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Keila E. Torres Torres, MD, PhD

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Office Address

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd
Unit Number: 1484
Houston, TX 77030

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

2003 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, MD, Medicine
2000 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, PHD, Molecular Pharmacology
1996 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, MS, Molecular Pharmacology
1994 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, BS, Magna Cum Laude, Chemistry

Postgraduate Training

2008-6/2011 Clinical Fellowship, Surgical Oncology Fellowship, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
2003-6/2008 Clinical Residency, General Surgery Residency, Robert Wood Johnson University, New Brunswick, NJ

Board Certifications

4/2010 American Board of Surgery

Professional Memberships

American College of Surgeons
Member, 2003-present
Connective Tissue Oncology Society
Member, 2008-present
Surgical Oncology Society
Member, 2008-present

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Torres KE, Ravi V, Kin K, Yi M, Guadagnolo BA, May CD, Arun BK, Hunt KK, Lam R, Lahat G, Hoffman A, Cormier JN, Feig BW, Lazar AJ, Lev D, Pollock RE. Long-term outcomes in patients with radiation-associated angiosarcomas of the breast following surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol 20(4):1267-74, 4/2013. e-Pub 12/2012. PMID: 23224828.
2. Hoffman A, Ghadimi MP, Demicco EG, Creighton CJ, Torres K, Colombo C, Peng T, Lusby K, Ingram D, Hornick JL, Wang WL, Ravi V, Lazar AJ, Lev D, Pollock RE. Localized and metastatic myxoid/round cell liposarcoma: clinical and molecular observations. Cancer. e-Pub 2/2013. PMID: 23401071.
3. Ghadimi MP, Lopez G, Torres KE, Belousov R, Young ED, Liu J, Brewer KJ, Hoffman A, Lusby K, Lazar AJ, Pollock RE, Lev D. Targeting the PI3K/mTOR Axis, Alone and in Combination with Autophagy Blockade, for the Treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors. Mol Cancer Ther 11(8):1758-69, 8/2012. e-Pub 7/2012. PMCID: PMC3416967.
4. Torres K, Lazar A, Pollock R, Lev A. Angiosarcoma: A Frequently Recurrent and Highly Metastatic Malignancy. Eur J Clin Med Oncol 4(2):73-81, 7/2012.
5. Demicco EG, Torres KE, Ghadimi MP, Colombo C, Bolshakov S, Hoffman A, Peng T, Bovée JV, Wang WL, Lev D, Lazar AJ. Involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway in myxoid/round cell liposarcoma. Mod Pathol 25(2):212-21, 2/2012. e-Pub 10/2011. PMCID: PMC3266971.
6. Ghadimi MP, Liu P, Peng T, Bolshakov S, Young ED, Torres KE, Colombo C, Hoffman A, Broccoli D, Hornick JL, Lazar AJ, Pisters P, Pollock RE, Lev D. Pleomorphic liposarcoma: Clinical observations and molecular variables. Cancer 117(23):5359-69, 12/2011. e-Pub 5/2011. PMCID: PMC3161152.
7. Lahat G, Zhang P, Zhu Q, Torres K, Ghadimi M, Smith KD, Wang W, Lazar AJ, Lev D. Molecular subclassification of unclassified pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS/MFH). Histopathology 59(1):556-561, 9/2011.
8. Lahat G, Zhang P, Zhu QS, Torres K, Ghadimi M, Smith KD, Wang WL, Lazar AJ, Lev D. The expression of c-Met pathway components in unclassified pleomorphic sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytoma (UPS/MFH): a tissue microarray study. Histopathology 59(3):556-61, 9/2011. PMID: 22034893.
9. Torres KE, Liu J, Young E, Huang KL, Ghadimi M, Lusby K, Lazar AJ, Lev D. Expression of 'drugable' tyrosine kinase receptors in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour: potential molecular therapeutic targets for a chemoresistant cancer. Histopathology 59(1):156-9, 7/2011. PMID: 21771036.
10. Torres KE, Zhu QS, Bill K, Lopez G, Ghadimi MP, Xie X, Young ED, Liu J, Nguyen T, Bolshakov S, Belousov R, Wang S, Lahat G, Liu J, Hernandez B, Lazar AJ, Lev D. Activated MET is a molecular prognosticator and potential therapeutic target for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Clin Cancer Res 17(12):3943-55, 6/15/2011. e-Pub 5/3/2011. PMCID: PMC3117912.
11. Lopez G, Torres K, Lev D. Autophagy blockade enhances HDAC inhibitors' pro-apoptotic effects: Potential implications for the treatment of a therapeutic-resistant malignancy. Autophagy 7(4). e-Pub 4/2011. PMID: 21224727.
12. Lopez G, Torres K, Liu J, Hernandez B, Young E, Belousov R, Bolshakov S, Lazar AJ, Slopis JM, McCutcheon IE, McConkey D, Lev D. Autophagic survival in resistance to histone deacetylase inhibitors: novel strategies to treat malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Cancer Res 71(1):185-96, 1/1/2011. e-Pub 11/16/2010. PMCID: PMC3064267.
13. Ylipää A, Hunt KK, Yang J, Lazar AJ, Torres KE, Lev DC, Nykter M, Pollock RE, Trent J, Zhang W. Integrative genomic characterization and a genomic staging system for gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Cancer 117(2):380-9, 1/2011. e-Pub 9/2010. PMCID: PMC3008331.
14. Wang S, Ren W, Liu J, Lahat G, Torres K, Lopez G, Lazar AJ, Hayes-Jordan A, Liu K, Bankson J, Hazle JD, Lev D. TRAIL and doxorubicin combination induces proapoptotic and antiangiogenic effects in soft tissue sarcoma in vivo. Clin Cancer Res 16(9):2591-604, 5/2010. e-Pub 4/2010. PMCID: PMC2967255.
15. Lahat G, Zhu QS, Huang KL, Wang S, Bolshakov S, Liu J, Torres K, Langley RR, Lazar AJ, Hung MC, Lev D. Vimentin is a novel anti-cancer therapeutic target; insights from in vitro and in vivo mice xenograft studies. PLoS One 5(4):e10105, 2010. e-Pub 4/2010. PMCID: PMC2855704.
16. Torres KE, Burd RS. Recent nationwide trends in the utilization of pectus repairs in children. J Surg Res 137(2):328-329, 2007.
17. Gorski D, Schell SR, Kounalakis N, Torres K, Barnard NJ, Goydos JS, Chen S. Elevated metabotropic glutamate receptor expression: a novel finding in invasive breast cancer. J Surg Res 130(2):164, 2006.
18. Gold JP, Torres KE, Maldarelli W, Zhuravlev I, Condit D, Wasnick J. Improving outcomes in coronary surgery: the impact of echo-directed aortic cannulation and perioperative hemodynamic management in 500 patients. Ann Thorac Surg 78(5):1579-85, 11/2004. PMID: 15511435.
19. Gold JP, Wasnick J, Maldarelli W, Zhuraavlev I, Torres KE, Condit D. Selective use of off-pump coronary bypass surgery reduces mortality and neurologic morbidity associated with high-risk coronary bypass surgery: a 400-case comparative experience. Heart Surg Forum 7(6):E562-8, 2004. PMID: 15769687.
20. Martello LA, Verdier-Pinard P, Shen HJ, He L, Torres K, Orr GA, Horwitz SB. Elevated levels of microtubule destabilizing factors in a Taxol-resistant/dependent A549 cell line with an alpha-tubulin mutation. Cancer Res 63(6):1207-13, 3/2003. PMID: 12649178.
21. Torres K, Horwitz SB. Mechanisms of Taxol-induced cell death are concentration dependent. Cancer Res 58(16):3620-6, 8/1998. PMID: 9721870.
22. Báez A, Torres K, Tan EM, Pommier Y, Casiano CA. Expression of proliferation-associated nuclear autoantigens, p330d/CENP-F and PCNA, in differentiation and in drug-induced growth inhibition using two-parameter flow cytometry. Cell Prolif 29(4):183-96, 4/1996. PMID: 8695747.
23. Goldwasser F, Bae I, Valenti M, Torres K, Pommier Y. Topoisomerase I-related parameters and camptothecin activity in the colon carcinoma cell lines from the National Cancer Institute anticancer screen. Cancer Res 55(10):2116-21, 5/1995. PMID: 7743511.

Book Chapters
1. Torres K, Pisters PW. Malignant fibrous histiocytoma. In: Sarcoma Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Ed(s) Pollock RE, Baker LH, O'Sullivan B, Randall RL. People's Medical Publishing House-USA, Ltd: China. In Press.
2. Torres K, Pollock RE. Soft Tissue Sarcomas. In: New EBM Textbook of Elective General Surgery. Ed(s) Cohn S, Brower S. People's Medical Publishing House - USA, Ltd. China. In Press.
3. Brewer K, Torres KE, Lev D. Tumor Microenvironment Cross-Talk; a Process Critical for Sarcoma Progression and Metastasis. In: Sarcoma Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Ed(s) Pollock RE, Baker LH, O'Sullivan B, Randall RL. People's Medical Publishing House - USA, Ltd. China. In Press.
4. Torres K, Hunt KK, Pollock RE. Forequarter Amputation. In: Master Techniques in Breast Surgery. Ed(s) Klimberg S, Bland K. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: New York, 2010.
5. Torres K, Pollock RE. Gene-based therapies for cancer. In: Cancer Research. Ed(s) Roth J. Springer: New York, 2010.

Manuals, Teaching Aids, Other Teaching Publications
1. Torres K, Pollock RE. Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma. 7, 6. Electronic Sarcoma Update Newsletter (ESUN): http://sarcomahelp.org/learning_center/asps.html, 12/2010.
2. Moufflet A, Moore J, Panarelli A, Madrid D, Schimmrich K, Pevzner L, Torres K, Angel M, Zahtz E, Sorbellini M, Koppolu S, Cuevas J, Frogel D, Grinspan Z, Spector J, Hirsh D, Vouyiouklis M. AECOM Dissector Online. http://storm.aecom.yu.edu/virtualDissector, Chapter 3, Section 2, 7, & 8, 2001.

Last updated: 3/19/2013