Skip to Content

'
Razelle Kurzrock, MD, FACP

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Department Chair, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Professor, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Director-Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Clinical Trials Research) Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center-, Houston, TX
Anderson Clinical Faculty Chair for Cancer Treatment and Research, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Director, Human Biology and Patient-Based Research PhD Program, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Co-Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX

Office Address

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Unit Number: 455
Houston, TX 77030
Room Number: Faculty Center- FC8.3044
Phone: (713) 794-1226
Fax: (713) 563-0566
Email: rkurzroc@mdanderson.org

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

1978 University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, MD
1974 University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, BS

Postgraduate Training

2005-2006 Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
3/2003-4/2004 Faculty Leadership Academy, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
1/1982-12/1983 Clinical Fellowship, Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
9/1979-8/1981 Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, Tulane University Affiliated Hospitals, New Orleans, LA
7/1978-6/1979 Clinical Internship, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada

Board Certifications

1/1992 ABIM Hematology Subspecialty
1/1987 ABIM Medical Oncology
1/1983 ABIM Internal Medicine

Experience/Service

Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities

Internal Advisory Committee: Uterine Spore, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008-2009

Other Appointments/Responsibilities

Director, Investigational Cancer Therapeutics Fellowship Program, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008-present
Director, Human Biology and Patient-Based Research PhD Program, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, 2004-present

Consultantships

Centocor Inc., Horsham, PA, 2006-present

Institutional Committee Activities

Chair, Young Investigator Award Oversight Committee, 2008-present
Member, Ethics and Compliance in Oncology Research Executive Committee, 2008-present
Member, Institute for Personalized Medicine Steering Committee, 2008-present
Member, Internal Advisory Committee, Uterine Spore, 2008-2009
Member, CTSA Education and Career Development Steering Committee, 2007-present
Committee Chair, Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), Training Board, 2006-present
Member, Research Education Steering Committee, CTSA - The University of Texas Health Science Center, 2006-present
Member, Clinical and Translational Research Center Committee, 2006-present
Member, Division of Cancer Medicine Executive Council, 2004-present
Member, Technology Review Committee, 2004-present
Chair, Phase I Clinical Trials Working Group, 3/2003-present
Course Director, Seminars in Clinical Cancer Treatment, 2003-present
Director, Translational Medicine Course, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2003-present
Director, Human Protocol Research Course, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2003-present
Member, Medical Practice Subcommittee (oversees standards of medical practice), 2000-present
Member, Freireich Award Committee, 2000-present

Honors and Awards

2008 Distinguished Teaching Professor, Elected Member, The University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education
2005 Dr. Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award, Southern Medical Association
2005 Educator of the Month, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
2004-2006 The Best Doctors in America Listing
2003 The Otis W. and Pearl L. Walters Faculty Achievement Award in Clinical Research (for excellence in clinical/translational research)
2002 Best Women Doctors in Houston listing
2002 The Best Doctors in America Listing
2001-present Institutional Representative, American Society of Clinical Investigation
2001 HSC Honors Convocation Recipient Award
1999 3rd Annual Emil J. Freireich Award (for clinical cancer research excellence)
1998 Houston's Top Doctors Listing
1997-present American Society of Clinical Investigation
1997 The Best Doctors in America Listing
1996 GSBS Dean's Excellence Award List
1995 BPW/Texas Past State President's Award (for research excellence)
1995 GSBS Dean's Excellence Award List
1993 Honorary Member, Colombian Society of Hematology and Clinical Oncology
1990 Fellow, American College of Physicians
1973 Varsity Fund Scholarship, (highest science grades in college)

Professional Memberships

Abstract Selection Committe: American Society of Hematology (ASH)
Member, 1997
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Member, 1984-present
American Board of Hematology: Compose Questions
Member, 1996-1997
Association of Clincial Research Training Program (K30) Directors
Board Member, 2004-2007
K30 Physician Scientist Task Force, National Cancer Institute
Member, 2002-2003
Program Committee, Association of Clinical Research Training
Chair, 2005-2007
Signaling Drugs (Ras/P13K) Subcommittee, Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC)
Chair, 2006-present
Society of Integrative Oncology Program Committee
Member, 2005
Southwest Oncology Group, Early Clinical Trials Committee, Ann Harbor, MI
Chair, 2009-present
Special Emphasis Panel, Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program, National Cancer Institute
Member, 2004

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Tsimberidou AM, Camacho LH, Verstovsek S, Ng C, Hong DS, Uehara CK, Gutierrez C, Daring S, Stevens J, Komarnitsky PB, Schwartz B, Kurzrock R. A phase I clinical trial of darinaparsin in patients with refractory solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res 15(14):4769-76, 7/2009. PMID: 19584162.
2. Stewart DJ, Issa JP, Kurzrock R, Nunez MI, Jelinek J, Hong D, Oki Y, Guo Z, Gupta S, Wistuba II.. Decitabine Effect on Tumor Global DNA Methylation and Other Parameters in a Phase I Trial in Refractory Solid Tumors and Lymphomas. Clin Cancer Res 15(11):3881-8, 6/2009. e-Pub 5/2009. PMID: 19470736.
3. Craft BS, Kurzrock R, Lei X, Herbst R, Lippman S, Fu S, Karp DD. The changing face of Phase I cancer clinical trials: new challenges in study requirements. Cancer 115(8):1592-7, 4/2009. PMCID: PMC2668727.
4. Sun G, Berthelot C, Li Y, Glass DA, George D, Pandya A, Kurzrock R, Duvic M.. Poor prognosis in non-Caucasian patients with early-onset mycosis fungoides. J Am Acad Dermatol 60(2):231-5, 2/2009. e-Pub 11/2008. PMID: 19026464.
5. Angelo LS, Kurzrock R. Tumeric and green tea: a recipe for the treatment of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Clin Cancer Res 15(4):1123-5, 2/2009. PMCID: PMC2646173.
6. Stewart DJ, Kurzrock R. Cancer: The Road to Amiens. J Clin Oncol 27(3):328-33, 1/2009. e-Pub 12/2008. PMID: 19064964.
7. Freireich EJ, Kurzrock R. The role of investigational therapy in management of patients with advanced metastatic malignancy. J Clin Oncol 27(2):304-6, 1/2009. e-Pub 12/2008. PMID: 19064962.
8. Wu J, Yang DJ, Angelo LS, Kohamin S, Kurzrock R. Molecular imaging of Bcr-Abl phosphokinase in a xenograft model. Mol Cancer Ther 8(3):703-10, 2009. e-Pub 3/2009. PMCID: PMC2679515.
9. Shankar S, Davis R, Singh KP, Kurzrock R, Ross DD, Srivastava RK.. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (Zolinza/vorinostat) sensitizes TRAIL-resistant breast cancer cells orthotopically implanted in BALB/c nude mice. Mol Cancer Ther 8(6):1596-605, 2009. e-Pub 6/2009. PMID: 19509267.
10. Wheler J, Tsimberidou AM, Hong D, Naing A, Jackson T, Liu S, Feng L, Kurzrock R. Survival of patients in a Phase I clinic: the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Experience. Cancer 115(5):1091-9, 2009. PMID: 19165805.
11. Reyes-Gibby CC, El Osta B, Spitz MR, Parsons H, Kurzrock R, Wu X, Shete S, Bruera E.. The influence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-308 G/A and IL-6-174 G/C on pain and analgesia response in lung cancer patients receiving supportive care. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 17(11):3262-7, 11/2008. PMID: 18990769.
12. Braiteh F, Soriano AO, Garcia-Manero G, Hong D, Johnson MM, Silva Lde P, Yang H, Alexander S, Kurzrock R. Phase I study of epigenetic modulation with 5-azacytidine and valproic acid in patients with advanced cancers. Clin Cancer Res 14(19):6296-301, 10/2008. PMCID: PMC2582814.
13. Tsimberidou AM, Estey E, Wen S, Pierce S, Kantarjian H, Albitar M, Kurzrock R. The prognostic significance of cytokine levels in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Cancer 113(7):1605-13, 10/2008. PMID: 18683214.
14. Rodon J, DeSantos V, Ferry RJ Jr, Kurzrock R. Early drug development of inhibitors of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor pathway: lessons from the first clinical trials. Mol Cancer Ther 7(9):2575-88, 9/2008. PMID: 18790742.
15. Reyes-Gibby CC, Wu X, Spitz, Kurzrock R, Fisch M, Bruera E, Shete S.. Moleculer epidemiology, cancer-ralted symtoms, ad cytokines pathway. Lancet Oncol 9(8):777-85, 8/2008. PMID: 18672213.
16. Dhillon N, Aggarwal BB, Newman RA, Wolff RA, Kunnumakkara AB, Abbruzzese JL, Ng CS, Badmaev V, Kurzrock R.. Phase II trial of curcumin in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res 14(14):4491-4499, 7/2008. PMID: 18628464.
17. Braiteh F, Kurzrock R, Johnson FM. Trichomegaly of the eyelashes after lung cancer treatment with the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor erlotinib. J Clin Oncol 26(20):3460-2, 7/2008. PMID: 18612164.
18. Hong DS, Reddy SB, Prieto VG, Wright JJ, Tannir NM, Cohen PR, Diwan AH, Evans HL, Kurzrock R.. Multiple squamous cell carcinomas of the skin therapy with sorafinib combined with tipifarnib. Arch Dermatol 144(6):779-82, 6/2008. PMID: 18559769.
19. Hong D, Ye L, Gagel R, Chintala L, El Naggar AK, Wright J, Kurzrock R.. Medullary thyroid cancer: targeting the RET kinase pathway with sorafinib/tipifarnib. Mol Cancer Ther 7(5):1001-6, 5/2008. e-Pub 4/2008. PMID: 18445656.
20. Sun M, Estrov Z, Ji Y, Coombes KR, Harris DH, Kurzrock R.. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) alters expression profiles of mircoRNAs in human pancreatic cells. Mol Cancer Ther 7(3):464-73, 3/2008. PMID: 18347134.
21. Cen P, Duvic M, Cohen PR, Kurzrock R. Increased cancer antigen 27.29 (CA27.29) level in patients with mycosis fungoides. J Am Acad Dermatol 58(3):382-386, 3/2008. PMID: 18280334.
22. Kurzrock R, Kantarjian HM, Blascovich MA, Bucher C, Verstovsek S, Wright JJ, Pilat SR, Cortes JE, Estey EH, Giles FJ, Beran M, Sebti SM. Phase I study of alternate-week administration of tipifarnib in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. Clin Cancer Res 14(2):509-14, 1/2008. PMID: 18223226.
23. Tsimberidou AM, Wierda WG, Plunkett W, Kurzrock R, O'Brien S, Wen S, Ferrajoli A, Ravandi-Kashani F, Garcia-Manero G, Estrov A, Kipps TJ, Brown JR, Fiorentino A, Lerner S, Kantarjian HM, Keating MJ.. Phase II study of oxaliplatin, fludarabine, cytarabine, and rituximab combination therapy in patients with Richter's syndrome or fludarabine-refractory chronic lymphyocytic leukemia. J Clin Oncol 26(2):196-203, 1/2008. PMID: 18182662.

Last updated: 9/22/2009