Research Summary

Dr. Chien specializes in the management and treatment of patients with breast cancer. She is Professor of Medicine at UCSF and the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Chien received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She subsequently completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at UCSF. She joined the UCSF faculty after completing her fellowship and serves as the Medical Director of Breast Medical Oncology at UCSF.
Dr. Chien’s main research interest is in the translational and clinical development of novel treatment strategies for early stage and metastatic breast cancer. She serves as the Principal Investigator of numerous investigator-initiated as well as industry-sponsored trials targeting all breast cancer subtypes including estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-positve, and triple negative breast cancer. She is the UCSF site PI of the multi-center I-SPY2 trial. She leads the ISPY2 Endocrine Optimization Protocol (EOP) sub-study which is taking a novel and comprehensive approach to identifying innovative and better tolerated strategies for the treatment of ER+ early stage breast cancer. Through this study she is investigating new technologies and methods for evaluating response to endocrine therapy including molecular, pathologic, and radiologic endpoints. Through these efforts, Dr. Chien aims to identify which patients need more aggressive treatment (and to provide targeted treatment options for these patients), and which patients can do well with less intervention.
Dr. Chien is also interested in the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment on young women. She started a large registry of young women with breast cancer which serves as a rich resource for research, and facilitates clinical support for young women.
Dr. Chien’s work has been funded by the NIH, NCI, DOD, ASCO, American Cancer Society, California Breast Cancer Research Program, and philanthropic support.

Education

1994-1998    Stanford University, Stanford, CA            B.S.        Honors, Biology
1998-2003    Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA            M.D.
2003–2004    Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA    Intern         Medicine    
2004–2006    Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA    Resident     Medicine
2006–2009    University of California, San Francisco         Fellow            Hematology/Oncology
2007-2009    University of California, San Francisco       Chief Fellow            Hematology/Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 1994
    Robert C. Byrd California State Scholarship
  • 1994
    Stanford University Presidential Scholar
  • 1996
    Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Grant
  • 1998
    Phi Beta Kappa Society Electee
  • 1998
    Stanford University Department of Biological Sciences Graduate of Distinction
  • 2003
    Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation International Health Grant
  • 2008
    ASCO Young Investigator Award
  • 2008
    ASCO Foundation Merit Award
  • 2008
    American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2008
    AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Research Workshop participant and scholarship recipient
  • 2009
    NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program Recipient
  • 2010
    UCSF REAC Pilot Award for Junior Investigators
  • 2012
    UCSF Bridging Interdisciplinary Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) NIH K12 Scholar
  • 2016
    HDFCC Early Phase Clinical Research Support Grant
  • 2018
    HDFCCC/UCSF Give Breast Cancer the Boot Grant
  • 2021-2022
    UCSF Hematolgoy and Oncology Teaching Award

Selected Publications

  1. Silverstein J, Wright F, Stanfield D, Chien AJ, Wong JM, Park JW, Blanco A, Van Loon K, Atreya CE. Synchronous or metachronous breast and colorectal cancers in younger-than-average-age patients: a case series. Oncologist. 2024 Sep 06; 29(9):e1159-e1168.  View on PubMed
  2. Gumusay O, Huppert LA, Magbanua MJM, Wabl CA, Assefa M, Chien AJ, Melisko ME, Majure MC, Moasser M, Park J, Rugo HS. A phase Ib/II study of eribulin in combination with cyclophosphamide in patients with advanced breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Jan; 203(2):197-204.  View on PubMed
  3. Jacob S, Johnson M, Roque B, Quintal L, Rugo HS, Melisko M, Chien AJ. Crofelemer for the Management of Neratinib-Associated Diarrhea in Patients With HER2+ Early-Stage Breast Cancer. Clin Breast Cancer. 2023 10; 23(7):721-728.  View on PubMed
  4. Rothschild HT, Clelland E, Patterson A, Molina-Vega J, Kaur M, Symmans WF, Schwartz CJ, Chien AJ, Mukhtar RA. HER-2 low status in early-stage invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: associated factors and outcomes in an institutional series. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023 Jun; 199(2):349-354.  View on PubMed
  5. Lin NU, Murthy RK, Abramson V, Anders C, Bachelot T, Bedard PL, Borges V, Cameron D, Carey LA, Chien AJ, Curigliano G, DiGiovanna MP, Gelmon K, Hortobagyi G, Hurvitz SA, Krop I, Loi S, Loibl S, Mueller V, Oliveira M, Paplomata E, Pegram M, Slamon D, Zelnak A, Ramos J, Feng W, Winer E. Tucatinib vs Placebo, Both in Combination With Trastuzumab and Capecitabine, for Previously Treated ERBB2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer in Patients With Brain Metastases: Updated Exploratory Analysis of the HER2CLIMB Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2023 02 01; 9(2):197-205.  View on PubMed
  6. Magbanua MJM, van 't Veer L, Clark AS, Chien AJ, Boughey JC, Han HS, Wallace A, Beckwith H, Liu MC, Yau C, Wileyto EP, Ordonez A, Solanki TI, Hsiao F, Lee JC, Basu A, Brown Swigart L, Perlmutter J, Delson AL, Bayne L, Deluca S, Yee SS, Carpenter EL, Esserman LJ, Park JW, Chodosh LA, DeMichele A. Outcomes and clinicopathologic characteristics associated with disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk early stage breast cancer: the I-SPY SURMOUNT study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023 Apr; 198(2):383-390.  View on PubMed
  7. Chan A, Ruiz-Borrego M, Marx G, Chien AJ, Rugo HS, Brufsky A, Thirlwell M, Trudeau M, Bose R, García-Sáenz JA, Egle D, Pistilli B, Wassermann J, Cheong KA, Schnappauf B, Semsek D, Singer CF, Foruzan N, DiPrimeo D, McCulloch L, Hurvitz SA, Barcenas CH. Final findings from the CONTROL trial: Strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of neratinib-associated diarrhea in patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer. Breast. 2023 Feb; 67:94-101.  View on PubMed
  8. Lang JE, Forero-Torres A, Yee D, Yau C, Wolf D, Park J, Parker BA, Chien AJ, Wallace AM, Murthy R, Albain KS, Ellis ED, Beckwith H, Haley BB, Elias AD, Boughey JC, Yung RL, Isaacs C, Clark AS, Han HS, Nanda R, Khan QJ, Edmiston KK, Stringer-Reasor E, Price E, Joe B, Liu MC, Brown-Swigart L, Petricoin EF, Wulfkuhle JD, Buxton M, Clennell JL, Sanil A, Berry S, Asare SM, Wilson A, Hirst GL, Singhrao R, Asare AL, Matthews JB, Melisko M, Perlmutter J, Rugo HS, Symmans WF, van 't Veer LJ, Hylton NM, DeMichele AM, Berry DA, Esserman LJ. Safety and efficacy of HSP90 inhibitor ganetespib for neoadjuvant treatment of stage II/III breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2022 Dec 01; 8(1):128.  View on PubMed
  9. Huppert LA, Walker Z, Li M, Kim MO, Callan J, Brandman D, Majure M, Melisko ME, Rugo HS, Behr S, Chien AJ. Clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with metastatic breast cancer and pseudocirrhosis: a single center retrospective cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023 Jan; 197(1):137-148.  View on PubMed
  10. Abel MK, Shui AM, Chien AJ, Rugo HS, Melisko M, Baehner F, Mukhtar RA. ASO Visual Abstract: The 21-Gene Recurrence Score in Clinically High Risk Lobular and Ductal Breast Cancer-A National Cancer Database Study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Nov; 29(12):7750.  View on PubMed
  11. Abel MK, Shui AM, Chien AJ, Rugo HS, Melisko M, Baehner F, Mukhtar RA. The 21-Gene Recurrence Score in Clinically High-Risk Lobular and Ductal Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Database Study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Nov; 29(12):7739-7747.  View on PubMed
  12. Chien AJ, Kyalwazi B, Esserman LJ. Optimizing hormone therapy for breast cancer: Translating gains to the early-stage setting. Cell Rep Med. 2022 06 21; 3(6):100664.  View on PubMed
  13. Umashankar S, Mamounas ME, Matthys M, Hadeler EK, Wong EC, Hicks G, Hwang J, Chien AJ, Rugo HS, Hamolsky D, Esserman L, Melisko M. Evaluation of the Pathways for Survivors Program to Address Breast Cancer Survivorship-Associated Distress: Survey Study. JMIR Cancer. 2022 Feb 25; 8(1):e31756.  View on PubMed
  14. Abel MK, Shui AM, Melisko M, Chien AJ, Yoshida EJ, Lancaster EM, Van 't Veer L, Esserman LJ, Mukhtar RA. The incidence of discordant clinical and genomic risk in patients with invasive lobular or ductal carcinoma of the breast: a National Cancer Database Study. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2021 Dec 21; 7(1):156.  View on PubMed
  15. Clark AS, Yau C, Wolf DM, Petricoin EF, van 't Veer LJ, Yee D, Moulder SL, Wallace AM, Chien AJ, Isaacs C, Boughey JC, Albain KS, Kemmer K, Haley BB, Han HS, Forero-Torres A, Elias A, Lang JE, Ellis ED, Yung R, Tripathy D, Nanda R, Wulfkuhle JD, Brown-Swigart L, Gallagher RI, Helsten T, Roesch E, Ewing CA, Alvarado M, Crane EP, Buxton M, Clennell JL, Paoloni M, Asare SM, Wilson A, Hirst GL, Singhrao R, Steeg K, Asare A, Matthews JB, Berry S, Sanil A, Melisko M, Perlmutter J, Rugo HS, Schwab RB, Symmans WF, Hylton NM, Berry DA, Esserman LJ, DeMichele AM. Neoadjuvant T-DM1/pertuzumab and paclitaxel/trastuzumab/pertuzumab for HER2+ breast cancer in the adaptively randomized I-SPY2 trial. Nat Commun. 2021 11 05; 12(1):6428.  View on PubMed
  16. Symmans WF, Yau C, Chen YY, Balassanian R, Klein ME, Pusztai L, Nanda R, Parker BA, Datnow B, Krings G, Wei S, Feldman MD, Duan X, Chen B, Sattar H, Khazai L, Zeck JC, Sams S, Mhawech-Fauceglia P, Rendi M, Sahoo S, Ocal IT, Fan F, LeBeau LG, Vinh T, Troxell ML, Chien AJ, Wallace AM, Forero-Torres A, Ellis E, Albain KS, Murthy RK, Boughey JC, Liu MC, Haley BB, Elias AD, Clark AS, Kemmer K, Isaacs C, Lang JE, Han HS, Edmiston K, Viscusi RK, Northfelt DW, Khan QJ, Leyland-Jones B, Venters SJ, Shad S, Matthews JB, Asare SM, Buxton M, Asare AL, Rugo HS, Schwab RB, Helsten T, Hylton NM, van 't Veer L, Perlmutter J, DeMichele AM, Yee D, Berry DA, Esserman LJ. Assessment of Residual Cancer Burden and Event-Free Survival in Neoadjuvant Treatment for High-risk Breast Cancer: An Analysis of Data From the I-SPY2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2021 Nov 01; 7(11):1654-1663.  View on PubMed
  17. Huppert LA, Mariotti V, Chien AJ, Soliman HH. Emerging immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2022 Jan; 191(2):243-255.  View on PubMed
  18. Abel MK, Melisko ME, Rugo HS, Chien AJ, Diaz I, Levine JK, Griffin A, McGuire J, Esserman LJ, Borno HT, Mukhtar RA. Decreased enrollment in breast cancer trials by histologic subtype: does invasive lobular carcinoma resist RECIST? NPJ Breast Cancer. 2021 Oct 25; 7(1):139.  View on PubMed
  19. Letourneau J, Juarez-Hernandez F, Wald K, Ribeiro S, Wang A, McCulloch CE, Mok-Lin E, Dolezal M, Chien AJ, Cedars MI, Rosen M. Concomitant tamoxifen or letrozole for optimal oocyte yield during fertility preservation for breast cancer: the TAmoxifen or Letrozole in Estrogen Sensitive tumors (TALES) randomized clinical trial. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2021 Sep; 38(9):2455-2463.  View on PubMed
  20. Pusztai L, Yau C, Wolf DM, Han HS, Du L, Wallace AM, String-Reasor E, Boughey JC, Chien AJ, Elias AD, Beckwith H, Nanda R, Albain KS, Clark AS, Kemmer K, Kalinsky K, Isaacs C, Thomas A, Shatsky R, Helsten TL, Forero-Torres A, Liu MC, Brown-Swigart L, Petricoin EF, Wulfkuhle JD, Asare SM, Wilson A, Singhrao R, Sit L, Hirst GL, Berry S, Sanil A, Asare AL, Matthews JB, Perlmutter J, Melisko M, Rugo HS, Schwab RB, Symmans WF, Yee D, Van't Veer LJ, Hylton NM, DeMichele AM, Berry DA, Esserman LJ. Durvalumab with olaparib and paclitaxel for high-risk HER2-negative stage II/III breast cancer: Results from the adaptively randomized I-SPY2 trial. Cancer Cell. 2021 07 12; 39(7):989-998.e5.  View on PubMed

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