperdi B, Zybert J, Wolfe SH, Nguyen E, Sbat D, Pillarisetty VG, Sullivan M, Whalen GF. Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy in the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009 Jul 01; 66(13):1186-90. PMID: 19535657.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    43. Simons JP, Ng SC, Shah SA, McDade TP, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. Malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm: are we doing the right thing? J Surg Res. 2011 May 15; 167(2):251-7. PMID: 19765732.
      Citations: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    44. Simons JP, Shah SA, Ng SC, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. National complication rates after pancreatectomy: beyond mere mortality. J Gastrointest Surg. 2009 Oct; 13(10):1798-805. PMID: 19506975.
      Citations: 48     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    45. Hill JS, McPhee JT, McDade TP, Zhou Z, Sullivan ME, Whalen GF, Tseng JF. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: the impact of surgical resection on survival. Cancer. 2009 Feb 15; 115(4):741-51. PMID: 19130464.
      Citations: 126     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    46. Jiang NY, Woda BA, Banner BF, Whalen GF, Dresser KA, Lu D. Sp1, a new biomarker that identifies a subset of aggressive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Jul; 17(7):1648-52. PMID: 18628415.
      Citations: 77     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    47. Bruner DW, Bryan CJ, Aaronson N, Blackmore CC, Brundage M, Cella D, Ganz PA, Gotay C, Hinds PS, Kornblith AB, Movsas B, Sloan J, Wenzel L, Whalen G. Issues and challenges with integrating patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials supported by the National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trials networks. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Nov 10; 25(32):5051-7. PMID: 17991920.
      Citations: 32     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    48. McPhee JT, Hill JS, Whalen GF, Zayaruzny M, Litwin DE, Sullivan ME, Anderson FA, Tseng JF. Perioperative mortality for pancreatectomy: a national perspective. Ann Surg. 2007 Aug; 246(2):246-53. PMID: 17667503.
      Citations: 156     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    49. Whalen GF, Kutner J, Byock I, Gerard D, Stovall E, Sieverding P, Ganz PA, Krouse RS. Implementing palliative care studies. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007 Jul; 34(1 Suppl):S40-8. PMID: 17544245.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    50. Sharma V, Cui H, Whalen G, Khan A, Torres M. A case of trabecular adenoma of the thyroid with black pigmentation. Thyroid. 2007 Jun; 17(6):593-4. PMID: 17614784.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    51. Smith JK, McPhee JT, Hill JS, Whalen GF, Sullivan ME, Litwin DE, Anderson FA, Tseng JF. National outcomes after gastric resection for neoplasm. Arch Surg. 2007 Apr; 142(4):387-93. PMID: 17441293.
      Citations: 44     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    52. Shankar S, Bhargava P, Habib F, Desai M, Tyagi G, Whalen G. Transpulmonary CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of liver metastasis. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2005 Jul-Aug; 28(4):481-4. PMID: 16001134.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    53. Yantiss RK, Woda BA, Fanger GR, Kalos M, Whalen GF, Tada H, Andersen DK, Rock KL, Dresser K. KOC (K homology domain containing protein overexpressed in cancer): a novel molecular marker that distinguishes between benign and malignant lesions of the pancreas. Am J Surg Pathol. 2005 Feb; 29(2):188-95. PMID: 15644775.
      Citations: 46     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    54. Sidiropoulos N, Vento J, Malchoff C, Whalen G. Radioguided tumorectomy in the management of parathyroid adenomas. Arch Surg. 2003 Jul; 138(7):716-20. PMID: 12860751.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    55. MacGillivray DC, Whalen GF, Malchoff CD, Oppenheim DS, Shichman SJ. Laparoscopic resection of large adrenal tumors. Ann Surg Oncol. 2002 Jun; 9(5):480-5. PMID: 12052760.
      Citations: 33     Fields:    Translation:Humans
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