Ghayas C. Issa, MD
Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine
About Dr. Ghayas C. Issa
Dr. Issa is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with leukemia. He conducts translational research in the Departments of Leukemia and Genomic Medicine at MD Anderson. His research involves analysis of leukemia genetics in order to better understand causes of progression and response to treatment. As a clinician, he is dedicated to provide high-quality care for all of his patients by helping them decide which therapies work best for them. His goal as a researcher is to more fully understand the genetic underpinnings of leukemia and to develop safe and effective novel therapies.
Dr. Issa has authored dozens of research articles and has obtained peer-reviewed funding in support of his research. He has received a number of awards including the Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Celgene Future Leaders in Hematology Award, and the Kimberly Patterson Fellowship in Leukemia Research. He is a member of the MD Anderson Clinician Investigator Program (Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Award).
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2010 | Saint Joseph University Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, LBN, MD, Medicine |
| 2007 | Saint Joseph University Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, LBN, Certificate, Immunology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2014-2017 | Clinical Fellowship, Hematology/Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2011-2014 | Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, NY |
| 2010-2011 | Research Fellow, Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA |
Board Certifications
| 2017 | American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology |
| 2017 | American Board of Internal Medicine, Hematology |
| 2014 | American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Instructor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2017 - 2018
Honors & Awards
| 2018 | Translational Research Training in Hematology Award, European Hematology Association and the American Society of Hematology |
| 2018 | Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Award (K12), NIH |
| 2017 | The Kimberly Patterson Leukemia Research Fellowship, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2017 | Future Leaders Award for Clinical Research in Hematology, Celgene |
| 2016 | Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| 2016 | Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology, 25th Annual AACR Workshop, American Association for Cancer Research |
| 2015 | Abstract Achievement Award,, American Society of Hematology |
| 2011 | Abstract Achievement Award, American Society of Hematology |
| 2008 | Scholar In Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Issa GC, Kantarjian HM, Xiao L, Ning J, Alvarado Y, Borthakur G, Daver N, DiNardo CD, Jabbour E, Bose P, Jain N, Kadia TM, Naqvi K, Pemmaraju N, Takahashi K, Verstovsek S, Andreeff M, Kornblau SM, Estrov Z, Ferrajoli A, Garcia-Manero G, Ohanian M, Wierda WG, Ravandi F, Cortes JE. Phase II trial of CPX-351 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia at high risk for induction mortality. Leukemia 34(11):2914-2924, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32546726.
- Jabbour E, Richard-Carpentier G, Sasaki Y, Konopleva M, Patel K, Roberts K, Gu Z, Wang F, Huang X, Sasaki K, Short NJ, Jain N, Ravandi F, Daver NG, Kadia TM, Alvarado Y, DiNardo CD, Issa GC, Pemmaraju N, Garcia-Manero G, Verstovsek S, Wang S, Khoury JD, Jorgensen J, Champlin R, Khouri I, Kebriaei P, Schroeder H, Khouri M, Mullighan CG, Takahashi K, O'Brien SM, Kantarjian H. Hyper-CVAD regimen in combination with ofatumumab as frontline therapy for adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a single-arm, phase 2 trial. Lancet Haematol 7(7):e523-e533, 2020. PMID: 32589978.
- Montalban-Bravo G, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Class CA, Sasaki K, Ravandi F, Cortes JE, Daver N, Takahashi K, Short NJ, DiNardo CD, Jabbour E, Borthakur G, Naqvi K, Issa GC, Konopleva M, Khoury JD, Routbort M, Pierce S, Do KA, Bueso-Ramos C, Patel K, Kantarjian H, Garcia-Manero G, Kadia TM. Outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia related changes depend on diagnostic criteria and therapy. Am J Hematol 95(6):612-622, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32112433.
- Zarka J, Short NJ, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Issa GC. Nucleophosmin 1 Mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 11(6), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32545659.
- Samra B, Richard-Carpentier G, Kadia TM, Ravandi F, Daver N, DiNardo CD, Issa GC, Bose P, Konopleva MY, Yilmaz M, Ohanian M, Borthakur G, Garcia-Manero G, Pierce S, Cortes JE, Kantarjian H, Short NJ. Characteristics and outcomes of patients with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia with normal karyotype. Blood Cancer J 10(5):47, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32366832.
- Short NJ, Kantarjian H, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Sasaki K, Ravandi F, Cortes J, Konopleva M, Issa GC, Kornblau SM, Garcia-Manero G, Garris R, Higgins J, Pratt G, Williams LN, Valentine CC, Rivera VM, Pritchard J, Salk JJ, Radich J, Jabbour E. Ultra-accurate Duplex Sequencing for the assessment of pretreatment ABL1 kinase domain mutations in Ph+ ALL. Blood Cancer J 10(5):61, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32457305.
- Abou Dalle I, Ghorab A, Patel K, Wang X, Hwang H, Cortes J, Issa GC, Yalniz F, Sasaki K, Chihara D, Price A, Kadia T, Pemmaraju N, Daver N, DiNardo C, Ravandi F, Kantarjian HM, Borthakur G. Impact of numerical variation, allele burden, mutation length and co-occurring mutations on the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in newly diagnosed FLT3- mutant acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Cancer J 10(5):48, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32366841.
- Short NJ, Patel KP, Albitar M, Franquiz M, Luthra R, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Wang F, Assi R, Montalban-Bravo G, Matthews J, Ma W, Loghavi S, Takahashi K, Issa GC, Kornblau SM, Jabbour E, Garcia-Manero G, Kantarjian HM, Estrov Z, Ravandi F. Targeted next-generation sequencing of circulating cell-free DNA vs bone marrow in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Adv 4(8):1670-1677, 2020. PMID: 32324887.
- Jabbour EJ, Sasaki K, Ravandi F, Short NJ, Garcia-Manero G, Daver N, Kadia T, Konopleva M, Jain N, Cortes J, Issa GC, Jacob J, Kwari M, Thompson P, Garris R, Pemmaraju N, Yilmaz M, O'Brien SM, Kantarjian HM. Inotuzumab ozogamicin in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy (mini-HCVD) with or without blinatumomab versus standard intensive chemotherapy (HCVAD) as frontline therapy for older patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A propensity score analysis. Cancer 125(15):2579-2586, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30985931.
- Abbas HA, Ravandi F, Loghavi S, Patel KP, Borthakur G, Kadia TM, Jabbour E, Takahashi K, Cortes J, Issa GC, Konopleva M, Kantarjian HM, Short NJ. NPM1 mutant variant allele frequency correlates with leukemia burden but does not provide prognostic information in NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia. Am J Hematol 94(6):E158-E160, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30838674.
- Chamoun K, Kantarjian H, Atallah R, Gonzalez GN, Issa GC, Rios MB, Garcia-Manero G, Borthakur G, Ravandi F, Jain N, Daver N, Konopleva M, DiNardo CD, Kadia T, Pemmaraju N, Jabbour E, Cortes J. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor discontinuation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: a single-institution experience. J Hematol Oncol 12(1):1, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30606227.
- Kanagal-Shamanna R, Jain P, Takahashi K, Short NJ, Tang G, Issa GC, Ravandi F, Garcia-Manero G, Yin CC, Luthra R, Patel KP, Khoury JD, Montalban-Bravo G, Sasaki K, Kadia TM, Borthakur G, Konopleva M, Jain N, Garris R, Pierce S, Wierda W, Estrov Z, Cortes J, O'Brien S, Kantarjian HM, Jabbour E. TP53 mutation does not confer a poor outcome in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who are treated with frontline hyper-CVAD-based regimens. Cancer 123(19):3717-3724, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28608976.
- Short NJ, Kantarjian HM, Sasaki K, Ravandi F, Ko H, Cameron Yin C, Garcia-Manero G, Cortes JE, Garris R, O'Brien SM, Patel K, Khouri M, Thomas D, Jain N, Kadia TM, Daver NG, Benton CB, Issa GC, Konopleva M, Jabbour E. Poor outcomes associated with +der(22)t(9;22) and -9/9p in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving chemotherapy plus a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Am J Hematol 92(3):238-243, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28006851.
- Issa GC, Kantarjian HM, Yin CC, Qiao W, Ravandi F, Thomas D, Short NJ, Sasaki K, Garcia-Manero G, Kadia TM, Cortes JE, Daver N, Borthakur G, Jain N, Konopleva M, Khouri I, Kebriaei P, Champlin RE, Pierce S, O'Brien SM, Jabbour E. Prognostic impact of pretreatment cytogenetics in adult Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the era of minimal residual disease. Cancer 123(3):459-467, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27696391.
- Sasaki K, Jabbour EJ, Ravandi F, Short NJ, Thomas DA, Garcia-Manero G, Daver NG, Kadia TM, Konopleva MY, Jain N, Issa GC, Jeanis V, Moore HG, Garris RS, Pemmaraju N, Cortes JE, O'Brien SM, Kantarjian HM. Hyper-CVAD plus ponatinib versus hyper-CVAD plus dasatinib as frontline therapy for patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A propensity score analysis. Cancer 122(23):3650-3656, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27479888.
- Short NJ, Kantarjian HM, Sasaki K, Cortes JE, Ravandi F, Thomas DA, Garcia-Manero G, Khouri I, Kebriaei P, Champlin RE, Pierce S, Issa GC, Konopleva M, Kadia TM, Bueso-Ramos C, Khoury JD, Jain N, O'Brien SM, Jabbour E. Prognostic significance of day 14 bone marrow evaluation in adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer 122(24):3812-3820, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27508525.
- Short NJ, Jabbour E, Sasaki K, Patel K, O'Brien SM, Cortes JE, Garris R, Issa GC, Garcia-Manero G, Luthra R, Thomas D, Kantarjian H, Ravandi F. Impact of complete molecular response on survival in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 128(4):504-7, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27235138.
- Delmore JE*, Issa GC*, Lemieux ME, Rahl PB, Shi J, Jacobs HM, Kastritis E, Gilpatrick T, Paranal RM, Qi J, Chesi M, Schinzel AC, McKeown MR, Heffernan TP, Vakoc CR, Bergsagel PL, Ghobrial IM, Richardson PG, Young RA, Hahn WC, Anderson KC, Kung AL, Bradner JE, Mitsiades CS (*equal contribution). BET bromodomain inhibition as a therapeutic strategy to target c-Myc. Cell 146(6):904-17, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21889194.
- Ghobrial IM, Maiso P, Azab A, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Issa G, Azab F, Sacco A, Quang P, Ngo H, Roccaro A. The bone marrow microenvironment in waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Ther Adv Hematol 2(4):267-72, 2011. PMID: 23556094.
- Issa GC, Leblebjian H, Roccaro AM, Ghobrial IM. New insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Curr Opin Hematol 18(4):260-5, 2011. PMID: 21519243.
- Ghobrial IM, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Ngo H, Azab F, Sacco A, Azab A, Maiso P, Morgan B, Quang P, Issa GC, Leleu X, Roccaro AM. Targeting the bone marrow in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 11 Suppl 1:S65-9, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 22035751.
- Sacco A, Aujay M, Morgan B, Azab AK, Maiso P, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Azab F, Ngo HT, Issa GC, Quang P, Roccaro AM, Ghobrial IM. Carfilzomib-dependent selective inhibition of the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome leads to antitumor activity in Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia. Clin Cancer Res 17(7):1753-64, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21355079.
- Sacco A, Maiso P, Azab A, Azab F, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Ngo HT, Morgan B, Quang P, Issa G, Ghobrial IM, Roccaro AM. Key role of microRNAs in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia pathogenesis. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 11(1):109-11, 2011. PMID: 21454206.
- Ghobrial IM, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Ngo H, Azab F, Sacco A, Azab A, Maiso P, Morgan B, Quang P, Issa G, Roccaro A. The bone marrow niche in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 11(1):118-20, 2011. PMID: 21454209.
- Issa GC, Ghobrial IM, Roccaro AM. Novel agents in Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Clin Investig (Lond) 1(6):815-824, 2011. PMID: 22034589.
- Sacco A, Issa GC, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Maiso P, Ghobrial IM, Roccaro AM. Epigenetic modifications as key regulators of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia biology. J Hematol Oncol 3:38, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20929526.
- Alfayez M, Issa GC, Patel KP, Wang F, Wang X, Short NJ, Cortes JE, Kadia T, Ravandi F, Pierce S, Assi R, Garcia-Manero G, DiNardo CD, Daver N, Pemmaraju N, Kantarjian H, Borthakur G. The Clinical impact of PTPN11 mutations in adults with acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32561839.
- Maiti A, Rausch CR, Cortes JE, Pemmaraju N, Daver NG, Ravandi F, Garcia-Manero G, Borthakur G, Naqvi K, Ohanian M, Short NJ, Alvarado Y, Kadia TM, Takahashi K, Yilmaz M, Jain N, Kornblau S, Montalban Bravo G, Sasaki K, Andreeff M, Bose P, Ferrajoli A, Issa GC, Jabbour EJ, Masarova L, Thompson PA, Wang S, Konoplev S, Pierce SA, Ning J, Qiao W, Welch JS, Kantarjian HM, DiNardo CD, Konopleva MY. Outcomes of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia after frontline hypomethylating agent and venetoclax regimens. Haematologica. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32499238.
- Morita K, Kantarjian HM, Wang F, Yan Y, Bueso-Ramos C, Sasaki K, Issa GC, Wang S, Jorgensen J, Song X, Zhang J, Tippen S, Thornton R, Coyle M, Little L, Gumbs C, Pemmaraju N, Daver N, DiNardo CD, Konopleva M, Andreeff M, Ravandi F, Cortes JE, Kadia T, Jabbour E, Garcia-Manero G, Patel KP, Futreal PA, Takahashi K. Clearance of Somatic Mutations at Remission and the Risk of Relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J Clin Oncol:JCO2017776757. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29702001.
- Issa GC, Kantarjian H, Nogueras Gonzalez G, Borthakur G, Tang G, Wierda W, Sasaki K, Short NJ, Ravandi F, Kadia T, Patel K, Luthra R, Ferrajoli A, Garcia-Manero G, Rios MB, Dellasala S, Jabbour E, Cortes JE. Clonal chromosomal abnormalities appearing in Philadelphia negative metaphases during CML treatment. Blood. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28835440.
- Jain P, Kantarjian HM, Ghorab A, Sasaki K, Jabbour EJ, Nogueras Gonzalez G, Kanagal-Shamanna R, Issa GC, Garcia-Manero G, Kc D, Dellasala S, Pierce S, Konopleva M, Wierda WG, Verstovsek S, Daver NG, Kadia TM, Borthakur G, O'Brien S, Estrov Z, Ravandi F, Cortes JE. Prognostic factors and survival outcomes in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast phase in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor era: Cohort study of 477 patients. Cancer. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28743165.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | The Impact of Clonal Heterogeneity on Relapse after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia |
| Funding Source: | American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Leukemia SPORE Career Development Award |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Investigating the Expression of the Luteinizing Hormone Receptor in the Hematopoietic Stem Cells of Patients with Leukemia |
| Funding Source: | Leukemia Texas |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Award |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | 2019-0997 Phase 1/2, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation and expansion cohort study of SNDX-5613 in Relapsed/refractory acute leukemia |
| Funding Source: | Syndax Pharma |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Dual targeting of BCR-ABL in CML by adding the allosteric inhibitor ABL001 |
| Funding Source: | Novartis |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Targeting Minimal Residual Disease and Stem-Like Cells in HIgh-Risk AML |
| Funding Source: | MDACC Moon Shot Program |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |