Nicole Baranda Balmaceda, M.D.
Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Research Interests
Dr. Nicole Balmaceda joined the GI Medical Oncology department in August of 2025 following the completion of her Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the University of Colorado. Her career focus is clinical and translational research in GI cancers and cancer prevention and early detection. In addition, she is interested in studying the health care disparities and minorities in patients with cancer. Her diverse experience includes laboratory-based research studying the role of adenomatous polyposis coli and musashi-1 in colorectal cancer mouse models, targeting mechanisms of irinotecan resistance for the treatment of colorectal cancer, and clinical trials focusing on novel therapies for pancreatic cancer. Most recently, she led a clinical trial studying the role of intraperitoneal paclitaxel with systemic NALIRIFOX for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with oligometastatic disease to the peritoneum. She is interested in biomarker development and recently was awarded the Conquer Cancer ASCO Young Investigator Award to study serum ctDNA and peritoneal DNA to monitor response to new therapies.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2019 | University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas, US, Medical Degree |
| 2015 | University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, US, Biochemistry (B.S.) |
Postgraduate Training
| 2024-2025 | Clinician, City of Hope Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment |
| 2024-2025 | Fellow, FDA-AACR Oncology Educational Fellowship, American Association for Cancer Research |
| 2022-2025 | Hematology/Oncology Fellow, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado |
| 2019-2022 | Internal Medicine Resident, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2025 | Texas Medical Board License |
| 2025 | Florida Board of Medicine |
| 2025 | Alabama Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2025 | Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2025 | Arizona Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2025 | American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology |
| 2025 | Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2025 | Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure |
| 2025 | Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure |
| 2022 | Colorado State Physician Training License |
| 2022 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
GI Medical Oncology Service Line Leader, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Honors & Awards
| 2025 | GI Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) |
| 2021 | Research Author Award, University of Kansas School of Medicine |
| 2019 | Heidi Everley Research Award, University of Kansas School of Medicine |
| 2019 | Research Institute GI Cancer Award, University of Kansas Cancer Center |
| 2015 | Dr. NE Melencamp Medical Scholarship, University of Kansas School of Medicine |
| 2015 | McCallum Award for Excellence in Biological Sciences, University of Kansas - Department of Molecular Biosciences |
| 2015 | Frank Dewitt Bennet Scholarship, University of Kansas School of Medicine |
| 2011 - 2015 | University of Kansas Honor Roll, University of Kansas |
| 2011 | Women’s Rowing Division-1 Student Athlete Scholar, University of Kansas |
| 2011 | USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal, Big 12 Conference and Conference USA |
| 2011 | USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Big 12 Conference and Conference USA |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
National Presentations
- 2024. Trial in Progress: A prospective pilot trial of intraperitoneal paclitaxel with systemic chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Visiting. 14th Annual Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Washington, D.C, District of Columbia, US.
International Presentations
- 2026. Real-world survival and responses to HER2 directed treatment in gastrointestinal cancers based on HER2 non-amplified mutation and HER2 amplification/overexpression status. Poster. 2026 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. Alexandria, US.
- 2025. Molecular and clinical profiling of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs): An analysis of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network database. 2025 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. San Francisco, US.
- 2025. TP53 Y220C mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): A genomic landscape study. 2025 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. San Francisco, US.
- 2025. The association of antibiotic use and survival among patients receiving first line immunotherapy-based treatment for advanced gastroesophageal cancers. 2025 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. San Francisco, US.
- 2024. Real-world use of anti-EGFR therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology. Chicago, US.
- 2024. Results of a phase 2 study of evorpacept (E, ALX148), cetuximab (C), and pembrolizumab (P) in patients with refractory microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS CRC). 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology. Chicago, US.
- 2024. Disparities and trends in biomarker testing in metastatic colorectal cancer. 2024 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. San Francisco, US.
- 2024. Real-world analysis of irinotecan (iri) with or without fluorouracil (5FU) in the second line treatment (2L) of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). 2024 Gastrointestinal American Society of Clinical Oncology. San Francisco, US.
- 2023. Effect of durable hematocrit control and minimal thrombotic risk in real-world polycythemia vera patients treated with ruxolitinib. 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology. Chicago, US.
- 2021. Abstract P4-10-03: Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in subjects on active treatment for breast cancer. 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. San Antonio, US.
- 2019. Hematologic malignancies in temozolomide-treated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. 2019 European Society for Medical Oncology. Barcelona, ES.
- 2018. Secondary malignancies in temozolomide-treated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 |
| Title: | Young Investigator Award |
| Funding Source: | ASCO |
| Role: | PI |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Lentz RW, A Dominguez AT, Balmaceda NB, Arcaroli JJ, Bagby SM, Binns CA, Smoots SG, Jackson MM, Macbeth M, Macbeth M, Holmstoen T, Banerjee T, Whitty PA, Yi S, Lieu CH, Messersmith WA, Pitts TM. Efficacy of an XPO1 inhibitor in combination with irinotecan in a preclinical colorectal cancer model. Front Oncol 16, 2026. e-Pub 2026.
- Ishida H, Franco SR, Franklin O, Fujiwara Y, Khomiak A, Balmaceda N, Pellegrini R, Mungo B, Schulick R, Chiaro MD. Neoadjuvant Therapy for Invasive Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms: A Comparative Study with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41182487.
- Lentz RW, Lang J, Pitts TM, Blatchford P, Hu J, Jordan KR, Van Bokhoven A, Bagby SM, Dominguez ATA, Binns CA, Robinson HR, Balmaceda NB, Baiyee E, Leal AD, Kim SS, Davis SL, Lieu CH, Wadlow RC, Spencer K, Scott AJ, Boland PM, Hochster HS, Messersmith WA. Phase II Clinical Trial and Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel CD47 Blockade Combination in Refractory Microsatellite-Stable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Res Commun 5(11):2039-2052, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41171165.
- Balmaceda NB, Kim SS. Evolving Strategies in the Management of Microsatellite Instability-High/Mismatch Repair Deficient Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma. Curr Oncol Rep 27(2):81-94, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39832053.
- Balmaceda NB, Petrillo A, Krishnan M, Zhao JJ, Kim S, Klute KA, Sundar R. State-of-the-Art Advancements in Gastroesophageal Cancer Treatment: Harnessing Biomarkers for Precision Care. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 44(3):e431060, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38771996.
- Balmaceda NB, Kim SS. Immunotherapy in Esophagogastric Cancer: Treatment Landscape, Challenges, and New Directions. J Gastrointest Cancer 55(1):153-167, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 38127239.
- Balmaceda N, Aziz M, Chandrasekar VT, McClune B, Kambhampati S, Shune L, Abdallah A, Anwer F, Majeed A, Qazilbash M, Ganguly S, McGuirk J, Mohyuddin GR. Infection risks in multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials from 2015 to 2019. BMC Cancer 21:730, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34172037.
- Balmaceda N, Mouw T, Abhyankar S, Male H, Woodroof J, Williamson S, Baranda J. Hematologic malignancies in temozolomide-treated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Ann Oncol 30:v571, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Balmaceda NB, Baranda JC, DiPasco P, Sun W, Ashcraft J, Valentino J, Al-Kasspooles M. Esophageal Cancer: Current and Evolving Treatment Landscape. J Surg 12(2):1-11, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Balmaceda NB, Telfah M, Al-Kasspooles M, Dai J, Neupane P, Baranda JC. A Rare Cause of Anemia: 74-year-old Male with High-Grade Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Colon. Kans J Med 11:61, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Balmaceda N, Abhyankar S, Baranda J. Acute Myeloid Leukemia After Treatment for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor with Temozolomide and Thalidomide. Kans J Med 11:8, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
Invited Articles
- Kim K, Syeed S, Au T, Diaz A, Schabath MB, Cass A, Hall R, Pai L, Li C, Balmaceda N, Palumbo A, Carey A, Lalla M, Henry M, Brixner D, Stenehjem D. Real-world comparative outcomes of EGFR-TKIs for first-line treatment of EGFR+ metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer. Cancer Treat Res Commun 43:100898, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40120239.
- Chojecki A, Boselli D, Dortilus A, Hamadeh I, Begley S, Chen T, Bose R, Podoltsev N, Zeidan AM, Balmaceda NB, Yacoub A, Ai J, Knight TG, Ragon BK, Shah NA, Sanikommu SR, Symanowski J, Mesa R, Grunwald MR. Hematocrit control and thrombotic risk in patients with polycythemia vera treated with ruxolitinib in clinical practice. Ann Hematol 103(8):2837-2843, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38662203.
- Nagaraj G, Vinayak S, Khaki AR, Sun T, Kuderer NM, Aboulafia DM, Acoba JD, Awosika J, Bakouny Z, Balmaceda NB, Bao T, Bashir B, Berg S, Bilen MA, Bindal P, Blau S, Bodin BE, Borno HT, Castellano C, Choi H, Deeken J, Desai A, Edwin N, Feldman LE, Flora DB, Friese CR, Galsky MD, Gonzalez CJ, Grivas P, Gupta S, Haynam M, Heilman H, Hershman DL, Hwang C, Jani C, Jhawar SR, Joshi M, Kaklamani V, Klein EJ, Knox N, Koshkin VS, Kulkarni AA, Kwon DH, Labaki C, Lammers PE, Lathrop KI, Lewis MA, Li X, Lima Lopes GD, Lyman GH, Makower DF, Mansoor A, Markham M, Mashru SH, McKay RR, Messing I, Mico V, Nadkarni R, Namburi S, Nguyen RH, Nonato TK, O'Connor TL, Panagiotou OA, Park K, Patel JM, Patel KG, Peppercorn J, Polimera H, Puc M, Rao YJ, Razavi P, Reid SA, Riess JW, Rivera DR, Robson M, Rose SJ, Russ AD, Schapira L, Shah PK, Shanahan M, Shapiro LC, Smits M, Stover DG, Streckfuss M, Tachiki L, Thompson MA, Tolaney SM, Weissmann LB, Wilson G, Wotman MT, Wulff-Burchfield EM, Mishra S, French B, Warner JL, Lustberg MB, Accordino MK, Shah DP. Clinical characteristics, racial inequities, and outcomes in patients with breast cancer and COVID-19: A COVID-19 and cancer consortium (CCC19) cohort study. Elife 12:e82618, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37846664.
- Chojecki AL, Boselli D, Dortilus A, Hamadeh I, Begley S, Chen T, Bose R, Podoltsev NA, Zeidan AM, Balmaceda NB, Yacoub A, Ai J, Knight TG, Ragon BK, Shah NA, Sanikommu S, Symanowski JT, Mesa RA, Richard Grunwald AM. Effect of durable hematocrit control and minimal thrombotic risk in real-world polycythemia vera patients treated with ruxolitinib. J Clin Oncol 41(16):e19080, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Mohyuddin GR, Rooney A, Balmaceda N, Aziz M, Sborov DW, McClune B, Kumar SK. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 950 patients. Blood Adv 5(4):1097-1101, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33606005.
Review Articles
- Khomiak, A, Balmaceda, NB, Ghaffar, SA, Lieu, C, Del Chiaro, M, Messersmith, WA, Lentz, RW. Oligometastatic pancreatic cancer: Current state of management and emerging therapies. Oncologist 30(6), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40536269.
Abstracts
- Balmaceda NB, Alami V, Hu J, Devireddy M, Robinson HR, Davis S, Leal AD, Lieu C, Messersmith WA, Toegel EB, Kim SS. Real-world survival and responses to HER2 directed treatment in gastrointestinal cancers based on HER2 non-amplified mutation and HER2 amplification/overexpression status. 2026 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 44(2_suppl):307, 2026. e-Pub 2026.
- Lentz RW, Hu J, Robinson H, Balmaceda N, Baiyee E, Leal AD, Kim SS, Davis SL, Messersmith WA, Lieu CH. Real-World Analysis of Irinotecan With or Without Fluorouracil in the Second-Line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 23(8):e257031, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40763782.
- Ueberroth BE, Robinson HR, Davis S, Lieu CH, Balmaceda NB, Hayden A, Leal AD, Kim SS, Lentz RW, Messersmith WA, Baiyee Toegel AE. Molecular and clinical profiling of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs): An analysis of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network database. 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 43, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Robinson HR, Pavlick D, Balmaceda NB, Ueberroth BE, Hayden A, Toegel EB, Lentz RW, Lindsey Davis AS. TP53 Y220C mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): A genomic landscape study. 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 43, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Balmaceda NB, Hu J, Alami V, Davis S, Leal AD, Lentz RW, Robinson HR, Toegel EB, Lieu CH, Messersmith WA, Ueberroth BE, Hayden A, S Kim AS. The association of antibiotic use and survival among patients receiving first line immunotherapy-based treatment for advanced gastroesophageal cancers. 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 43, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Robinson HR, Hu J, Balmaceda NB, Lentz RW, Toegel EB, Leal AD, Kim SS, Messersmith WA, Lieu CH, Davis S. Real-world use of anti-EGFR therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting I 42, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Lentz RW, Blatchford PJ, Hu J, Pitts T, Bokhoven AV, Robinson HR, Balmaceda NB, Toegel EB, Leal AD, Kim SS, Davis S, Lieu CH, Wadlow RC, Spencer KR, Scott AJ, Boland PM, Hochster HS, A Messersmith AW. Results of a phase 2 study of evorpacept (E, ALX148), cetuximab (C), and pembrolizumab (P) in patients with refractory microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS CRC). 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting I 42, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Lentz RW, Hu J, Robinson HR, Balmaceda NB, Baiyee Ebot EE, Leal AD, Kim SS, Davis S, Messersmith WA, Lieu CH. Real-world analysis of irinotecan (iri) with or without fluorouracil (5FU) in the second line treatment (2L) of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 42, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Robinson HR, Hu J, Balmaceda NB, Lentz RW, Toegel EB, Leal AD, Kim SS, Messersmith WA, Lieu CH, Davis S. Disparities and trends in biomarker testing in metastatic colorectal cancer. 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 42, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Bivona C, Li K, Sharma P, He J, Martin G, Godwin AK, Rooney A, Williamson S, Doolittle G, Sun W, Kimler BF, O'Dea AP, Nye LE, McGuirk JP, Pessetto Z, Haney L, Balmaceda N, Mitchell L, Finke K, Nelson M, Mudaranthakam DP, Streeter N, Lafaver S, Heldstab J, Khan QJ. Abstract P4-10-03: Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in subjects on active treatment for breast cancer. 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 82, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Balmaceda N, Baranda J, Mouw T, Abhyankar S, Male H, Woodroof J, Williamson S. 1399P - Hematologic malignancies in temozolomide-treated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. ESMO 2019 30:v571, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Telfah M, Abdelhakim H, Balmaceda N, Gharaibeh E, Godwin AK, Pessetto ZY, McGuirk J, Lin TL. The prognosis of NF1 mutations in newly diagnosed AML: A single-center retrospective study. 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting I 37, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Balmaceda N, Abhyankar S, Mouw T, Baranda J. Abstract 599: Secondary malignancies in temozolomide-treated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. 2018 AACR Annual Meeting 78, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
Book Chapters
- Balmaceda N B, Baranda J C, DiPasco P, Sun W, Ashcraft J, Valentino J, Al-Kasspooles M. A Current and Evolving Treatment Landscape on Esophageal Cancer. In: Highlights on Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 10. BP International, 123-136, 2021.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified August 19, 2026