Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Valerae Lewis, M.D., always knew she wanted to be a doctor. Math and science fascinated her. She liked working with her hands. As a child, she already had her career planned out.

“I was going to be a doctor Monday through Friday, a carpenter at my workshop on Saturday and, on Sunday, I would own a gas station, so that I could wipe down all the drivers’ car windows,” Lewis recalls with a laugh.

Today, she may not be a carpenter or own a gas station, but Lewis is living out her doctor dreams as chair of MD Anderson’s Department of Orthopaedic Oncology.

Road to becoming an orthopedic oncologist

With a father who was an internal medicine doctor and a mother with a master’s degree in education, Lewis and her two older sisters learned the value of education early.

“As a child, I remember working in my dad’s doctor’s office, though I probably hindered more than I actually helped!” she says. “My dad always emphasized the importance of education, and he ended every conversation with ‘study hard and get good grades.’”

That she did. When it was time to select a college, Lewis weighed acceptances to both Harvard and Yale. She ultimately decided to attend Yale.

“My mom’s wish was to have one of her daughters go to Harvard, so I promised her I would attend Harvard after I graduated from Yale,” says Lewis.

A few years later, Lewis made good on her promise when she enrolled in Harvard Medical School.

“I wanted to be a surgeon because I really liked working with my hands,” she says. “To me, surgery was like fixing something, and that gave me immediate gratification.”

She fell in love with orthopedics at Harvard.

“I had two mentors in medical school, and they were both orthopedic oncologists,” she says. “They made orthopedic oncology exciting. As an orthopedic oncologist, you operate anywhere in the body, and no operation is ever the same. You are always challenged because a tumor changes the anatomy of the body.”

Lewis also liked the camaraderie she experienced with the orthopedic surgeons.

“Doctors often go into their specialty because they like the people in that specialty,” she says. “I felt like the orthopedic surgeons were very team-oriented. We always supported each other.” 

A leader in orthopedic surgery

At MD Anderson, Lewis is an orthopedic oncology surgeon with specific expertise in limb salvage and pelvic sarcoma surgery in adult and pediatric cancer patients. Lewis is part of a small number of Black female orthopedic surgeons in the United States. She is also the first Black woman to chair an orthopedic surgery department in the United States. 

“I encourage anyone who’s interested to consider pursuing orthopedic surgery as a profession," Lewis says.” It is truly rewarding.”

Making sure patients have a voice

In the operating room, Lewis leads a team of surgeons performing complex surgeries.

“I really love and respect the anatomy of the human body,” she says. “The resilience of the human body is unbelievable. I like being challenged in the operating room. That really drives me.”

Challenging operations could include anything from a rotationplasty on a 10-year-old osteosarcoma patient to a hemipelvectomy on a 17-year-old Ewing’s sarcoma patient.

“One of the mottos in our department is ‘We keep kids running,’” says Lewis. “Getting rid of the cancer is always the first goal. But the reconstruction and getting patients – child or adult – back to participating in the activities they enjoy is incredibly important. It helps with prognosis and longevity of life. If we can get you back up and moving, you’re definitely going to do better.”

And Lewis makes sure every patient has a say in what their surgical treatment looks like.

“Before surgery, we talk to the patient about their life and expectations,” says Lewis. “With younger kids, I encourage them to tell me how they feel because they have to be comfortable with their decision, whether that’s amputation, a rotationplasty, limb salvage, prosthesis or something else. I present the options and explain the pros and cons of each. Then we work together to decide the best option.” 

A fulfilling purpose

For more than 20 years, Lewis has been helping MD Anderson patients with cancers of the bone and soft tissue get back to walking, running, jumping and being active.

“I love my patients and the relationships we develop,” she says. “There are patients I worked with decades ago who I’ve watched grow up. I’m always happy to hear about their families, watch them graduate high school and college, get married and have children of their own.”

Lewis is excited about sarcoma research and other advances that will help MD Anderson better treat patients with cancer of the bone and soft tissue.

“3D modeling and 3D printing are examples of exciting new tools,” says Lewis. “They not only guide us in the operating room, but they help patients better understand their tumor.”

Lewis started MD Anderson’s Multidisciplinary Pelvic Sarcoma Program in 2011. Through this program, she has been critically evaluating the oncologic and functional outcomes of pelvic sarcoma surgery.

“I like that we’ve been performing these procedures long enough that we can evaluate what we do and how we do it,” she says. “For example, with hemipelvectomies where we remove part of a patient’s pelvis, one option is to reconstruct with custom 3D prosthesis. Another approach is to reconstruct without a metal prosthesis, using only soft tissue. By critically evaluating our approach and outcomes, we have shown that both approaches can provide a patient with the ability to ambulate and perform their daily activities – even some sports. In some cases, we're going back to what we used to do years ago, but with better technique.” 

While the most enjoyable part of Lewis’ job is being in the operating room, the most fulfilling part of her job is seeing patients get better.

“Seeing patients at two years out, five years out and then discharging them from clinic at 10 years – that’s the best,” she says. “I love seeing them reach those milestones. I always tell patients that my goal is to get them old.”

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