Dr. Kamran Idrees

About Dr. Kamran Idrees, Mesothelioma Specialist

Dr. Kamran Idrees has extensive experience treating mesothelioma and other cancers. He is the chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

He is particularly skilled in cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which is the gold standard treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma.

Dr. Idrees is passionate about improving patient health literacy, or the amount of education a patient has about their own disease. He has extensive experience researching the connection between health literacy and patient outcomes after surgery.

He speaks English, Urdu, and Punjabi.

Connect with mesothelioma specialists like Dr. Kamran Idrees with our Free Doctor Match service. We’ll help you find and make an appointment with a doctor who specializes in your type of mesothelioma cancer.

Professional Background

Kamran Idrees, M.D., was born in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he began his medical education before permanently relocating to the United States. Since then, he has become a top surgical oncologist with training at several respected medical facilities. He is now considered a top mesothelioma specialist in the United States.

Dr. Idrees received his medical degree from the Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan in 1999. He then pursued his internship and residency in general surgery, followed by a surgical oncology research fellowship.

He later completed surgical residencies and fellowships at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Idrees has taught surgery at several medical institutions, including:

• Birmingham VA Medical Center
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Washington University

In 2016, Dr. Idrees received the Young Investigator Award for his proposal suggesting a link between patient health care literacy and surgical outcomes. His research revealed that patients who better understand their conditions and procedures are more likely to have faster recoveries.

Dr. Idrees’s Career Highlights

Dr. Kamran Idrees has led an impressive career, making notable contributions to the medical community. His cancer research has resulted in over 40 published articles, and his clinical work enabled him to create and then become the first director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy division at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Other highlights include:

• Co-founder of the Vanderbilt Surgical Oncology and Health Literacy (V-SOHL) program
• Director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy/HIPEC Therapy Program at Vanderbilt
• Over 20 years of medical experience in Pakistan and the United States
• Recipient of the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology Foundation (SSO)

Awards and Honors

Dr. Kamran Idrees has been consistently recognized by both his patients and members of the medical community.

His honors include:

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) Paul Calabresi Award
• National Institute of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award
• Society of Surgical Oncology Foundation Young Investigator Award

Affiliations and Memberships

A prominent member of the medical community, Dr. Idrees is involved in multiple boards and affiliations.

Dr. Kamran Idrees is currently a member of:

• American Board of Surgery
• American College of Surgeons
• American Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association (AHPBA)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology
• American Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignancy
• Center for Surgical Quality and Outcomes Research
• Detroit Surgical Association
• International Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association (IHPBA)
• Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
• Southeast Surgical Congress (SESC)
• Vanderbilt Surgical Oncology and Health Literacy

Dr. Kamran Idrees’s Medical Specializations

From evaluation and diagnoses to staging and treatment, Dr. Idrees collaborates with many oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, and support staff to treat patients with mesothelioma and other malignant disorders.

He’s known for his minimally invasive approach, using both laparoscopic and robotic techniques whenever possible.

Dr. Idrees is a board-certified surgeon specializing in:

• Cancer surgery
• Clinical trials
• Hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation
• HIPEC procedure
• Kidney and pancreas surgery

He has extensive experience treating:

• Abdominal cancer
• Adrenal disease
• Colon and rectal cancer
• Gastrointestinal malignancies
• Kidney and pancreatic cancer
• Liver cancer
• Peritoneal mesothelioma
• Peritoneal surface malignancies

Cytoreduction With Heated Chemotherapy

As chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery at Vanderbilt, Dr. Idrees has a deep understanding of regional cancer therapy, including HIPEC, also referred to as “heated chemotherapy.”

HIPEC involves removing visible tumors from the abdomen and then bathing the abdominal cavity in heated chemotherapy to kill remaining cancer cells. More than two-thirds of patients live 5 years or longer after receiving HIPEC.

Dr. Idrees helped launch the HIPEC program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, making it an option for patients with mesothelioma to extend and improve their lives.

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Dr. Idrees’s Research and Publications

Dr. Kamran Idrees has a particular interest in studying the link between health literacy and patient outcomes after major abdominal surgery.

His research found that patients with lower health literacy ended up hospitalized for longer after their abdominal surgery, suggesting that patients should be fully educated on their conditions and treatment plans before surgery to help improve recovery times.

Other clinical research Dr. Idrees has been involved with include:

• “Health literacy and all-cause mortality among cancer patients.” Published in Cancer, March 2025.
• “A total neoadjuvant chemotherapy approach is associated with improved recurrence-free survival in patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases undergoing cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC.” Published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology, March 2023.
• “The Chicago Consensus on peritoneal surface malignancies: Management of peritoneal mesothelioma.” Published in Cancer, April 2020.

Get in Touch With Dr. Idrees and Other Mesothelioma Specialists

If you or someone you love was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, a specialist like Dr. Kamran Idrees can give you a better chance of a longer, healthier life.

Our team can help you:

• Interpret your diagnosis
• Schedule an appointment with Dr. Idrees or another specialist
• Understand your treatment options
• Determine how to pay for medical care

Call us at (866) 608-8933 now or get started with our Free Doctor Match service.