Research Summary

My clinical interests focus most heavily on surgical neuropathology, especially in terms of its application towards neuro-oncology. As a diagnostic neuropathologist with a focus on CNS tumors, I am primarily involved in translational research with the primary goal of developing new diagnostic and prognostic markers, which can be utilized in the clinical management of brain tumor patients. In order to achieve this goal, my lab has applied immunohistochemical, molecular cytogenetic, and genomic screening techniques primarily towards the study of gliomas, meningiomas, and primitive pediatric malignancies. I have been particularly interested in improved classification and grading schemes as well as the identification of molecular genetic markers associated with tumorigenesis, malignant progression, and/or biologic behavior. I collaborate with a number of clinical and scientific researchers both within and outside UCSF and it is our hope that the markers we identify will improve patient management and lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches. I also maintain a private consultation service for difficult surgical neuropathology cases obtained from the U.S. and abroad, particularly brain tumors.

Research Funding

  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257

Education

The University of Texas at Austin, TX, B.S., 1986, Zoology
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, M.D., 1990, M.D.
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Postdoctoral, 1994, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Postdoctoral, 1998, Surgical Pathology, Neuropathology, and Research Fellowships

Honors & Awards

  • 1993
    First Place Resident Award (poster): Texas Society of Pathologists meeting
  • 1994
    First Place Resident Award (podium): Texas Society of Pathologists meeting
  • 1994
    Matthew T. Moore Award, International Congress of Neuropathology meeting
  • 1995
    Mary Tom Award, Canadian Association of Neuropathologists meeting
  • 1995-1997
    Fellowship Research Award, American Brain Tumor Association
  • 1999
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2001)
  • 2002
    Lucien J. Rubenstein Award, American Association of Neuropathologists meeting
  • 2002
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2004)
  • 2004
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2006)
  • 2005
    Professor of the Year Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2007)
  • 2006-now
    America’s Top Doctors and America's Top Doctors for Cancer (Castle Connolly)
  • 2007
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2009)
  • 2008
    Professor of the Year Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2010)
  • 2009-now
    Best Doctors in America, U.S. News and World Reports
  • 2009
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2011)
  • 2013
    Nominated for MS1 Essential Core Teaching Award, UCSF (MS Class of 2016)

Selected Publications

  1. Zhang Y, Lucas CG, Young JS, Morshed RA, McCoy L, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Daras M, Butowski NA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Cha S, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Lee JC, Pekmezci M, Phillips JJ, Perry A, Bollen AW, Aghi MK, Theodosopoulos P, Chang EF, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS, Clarke JL, Chang SM, Molinaro AM, Solomon DA. Prospective genomically guided identification of "early/evolving" and "undersampled" IDH-wildtype glioblastoma leads to improved clinical outcomes. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Oct 03; 24(10):1749-1762.  View on PubMed
  2. Lucas CG, Davidson CJ, Alashari M, Putnam AR, Whipple NS, Bruggers CS, Mendez JS, Cheshier SH, Walker JB, Ramani B, Cadwell CR, Sullivan DV, Lu R, Mirchia K, Van Ziffle J, Devine P, Goldschmidt E, Hervey-Jumper SL, Gupta N, Oberheim Bush NA, Raleigh DR, Bollen A, Tihan T, Pekmezci M, Solomon DA, Phillips JJ, Perry A. Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Divergent Clonal Evolution in Components of Composite Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma-Ganglioglioma. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2022 07 19; 81(8):650-657.  View on PubMed
  3. Kumar A, Mohamed E, Tong S, Chen K, Mukherjee J, Lim Y, Wong CM, Boosalis Z, Shai A, Pieper RO, Gupta N, Perry A, Bollen AW, Molinaro AM, Solomon DA, Shieh JTC, Phillips JJ. CXCL14 Promotes a Robust Brain Tumor-Associated Immune Response in Glioma. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 07 01; 28(13):2898-2910.  View on PubMed
  4. Vasudevan HN, Choudhury A, Hilz S, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Chen WC, Lucas CG, Braunstein SE, Oberheim Bush NA, Butowski N, Pekmezci M, McDermott MW, Perry A, Solomon DA, Magill ST, Raleigh DR. Intratumor and informatic heterogeneity influence meningioma molecular classification. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 09; 144(3):579-583.  View on PubMed
  5. Lu R, Pu C, Pekmeczi M, Perry A. Immature PIT1-Lineage Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor: a 17-Year-Old Male with Pathogenic AIP Mutation. Endocr Pathol. 2022 09; 33(3):414-416.  View on PubMed
  6. Bruggers CS, Linscott L, Lee JC, Perry A, Klonoski J, Viskochil D, Cheshier S, Afify Z. Molecular characterization of metachronous atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors occurring in a young man 15 years apart. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2022 Jun 09; e29836.  View on PubMed
  7. Rogers CL, Pugh SL, Vogelbaum MA, Perry A, Ashby LS, Modi JM, Alleman AM, Barani IJ, Braunstein S, Bovi JA, de Groot JF, Whitton AC, Lindhorst SM, Deb N, Shrieve DC, Shu HK, Bloom B, Machtay M, Mishra MV, Robinson CG, Won M, Mehta MP. Low-Risk Meningioma: Initial Outcomes from NRG Oncology/RTOG 0539. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Jun 03.  View on PubMed
  8. Güney E, Lucas CG, Qi Z, Yu J, Zhang R, Ohgami RS, Rubenstein JL, Boué DR, Schafernak K, Wertheim GB, Dahiya S, Giulino-Roth L, Attarbaschi A, Barth MJ, Kothari S, Abla O, Cohen AL, Mendez JS, Bollen A, Perry A, Tihan T, Pekmezci M, Solomon DA, Wen KW. A genetically distinct pediatric subtype of primary CNS large B-cell lymphoma is associated with favorable clinical outcome. Blood Adv. 2022 05 24; 6(10):3189-3193.  View on PubMed
  9. Choudhury A, Magill ST, Eaton CD, Prager BC, Chen WC, Cady MA, Seo K, Lucas CG, Casey-Clyde TJ, Vasudevan HN, Liu SJ, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Lam TC, Pu JK, Li LF, Leung GK, Swaney DL, Zhang MY, Chan JW, Qiu Z, Martin MV, Susko MS, Braunstein SE, Bush NAO, Schulte JD, Butowski N, Sneed PK, Berger MS, Krogan NJ, Perry A, Phillips JJ, Solomon DA, Costello JF, McDermott MW, Rich JN, Raleigh DR. Meningioma DNA methylation groups identify biological drivers and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Nat Genet. 2022 05; 54(5):649-659.  View on PubMed
  10. Brat DJ, Aldape K, Bridge JA, Canoll P, Colman H, Hameed MR, Harris BT, Hattab EM, Huse JT, Jenkins RB, Lopez-Terrada DH, McDonald WC, Rodriguez FJ, Souter LH, Colasacco C, Thomas NE, Yount MH, van den Bent MJ, Perry A. Molecular Biomarker Testing for the Diagnosis of Diffuse Gliomas. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2022 05 01; 146(5):547-574.  View on PubMed
  11. Asa SL, Mete O, Perry A, Osamura RY. Overview of the 2022 WHO Classification of Pituitary Tumors. Endocr Pathol. 2022 Mar; 33(1):6-26.  View on PubMed
  12. von Spreckelsen N, Kesseler C, Brokinkel B, Goldbrunner R, Perry A, Mawrin C. Molecular neuropathology of brain-invasive meningiomas. Brain Pathol. 2022 03; 32(2):e13048.  View on PubMed
  13. Pratt D, Abdullaev Z, Papanicolau-Sengos A, Ketchum C, Panneer Selvam P, Chung HJ, Lee I, Raffeld M, Gilbert MR, Armstrong TS, Pytel P, Borys E, Klonoski JM, McCord M, Horbinski C, Brat D, Perry A, Solomon D, Eberhart C, Giannini C, Quezado M, Aldape K. High-grade glioma with pleomorphic and pseudopapillary features (HPAP): a proposed type of circumscribed glioma in adults harboring frequent TP53 mutations and recurrent monosomy 13. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 03; 143(3):403-414.  View on PubMed
  14. Lucas CG, Abdullaev Z, Bruggers CS, Mirchia K, Whipple NS, Alashari MM, Lowichik A, Cheshier S, Phillips JJ, Devine P, Solomon DA, Quezado M, Aldape KD, Perry A. Activating NTRK2 and ALK receptor tyrosine kinase fusions extend the molecular spectrum of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas of early childhood: a diagnostic overlap with infant-type hemispheric glioma. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 02; 143(2):283-286.  View on PubMed
  15. Lucas CG, Gupta R, Wu J, Shah K, Ravindranathan A, Barreto J, Gener M, Ginn KF, Prall OWJ, Xu H, Kee D, Ko HS, Yaqoob N, Zia N, Florez A, Cha S, Perry A, Clarke JL, Chang SM, Berger MS, Solomon DA. EWSR1-BEND2 fusion defines an epigenetically distinct subtype of astroblastoma. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 01; 143(1):109-113.  View on PubMed
  16. Sloan EA, Gupta R, Koelsche C, Chiang J, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Alexandrescu S, Eschbacher JM, Wang W, Mafra M, Ud Din N, Carr-Boyd E, Watson M, Punsoni M, Oviedo A, Gilani A, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Coss DJ, Lopes MB, Reddy A, Mueller S, Cho SJ, Horvai AE, Lee JC, Pekmezci M, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Rodriguez FJ, Ellison DW, Perry A, von Deimling A, Chang SM, Berger MS, Solomon DA. Intracranial mesenchymal tumors with FET-CREB fusion are composed of at least two epigenetic subgroups distinct from meningioma and extracranial sarcomas. Brain Pathol. 2022 07; 32(4):e13037.  View on PubMed
  17. Virk HS, Shahlaie K, Ramani B, Perry A, Fragoso R, Tuscano J, Liu YA. Orbital Rosai-Dorfman Disease Presenting as Optic Neuritis. J Neuroophthalmol. 2022 03 01; 42(1):e293-e296.  View on PubMed
  18. Lucas CG, Mueller S, Reddy A, Taylor JW, Oberheim Bush NA, Clarke JL, Chang SM, Gupta N, Berger MS, Perry A, Phillips JJ, Solomon DA. Diffuse hemispheric glioma, H3 G34-mutant: Genomic landscape of a new tumor entity and prospects for targeted therapy. Neuro Oncol. 2021 11 02; 23(11):1974-1976.  View on PubMed
  19. Schmid S, Solomon DA, Perez E, Thieme A, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Giannini C, Reinhardt A, Asa SL, Mete O, Stichel D, Siewert C, Dittmayer C, Hasselblatt M, Paulus W, Nagel C, Harter PN, Schittenhelm J, Honegger J, Rushing E, Coras R, Pfister SM, Buslei R, Koch A, Perry A, Jones DTW, von Deimling A, Capper D, Lopes MB. Genetic and epigenetic characterization of posterior pituitary tumors. Acta Neuropathol. 2021 12; 142(6):1025-1043.  View on PubMed
  20. Carter-Febres M, Schneller N, Fair D, Solomon D, Perry A, Roy A, Linscott L, Alashari M, Kestle JR, Bruggers CS. Adjuvant Maintenance Larotrectinib Therapy in 2 Children With NTRK Fusion-positive High-grade Cancers. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Oct 01; 43(7):e987-e990.  View on PubMed

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