Dr. Lee F. Starker, MD, PhD

Expert Publications

• Molecular genetics of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
• Expression and somatic mutations of SDHAF2 (SDH5), a novel endocrine tumor suppressor gene in parathyroid tumors of primary hyperparathyroidism.
• Clinical and histopathological characteristics of hyperparathyroidism-induced hypercalcemic crisis.
• 4D parathyroid CT as the initial localization study for patients with de novo primary hyperparathyroidism.
• Sorting through the evidence of adult pneumatosis intestinalis as a harbinger for disaster vs benign disease.
• The role of epigenetic alterations in papillary thyroid carcinogenesis.
• Stump appendicitis: a surgeon's dilemma.
• Metastatic Colon Cancer to the Thyroid Gland in the Setting of Pathologically Diagnosed Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Review and Report of a Case.

Media Releases

Get to know Surgical Oncologist Dr. Lee F. Starker, who serves patients in the State of New Jersey.

Dr. Starker is a surgical oncologist with a special interest in thyroid and parathyroid tumors, cancers, endocrine disorders, melanoma, hormones and metabolism, as well as cancer genetics. He practices at Atlantic Surgical Oncology in Morristown and Summit, New Jersey. He is also affiliated with Atlantic Medical Group, Chilton Medical Center, and Hackettstown Medical Center, all of which are located in the State of New Jersey.

Atlantic Surgical Oncology works closely with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other specialists in a multidisciplinary fashion at two campuses located within Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center in Summit. The surgical oncologists working there treat complicated, and sometimes rare, diseases more than most other cancer centers or hospitals in New Jersey. 

Highly trained in pancreatic and complex hepatobiliary surgery, Dr. Starker also specializes in NanoKnife® to treat unresectable pancreatic and liver cancers, as well as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which is a highly concentrated, heated chemotherapy treatment delivered directly to the abdomen during surgery for peritoneal malignancies. 

After completing his residency in surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut and his fellowship in surgical oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, Dr. Starker returned to his New Jersey roots. Prior to that, he earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados and his doctorate degree in Epigenetics and Genetics of Parathyroid Tumors from Uppsala University in Sweden, where he was chief resident and fellow. While studying there, he received the Gold Humanism Award, which recognizes excellence in clinical care, leadership, as well as compassion and dedication to service. 

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology, this doctor is widely published in various medical journals, including the World Journal of Oncology and the International Journal of Endocrinology. 

Furthermore, he is board-certified in surgery and complex general surgical oncology by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The mission of the ABS is to serve the public and the specialty of surgery by providing leadership in surgical education and practice, to promote excellence through rigorous evaluation and examination, and to promote the highest standards for professionalism, lifelong learning, and the continuous certification of surgeons in practice.

Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology. It focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors. A surgical oncologist is a surgeon who has special training in treating cancer. They may be called in to diagnose cancer with a biopsy. They also treat cancer by removing tumors or other cancerous tissue.

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