Research Summary

Dr. Varun Monga is a Board Certified Medical Oncologist who serves as an Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. He joined UCSF Medical Center in 2023 and he provides patient care services limited to UCSF Sarcoma Center and Cancer Clinical Trials and Investigational Treatments Center. Dr. Monga has contributed to numerous research articles published in peer-reviewed journals, focusing on evidence-based sarcoma management, early and late phase clinical trials using novel treatment approaches including targeted and immunotherapies.

Education

06/2016 - Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Fellowship, University of Iowa
06/2011 - Chief Medicine Residency, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
06/2010 - Internal Medicine Residency, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
MBBS, 04/2006 - Medical School, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College

Selected Publications

  1. Charewycz NE, Hsu IJ, Lu K, Fuh K, Chen LM, Monga V, Cham S Complete response of somatic POLE-ultramutated recurrent undifferentiated uterine sarcoma to pembrolizumab and concurrent radiotherapy.  View on PubMed
  2. Manji GA, Stanton LJ, Hirbe AC, Ge L, Sta Ana S, Titus S, Labadie BW, May MS, Lyu Y, Chrisinger JSA, Sender N, Monga V, Milhem M, Chugh R, Sims P, Tan AC, Lee S, Van Tine BA, Schwartz GK Phase II Study of Pexidartinib Plus Sirolimus in Unresectable Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors Identifies M2 Macrophage Activation.  View on PubMed
  3. Rieth J, Monga V, Milhem M The Decline and Fall of the Current Chemotherapy Paradigm in Soft Tissue Sarcoma.  View on PubMed
  4. Sanchez NG, Horvai AE, Zacco E, Monga V. Human chorionic gonadotropin-secreting osteosarcoma. BMJ Case Rep. 2025 Jan 14; 18(1).  View on PubMed
  5. Mowery YM, Ballman KV, Hong AM, Schuetze SM, Wagner AJ, Monga V, Heise RS, Attia S, Choy E, Burgess MA, Bae S, Pryor DI, Van Tine BA, Tinoco G, Chmielowski B, Freeman C, Gronchi A, Meyer CF, Dickson MA, Hartner L, Davis LE, Powers BC, Moding EJ, Weinhold KJ, van de Rijn M, Brigman BE, Riedel RF, Kirsch DG Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab, radiation therapy, and surgery versus radiation therapy and surgery for stage III soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity (SU2C-SARC032): an open-label, randomised clinical trial.  View on PubMed
  6. Brockman QR, Rytlewski JD, Milhem M, Monga V, Dodd RD Integrated Epigenetic and Transcriptomic Analysis Identifies Interleukin 17 DNA Methylation Signature of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Progression and Metastasis.  View on PubMed
  7. Kournoutas I, Monga V, Davick J, Rieth J Objective Responses in Metastatic Pleomorphic Rhabdomyosarcoma Treated with Combination of Doxorubicin and Pembrolizumab: A Case Series.  View on PubMed
  8. Petronek MS, Monga V, Bodeker KL, Kwofie M, Lee CY, Mapuskar KA, Stolwijk JM, Zaher A, Wagner BA, Smith MC, Vollstedt S, Brown H, Chandler ML, Lorack AC, Wulfekuhle JS, Sarkaria JN, Flynn RT, Greenlee JDW, Howard MA, Smith BJ, Jones KA, Buettner GR, Cullen JJ, St-Aubin J, Buatti JM, Magnotta VA, Spitz DR, Allen BG Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Iron Metabolism with T2* Mapping Predicts an Enhanced Clinical Response to Pharmacologic Ascorbate in Patients with GBM.  View on PubMed
  9. Ferrarotto R, Swiecicki PL, Zandberg DP, Baiocchi RA, Wesolowski R, Rodriguez CP, McKean M, Kang H, Monga V, Nath R, Palmisiano N, Babbar N, Sun W, Hanna GJ. PRT543, a protein arginine methyltransferase 5 inhibitor, in patients with advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma: An open-label, phase I dose-expansion study. Oral Oncol. 2024 Feb; 149:106634.  View on PubMed
  10. Lee CY, Petronek MS, Monga V, Miller BJ, Milhem MM, Magnotta VA, Allen BG T2* Imaging Assessment of Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy Combined With Pharmacological Ascorbate in Extremity Soft-Tissue Sarcomas: A Pilot Study.  View on PubMed
  11. Kohlmeyer JL, Lingo JJ, Kaemmer CA, Scherer A, Warrier A, Voigt E, Raygoza Garay JA, McGivney GR, Brockman QR, Tang A, Calizo A, Pollard K, Zhang X, Hirbe AC, Pratilas CA, Leidinger M, Breheny P, Chimenti MS, Sieren JC, Monga V, Tanas MR, Meyerholz DK, Darbro BW, Dodd RD, Quelle DE CDK4/6-MEK Inhibition in MPNSTs Causes Plasma Cell Infiltration, Sensitization to PD-L1 Blockade, and Tumor Regression.  View on PubMed
  12. Moerdler S, DuVall AS, Hayes-Lattin B, Grimes A, Prasad PK, Molina JC, Monga V, Freyer DR, Roth ME Gaps in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Education in Oncology Fellowship Training.  View on PubMed
  13. Heater NK, Okuno S, Robinson S, Attia S, Seetharam M, Siontis BL, Yoon J, Chawla S, Milhem MM, Monga V, Skubitz K, Charlson J, Hirbe AC, Weiss MC, Van Tine B, Agulnik M The Midwest Sarcoma Trials Partnership: Bridging Academic and Community Networks in a Collaborative Approach to Sarcoma.  View on PubMed
  14. de la Fuente MI, Colman H, Rosenthal M, Van Tine BA, Levacic D, Walbert T, Gan HK, Vieito M, Milhem MM, Lipford K, Forsyth S, Guichard SM, Mikhailov Y, Sedkov A, Brevard J, Kelly PF, Mohamed H, Monga V Olutasidenib (FT-2102) in patients with relapsed or refractory IDH1-mutant glioma: A multicenter, open-label, phase Ib/II trial.  View on PubMed
  15. Mapuskar KA, Vasquez Martinez G, Pulliam CF, Petronek MS, Steinbach EJ, Monga V, Furqan M, Jetton JG, Saunders DP, Pearce A, Davidson S, Pitre L, Dunlap NE, Fairbanks R, Lee CM, Mott SL, Bodeker KL, Cl H, Buatti JM, Anderson CM, Beardsley RA, Holmlund JT, Zepeda-Orozco D, Spitz DR, Allen BG Avasopasem manganese (GC4419) protects against cisplatin-induced chronic kidney disease: An exploratory analysis of renal metrics from a randomized phase 2b clinical trial in head and neck cancer patients.  View on PubMed
  16. Gutierrez WR, Scherer A, Rytlewski JD, Laverty EA, Sheehan AP, McGivney GR, Brockman QR, Knepper-Adrian V, Roughton GA, Quelle DE, Gordon DJ, Monga V, Dodd RD Augmenting chemotherapy with low-dose decitabine through an immune-independent mechanism.  View on PubMed
  17. Brastianos PK, Twohy EL, Gerstner ER, Kaufmann TJ, Iafrate AJ, Lennerz J, Jeyapalan S, Piccioni DE, Monga V, Fadul CE, Schiff D, Taylor JW, Chowdhary SA, Bettegowda C, Ansstas G, De La Fuente M, Anderson MD, Shonka N, Damek D, Carrillo J, Kunschner-Ronan LJ, Chaudhary R, Jaeckle KA, Senecal FM, Kaley T, Morrison T, Thomas AA, Welch MR, Iwamoto F, Cachia D, Cohen AL, Vora S, Knopp M, Dunn IF, Kumthekar P, Sarkaria J, Geyer S, Carrero XW, Martinez-Lage M, Cahill DP, Brown PD, Giannini C, Santagata S, Barker FG, Galanis E. Alliance A071401: Phase II Trial of Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibition in Meningiomas With Somatic NF2 Mutations. J Clin Oncol. 2023 01 20; 41(3):618-628.  View on PubMed
  18. Liu L, Dehner C, Grandhi N, Lyu Y, Borcherding DC, Chrisinger JSA, Zhang X, Luo J, Tao Y, Parkes A, Bui NQ, Davis EJ, Milhem MM, Monga V, Weiss M, Tine BV, Hirbe AC The Impact of TSC-1 and -2 Mutations on Response to Therapy in Malignant PEComa: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis.  View on PubMed
  19. Day JR, Miller B, Loeffler BT, Mott SL, Tanas M, Curry M, Davick J, Milhem M, Monga V Patient reported quality of life in young adults with sarcoma receiving care at a sarcoma center.  View on PubMed
  20. Zaher A, Stephens LM, Miller AM, Hartwig SM, Stolwijk JM, Petronek MS, Zacharias ZR, Wadas TJ, Monga V, Cullen JJ, Furqan M, Houtman JCD, Varga SM, Spitz DR, Allen BG Pharmacological ascorbate as a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy.  View on PubMed

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