Wafik Zaky, MD
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics
About Dr. Zaky
My main career goal is to improve the lives affected by brain tumors, especially those with recurrent or progressive disease. In order to do this, I have an efficient clinical team at MD Anderson Cancer Center to help patients and families get advanced evaluation and treatment options including diagnostic imaging and proton beam radiation. Here at MDACC children with progressive gliomas, diffuse pontine gliomas and recurrent medulloblastoma all of which carry a dismal prognosis are referred across the globe, as no therapy has been successful in these tumors with a median survival less than a year. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy including infusion of biological agents have failed to improve survival and stall the progression of these tumors. I am collaborating with our phase I group and Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy for profiling targeted therapy trial in advanced brain tumors. In addition, I am collaborating with scientists at the Immunology laboratory and pediatric brain tumor basic research section at MDACC and designing a novel clinical trial of novel treatment for children with these recurrent refractory tumors. I look forward to an excellent professional career with dedicated focus on brain tumors, profiling clinical trials based on novel approaches including personalized targeted therapy as well as immunotherapy in pediatric brain tumors. I would like to embark on coordinating multi-institutional clinical trials and foster strong collaboration with esteemed basic neuro-science research colleagues and the world-class adult neuro-oncology team in MD Anderson. I am confident to be able to pursue these goals at the CCH.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Postgraduate Training
| 2011-2012 | Neuro-Oncology Clinical Fellowship, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2008-2011 | Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship, NYU Medical Center, New York |
| 2006-2008 | Clinical Residency, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY |
| 2005-2006 | Clinical Internship, Tod Children’s Hospital/ Western Reserve Care System, Youngstown, OH |
| 2001-2002 | Clinical Internship, Cairo University, Cairo |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2012 - 2019
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Khatua S, Hou P, Bodiwala R, Wolff J, Hamilton J, Patil S, Zaky W, Mahajan A, Ketonen L. Preliminary experience with diffusion tensor imaging before and after re-irradiation treatments in children with progressive diffuse pontine glioma. Childs Nerv Syst 30(5):925-30, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24395582.
- Zaky W, Dhall G, Ji L, Haley K, Allen J, Atlas M, Bertolone S, Cornelius A, Gardner S, Patel R, Pradhan K, Shen V, Thompson S, Torkildson J, Sposto R, Finlay JL. Intensive induction chemotherapy followed by myeloablative chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell rescue for young children newly-diagnosed with central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors: the Head Start III experience. Pediatr Blood Cancer 61(1):95-101, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23934933.
- Dhir N, Zaky W, Zomorodian T, Dhall G. Chronic myeloid leukemia as a second malignant neoplasm in a patient with medulloblastoma after treatment with chemotherapy and irradiation: a case report and review of the literature. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 30(1):28-9, 2013. PMID: 23273112.
- Hammoud RA, Zaky W, Tran DQ.. Actinomycosis presenting as a thigh mass in a pediatric patient with suspected X-linked carrier chronic granulomatous disease and transient skewed lionization. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
Invited Articles
- Khatua S, Zaky W. The biologic era of childhood medulloblastoma and clues to novel therapies. Future Oncol 10(4):637-45, 2014. PMID: 24754593.
Abstracts
- Khatua S, Sandberg D, Foresman L, Vats T, Dasgupta S, McAleer M, Zaky W. ICE as Salvage Therapy in Multiply Recurrent Intracranial Malignant Germ Cell Tumor. Society of Neuro-Oncology, 2013.
- Khatua S, Hou P, Wolff J, Hamilton J, Zaky W, Mahajan A, Ketonen L. Diffusion Tensor Imaging Confirms Efficacy of Re-irradiation Treatment in Pediatric Patients with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. Society of Neuro-Oncology, 2013.
- Dhir N, Zaky W, Zomorodian T, Dhall G. Chronic myeloid leukemia as a secondary malignant neoplasm in a patient with medulloblastoma after treatment with chemotherapy and irradiation: A case report and review of literature. International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, 2012.
- Zaky W, Bluml S, Grimm J, Wong, K, McComb JG, Gilles F, Finlay JL, Dhall G. Clear Cell Meningioma in Children: A Report of Two Cases With Description of Presenting Clinical Features, Treatment, and Patterns of Relapse. International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, 2012.
- Zaky W, Bluml S, Grimm J, Wong, K, McComb JG, Gilles F, Finlay JL, Dhall G. Aggressive behavior of tectal gliomas in children: A report of two cases and review of literature. International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, 2012.
- Zaky W, Kreimer S, Dagri J, Grimm JP, Bluml S, Britt B, Dhall G, Gilles F, Finlay JL. Transformation of Pediatric Non-Pilocytic Low Grade Astrocytomas to Malignant Gliomas: Preliminary Results of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Retrospective Review. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology, 2011.
- Bhatla T, Wang J, Morrison D, Zaky W, Raetz E, Carroll W. Vorinostat Reverses Relapse-Specific Drug Resistance Gene Expression Signatures In Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). ASPHO, 2010.
- Zaky W, Chen Z, Meyer J, Bhatla T, Yang J, et l. IKAROS Deletion Leads to Chemotherapy Resistance in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 54(6):789, 2010.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | IKZF1 deletion and chemotherapy resistance in pediatrics acute lymphoblastic leukemia |
| Funding Source: | St. Baldrick's Foundation |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Malignant transformation of Pediatric Non-Pilocytic Astrocytoma |
| Funding Source: | St. Baldrick's Foundation |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified April 18, 2024