Toni Choueiri

Toni K. Choueiri is a Lebanese American medical oncologist and researcher. He is the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. His work has led to the establishment of several novel drugs (cabozantinib, avelumab, pazopanib and others including combinations) and prognostic factors in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Choueiri also co-established the International metastatic database Consortium with Daniel Heng. His biomarker work has shed light on complex immunogenomics mechanisms contributing to response and resistance to targeted therapy and immunotherapy.[1][2]

Toni Choueiri
Born
Beirut, Lebanon
Academic background
EducationMD, Saint Joseph University Residency/Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic
Academic work
InstitutionsDana–Farber Cancer Institute

Early life and education

Choueiri was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon[3] where he remained for his medical degree at Saint Joseph University's Faculty of Medicine. He trained at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after his medical school and moved in 2007 to the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute.[4]

Career

Choueiri collaborated with Paul Nguyen in 2011 to perform a meta-analysis of randomized studies involving 4,141 prostate cancer patients to conclude whether men receiving ADT had a higher rate of cardiovascular deaths. The conclusion of the study found that there was no difference between those who received ADT compared with those who didn't but could not rule out that ADT might elevate the risk of fatal heart attacks.[5] The following year, Choueiri found that three new cancer drugs were linked to a slightly elevated chance of fatal side effects.[6] From 2015 and for the next several years, Choueiri led the development of cabozantinib in metastatic RCC from early phase 1 to randomized trials leading to its approval in TKI-refractory disease in 2016 and in untreated RCC patients in 2017.[7][8] Choueiri also co-established the International metastatic database Consortium with Daniel Heng.[9]

In 2017, Choueiri led a study which found that patients with metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma benefited from savolitinib, a drug targeted to an abnormal genetic pathway causing cancerous growth.[10] The following year, Choueiri was appointed Full professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and continued in his position as the Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology.[11] In this role, he led the development of the combination of axitinib+avelumab from phase I to late stage trials, leading to the combination being approved for RCC therapy in May 2019.[12]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, Choueiri completed shifts with the COVID-19 service team, treating oncology patients who have either been diagnosed COVID-19 positive, or who are suspected of being COVID-19 positive.[13] In an effort to combat COVID, he co-lead a multinational study to identify risk factors unique to cancer patients.[14] He also continued his research into kidney cancer and developed, with Matthew Freedman, one of the first liquid biopsy methods which could detect early stages of kidney cancers with high accuracy. The test was nearly 100 per cent accurate when used with blood samples to distinguish patients with kidney cancer from those without.[15] Similarly, Choueiri also collaborated with William Kaelin Jr. in translational and clinical research, including recently around HIF2 inhibitors in clear-cell renal cancer, where he reported on activity and safety of MK-6482 in highly-refractory RCC patients.[16][17] He also led the cabozantinib+nivolumab phase 3 study (Checkmate 9ER) that showed this regimen to be superior to sunitinib, which led to its FDA approval in January 2021.[18][19]

Personal life

Choueiri and his wife Sue have two children together and are soccer fans of the MLS, Bundesliga, and Premier League.[13]

References
  1. "Avelumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma: biomarker analysis of the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial". Nature Medicine. 26 (11): 1733–1741. November 2020. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-1044-8. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. "Genomic correlates of response to immune checkpoint therapies in clear cell renal cell carcinoma". Science. 359 (6377): 801–806. February 16, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. Wisnia, Saul (July 25, 2018). "Dana-Farber Oncologist Gears Up for First Pan-Mass Challenge". jimmyfund.org. The Jimmy Fund. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  4. "Toni K. Choueiri, MD". physiciandirectory.brighamandwomens.org. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  5. "New study reassures on heart risks of prostate cancer treatment". dana-farber.org. December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  6. "Three 'targeted' cancer drugs raise risk of fatal side effects". dana-farber.org. February 6, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  7. Choueiri, Toni K.; Escudier, Bernard; Powles, Thomas (November 5, 2015). "Cabozantinib versus Everolimus in Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma". The New England Journal of Medicine. 373: 1814–1823. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1510016. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  8. Choueiri, Toni K. (February 20, 2017). "Cabozantinib Versus Sunitinib As Initial Targeted Therapy for Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma of Poor or Intermediate Risk: The Alliance A031203 CABOSUN Trial". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 35 (6): 591–597. doi:10.1200/JCO.2016.70.7398. PMC 5455807. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  9. "The International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model as a prognostic tool in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma previously treated with first-line targeted therapy: a population-based study". The Lancet Oncology. 16 (3): 293–300. March 2015. doi:10.1016/S1470. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  10. "Targeted drug shows promise in rare advanced kidney cancer". dana-farber.org. June 23, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  11. "2018-2019 Recently Appointed Professors" (PDF). fa.hms.harvard.edu. 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. Choueiri, Toni K. (May 20, 2019). "Biomarker analyses from JAVELIN Renal 101: Avelumab + axitinib (A+Ax) versus sunitinib (S) in advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC)". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 37 (15). Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. Lemieux, Jeff (April 24, 2020). "Hometown Heroes: Dr. Toni Choueiri, Revs Season Member, fighting on the frontlines". revolutionsoccer.net. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. "Multinational study identifies high risk to cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19". dana-farber.org. May 28, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  15. "Biomarker test highly accurate in detecting early kidney cancer". newswise.com. June 22, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  16. "Nobel Prize Research Was a Winning Formula for Patient with Kidney Cancer". dana-farber.org. January 7, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  17. Onyeneho, Laura (December 14, 2019). "Harvard Nobel Prize winner's research extends life of cancer patient". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  18. "FDA approves nivolumab plus cabozantinib for advanced renal cell carcinoma". fda.gov. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  19. Goodman, Alice (September 19, 2020). "CheckMate 9ER Trial Shows Benefit of Novel Doublet for Advanced Kidney Cancer". ascopost.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
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