Newswise — PHILADELPHIA—Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., FACP, an internationally renowned breast cancer researcher and clinician, has been appointed Director of the Jefferson Breast Care Center at the Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) and Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals.
With more than 25 years of clinical, basic science and educational experience, Dr. Cristofanilli will also serve as Deputy Director of Translational Research at the KCC.
Prior to joining Jefferson, Dr. Cristofanilli served as chairman of the department of medical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and head of the center’s Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic. Before that, he founded and served as Executive Director of the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program and Clinic at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Dr. Cristofanilli is a widely-recognized leader in the translational research and treatment of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), the rare and aggressive form of breast cancer in which cancer cells block lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. Moreover, he has recognized expertise in the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic markers in primary and metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
“Dr. Cristofanilli is a proven leader whose translational research expertise will fit in perfectly with the overall mission of the KCC to link our already excellent basic science in breast cancer with more patient-directed therapies in a time-efficient manner,” said Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the KCC and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology and Vice President for Oncology Services at Jefferson. “We look forward to tackling some of the most innovative questions in breast cancer precision oncomedicine with cutting edge research and the latest clinical trials.”
Dr. Cristofanilli’s research aims to improve personalized medicine for breast cancer patients, focusing on molecular targeted agents, biomarkers and gene therapies, and bridging the gap between the bench and bedside in a more practical and smarter way. A forte of Dr. Cristofanilli is his team-based and multidisciplinary approach to medicine.
His 2004 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on circulating tumor cells (CTCs)—found to be a predictor of progression-free survival and overall survival in MBC patients—sparked a slew of subsequent preclinical and clinical investigations that continue to further our knowledge and molecular understanding of the metastatic process with the potential to impact the treatment and improve the prognosis of these patients affected by recurrent disease.
Recently, he presented a study at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on commercially-available genomic tests and their ability to better classify tumor subtypes in breast cancer to help guide treatment plans.
“We’re proud that Jefferson is the new home for Dr. Cristofanilli, whose work in cancer research and in the clinic goes unmatched and whose passion to initiate and grow programs speaks for itself, particularly for aggressive forms of breast cancer,” said Neal Flomenberg, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at Jefferson. “We’re looking forward to this new chapter at the Jefferson Breast Care Center and the KCC, where his experience in compassionate clinical care and cutting edge research will better serve the institution and ultimately the patients in the region and beyond.”
Dr. Cristofanilli received his medical degree from the University of La Sapienza in Rome, Italy, where he also completed a fellowship in medical oncology. He completed an internship at the Cabrini Medical Center in New York, as well as his residency in internal medicine. That was followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Cristofanilli is Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Oncology and the European Society for Medical Oncology.
“Jefferson, as an institution, has a tradition, but at the same time is always projecting towards the future, forever expanding upon research and clinical programs, bringing innovative technologies into the lab and clinic, and attracting new physicians and patients,” said Dr. Cristofanilli. “I want to bring my vision to Jefferson and look forward to us to being able to grow together.”
The Jefferson Breast Care Center was founded in 2006 and is one of 466 centers in the nation accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The Center gives the patient a comprehensive experience where surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, pathology risk assessment / genetics, social work and a breast care navigator are all working together with the patient at the center of care. ##
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (TJUH) are dedicated to excellence in patient care and education. It is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's top hospitals. It has over 950 licensed acute care beds with major programs in a wide range of clinical specialties. TJUH is one of the few hospitals in the U.S. that is both a Level 1 Trauma Center and a federally-designated regional spinal cord injury center. TJUH patient care facilities include: Jefferson Hospital, Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, and Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia. Additional out-patient sites are located throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. TJUH is a part of Jefferson Health System and a partner of Thomas Jefferson University.
Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia, is nationally renowned for medical and health sciences education and innovative research. Founded in 1824, TJU includes Jefferson Medical College (JMC), one of the largest private medical schools in the country and ranked among the nation’s best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report, and the Jefferson Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions, Population Health and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Jefferson University Physicians is TJU’s multi-specialty physician practice consisting of the full-time faculty of JMC. Thomas Jefferson University partners with its clinical affiliate, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.
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