Eugene J. Koay, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Oncology - Clinical, Division of Radiation Oncology
About Dr. Koay
Dr. Koay is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center and serves as co-director of Gastrointestinal (GI) Radiation Oncology for the MD Anderson Cancer Network.
The MD Anderson GI Radiation Oncology Section represents decades of GI cancer expertise by nine radiation oncology doctors, and a specialized team of GI radiotherapy physician assistants, nurses, physicists, therapists, and dosimetrists. We treat cancers of the stomach, liver, bile duct, pancreas, rectum, and anus. We offer every type of radiotherapy technology including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and proton therapy, always selected and personalized for each patient. We are constantly working to improve radiotherapy for GI cancers, and offer many clinical trials designed to make radiotherapy more effective with fewer side effects.
Dr. Koay treats all types of GI cancers. He is well-recognized for his clinical and translational research on GI cancers and their properties on diagnostic imaging, participating in national and international collaborations at the forefront of science. He has published over 60 articles, and a textbook titled An Introduction to Physical Oncology. He enjoys educating the next generation and has given lectures at multiple undergraduate, graduate, medical, health professional and resident courses. He has mentored dozens of students, residents, and fellows over the past decade, helping them achieve successful presentations, publications, and awards.
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
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Member, Department of Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2009 | Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, MD, Unknown |
| 2008 | Rice University, Houston, USA, PHD, Bioengineering (BIOE) |
| 2001 | Rice University, Houston, TX, USA, BS, Chemical Engineering |
Postgraduate Training
| 2010-2014 | Clinical Residency, Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2009-2010 | Clinical Internship, The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Houston, TX |
Board Certifications
| 2015 | American Board of Radiology |
Honors & Awards
| 2014 | RSNA Seed Grant |
| 2014 | Research Highlight in Cancer Discovery |
| 2014 | Gilbert H. Fletcher Resident Research Award |
| 2014 | PANCAN-AACR Career Development Award |
| 2013 | Anne Eastland Spears Fellowship for GI Cancer Research |
| 2012 | Anne Eastland Spears Fellowship for GI Cancer Research |
| 2010 | Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award |
| 2009 | Research Highlight in Nature Clinical Practice: Rheumatology |
| 2008 | Honorable Mention, Sigma Xi Annual Thesis Award |
| 2007 | Mentor of Mukil Natarajan, Undergraduate Research Award |
| 2006 | Mentor of Theodore John, Dean’s research scholar |
| 2006 | Mentor of Zaven Sargsyan, NSF IGERT 1st place poster prize |
| 2006 | 3rd place poster at Rice BIOE recruiting weekend poster competition |
| 2006 | 2nd place poster at NSF IGERT annual retreat |
| 2004 | NSF IGERT Fellowship |
| 2001 | BCM Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Scholarship |
| 2001 | BMES Outstanding Undergraduate Research Design Award |
| 2001 | William W Akers Senior Process Design Award in Chemical Engineering |
| 2001 | Robert C Byrd Scholarship |
| 2001 | President’s Honor Roll |
| 2000 | Robert C Byrd Scholarship |
| 2000 | President’s Honor Roll |
| 1999 | W L Moody Scholarship |
| 1999 | Robert C Byrd Scholarship |
| 1999 | President’s Honor Roll |
| 1998 | W L Moody Scholarship |
| 1998 | Robert C Byrd Scholarship |
| 1998 | President’s Honor Roll |
| 1997 | Robert C Byrd Scholarship |
| 1997 | President’s Honor Roll |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Kang Y, Roife D, Lee Y, Lv H, Suzuki R, Ling J, Rios Perez MV, Li X, Dai B, Pratt M, Truty MJ, Chatterjee D, Wang H, Thomas RM, Wang Y, Koay EJ, Chiao PJ, Katz MH, Fleming JB. Transforming Growth Factor-β Limits Secretion of Lumican by Activated Stellate Cells within Primary Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 22(19):4934-4946, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27126993.
- Cloyd JM, Crane CH, Koay EJ, Das P, Krishnan S, Prakash L, Snyder RA, Varadhachary GR, Wolff RA, Javle M, Shroff RT, Fogelman D, Overman M, Wang H, Maitra A, Lee JE, Fleming JB, Katz MH. Impact of hypofractionated and standard fractionated chemoradiation before pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer 122(17):2671-9, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27243381.
- Zuo M, Rashid A, Wang Y, Jain A, Li D, Behari A, Kapoor VK, Koay EJ, Chang P, Vauthey JN, Li Y, Espinoza JA, Roa JC, Javle M. RNA sequencing-based analysis of gallbladder cancer reveals the importance of the liver X receptor and lipid metabolism in gallbladder cancer. Oncotarget 7(23):35302-12, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27167107.
- Wang Z, Kerketta R, Chuang YL, Dogra P, Butner JD, Brocato TA, Day A, Xu R, Shen H, Simbawa E, Al-Fhaid AS, Mahmoud SR, Curley SA, Ferrari M, Koay EJ, Cristini V. Theory and Experimental Validation of a Spatio-temporal Model of Chemotherapy Transport to Enhance Tumor Cell Kill. PLoS Comput Biol 12(6):e1004969, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27286441.
- Rios Perez MV, Dai B, Koay EJ, Wolff RA, Fleming JB. Regression of Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer to Curative Surgery and Introduction of a Novel Ex-Vivo Chemosensitivity Assay. Cureus 7(12):e423, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26848412.
- Koay EJ, Ferrari M. Transport Oncophysics in silico, in vitro, and in vivo. Preface. Phys Biol 11(6):060201, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25426742.
- Koay EJ, Baio FE, Ondari A, Truty MJ, Cristini V, Thomas RM, Chen R, Chatterjee D, Kang Y, Zhang J, Court L, Bhosale PR, Tamm EP, Qayyum A, Crane CH, Javle M, Katz MH, Gottumukkala VN, Rozner MA, Shen H, Lee JE, Wang H, Chen Y, Plunkett W, Abbruzzese JL, Wolff RA, Maitra A, Ferrari M, Varadhachary GR, Fleming JB. Intra-tumoral heterogeneity of gemcitabine delivery and mass transport in human pancreatic cancer. Phys Biol 11(6):065002, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25427073.
- Kirui DK, Koay EJ, Guo X, Cristini V, Shen H, Ferrari M. Tumor vascular permeabilization using localized mild hyperthermia to improve macromolecule transport. Nanomedicine 10(7):1487-96, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24262998.
- Walker GV, Awan M, Tao R, Koay EJ, Boehling NS, Grant JD, Sittig DF, Gunn GB, Garden AS, Phan J, Morrison WH, Rosenthal DI, Mohamed AS, Fuller CD. Prospective randomized double-blind study of atlas-based organ-at-risk autosegmentation-assisted radiation planning in head and neck cancer. Radiother Oncol 112(3):321-5, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25216572.
- Koay EJ, Truty MJ, Cristini V, Thomas RM, Chen R, Chatterjee D, Kang Y, Bhosale PR, Tamm EP, Crane CH, Javle M, Katz MH, Gottumukkala VN, Rozner MA, Shen H, Lee JE, Wang H, Chen Y, Plunkett W, Abbruzzese JL, Wolff RA, Varadhachary GR, Ferrari M, Fleming JB. Transport properties of pancreatic cancer describe gemcitabine delivery and response. J Clin Invest 124(4):1525-36, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24614108.
- Lee Y, Koay EJ, Zhang W, Qin L, Kirui DK, Hussain F, Shen H, Ferrari M. Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 knockdown tunes cellular mechanics through epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells. PLoS One 9(10):e107973, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25314577.
- Pascal J, Ashley CE, Wang Z, Brocato TA, Butner JD, Carnes EC, Koay EJ, Brinker CJ, Cristini V. Mechanistic modeling identifies drug-uptake history as predictor of tumor drug resistance and nano-carrier-mediated response. ACS Nano 7(12):11174-82, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24187963.
- Pascal J, Bearer EL, Wang Z, Koay EJ, Curley SA, Cristini V. Mechanistic patient-specific predictive correlation of tumor drug response with microenvironment and perfusion measurements. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(35):14266-71, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23940372.
- Xu R, Huang Y, Mai J, Zhang G, Guo X, Xia X, Koay EJ, Qin G, Erm DR, Li Q, Liu X, Ferrari M, Shen H. Multistage vectored siRNA targeting ataxia-telangiectasia mutated for breast cancer therapy. Small 9(9-10):1799-808, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23293085.
- Koay EJ, Lege D, Mohan R, Komaki R, Cox JD, Chang JY. Adaptive/nonadaptive proton radiation planning and outcomes in a phase II trial for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 84(5):1093-100, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22543217.
- Koay EJ, Teh BS, Paulino AC, Butler EB. Treatment trends and outcomes of small-cell carcinoma of the bladder. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 83(1):64-70, 2012. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 22019246.
- Koay EJ, Teh BS, Paulino AC, Butler EB. A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results analysis of small cell carcinoma of the bladder: epidemiology, prognostic variables, and treatment trends. Cancer 117(23):5325-33, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21567387.
- Koay EJ, Smith B. Commentary on “Development and validation of a heart atlas to study cardiac exposure to radiation following treatment for breast cancer. Breast Diseases: A Year Book Quarterly(22):197-199, 2011.
- Koay EJ, Athanasiou KA. Development of serum-free, chemically defined conditions for human embryonic stem cell-derived fibrochondrogenesis. Tissue Eng Part A 15(8):2249-57, 2009. PMID: 19231974.
- Ofek G, Willard VP, Koay EJ, Hu JC, Lin P, Athanasiou KA. Mechanical characterization of differentiated human embryonic stem cells. J Biomech Eng 131(6):061011, 2009. PMID: 19449965.
- Koay EJ, Athanasiou KA. Hypoxic chondrogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells enhances cartilage protein synthesis and biomechanical functionality. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 16(12):1450-6, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18541445.
- Hoben GM, Koay EJ, Athanasiou KA. Fibrochondrogenesis in two embryonic stem cell lines: effects of differentiation timelines. Stem Cells 26(2):422-30, 2008. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 18032702.
- Koay EJ, Ofek G, Athanasiou KA. Effects of TGF-beta1 and IGF-I on the compressibility, biomechanics, and strain-dependent recovery behavior of single chondrocytes. J Biomech 41(5):1044-52, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18222457.
- Koay EJ, Hoben GM, Athanasiou KA. Tissue engineering with chondrogenically differentiated human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells 25(9):2183-90, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17540854.
- Shieh AC, Koay EJ, Athanasiou KA. Strain-dependent recovery behavior of single chondrocytes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 5(2-3):172-9, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16506017.
- Koay EJ, Shieh AC, Athanasiou KA. Creep indentation of single cells. J Biomech Eng 125(3):334-41, 2003. PMID: 12929237.
Invited Articles
- Koay EJ, Amer AM, Baio FE, Ondari AO, Fleming JB. Toward stratification of patients with pancreatic cancer: Past lessons from traditional approaches and future applications with physical biomarkers. Cancer Lett 381(1):237-43, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26806807.
- Crane CH, Koay EJ. Solutions that enable ablative radiotherapy for large liver tumors: Fractionated dose painting, simultaneous integrated protection, motion management, and computed tomography image guidance. Cancer 122(13):1974-86, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26950735.
- Cabrera AR, Kirkpatrick JP, Fiveash JB, Shih HA, Koay EJ, Lutz S, Petit J, Chao ST, Brown PD, Vogelbaum M, Reardon DA, Chakravarti A, Wen PY, Chang E. Radiation therapy for glioblastoma: Executive summary of an American Society for Radiation Oncology Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline. Pract Radiat Oncol 6(4):217-25, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27211230.
- Brocato T, Dogra P, Koay EJ, Day A, Chuang YL, Wang Z, Cristini V. Understanding Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer with Mathematical Oncology. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 6(2):110-120, 2014. PMID: 24891927.
- Koay EJ, Sulman EP. Management of brain metastasis: past lessons, modern management, and future considerations. Curr Oncol Rep 14(1):70-8, 2012. PMID: 22071681.
Letters to the Editor
- Crane CH, Koay EJ. Reply to another solution that enables ablative radiotherapy for large liver tumors: Percutaneous interstitial high-dose rate brachytherapy. Cancer 122: 2766-7, 2016.