Dan Zhao, MD, PhD
Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor (Term Tenure-Track), Department of Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (2020-present), GI Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Clinical Interests
As a gastrointestinal medical oncologist, I specialize in treating pancreatic cancer. I hold board certifications in internal medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and lifestyle medicine, allowing me to integrate a comprehensive, whole-person perspective into patient care. My patient-centered, translational research program bridges clinical practice and innovation. By conducting clinical trials and utilizing AI and real-world multi-omics datasets, I aim to advance drug development and precision medicine.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2009 | Cancer Hospital and National Cancer Institute, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, CN, Ph.D. in Oncology |
| 2004 | Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, CN, MD |
Postgraduate Training
| 2017-2020 | Clinical Fellowship, Hematology/Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center/Harbor-UCLA, Duarte, California |
| 2014-2017 | Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York |
| 2012-2014 | Research Fellowship, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 2009-2012 | Research Fellowship, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2024 | Lifestyle Medicine |
| 2022 | Georgia Composite Medical Board |
| 2022 | Mississippi State Board of Medical License |
| 2022 | Oklahoma State Board of Medical License |
| 2022 | Washington Medical Commission |
| 2022 | Tennessee Medical License |
| 2022 | Arizona Medical Board |
| 2022 | Louisiana Medical Board |
| 2022 | Alabama Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2022 | Texas Medical Board |
| 2021 | Florida Board of Medicine |
| 2020 | Hematology |
| 2020 | Medical Oncology |
| 2017 | Drug Enforcement |
| 2017 | California Medical Board |
| 2017 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Chair, Informatics and Data Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2026 - Present
Chair, Chair, Data and Informatics Committee, Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
committee, Joint scientific committee of the MD Anderson Alliance with hMirati/BMS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Editorial Activities
Reviewer, The oncologist
Reviewer, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Guest Editor, Cancers
Reviewer, Journal of hematology & oncology
Honors & Awards
| 2025 | Top 1% in the nation for delivering compassionate, high-quality care, Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CGCAHPS) |
| 2021 - 2022 | FDA-AACR Oncology Educational Fellowship, 2021-2022, AACR Oncology Educational Fellowship |
| 2021 - 2022 | The Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute, SITC, 2021-2022, Leadership Institute, SITC |
| 2021 | MDACC Leading Clinical Research Faculty Learning Series, 2021, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2012 | Third Prize of Medical Science and Technology Award, Chinese Medical Association |
| 2012 | First Prize of Natural Science Award, Ministry of Education of China |
| 2011 | Nominee of 100 Best Doctoral Thesis Award of China, 2011, Thesis Award of China |
| 2010 | Best Doctoral Thesis Award, Beijing City |
| 2008 | Second Prize of young and middle-aged scholars’ excellent thesis at “The 5th Chinese Conference on Oncology”, The Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, 2008, The Chinese Anti-Cancer Association |
| 2007 | Best Paper, Annual Academic Meeting of Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2007 (CD14 promoter polymorphism in Helicobacter pylori infection-related gastric cancer), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences |
| 2006 | Outstanding Student Award, Peking Union Medical College , Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences |
| 2003 | Leadership Award, Tongji Medical College |
| 2002 - 2004 | Outstanding Students Award, Tongji Medical College, 2002 and 2004, Tongji Medical College |
| 2001 | United Scholarship Award, Tongji Medical College, 2001, Tongji Medical College, 2001 |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
National Presentations
- 2024. An overview of the current landscape of clinical trials in pancreatic cancer. Invited. BTF's Updates on Hematology and Oncology, US.
International Presentations
- 2025. Zoldonrasib, a KRAS G12D inhibitor for KRAS G12D-mutated GI tumors. Invited. 3rd Global Summit on Gastrointestinal Malignancies, US.
- 2025. Anti-claudin 18.2 CAR-T therapy in GI cancers. Invited. 3rd Global Summit on Gastrointestinal Malignancies, US.
- 2025. Liquid biopsy in pancreatic cancer. Invited. 3rd Global Summit on Gastrointestinal Malignancies, US.
- 2025. My journey as an IMG oncologist. Invited. ASCO International Medical Graduates (IMG) Community of Practice. Alexandria, US.
- 2024. Targeting KRAS in pancreatic cancer. Invited. 1st MD Anderson-Aichi Cancer Center Joint Cancer Symposium. Houston, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Lapelusa, M, Shah, P, Bhamidipati, D, Kui, N, Bent, AH, Dasari, NV, Huey, RW, Kee, BK, Kopetz, S, Le, PH, Ludford, K, Morelli, MP, Morris, VK, Parseghian, C, Raghav, KS, Willis, JA, Wolff, RA, Zhao, D, Overman, MJ, Serpas Higbie, V. Patterns of progression and survival in patients with mismatch repair deficient/ microsatellite instability- high metastatic colorectal cancer treated with immunotherapy. Oncologist 31(8), 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42475509.
- Haldar, SD, Saj, F, Hong, SJ, Surana, R, Xiao, L, Lee, JJ, Smaglo, BG, Zhao, D, Zhu, H, Huey, RW, Willis, JA, Morelli, MP, Overman, MJ, McAllister, F, Wolff, RA, Maitra, A, Fogelman, D, Der, CJ, Pant, S. Phase I trial of binimetinib plus hydroxychloroquine in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Oncologist 31(4), 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41761573.
- Gamboa, AC, Lewis, KA, Prakash, L, Li, Z, Qiao, W, Zhao, D, Hurd, MW, Yousef, M, Ikoma, N, Kim, M, Lee, JE, Maxwell, JE, Tzeng, CD, Katz, MH, Snyder, RA. Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of Patients With Young-Onset and Average-Onset Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. JCO Precision Oncology 10, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41538760.
- Wei, Y, Liu, M, Yen, EY, Yao, J, Xun, Z, Nguyen, P, Wang, X, Yang, Z, Yousef, A, Pan, D, Jin, Y, Li, CF, Theardy, MS, Park, J, Cai, Y, Takeda, M, Vasquez, M, Park, EM, Peng, D, Zhou, Y, Zhao, H, Heffernan, TP, Viale, A, Wang, H, Watowich, SS, Liang, H, Zhao, D, DePinho, RA, Yao, W, Ying, H. KRAS Inhibition Activates an Actionable CD24 "Do Not Eat Me" Signal in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Research 85(23):4825-4838, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40966362.
- Elzamly S, Alsawas M, Yousef MMG, Zhao D, Katz MH, Prakash LR, Wang H, Li Z, Wolff RA, Maitra A, Wang H. Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Brain Metastasis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Am J Surg Pathol, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40936196.
- Shatila, M, Sperling, G, Pizuorno Machado, A, Vohra, MH, Baerman, E, De Toni, EN, Török, HP, Zhao, D, Zhou, Y, Shafi, MA, Thomas, AS, Alasadi, M, Wang, Y. Helicobacter pylori infection negatively affects response of gastric cancer to immunotherapy. Annals of Gastroenterology 38(3):262-269, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40371204.
- Shah, JS, Urias Rivera, AC, Lee, IA, Takigawa, K, Mathew, A, Wu, D, Lu, E, Shatila, M, Thomas, AS, Zhang, HC, Altan, M, Zhao, D, Xiao, Q, Wang, Y. The Effect of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor and Statin Combination Therapy on Overall Survival and Gastrointestinal Toxicity. American Journal of Clinical Oncology: Cancer Clinical Trials 48(3):136-141, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39473073.
- Dizman, N, Bakouny, Z, Haykal, T, Riano, I, Desai, A, Butt, A, Basu, A, Zhao, D, Saad, E, Saliby, RM, Gosain, R, Gosain, R, Ardeshir, F, Deng, L, Matt-Amaral, LB, Arnaoutakis, K, Bekaii-Saab, T, Manochakian, R, Marshall, AL, Forde, PM, Murphy, M, Subbiah, V, Chavez Mac Gregor, M, Owonikoko, TK, Lopes, G, Aggarwal, C, Lee, A, Choueiri, TK. Guide to Understanding and Supporting International Medical Graduates in Hematology/Oncology by the ASCO International Medical Graduates Community of Practice. JCO Oncology Practice 21(3):292-299, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39374449.
- Yousef, M, Hurd, MW, Yousef, A, Ludmir, EB, Balachandran Pillai, A, Peterson, J, Koay, EJ, Albarouki, S, Tzeng, CW, Snyder, RA, Katz, MH, Wang, H, Overman, MJ, Maitra, A, Pant, S, Smaglo, BG, Wolff, RA, Yao, JC, Shen, JY, Zhao, D. Clinical and molecular characteristics of patients with brain metastasis secondary to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Oncologist 30(1), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39014543.
- Yousef, A, Yousef, M, Chowdhury, S, Abdilleh, K, Knafl, M, Edelkamp, P, Alfaro-Munoz, KD, Chacko, R, Peterson, J, Smaglo, BG, Wolff, RA, Pant, S, Lee, MS, Willis, JA, Overman, MJ, Doss, S, Matrisian, L, Hurd, MW, Snyder, RA, Katz, MH, Wang, H, Maitra, A, Shen, JP, Zhao, D. Impact of KRAS mutations and co-mutations on clinical outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. npj Precision Oncology 8(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38310130.
- Ludmir, EB, Sherry, AD, Fellman, B, Liu, S, Bathala, TK, Haymaker, CL, Medina-Rosales, M, Reuben, A, Holliday, EB, Smith, GL, Noticewala, SS, Nicholas, S, Price, TR, Martin, RM, Perles, LA, Lee, SS, Lee, MS, Smaglo, BG, Huey, RW, Willis, JA, Zhao, D, Cohen, L, Taniguchi, C, Koay, EJ, Katz, MH, Wolff, RA, Das, P, Pant, S, Koong, A, Tang, C. Addition of Metastasis-Directed Therapy to Systemic Therapy for Oligometastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (EXTEND). Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(32):3795-3805, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39102622.
- Taherian, M, Katz, MH, Prakash, L, Wei, D, Tong, YT, Lai, Z, Chatterjee, D, Wang, H, Kim, M, Tzeng, CD, Ikoma, N, Wolff, RA, Zhao, D, Koay, EJ, Maitra, A, Wang, H. The Association between Sampling and Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Who Received Neoadjuvant Therapy and Pancreaticoduodenectomy. Cancers 16(19), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39409932.
- Balachandran Pillai, A, Yousef, M, Yousef, A, Alfaro-Munoz, KD, Smaglo, BG, Willis, JA, Wolff, RA, Pant, S, Hurd, MW, Maitra, A, Wang, H, Katz, MH, Prakash, L, Tzeng, CD, Snyder, RA, Castelnovo, LF, Chen, A, Kravets, A, Kudriavtseva, K, Tarasov, A, Kryukov, K, Ying, H, Shen, JY, Zhao, D. Molecular and Clinical Features of Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma. Cancers 16(19), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39410042.
- Urias Rivera, AC, Pizuorno Machado, A, Shatila, M, Triadafilopoulos, G, McQuade, JL, Altan, M, Zhao, D, Wang, Y, Shafi, MA. The Effect of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy on Pre-Existing Gastroparesis and New Onset of Symptoms of Delayed Gastric Emptying. Cancers 16(15), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39123385.
- Zhao D, Li HHaiqing Li, Isa Mambetsariev, Tamara Mirzapoiazova, Chen Chen, Jeremy Fricke, Wheeler D, Arvanitis L, Pillai R, Afkhami M, Chen BT, Sattler M, Erhunmwunsee L, Massarelli E, Kulkarni P, Amini A, Armstrong B, Salgia R. Spatial iTME analysis of KRAS mutant NSCLC and immunotherapy outcome. NPJ Precis Oncol 8(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38898200.
- Yousef A, Yousef M, Chowdhury S, Abdilleh K, Knafl M, Edelkamp P, Alfaro-Munoz K, Chacko R, Peterson J, Smaglo BG, Wolff RA, Pant S, Lee MS, Willis J, Overman M, Doss S, Matrisian L, Hurd MW, Snyder R, G Katz MH, Wang H, Maitra A, Shen JP, Zhao D. Impact of KRAS mutations and co-mutations on clinical outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. NPJ Precis Oncol, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Yousef, M, Yousef, A, Hurd, MW, Ludmir, EB, Koay, EJ, Snyder, RA, Wang, H, Tzeng, CD, Maitra, A, Pant, S, Yao, JC, Shen, JY, Zhao, D. Prognosis and clinical and molecular characteristics of patients with brain metastasis secondary to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(3), 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Yousef, M, Hurd, MW, Yousef, A, Snyder, RA, Knafl, M, Fanaeian, M, Chacko, R, Peterson, J, Smaglo, BG, Wolff, RA, Pant, S, Lee, MS, Overman, MJ, Tzeng, CD, Katz, MH, Wang, H, Maitra, A, Ludmir, EB, Shen, JY, Zhao, D. Frequency and oncologic outcomes of KRAS mutations in circulating tumor DNA of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(3_suppl):636, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Ludmir, EB, Sherry, AD, Fellman, B, Liu, S, Bathala, TK, Haymaker, CL, Medina-Rosales, M, Holliday, EB, Smith, GL, Lee, MS, Zhao, D, Smaglo, BG, Taniguchi, C, Koay, EJ, Katz, MH, Wolff, RA, Das, P, Pant, S, Koong, A, Tang, C. Addition of metastasis-directed therapy to standard-of-care systemic therapy for oligometastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (EXTEND). Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(3), 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Wang, Y, Shatila, M, Sperling, G, Pizuorno Machado, A, Vohra, MH, Baerman, E, De Toni, EN, Török, HP, Zhao, D, Zhou, Y, Shafi, MA, Thomas, AS, Alasadi, M. Efficacy and safety of fruquintinib with nab-paclitaxel in advanced G/GEJ cancer after exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(3):277, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Sperling, G, Shatila, M, Varatharajalu, K, Lu, Y, Altan, M, Zhou, Y, Zhao, D, De Toni, EN, Török, HP, Schneider, BJ, Khan, A, Thomas, AS, Zhang, HC, Shafi, MA, Wang, Y. Pneumatosis intestinalis in cancer patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitors. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology 149(19):17597-17605, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37917197.
- Liang, TZ, Katz, MH, Prakash, L, Chatterjee, D, Wang, H, Kim, M, Tzeng, CD, Ikoma, N, Wolff, RA, Zhao, D, Koay, EJ, Maitra, A, Kundu, S, Wang, H. Comparative Analyses of the Clinicopathologic Features of Short-Term and Long-Term Survivors of Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Who Received Neoadjuvant Therapy and Pancreatoduodenectomy. Cancers 15(12), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37370842.
- Tong YT, Lai Z, Katz MHG, Prakash LR, Wang H, Chatterjee D, Kim M, Tzeng CD, Lee JE, Ikoma N, Rashid A, Wolff RA, Zhao D, Koay EJ, Maitra A, Wang H. Prognosticators for Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Who Received Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX or Gemcitabine/Nab-Paclitaxel Therapy and Pancreatectomy. Cancers (Basel) 15(9), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37174073.
- Sohn AJ, Taherian M, Katz MHG, Prakash LR, Chatterjee D, Wang H, Kim M, Tzeng CD, Lee JE, Ikoma N, Rashid A, Wolff RA, Zhao D, Koay EJ, Sun R, Maitra A, Wang H. Integrated Pathologic Score Effectively Stratifies Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Who Received Neoadjuvant Therapy and Pancreaticoduodenectomy. Am J Surg Pathol 47(4):421-430, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36746143.
- Pizuorno Machado A, Shatila M, Liu C, Lu Y, Altan M, Glitza Oliva IC, Zhao D, Zhang HC, Thomas A, Wang Y. Characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with bowel perforation after immune checkpoint inhibitor exposure. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149(9):5989-5998, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36611109.
- Govindarajan, A, Salgia, NJ, Li, H, Castro, DV, Mirzapoiazova, T, Armstrong, B, Zhao, D, Mercier, BD, Dizman, N, Chawla, N, Zengin, Z, Meza, L, Tripathi, N, Sayegh, N, Chehrazi-Raffle, A, Tripathi, A, Pal, S. Characterization of papillary and clear cell renal cell carcinoma through imaging mass cytometry reveals distinct immunologic profiles. Frontiers in immunology 14, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37638025.
- Machado, AP, Shatila, M, De Toni, EN, Török, HP, Philpott, J, Zhao, D, Zhou, Y, Varatharajalu, K, Shafi, MA, Zhang, HC, Thomas, AS, Wang, Y. Colon Adenoma After Diagnosis of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–mediated Colitis. Journal of Cancer 14(14):2686-2693, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37779873.
- Zhao D, Li H, Mambetsariev I, Mirzapoiazova T, Chen C, Fricke J, Kulkarni P, Villaflor V, Arvanitis L, Hamilton S, Afkhami M, Pillai R, Armstrong B, Erhunmwunsee L, Massarelli E, Sattler M, Amini A, Salgia R. Clinical and Molecular Features of KRAS-Mutated Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 14(19), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36230855.
- Yu K, Mathew A, Abraham F, Amin R, Kono M, Overman M, Zhao D, Khan A, Khan MA, Thomas AS, Wang Y. Immune checkpoint inhibitor-related gastrointestinal toxicity in patients with malignancy involving the luminal gastrointestinal tract and its impact on cancer outcomes. Ann Gastroenterol 35(5):514-521, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36061157.
- Hollander B, Khurana S, Jacob JS, Altan M, Wang J, Zhao D, Varatharajalu K, Alasadi M, Thomas AS, Wang Y. Mesalamine and cholestyramine for immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated diarrhea and colitis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149(7):3637-3648, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35972690.
- Zhao D, Li H, Mambetsariev I, Chen C, Pharaon R, Fricke J, Baroz AR, Kulkarni P, Xing Y, Massarelli E, Koczywas M, Reckamp KL, Margolin K, Salgia R. Molecular and Clinical Features of Hospital Admissions in Patients with Thoracic Malignancies on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 13(11):2653, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34071259.
- Zhao D, Mambetsariev I, Li H, Chen C, Fricke J, Fann P, Kulkarni P, Xing Y, Lee PP, Bild A, Massarelli E, Koczywas M, Reckamp K, Salgia R. Association of molecular characteristics with survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Lung Cancer 146:174-181, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32554069.
- Chao J, Bedell V, Lee J, Li MS, Chu P, Yuan YC, Zhao D, Klempner SJ, Lin RJ. Association Between Spatial Heterogeneity Within Nonmetastatic Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinomas and Survival. JAMA Netw Open 3(4):e203652, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32338752.
- Kang A, Zhao D, Yeh JJ, Lee DJ. Updates on Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Skin Cancer. Current Dermatology Reports 7(4):311-320, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Tan B, Morales-Mangual C, Zhao D, Khan A, Chadow H. Wellens syndrome in HIV-infected patients: Two case reports. Medicine (Baltimore) 96(24):e7152, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28614245.
- Prabhu VV, Lulla AR, Madhukar NS, Ralff MD, Zhao D, Kline CLB, Van den Heuvel APJ, Lev A, Garnett MJ, McDermott U, Benes CH, Batchelor TT, Chi AS, Elemento O, Allen JE, El-Deiry WS. Cancer stem cell-related gene expression as a potential biomarker of response for first-in-class imipridone ONC201 in solid tumors. PLoS One 12(8):e0180541, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28767654.
- Tateishi K, Wakimoto H, Iafrate AJ, Tanaka S, Loebel F, Lelic N, Wiederschain D, Bedel O, Deng G, Zhang B, He T, Shi X, Gerszten RE, Zhang Y, Yeh JJ, Curry WT, Zhao D, Sundaram S, Nigim F, Koerner MVA, Ho Q, Fisher DE, Roider EM, Kemeny LV, Samuels Y, Flaherty KT, Batchelor TT, Chi AS, Cahill DP. Extreme Vulnerability of IDH1 Mutant Cancers to NAD+ Depletion. Cancer Cell 28(6):773-784, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26678339.
- Wakimoto H, Tanaka S, Curry WT, Loebel F, Zhao D, Tateishi K, Chen J, Klofas LK, Lelic N, Kim JC, Dias-Santagata D, Ellisen LW, Borger DR, Fendt SM, Vander Heiden MG, Batchelor TT, Iafrate AJ, Cahill DP, Chi AS. Targetable signaling pathway mutations are associated with malignant phenotype in IDH-mutant gliomas. Clin Cancer Res 20(11):2898-909, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24714777.
- Zhang T, Zhao D, Wang Q, Yu X, Cui Y, Guo L, Lu SH. MicroRNA-1322 regulates ECRG2 allele specifically and acts as a potential biomarker in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Carcinog 52(8):581-90, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 22315007.
- Zhang T, Wang Q, Zhao D, Cui Y, Cao B, Guo L, Lu SH. The oncogenetic role of microRNA-31 as a potential biomarker in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Sci (Lond) 121(10):437-47, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21658006.
- Guo Y, Zhang X, Yang M, Miao X, Shi Y, Yao J, Tan W, Sun T, Zhao D, Yu D, Liu J, Lin D. Functional evaluation of missense variations in the human MAD1L1 and MAD2L1 genes and their impact on susceptibility to lung cancer. J Med Genet 47(9):616-22, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20516147.
- Zhao D, Zhang X, Guo Y, Tan W, Lin D. Cyclooxygenase-2 Gly587Arg variant is associated with differential enzymatic activity and risk of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. Mol Carcinog 48(10):934-41, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19347867.
- Wang G, Yu D, Tan W, Zhao D, Wu C, Lin D. Genetic polymorphism in chemokine CCL22 and susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection-related gastric carcinoma. Cancer 115(11):2430-7, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19298002.
- Zhao D, Xu D, Zhang X, Wang L, Tan W, Guo Y, Yu D, Li H, Zhao P, Lin D. Interaction of cyclooxygenase-2 variants and smoking in pancreatic cancer: a possible role of nucleophosmin. Gastroenterology 136(5):1659-68, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19422084.
- Chen H, Yu D, Luo A, Tan W, Zhang C, Zhao D, Yang M, Liu J, Lin D, Liu Z. Functional role of S100A14 genetic variants and their association with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res 69(8):3451-7, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19351828.
- Hu D, Tong S, Wei R, Hui Z, Haidan L, Zhi D, Lili L, Wen T, Dan Z, Yanfeng L, Dongxin L, Ya C. The polymorphisms on Igkappa gene are related to susceptibility of breast cancer and gastric cancer. Genet Test 12(4):575-80, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 19072568.
- Yang M, Sun T, Wang L, Yu D, Zhang X, Miao X, Liu J, Zhao D, Li H, Tan W, Lin D. Functional variants in cell death pathway genes and risk of pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res 14(10):3230-6, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18483392.
- Yu D, Zhang X, Liu J, Yuan P, Tan W, Guo Y, Sun T, Zhao D, Yang M, Liu J, Xu B, Lin D. Characterization of functional excision repair cross-complementation group 1 variants and their association with lung cancer risk and prognosis. Clin Cancer Res 14(9):2878-86, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18451256.
- Wang H, Liu Y, Tan W, Zhang Y, Zhao N, Jiang Y, Lin C, Hao B, Zhao D, Qian J, Lu D, Jin L, Wei Q, Lin D, He F. Association of the variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in the promoter region of the SMYD3 gene with risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in relation to tobacco smoking. Cancer Sci 99(4):787-91, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18294291.
- Yang M, Guo Y, Zhang X, Miao X, Tan W, Sun T, Zhao D, Yu D, Liu J, Lin D. Interaction of P53 Arg72Pro and MDM2 T309G polymorphisms and their associations with risk of gastric cardia cancer. Carcinogenesis 28(9):1996-2001, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17638920.
- Tan W, Wu J, Zhang X, Guo Y, Liu J, Sun T, Zhang B, Zhao D, Yang M, Yu D, Lin D. Associations of functional polymorphisms in cyclooxygenase-2 and platelet 12-lipoxygenase with risk of occurrence and advanced disease status of colorectal cancer. Carcinogenesis 28(6):1197-201, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17151091.
- Zhang B, Sun T, Xue L, Han X, Zhang B, Lu N, Shi Y, Tan W, Zhou Y, Zhao D, Zhang X, Guo Y, Lin D. Functional polymorphisms in FAS and FASL contribute to increased apoptosis of tumor infiltration lymphocytes and risk of breast cancer. Carcinogenesis 28(5):1067-73, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17183065.
- Zhao D, Sun T, Zhang X, Guo Y, Yu D, Yang M, Tan W, Wang G, Lin D. Role of CD14 promoter polymorphisms in Helicobacter pylori infection--related gastric carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 13(8):2362-8, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17438094.
- Guo Y, Zhang X, Tan W, Miao X, Sun T, Zhao D, Lin D. Platelet 12-lipoxygenase Arg261Gln polymorphism: functional characterization and association with risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in combination with COX-2 polymorphisms. Pharmacogenet Genomics 17(3):197-205, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17460548.
- Sun T, Gao Y, Tan W, Ma S, Zhang X, Wang Y, Zhang Q, Guo Y, Zhao D, Zeng C, Lin D. Haplotypes in matrix metalloproteinase gene cluster on chromosome 11q22 contribute to the risk of lung cancer development and progression. Clin Cancer Res 12(23):7009-17, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 17145822.
- Sun T, Zhou Y, Li H, Han X, Shi Y, Wang L, Miao X, Tan W, Zhao D, Zhang X, Guo Y, Lin D. FASL -844C polymorphism is associated with increased activation-induced T cell death and risk of cervical cancer. J Exp Med 202(7):967-74, 2005. e-Pub 2005. PMID: 16186185.
Review Articles
- Tian, H, Zhao, D, Zhou, Z, Kim, A, Huang, H, Lee, YJ, Qu, Z, Kang, R, Zeh, H, Westover, KD, Song, X. SRC at the crossroads of KRAS inhibitor resistance. Cancer Letters 639, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41338446.
- Zhao D, Klempner SJ, Chao J. Progress and challenges in HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. J Hematol Oncol 12(1):50, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31101074.
Abstracts
- Botta GP, Becerra CR, Jin Z, Kim DW, Zhao D, Lenz H, Ma H, Ween A, Acha P, Li Z, H Yoon AH. Multicenter phase Ib trial in the U.S. of salvage CT041 CLDN18.2-specific chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for patients with advanced gastric and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 40(16_suppl):2538-2538, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Baroz AR, Mambetsariev I, Fricke J, Pharaon R, Zhao D, Koczywas M, Massarelli E, Salgia AR. Evaluation of immune-related adverse events in patients treated with sequential immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in non-small cell lung cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 38(15):e21562-e21562, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Zhao D. KRAS Q61 mutations in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies and association with real-world clinical outcomes. AACR Anual meeting 2024.
Book Chapters
- Sperling, G, Shatila, M, Wang, Y, Zhao, D, Zhou, Y. Pouchitis Post Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy, 149-157, 2025.
- Dickinson E, Zhao D and Reckamp K. Beyond Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase. In: Targeted Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Elsevier, 2019.
- Hill A, Gupta R, Zhao D, Vankina R, Amanam I, Salgia R. Elsevier. In: Targeted Therapies in Non-small-Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer Treat Res, 2019.
- Zhao D, Pharaon R, Massarelli E. Treatment Strategies in Head and Neck Cancers in Oncology in the Precision Medicine Era: Value-based Medicine. In: Springer, 2019.
Letters to the Editor
- Yousef, M, Yousef, A, Hurd, MW, Balachandran Pillai, A, Chowdhury, S, Snyder, RA, Knafl, M, Lewis, RL, Roy, PM, Fanaeian, M, Albarouki, S, Castelnovo, LF, Peterson, J, Smaglo, BG, Wolff, RA, Pant, S, Willis, JA, Huey, RW, Overman, MJ, Tzeng, CW, Kim, M, Ikoma, N, Maxwell, JE, Katz, MH, Wang, H, Maitra, A, Koay, EJ, Ludmir, EB, Chen, A, Lopez, C, Ying, H, Shen, JY, Zhao, D. KRAS mutation detection by liquid biopsy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Journal of Hematology and Oncology 18, 2025.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified September 10, 2026