Prof. Erkan Kaba, MD

Prof. Erkan Kaba, MD is a thoracic surgeon at Acibadem Maslak Hospital in İstanbul, where he works in the Thoracic Surgery Department with a subspecialty focus on robotic surgery. He has more than 21 years in medicine. His clinical work centers on lung cancer and other thoracic cancers, chest wall conditions, diaphragm disorders, pneumothorax, and minimally invasive surgical approaches to the chest.

Dr. Kaba graduated from Karadeniz Teknik University Faculty of Medicine in 2005 and completed his specialty training in Thoracic Surgery at İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2011. He joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2025. He is a member of the European Society of Thoracic Surgery, the Turkish Thoracic Surgery Association, the Türk Toraks Association, the Lung Health and Intensive Care Association, and the European Respiratory Society. His published work includes studies on minimally invasive thymoma surgery in patients with myasthenia gravis, robotic pulmonary resection, prognostic factors in locally advanced T4 lung cancer, superior vena cava reconstruction in thymic epithelial tumors, and minimally invasive en-bloc lung and chest wall resection.

Clinical focus

A central part of Dr. Kaba’s practice is robotic thoracic surgery, alongside single-port VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery). These minimally invasive approaches are used for selected patients; the choice between robotic, thoracoscopic, or open surgery depends on the individual diagnosis, the location and extent of the disease, and the patient’s overall condition. He also performs diagnostic procedures such as bronchoscopy and mediastinoscopy, which may be needed to confirm a diagnosis or to assess the stage of a tumor before treatment decisions are made.

Dr. Kaba treats lung cancer and other thoracic cancers, including chest wall tumors and tumors of the mediastinum. His work also covers pneumothorax, diaphragm disorders, and chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. Where a condition involves both the chest and the heart or great vessels, care may be planned together with colleagues in cardiothoracic surgery. Whether surgery is appropriate, and which technique is most suitable, is assessed case by case after a review of the clinical findings and imaging.

How Dr. Kaba works with international patients

Dr. Kaba consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments, and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination, and a discussion of the available options. For patients who are not yet able to travel, a video consultation can be arranged as an initial step, so that existing reports and images can be reviewed and the next steps discussed before any decision about a visit is made.