Clinical Focus


  • Cancer > Medical Oncology
  • Cancer > Thoracic Oncology
  • Medical Oncology

Professional Education


  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Hematology (2017)
  • Fellowship: Stanford University Hematology and Oncology Fellowship (2004) CA
  • Residency: Stanford University Internal Medicine Residency (2001) CA
  • Internship: Stanford University Internal Medicine Residency (1999) CA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology (2005)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2001)
  • Medical Education: University of Washington School of Medicine (1998) WA

All Publications


  • Use of Machine Learning and Lay Care Coaches to Increase Advance Care Planning Conversations for Patients With Metastatic Cancer. JCO oncology practice Gensheimer, M. F., Gupta, D., Patel, M. I., Fardeen, T., Hildebrand, R., Teuteberg, W., Seevaratnam, B., Asuncion, M. K., Alves, N., Rogers, B., Hansen, J., DeNofrio, J., Shah, N. H., Parikh, D., Neal, J., Fan, A. C., Moore, K., Ruiz, S., Li, C., Khaki, A. R., Pagtama, J., Chien, J., Brown, T., Tisch, A. H., Das, M., Srinivas, S., Roy, M., Wakelee, H., Myall, N. J., Huang, J., Shah, S., Lee, H., Ramchandran, K. 2022: OP2200128

    Abstract

    Patients with metastatic cancer benefit from advance care planning (ACP) conversations. We aimed to improve ACP using a computer model to select high-risk patients, with shorter predicted survival, for conversations with providers and lay care coaches. Outcomes included ACP documentation frequency and end-of-life quality measures.In this study of a quality improvement initiative, providers in four medical oncology clinics received Serious Illness Care Program training. Two clinics (thoracic/genitourinary) participated in an intervention, and two (cutaneous/sarcoma) served as controls. ACP conversations were documented in a centralized form in the electronic medical record. In the intervention, providers and care coaches received weekly e-mails highlighting upcoming clinic patients with < 2 year computer-predicted survival and no prior prognosis documentation. Care coaches contacted these patients for an ACP conversation (excluding prognosis). Providers were asked to discuss and document prognosis.In the four clinics, 4,968 clinic visits by 1,251 patients met inclusion criteria (metastatic cancer with no prognosis previously documented). In their first visit, 28% of patients were high-risk (< 2 year predicted survival). Preintervention, 3% of both intervention and control clinic patients had ACP documentation during a visit. By intervention end (February 2021), 35% of intervention clinic patients had ACP documentation compared with 3% of control clinic patients. Providers' prognosis documentation rate also increased in intervention clinics after the intervention (2%-27% in intervention clinics, P < .0001; 0%-1% in control clinics). End-of-life care intensity was similar in intervention versus control clinics, but patients with ≥ 1 provider ACP edit met fewer high-intensity care measures (P = .04).Combining a computer prognosis model with care coaches increased ACP documentation.

    View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.22.00128

    View details for PubMedID 36395436

  • Characterization of ERBB2 (HER2) Alterations in Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Comparison of Outcomes of Different Trastuzumab-based Regimens. Clinical lung cancer Waliany, S., Wakelee, H., Ramchandran, K., Das, M., Huang, J., Myall, N., Li, C., Pagtama, J., Tisch, A. H., Neal, J. W. 2022

    Abstract

    About 3%-5% of mNSCLC have ERBB2 (HER2) alterations, but currently, there are no FDA-approved targeted therapies for this indication. We compared treatment response between trastuzumab-based and non-targeted regimens in ERBB2-mutant mNSCLC.This retrospective, single-institution study included patients with mNSCLC with ERBB2 alterations identified by next-generation sequencing. Best overall response was determined using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1.We identified 3 groups of patients: ERBB2-mutant/EGFR-wildtype mNSCLC (n = 33), ERBB2-amplified/EGFR-wildtype mNSCLC without concurrent ERBB2 mutations (n = 6), and ERBB2-altered/EGFR-mutant mNSCLC (n = 8). Observed mutations included A775_G776insYVMA (n = 23), Gly778_Pro780dup (n = 4), Ser310Phe (n = 3), and others (n = 5). Among the 33 with ERBB2-mutant/EGFR-wildtype mNSCLC, those with and without A775_G776insYVMA had significantly different median overall survival (OS) of 17.7 and 52.9 months, respectively (Cox regression multivariable HR: 5.03, 95% CI: 1.37-18.51, P = .02). In those with mNSCLC with A775_G776insYVMA, trastuzumab-based therapies were associated with greater OS (20.3 vs. 9.8 months; multivariable HR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04-0.87, P = .032). Objective response and disease control rates (median tumor size change) in the 33 patients with ERBB2-mutant/EGFR-wildtype mNSCLC were 40.0% and 80.0% (-35.8%), respectively, for patients treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan; 0% and 30.0% (-5.2%) for trastuzumab emtansine; and 7.1% and 50.0% (-13.0%) for trastuzumab/chemotherapy combinations.In ERBB2-mutant/EGFR-wildtype mNSCLC, while most trastuzumab-based regimens had modest activity in this real-world analysis, trastuzumab deruxtecan had highest response rates and best tumor size reduction. Receipt of any trastuzumab-based regimen was associated with greater OS with A775_G776insYVMA. There remains an unmet need for approved targeted therapies for ERBB2-mutant/EGFR-wildtype NSCLC.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cllc.2022.05.015

    View details for PubMedID 35753988

  • ERBB2-Mutated Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Response and Resistance to Targeted Therapies. Journal of thoracic oncology Chuang, J. C., Stehr, H., Liang, Y., Das, M., Huang, J., Diehn, M., Wakelee, H. A., Neal, J. W. 2017

    Abstract

    Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 gene (ERBB2) (also called HER2) has long been recognized as an oncogenic driver in some breast and gastroesophageal cancers in which amplification of this gene confers sensitivity to treatment with Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2)-directed agents. More recently, somatic mutations in ERBB2 have been reported in 1% to 2% of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Previous case series have suggested clinical tumor responses using anti-ERBB2 small molecules and antibody therapies.Here we report the outcomes of nine patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma with ERBB2 mutations being treated with ERBB2-targeted therapies.Four of the nine patients had response to targeted therapies, with durations of response ranging from 3 to 10 months. We identified a de novo phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha gene (PIK3CA) mutation and ERBB2 copy number gain as potential resistance mechanisms.We showed patients with ERBB2-mutated lung adenocarcinoma can respond to targeted therapies, and we identified potential resistance mechanisms upon progression to targeted therapies.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jtho.2017.01.023

    View details for PubMedID 28167203

  • Efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets - A systematic review JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Bravata, D. M., Sanders, L., Huang, J., Krumholz, H. M., Olkin, I., Gardner, C. D., Bravata, D. M. 2003; 289 (14): 1837-1850

    Abstract

    Low-carbohydrate diets have been popularized without detailed evidence of their efficacy or safety. The literature has no clear consensus as to what amount of carbohydrates per day constitutes a low-carbohydrate diet.To evaluate changes in weight, serum lipids, fasting serum glucose, and fasting serum insulin levels, and blood pressure among adults using low-carbohydrate diets in the outpatient setting.We performed MEDLINE and bibliographic searches for English-language studies published between January 1, 1966, and February 15, 2003, with key words such as low carbohydrate, ketogenic, and diet.We included articles describing adult, outpatient recipients of low-carbohydrate diets of 4 days or more in duration and 500 kcal/d or more, and which reported both carbohydrate content and total calories consumed. Literature searches identified 2609 potentially relevant articles of low-carbohydrate diets. We included 107 articles describing 94 dietary interventions reporting data for 3268 participants; 663 participants received diets of 60 g/d or less of carbohydrates--of whom only 71 received 20 g/d or less of carbohydrates. Study variables (eg, number of participants, design of dietary evaluation), participant variables (eg, age, sex, baseline weight, fasting serum glucose level), diet variables (eg, carbohydrate content, caloric content, duration) were abstracted from each study.Two authors independently reviewed articles meeting inclusion criteria and abstracted data onto pretested abstraction forms.The included studies were highly heterogeneous with respect to design, carbohydrate content (range, 0-901 g/d), total caloric content (range, 525-4629 kcal/d), diet duration (range, 4-365 days), and participant characteristics (eg, baseline weight range, 57-217 kg). No study evaluated diets of 60 g/d or less of carbohydrates in participants with a mean age older than 53.1 years. Only 5 studies (nonrandomized and no comparison groups) evaluated these diets for more than 90 days. Among obese patients, weight loss was associated with longer diet duration (P =.002), restriction of calorie intake (P =.03), but not with reduced carbohydrate content (P =.90). Low-carbohydrate diets had no significant adverse effect on serum lipid, fasting serum glucose, and fasting serum insulin levels, or blood pressure.There is insufficient evidence to make recommendations for or against the use of low-carbohydrate diets, particularly among participants older than age 50 years, for use longer than 90 days, or for diets of 20 g/d or less of carbohydrates. Among the published studies, participant weight loss while using low-carbohydrate diets was principally associated with decreased caloric intake and increased diet duration but not with reduced carbohydrate content.

    View details for PubMedID 12684364