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. Conroy PC, Nakakura E. Evidence-Based Guidelines for Branch-Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm Management: Still a Lot of Room to Grow. JAMA Surg. 2021 Jul 01; 156(7):661-662.  View on PubMed
  2. Chen KS, Lawhn-Heath C, Behr S, Juarez R, Whitman J, Paciorek A, Nakakura EK, Fidelman N, Feng MU, Bergsland EK, Anwar M. Outcomes after high-dose radiation in the management of neuroendocrine neoplasms. PLoS One. 2021; 16(6):e0252574.  View on PubMed
  3. Thiruvengadam NR, Miranda J, Kim C, Behr S, Corvera C, Dai SC, Kirkwood K, Harris HW, Hirose K, Nakakura E, Ostroff JW, Kochman ML, Arain MA. Burden of Ionizing Radiation in the Diagnosis and Management of Necrotizing Pancreatitis. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2021 04 27; 12(5):e00347.  View on PubMed
  4. Tempero MA, Malafa MP, Al-Hawary M, Behrman SW, Benson AB, Cardin DB, Chiorean EG, Chung V, Czito B, Del Chiaro M, Dillhoff M, Donahue TR, Dotan E, Ferrone CR, Fountzilas C, Hardacre J, Hawkins WG, Klute K, Ko AH, Kunstman JW, LoConte N, Lowy AM, Moravek C, Nakakura EK, Narang AK, Obando J, Polanco PM, Reddy S, Reyngold M, Scaife C, Shen J, Vollmer C, Wolff RA, Wolpin BM, Lynn B, George GV. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Version 2.2021, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2021 Apr 01; 19(4):439-457.  View on PubMed
  5. Chan H, Zhang L, Choti MA, Kulke M, Yao JC, Nakakura EK, Bloomston M, Benson AB, Shah MH, Strosberg JR, Bergsland EK, Van Loon K. Recurrence Patterns After Surgical Resection of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Analysis From the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Outcomes Database. Pancreas. 2021 04 01; 50(4):506-512.  View on PubMed
  6. Mahuron KM, Kasai Y, Javeed ZA, Bergsland EK, Hirose K, Corvera CU, Nakakura EK. Minimally Invasive Surgery for Ileal Neuroendocrine Tumors. J Gastrointest Surg. 2021 Mar 19.  View on PubMed
  7. Gomez A, Wisneski AD, Luu HY, Hirose K, Roberts JP, Hirose R, Freise CE, Nakakura EK, Corvera CU. Contemporary Management of Hepatic Cyst Disease: Techniques and Outcomes at a Tertiary Hepatobiliary Center. J Gastrointest Surg. 2021 01; 25(1):77-84.  View on PubMed
  8. Kramer SP, Bowman CJ, Wang ZJ, Sheahon KM, Nakakura EK, Cho SJ, Umetsu SE, Behr SC. Hybrid Low-Grade Fibromyxoid Sarcoma and Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma of the Pancreas. J Gastrointest Cancer. 2020 Sep; 51(3):1025-1029.  View on PubMed
  9. Sharib JM, Nakakura EK. Randomized Clinical Trial of Nasogastric Tube Placement After Pancreaticoduodenectomy. JAMA Surg. 2020 09 01; 155(9):e202305.  View on PubMed
  10. Wisneski AD, Jin C, Huang CY, Warren R, Hirose K, Nakakura EK, Corvera CU. Synchronous Versus Metachronous Colorectal Liver Metastasis Yields Similar Survival in Modern Era. J Surg Res. 2020 12; 256:476-485.  View on PubMed
  11. Kasai Y, Nakakura EK. Awareness of a mesenteric mass as a common manifestation of ileal neuroendocrine tumor. Surg Case Rep. 2020 May 24; 6(1):110.  View on PubMed
  12. Zhang Z, Mäkinen N, Kasai Y, Kim GE, Diosdado B, Nakakura E, Meyerson M. Patterns of chromosome 18 loss of heterozygosity in multifocal ileal neuroendocrine tumors. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2020 09; 59(9):535-539.  View on PubMed
  13. Wisneski AD, Carter J, Nakakura EK, Posselt A, Rogers SJ, Cello JP, Arain M, Kirkwood KS, Hirose K, Stewart L, Corvera CU. Ampullary stenosis and choledocholithiasis post Roux-En-Y gastric bypass: challenges of biliary access and intervention. HPB (Oxford). 2020 10; 22(10):1496-1503.  View on PubMed
  14. Kasai Y, Mahuron K, Hirose K, Corvera CU, Kim GE, Hope TA, Shih BE, Warren RS, Bergsland EK, Nakakura EK. A novel stratification of mesenteric mass involvement as a predictor of challenging mesenteric lymph node dissection by minimally invasive approach for ileal neuroendocrine tumors. J Surg Oncol. 2020 Aug; 122(2):204-211.  View on PubMed
  15. Kasai Y, Hirose K, Corvera CU, Kim GE, Hope TA, Shih BE, Harun N, Kim MO, Warren RS, Bergsland EK, Nakakura EK. Residual tumor volume discriminates prognosis after surgery for neuroendocrine liver metastasis. J Surg Oncol. 2019 Dec 11.  View on PubMed
  16. Kasai Y, Mahuron K, Hirose K, Corvera CU, Kim GE, Hope TA, Shih BE, Warren RS, Bergsland EK, Nakakura EK. Prognostic impact of a large mesenteric mass >2?cm in ileal neuroendocrine tumors. J Surg Oncol. 2019 Dec; 120(8):1311-1317.  View on PubMed
  17. Ko AH, Nakakura EK. Adjuvant Therapy for Ampullary Cancer. JAMA Surg. 2019 08 01; 154(8):715.  View on PubMed
  18. Donner DB, Nakakura EK, Venook AP, Lenz HJ, Zhang W, Hwang J, Bergsland EK, Lin MH, Toriguchi K, Antonia RJ, Warren RS. High thymidylate synthase gene expression predicts poor outcome after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One. 2019; 14(7):e0219469.  View on PubMed
  19. Kwon DH, Paciorek A, Mulvey CK, Chan H, Fidelman N, Meng L, Nakakura EK, Zhang L, Bergsland EK, Van Loon K. Periprocedural Management of Patients Undergoing Liver Resection or Embolotherapy for Neuroendocrine Tumor Metastases. Pancreas. 2019 04; 48(4):496-503.  View on PubMed
  20. Kim SS, Ko AH, Nakakura EK, Wang ZJ, Corvera CU, Harris HW, Kirkwood KS, Hirose R, Tempero MA, Kim GE. Comparison of Tumor Regression Grading of Residual Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Without Radiation: Would Fewer Tier-Stratification Be Favorable Toward Standardization? Am J Surg Pathol. 2019 03; 43(3):334-340.  View on PubMed

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