
Devarati Mitra, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology
About Dr. Devarati Mitra
Dr. Devarati Mitra received her MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School before completing her residency training at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, working at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
In her appointment to the Melanoma & Sarcoma Radiation Oncology section she specializes in the treatment of patients with melanoma, non-melanoma skin malignancies and bone or soft tissue sarcoma. Her clinical focus is on providing personalized patient care that brings the optimal radiation therapy approach to each patient’s unique cancer experience.
Her research is focused on how to combine modern radiation approaches with novel systemic therapies, including immunotherapy and molecularly targeted agents. She has received research funding from multiple extramural sources including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Her research has been published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals and she is working on several clinical trials to continue to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
2014 | Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, MD, Medicine |
2012 | Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, PHD, Biology & Biomedical Sciences |
2006 | Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, BS, Biological Sciences |
Postgraduate Training
2015-2019 | Clinical Residency, Radiation Oncology, Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, MA |
2014-2015 | Clinical Internship, Internal Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA |
Board Certifications
2021 | American Board of Radiology |
Experience & Service
Institutional Committee Activities
Melanoma/Sarcoma Representative, Radiation Oncology Clinical Research Committee, 2020 - Present
Honors & Awards
2018 | Conquer Cancer Foundation Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
2018 | Conquer Cancer Foundation Merit Award, Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium |
2018 | ASCO Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
2018 | William Shipley Research Award, Massachusetts General Hospital |
2017 | ASTRO Resident Seed Grant, American Society of Radiation Oncology |
2012 | F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
2011 | Scholar-in-Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research |
2006 | Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society |
2006 | Graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biological Sciences, Stanford University |
2005 | Goldwater Scholarship, Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program |
2002 | National Merit Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship Corporation |
2002 | Maryland Distinguished Scholar, Maryland |
2002 | United States Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award, United States Marine Corps |
2002 | National AP Scholar, The College Board |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Farooqi AS, Guadagnolo BA, Mitra D, Bishop AJ. Radiation Therapy for Retroperitoneal Sarcomas: A Strass-Ful Situation. Curr Oncol 30(1):598-609, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36661696.
- Mitra D, Farr M, Nagarajan P, Ho J, Bishop AJ, Jhingran A, Farooqi AS, Frumovitz M, Amaria RN, McQuade JL, Jazaeri AA, Guadagnolo BA. Gynecologic tract melanoma in the contemporary therapeutic era: high rates of local and distant disease progression. Gynecol Oncol 167(3):483-489, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36229264.
- Guadagnolo BA, Bassett RL, Mitra D, Farooqi A, Hempel C, Dorber C, Willis T, Wang WL, Ratan R, Somaiah N, Benjamin RS, Torres KE, Hunt KK, Scally CP, Keung EZ, Satcher RL, Bird JE, Lin PP, Moon BS, Lewis VO, Roland CL, Bishop AJ. Hypofractionated, 3-week, preoperative radiotherapy for patients with soft tissue sarcomas (HYPORT-STS): a single-centre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol 23(12):1547-1557, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36343656.
- Bishop AJ, Amini B, Lin H, Raza SM, Patel S, Grosshans DR, Ghia A, Farooqi A, Guadagnolo BA, Mitra D, Akdemir KC, Lazar AJ, Wang WL, Alvarez-Breckenridge C, Bird J, Rhines LD, Somaiah N, Conley AP. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Have Clinical Activity in Patients With Recurrent Chordoma. J Immunother 45(8):374-378, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35943386.
- Bishop AJ, Zheng J, Subramaniam A, Ghia AJ, Wang C, McGovern SL, Patel S, Guadagnolo BA, Mitra D, Farooqi A, Reardon MJ, Kim B, Guha-Thakurta N, Li J, Ravi V. Cardiac Angiosarcomas: Risk of Brain Metastasis and Hemorrhage Warrants Frequent Surveillance Imaging and Early Intervention. Am J Clin Oncol 45(6):258-263, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35588225.
- Mitra D. Locoregional-Directed Therapy Is Still a Cornerstone of Anorectal Melanoma Management. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 112(5):1075, 2022. PMID: 35286880.
- Boyce-Fappiano D, Damron EP, Farooqi A, Mitra D, Conley AP, Somaiah N, Araujo DM, Livingston JA, Ratan R, Keung EZ, Roland CL, Guadagnolo BA, Bishop AJ. Hypofractionated radiation therapy for unresectable or metastatic sarcoma lesions. Adv Radiat Oncol 7(3):100913, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35647398.
- Ho J, Mattei J, Tetzlaff M, Williams MD, Davies MA, Diab A, Oliva ICG, McQuade J, Patel SP, Tawbi H, Wong MK, Fisher SB, Hanna E, Keung EZ, Ross M, Weiser R, Su SY, Frumovitz M, Meyer LA, Jazaeri A, Pettaway CA, Guadagnolo BA, Bishop AJ, Mitra D, Farooqi A, Bassett R, Faria S, Nagarajan P, Amaria RN. Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy for Resectable Mucosal Melanoma. Front Oncol 12:1001150, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36324592.
- Mitra D, Rao PK, Nagarajan P, Bishop AJ, Farooqi AS, Gershenwald JE, Wargo J, Keung EZ, Fisher SB, Amaria RN, Davies MA, Ross MI, Guadagnolo BA. Outcomes After Sphincter-Sparing Local Therapy for Anorectal Melanoma: 1989 to 2020. Pract Radiat Oncol 12(5):437-445, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35278716.
- Mitra D, Ologun G, Keung EZ, Goepfert RP, Amaria RN, Ross MI, Gershenwald JE, Lucci A, Fisher SB, Davies MA, Lee JE, Bishop AJ, Farooqi AS, Wargo J, Guadagnolo BA. Nodal Recurrence is a Primary Driver of Early Relapse for Patients with Sentinel Lymph Node-Positive Melanoma in the Modern Therapeutic Era. Ann Surg Oncol 28(7):3480-3489, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33856603.
- Mitra D, Devlin PM, Buzurovic I, Thornton K, Lam AC, Raut CP, Baldini EH, Lam MB. Clinical outcomes following high-dose-rate surface applicator brachytherapy for angiosarcoma of scalp and face. J Contemp Brachytherapy 13(2):172-178, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33897791.
- Boyce-Fappiano D, Guadagnolo BA, Ratan R, Wang WL, Wagner MJ, Patel S, Livingston JA, Lin PP, Diao K, Mitra D, Farooqi A, Lazar AJ, Roland CL, Bishop AJ. Evaluating the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Paradigm for the Local Management of Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma. Oncologist 26(3):250-260, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33289298.
- Lee G, Kim DW, Muralidhar V, Mitra D, Horick NK, Eyler CE, Hong TS, Drapek LC, Allen JN, Blaszkowsky LS, Giantonio B, Parikh AR, Ryan DP, Clark JW, Wo JY. Chemoradiation-related lymphopenia and its association with survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal. Oncologist. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32827337.
- Mitra D, Devlin PM, Buzurovic I, Thornton K, Lam AC, Raut CP, Baldini EH, Lam MB. Clinical outcomes following HDR surface applicator brachytherapy for angiosarcoma of the scalp and face. J Contemp Brachytherapy 2020:7615248. e-Pub 2020.
- Yerramilli D, Drapek L, Nipp RD, Horick N, Moran SMC, Noé B, D'Arpino SM, Mitra D, Hong TS, Ryan DP, Dizon DS, Wo J. Sexual Function, Quality of Life, and Mood After Radiation Therapy in Patients with Anal Cancer. J Gastrointest Cancer 51(1):204-210, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30980294.
- Mitra D, Pei Y, Buzurovic I, Devlin PM, Thornton K, Raut CP, Baldini EH, Lam MB. Angiosarcoma of the Scalp and Face: A Dosimetric Comparison of HDR Surface Applicator Brachytherapy and VMAT. Sarcoma 2020:7615248, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32908445.
- Mitra D, Horick N, Brackett DG, Mouw KW, Hornick JL, Ferrone S, Hong TS, Mamon H, Clark JW, Parikh AP, Allen JN, Ryan DP, Ting DT, Deshpande W, Wo JY. High IDO1 expression is associated with poor outcome in anal cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Oncologist 24(6), 2019. PMID: 30755500.
- Mito JK, Mitra D, Barysauskas CM, Mariño-Enriquez A, Morgan EA, Fletcher CDM, Raut CP, Baldini EH, Doyle LA. A Comparison of Outcomes and Prognostic Features for Radiation-Associated Angiosarcoma of the Breast and Other Radiation-Associated Sarcomas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 104(2):425-435, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30703514.
- Mitra D, Chen YH, Li R, Hermann G, Atkins K, Kozono D, Baldini EH, Aizer A, Chukwueke U, Mak RH. EGFR mutant locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer is at increased risk of brain metastasis. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 18:32-38, 2019.
- Mitra D, Clark JW, Shih HA, Oh KS, Brastianos PK, Wo JY, Strickland MR, Curry WT, Parikh AR, Corcoran RB, Ryan DP, Iafrate AJ, Borger DR, Lennerz JK, Hong TS. Enrichment of Her2 amplification in brain metastases from primary gastrointestinal malignancies. Oncologist 24(2):193-201, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30373904.
- Fitarelli-Kiehl M, Ashtaputre R, Yu F, Supplee J, Paweletz C, Mitra D, Schoenfeld JD, Parengi Sarh, Makrigiorgos GM. DNA end-repair and denaturation enhances digital droplet PCR-based analysis of small input liquid biopsies. Clin Chem 64(12):1762-1771, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30274976.
- Rose B, Mitra D, Hong TS, Jee KW, Niemierko A, Drapek LN, Blaszkowsky LS, Allen JN, Murphy JE, Clark JW, Ryan DP, Wo JY. Irradiation of anatomically defined pelvic subsites and acute hematologic toxicity in anal cancer patients undergoing chemoradiation. Pract Radiat Oncol 7(5):e291-e297, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28462895.
- Mitra D, Hong TS, Horick N, Rose B, Drapek LN, Blaszkowsky LS, Allen JN, Kwak EL, Murphy JE, Clark JW, Ryan DP, Cusack JC, Bordeianou LG, Berger DL, Wo JY. Long-term outcomes and toxicities of a large cohort of anal cancer patients treated with dose-painted IMRT per RTOG 0529. Adv Radiat Oncol 2(2):110-117, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28740921.
- Shen CH, Kim SH, Trousil S, Frederick DT, Piris A, Yuan P, Cai L, Gu L, Li M, Lee JH, Mitra D, Fisher DE, Sullivan RJ, Flaherty KT, Zheng B. Loss of cohesin complex components STAG2 or STAG3 confers resistance to BRAF inhibition in melanoma. Nat Med 22(9):1056-61, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27500726.
- Mitra D, Catalano PJ, Cimbak N, Damato AL, Muto MG, Viswanathan AN. The risk of lymphedema after postoperative radiation therapy in endometrial cancer. J Gynecol Oncol 27(1):e4, 2016. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26463430.
- Mitra D, Nout R, Catalano PJ, Creutzberg C, Cimbak N, Lee L, Viswanathan AN. Rectal bleeding after radiation therapy for endometrial cancer. Radiother Oncol 115(2):240-5, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26003340.
- Cooper ZA, Juneja VR, Sage PT, Frederick DT, Piris A, Mitra D, Lo JA, Hodi FS, Freeman GJ, Bosenberg MW, McMahon M, Flaherty KT, Fisher DE, Sharpe AH, Wargo JA. Response to BRAF inhibition in melanoma is enhanced when combined with immune checkpoint blockade. Cancer Immunol Res 2(7):643-54, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24903021.
- Luo X, Mitra D, Sullivan RJ, Wittner BS, Kimura AM, Pan S, Hoang MP, Brannigan BW, Lawrence DP, Flaherty KT, Sequist LV, McMahon M, Bosenberg MW, Stott SL, Ting DT, Ramaswamy S, Toner M, Fisher DE, Maheswaran S, Haber DA. Isolation and molecular characterization of circulating melanoma cells. Cell Rep 7(3):645-53, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24746818.
- Liu S, Wang J, Su Y, Guerrero C, Zeng Y, Mitra D, Brooks PJ, Fisher DE, Song H, Wang Y. Quantitative assessment of Tet-induced oxidation products of 5-methylcytosine in cellular and tissue DNA. Nucleic Acids Research 41(13):6421-9, 2013. PMID: 23658232.
- Frederick DT, Piris A, Cogdill AP, Cooper ZA, Lezcano C, Ferrone CR, Mitra D, Boni A, Newton LP, Liu C, Peng W, Sullivan RJ, Lawrence DP, Hodi FS, Overwijk WW, Lizée G, Murphy GF, Hwu P, Flaherty KT, Fisher DE, Wargo JA. BRAF Inhibition Is Associated with Enhanced Melanoma Antigen Expression and a More Favorable Tumor Microenvironment in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma. Clinical Cancer Research 19(5):1225-31, 2013. PMID: 23307859.
- Mitra D, Luo X, Morgan A, Wang J, Hoang MP, Lo J, Guerrero CR, Lennerz JK, Mihm MC, Wargo JA, Robinson KC, Devi SP, Vanover JC, D'Orazio JA, McMahon M, Bosenberg MW, Haigis KM, Haber DA, Wang Y, Fisher DE. An ultraviolet-radiation-independent pathway to melanoma carcinogenesis in the red hair/fair skin background. Nature 491(7424), 2012. PMID: 23123854.
- Levine CG, Mitra D, Sharma A, Smith CL, Hegde RS. The efficiency of protein compartmentalization into the secretory pathway. Molecular Biology of the Cell 16(1):279-91, 2005. PMID: 15496459.
- Kim SJ, Mitra D, Salerno JR, Hegde RS. Signal sequences control gating of the protein translocation channel in a substrate-specific manner. Developmental Cell 2(2), 2002. PMID: 11832246.
Invited Articles
- Farooqi A, Mitra D, Guadagnolo BA, Bishop AJ. The Evolving Role of Radiation Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Curr Oncol Rep 22(8):79, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32602007.
Other Articles
- Yoder AK, Farooqi A, Mitra D, Livingston JA, Araujo DM, Sturgis EM, Goepfert R, Bishop AJ, Guadagnolo BA Outcomes After Definitive Treatment for Cutaneous Angiosarcomas of the Face and Scalp: Re-Evaluating the Role of Combined Modality Treatment. Head and Neck.
Abstracts
- Mitra D, Horick N, Brackett DG, Mouw K, Hornick JL, Hong TS, Ryan DP, Parikh AR, Clark JW, Deshpande V, Wo JY. The immune milieu of anal squamous cell carcinoma: IDO expression is correlated with poor outcome. Journal of Clinical Oncology 102(3), 2018.
- Mitra D, Agarwal V, Chen YH, Baldini EH, Barbie DA, Chen AB, Glass B, Beck A, Herman G, Kozono DE, Schoenfeld JD, Mak RH. The prognostic significance of PDL1 expression in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with definitive intent. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2018.
- Mitra D, Mito J, Barysauskas CM, Raut CP, Doyle L, Baldini EH. Outcomes for Localized Radiation-Associated Sarcoma (RAS), Excluding Breast Angiosarcoma. International Journal of Radiation Oncology 99(2):755-6, 2017.
- Mitra D, Hong TS, Horick N, Rose B, Drapek LN, Blaszkowsky LS, Allen JN, Kwak EL, Murphy JE, Clark JW, Ryan DP, Cusack JC, Bordeianou LG, Berger DL, Wo JY. Long term outcomes and toxicity of anal cancer patients treated per RTOG 0529. Adv Radiat Oncol 2(2):110-117, 2017.
- D. Mitra, N.C. Cimbak, L.J. Lee, and A.N. Viswanathan. Lymphedema: Is It Associated With Lymph-Node Involvement in Endometrial Cancer?. International Journal of Radiation Oncology 90(1):716-7, 2014.
- Mitra D, Nout R, Creutzberg C, Lee L, Cimbak N, Viswanathan A. Does vaginal brachytherapy (VB) boost after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) increase rectal bleeding? Comparing results of combined EBRT+VB to PORTEC-2 data for EBRT alone and VB alone. International Journal of Radiation Oncology 90(1), 2014.
- Mitra D, Cimbak N, Damato AL, Lee L, Viswanathan A. Vaginal cuff brachytherapy after external beam radiation is not associated with a dose-related increase in late toxicities. Brachytherapy 13:77, 2014.
- Mitra D, Shih HA, Oh KS, Brastianos PK, Wo JY, Curry WT, Clark JW, Parikh AR, Corcoran R, Ryan DP, Lennerz JK, Hong TS. Her2 positivity in brain metastases from gastrointestinal primary malignancies. Journal of Clinical Oncology 14(2), 2014.
- Mitra D, Luo X, Morgan A, Wargo J, Fisher DE. Why redheads are at increased risk of melanoma: A novel BRAF mutant mouse model. American Association for Cancer Research 71(18), 2011.
Grant & Contract Support
Title: | Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service F30 Award |
Funding Source: | National Cancer Institute (NCI) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Resident Seed Grant |
Funding Source: | American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Young Investigator Award |
Funding Source: | American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | MD Anderson Melanoma SPORE |
Funding Source: | National Cancer Institute (NCI) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Immuno- Radiation Therapy Seed Award |
Funding Source: | Radiation Oncology Strategic Initiatives (ROSI) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | KL2 Mentored Career Development Award |
Funding Source: | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | RSNA Scholar Award |
Funding Source: | Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Gilbert Fletcher Rising Stars Seed Award |
Funding Source: | MD Anderson Department of Radiation Oncology |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Institutional Research Grant |
Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | Clinical Trials Seed Award |
Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | 2021 Network Research Grant |
Funding Source: | Radiation Oncology Strategic Initiatives (ROSI) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |