Research Summary

Dr. Eric Nakakura is a gastrointestinal cancer surgeon who specializes in tumors of the pancreas, bile ducts, liver, and GI tract. He also treats soft tissue sarcomas, including tumors of the retroperitoneum, trunk and extremities. Dr. Nakakura is a leading authority on neuroendocrine carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. In 2017, he was awarded a $1.2m grant from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) to elucidate the causes of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs).

Dr. Nakakura earned a medical degree at Stanford Medical School and a doctorate degree in cellular and molecular medicine at the Johns Hopkins University. He completed a residency in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and was a specialist registrar in surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England. He also completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the small intestine and pancreas frequently spread throughout the body (i.e., metastasize). Surgery is often not possible for patients with advanced disease, and current therapies are ineffective for shrinking tumors and durable palliation of debilitating symptoms, often caused by the release of hormones into the blood. Dr. Nakakura and his colleagues' long-term goal is to find the causes of NETs of the small intestine and pancreas, which can lead to earlier diagnosis and ultimately a cure.

Education

University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, BS, 1990, Bioengineering-Premedic
Stanford Medical School, Stanford, CA, MD, 1995, Medicine
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, PhD, 2001, Cellular/Molecular Medicine

Honors & Awards

  • 1988
    Phi Beta Kappa, University of California, San Diego
  • 1990
    Magna Cum Laude, University of California, San Diego
  • 1991
    Stanford Medical Student Scholars Program Research Fellow
  • 1992
    International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Poster Award Recipient
  • 1992
    American Heart Association Medical Student Research Fellow
  • 2000
    George D. Zuidema Award for Laboratory Research, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
  • 2003
    John L. Cameron Technical Excellence Award, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
  • 2007
    Excellence in Teaching Award, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
  • 2009
    Excellence in Teaching Award, The Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Memberships

Selected Publications

  1. Wang SJ, Kidder W, Joseph NM, Le BK, Lindsay S, Moon F, Nakakura EK, Zhang L, Bergsland EK. Factors associated with grade progression in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2025 Mar 01; 32(3).  View on PubMed
  2. Ejie J, Ashraf Ganjouei A, Hernandez S, Wang JJ, Romero-Hernandez F, Foroutani L, Hirose K, Nakakura E, Corvera CU, Alseidi A, Adam MA. Ongoing Failure to Deliver Guideline-Concordant Care for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2025 Jan 07; 17(2).  View on PubMed
  3. Wong P, Pollini T, Adam MA, Alseidi A, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Kirkwood KS, Nakakura EK, Thornblade L, Maker AV. ASO Visual Abstract: Distinct Indications for Adjuvant Therapy in Resected Invasive Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas Compared with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Jan; 32(1):536.  View on PubMed
  4. Yin H, Romero-Hernandez F, Ganjouei AA, Wang JJ, Brown A, Hirose K, Maker AV, Nakakura E, Corvera C, Kirkwood KS, Wilhelm A, Peng JS, Alseidi A, Adam MA. Adult Pancreatoblastoma: Clinical Insights and Outcomes Compared to Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Curr Oncol. 2024 08 28; 31(9):5008-5020.  View on PubMed
  5. Hoffman D, Ganjouei AA, Hernandez FR, Ifuku K, Miller P, Glencer A, Corvera C, Kirkwood K, Alseidi A, Adam M, Maker A, Hirose K, Hirose R, Nakakura EK. Graft choice in pancreatectomy with vascular resection: equivalent safety in selected patients. J Gastrointest Surg. 2024 Nov; 28(11):1799-1804.  View on PubMed
  6. Miller PN, Romero-Hernandez F, Calthorpe L, Wang JJ, Kim SS, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Kirkwood KS, Hirose R, Maker AV, Alseidi AA, Adam MA, Kim GE, Tempero MA, Ko AH, Nakakura EK. ASO Visual Abstract: Long-Duration Neoadjuvant Therapy with FOLFIRINOX Yields Favorable Outcomes for Patients Who Undergo Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Jul 27.  View on PubMed
  7. Wong P, Pollini T, Adam MA, Alseidi A, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Kirkwood KS, Nakakura EK, Thornblade L, Maker AV. Distinct Indications for Adjuvant Therapy in Resected Invasive Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas Compared with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Nov; 31(12):8276-8286.  View on PubMed
  8. Yogo A, Kasai Y, Nakakura EK. Enucleation of Neuroendocrine Liver Metastases. J Gastrointest Surg. 2024 Oct; 28(10):1735-1737.  View on PubMed
  9. Parikh AR, Chee BH, Tsai J, Rich TA, Price KS, Patel SA, Zhang L, Ibrahim F, Esquivel M, Van Seventer EE, Jarnagin JX, Raymond VM, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Nakakura EK, Corcoran RB, Van Loon K, Atreya CE. Minimal Residual Disease using a Plasma-Only Circulating Tumor DNA Assay to Predict Recurrence of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Curative Intent Treatment. Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jul 15; 30(14):2964-2973.  View on PubMed
  10. Miller PN, Nakakura EK. ASO Author Reflections: Total Neoadjuvant Therapy with Chemotherapy Alone for Pancreatic Cancer? Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep; 31(9):6203-6204.  View on PubMed
  11. Miller PN, Romero-Hernandez F, Calthorpe L, Wang JJ, Kim SS, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Kirkwood KS, Hirose R, Maker AV, Alseidi AA, Adam MA, Kim GE, Tempero MA, Ko AH, Nakakura EK. Long-Duration Neoadjuvant Therapy with FOLFIRINOX Yields Favorable Outcomes for Patients Who Undergo Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep; 31(9):6147-6156.  View on PubMed
  12. Yogo A, Nakakura EK. ASO Author Reflections: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Prototypical Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep; 31(9):5537-5538.  View on PubMed
  13. Yogo A, Paciorek A, Kasai Y, Moon F, Hirose K, Corvera CU, Bergsland EK, Nakakura EK. Long-Term Survival Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Surgery for Ileal Neuroendocrine Tumors. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep; 31(9):5507-5514.  View on PubMed
  14. Casey M, Brown A, Romero-Hernandez F, Wang JJ, Ganjouei AA, Tozzi F, Rashidian N, Kirkwood K, Corvera C, Nakakura E, Alseidi A, Adam M. National practice patterns in the use of endoscopic ultrasound biopsy for resectable Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Insights into the role of DOTATATE PET/CT in diagnosis. Am J Surg. 2024 Sep; 235:115779.  View on PubMed
  15. Wong P, Wisneski AD, Tsai KK, Chang TT, Hirose K, Nakakura EK, Daud AI, Maker AV, Corvera CU. Metastatic melanoma to small bowel: metastasectomy is supported in the era of immunotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors. World J Surg Oncol. 2024 Mar 11; 22(1):77.  View on PubMed
  16. Yin H, Ganjouei AA, Wang JJ, Romero-Hernandez F, Nakakura E, Alseidi A, Adam MA. Robotic-assisted endoluminal gastric leiomyoma resection: a novel surgical technique for benign gastroesophageal junction tumors. Chin Clin Oncol. 2024 Feb; 13(1):6.  View on PubMed
  17. Pollini T, Tran T, Wong P, Adam MA, Alseidi A, Corvera C, Hirose K, Nakakura E, Warren R, Maker VK, Maker AV. Improved survival of patients receiving immunotherapy and chemotherapy following curative-intent resection of colorectal liver metastases. J Gastrointest Surg. 2024 Mar; 28(3):246-251.  View on PubMed
  18. Ashraf Ganjouei A, Romero-Hernandez F, Wang JJ, Casey M, Frye W, Hoffman D, Hirose K, Nakakura E, Corvera C, Maker AV, Kirkwood KS, Alseidi A, Adam MA. A Machine Learning Approach to Predict Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreaticoduodenectomy Using Only Preoperatively Known Data. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Nov; 30(12):7738-7747.  View on PubMed
  19. Calthorpe L, Romero-Hernandez F, Casey M, Nunez M, Conroy PC, Hirose K, Kim A, Kirkwood K, Maker AV, Corvera C, Nakakura E, Alseidi A, Adam MA. ASO Visual Abstract: National Practice Patterns in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma-Updates in Management and Survival. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Aug; 30(8):5131.  View on PubMed
  20. Eads JR, Halfdanarson TR, Asmis T, Bellizzi AM, Bergsland EK, Dasari A, El-Haddad G, Frumovitz M, Meyer J, Mittra E, Myrehaug S, Nakakura E, Raj N, Soares HP, Untch B, Vijayvergia N, Chan JA. Expert Consensus Practice Recommendations of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society for the management of high grade gastroenteropancreatic and gynecologic neuroendocrine neoplasms. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2023 08 01; 30(8).  View on PubMed

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