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Houghton
McGarry Houghton, MD

McGarry Houghton, MD

Pulmonology

  • Physician, Fred Hutch
  • Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics, Fred Hutch
  • Affiliate Investigator, Human Biology Division, Fred Hutch
  • Satya and Rao Remala Family Endowed Chair, Fred Hutch
  • Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch
  • Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine
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About

Dr. A. McGarry Houghton is a board-certified pulmonologist and researcher at Fred Hutch, treating patients with respiratory complications from cancer and cancer treatment or early detection of lung cancer. He leads research to improve immunotherapy and diagnosing cancer earlier.

Background

Dr. Houghton cares for patients through Fred Hutch’s Lung Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Clinic, which focuses on finding lung cancer at its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.

Dr. Houghton leads the lung cancer research group at Fred Hutch, developing new methods to detect and treat lung cancer. His lab studies lung diseases and non-small cell lung cancer, with a focus on identifying the molecules and immune cells that tumors use to block the body’s natural immune response. He is known for his expertise on neutrophils, a type of immune cell that tumors can redirect to support cancer growth. Using this knowledge, he works to develop targeted immunotherapies designed to help the immune system more effectively attack lung tumors.

His research also includes identifying blood-based biomarkers for lung cancer. These markers could form the basis of a blood test that, when combined with CT scans and a patient’s medical history, may help detect lung cancer earlier. Dr. Houghton also studies lung conditions that raise cancer risk, such as emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, with the goal of finding ways to stop disease progression. His overarching goal is to improve prevention, early detection and treatment of lung cancer to improve patient outcomes.

Area of Clinical Practice
High risk prevention, respiratory complications from cancer and treatment, early detection of lung cancer

“I don’t leave the room until everyone has been heard and each question has been answered.”

— Dr. Houghton

What do you enjoy about practicing pulmonary medicine at Fred Hutch?

In the pulmonary group, my colleagues and I see patients with lung problems that aren’t very common. One example is a condition called bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), which can affect people who have received a bone marrow transplant. It can be serious, resulting in a progressive loss of lung function. Most pulmonary physicians outside of a tertiary cancer center like Fred Hutch might only see one or two cases in their whole career. We see several patients with this issue each week, so we’re really familiar with it and have developed expertise in how to treat it. It’s important to have a group like ours that are experts in this small slice of pulmonary medicine. I’ve always found it really rewarding to be able to provide a service that people need — and that isn’t commonly available in many communities.

Tell us about an interaction with a patient that had an impact on you.

One day, I saw a patient with lung cancer who also had a condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); together, the two diseases were making it very difficult for her to breathe. Her cancer was not curable, but she wanted someone to find a way to ease her breathlessness and help improve the quality of the time she had left. We really connected that day —in part because I have a research background in non-cancerous lung diseases like COPD, so I had an idea of what she was going through, but also because I was able to take the time to really sit and listen to her. I don’t leave the room until everyone has been heard and each question has been answered. 

The Houghton Lab studies the immune cell composition and function in solid tumor malignancies, most prominently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The group has established a platform to combine the study of human tissue specimens and mouse models of cancer to address key questions ranging from mechanisms of immune escape and treatment failures to the identification of novel biomarkers for lung cancer early detection. This platform has revealed an essential role for myeloid lineage cells—particularly neutrophils—in excluding tumor-reactive lymphocytes from the malignant portion of tumors. The current focus of the lab is to determine the mechanistic basis of lymphocyte-excluded NSCLCs and to develop therapeutic strategies to circumvent their exclusion.

Immune cell composition and function within the tumor microenvironment

Contribution of neutrophil lineage cells to NSCLC growth and invasiveness

Lung cancer early detection

Languages

English

Education and Experience

Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Brigham & Women's Hospital, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine

Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern (Parkland Memorial Hospital)

MD, Georgetown University School of Medicine

BA, Johns Hopkins University

Board Certification
Pulmonary Diseases, 2016, American Board of Internal Medicine

Clinical Trials

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians and researchers. 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.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Houghton

Publications

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians and researchers conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by others in their field 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. Houghton'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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Stories

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Lung cancer researchers, advocates gather in Seattle SPORE scientists talk T cells, new targeted therapies, the tumor microenvironment and more at annual meeting June 17, 2026
AACR 2024: Liquid biopsies, better treatments and baseball
AACR 2024: Liquid biopsies, better treatments and baseball Fred Hutch scientist throws out first pitch, welcomes new AACR president at San Diego cancer conference April 15, 2024

Contact Information

206.667.3175

206.667.5255