GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER
Alan P. Venook, MD
Madden Family Distinguished Professor of Medical Oncology and Translational Research at UC San Francisco and the Shorenstein Associate Director for Program Development at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Alan P. Venook, MD, is an expert in colorectal and liver cancers who served as the founding chair of the National Cancer Institute’s Hepatobiliary Task Force and as Chair of the GI Cancer Committee in the Alliance from 2011-2016.
- Dr Venook served as principal investigator for the CALGB/SWOG 80405 trial. Results presented in 2014 and published in 2017 established that both cetuximab (Erbitux) and bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with chemotherapy were appropriate for first-line treatment of patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.
- Findings from Dr Venook’s retrospective analyses of CALGB/SWOG 80405 demonstrated that overall survival was significantly longer in patients with left-sided tumors compared with those who had right-sided tumors, and that responses to therapy differed based on tumor-sidedness.
- He is well known for his research into new modalities for treating primary and metastatic tumors of the liver and has led multiple cooperative group trials into the use of chemotherapeutics in patients with liver disease.
- Under his leadership, UCSF’s Gastrointestinal Oncology group won the inaugural Helen Diller Family Quality Award in recognition of “exceptional commitment to providing superior patient care.”
