"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Farhood Farjah, MD

Provider

Farhood Farjah, MD

Associate Medical Director, Surgical Outcomes Research Center, UW Medicine
Associate Professor, Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine
Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research, UW Medicine

Specialty:

Surgery

Fred Hutch at UW Medical Center - Montlake

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“I admire the way patients with cancer rise above adversity and achieve their true goals, regardless of the treatment pathway they choose.”

— Dr. Farjah

What makes this work meaningful for you?

Part of what I do is cancer surveillance for patients I’ve treated, which gives me the opportunity to follow them over the course of years. I get to celebrate with my patients each time they get a scan revealing they are still cancer-free, and I comfort and support them when the news is more serious. Another equally rich aspect of our interactions is that I get to hear about their lives and how they have evolved — when people remarry or when grandchildren are born. It serves as a reminder of all the great work being done at Fred Hutch to help give people their lives back.

What’s it like to work with you?

Patients seek out specialists for various reasons. Whether you’re looking for a diagnosis, a cure, advice, a second opinion or a specialized treatment, I work with you to identify your goals and help you achieve them. I am a believer in the multidisciplinary approach to care; it’s important that you have a team of experts who work well together, and we do that at Fred Hutch. We take the time to get to know you and what’s important to you beyond survival, like how well you function after treatment and how we can minimize side effects.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Thoracic cancers, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, thoracic conditions

I’m a thoracic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer, esophageal cancer and other chest conditions. My clinical expertise includes the management of a variety of malignancies, such as pleural mesothelioma, that involve the chest and may be responsive to surgical intervention. At Fred Hutch, I am part of the thoracic oncology group and the esophageal cancer team. I also participate on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network panel that crafts clinical practice guidelines for esophageal and gastric cancer.

As a clinical researcher, I study the care of lung cancer patients across the nation in order to improve both their outcomes and quality of life. Teaching the next generation of thoracic surgeons and clinical investigators is also important to me. I serve as the associate medical director of the UW Medicine Surgical Outcomes Research Center; in this role, I mentor surgical residents enrolled in a post-doctoral research fellowship program.

Diseases Treated

Esophageal Cancer

Languages

English
Farsi

Education, Experience and Certifications

Medical Degree
Oregon Health and Science University

Residency
University of Washington Medical Center, Surgery

Fellowship
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Surgery

Board Certification
Thoracic Surgery, 2013, American Board of Thoracic Surgery; Surgery, 2010, American Board of Surgery

Awards

Seattle Met's 2023 Top Doctors award
Dr. Farjah has received this peer-nominated award for exceptional patient care for multiple years.

Seattle Magazine's 2022 Top Doctors award
Dr. Farjah has been recognized as a Top Doctor in this peer-nominated award multiple years in a row.

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

View Clinical Trials

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Farjah's Publications

Your Care Team

At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.

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Insurance

Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.

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