Britt-Marie Ljung, MD
Professor, Department of Pathology, UCSF
Research Summary
Dr. Britt-Marie Ljung is a pathologist, a specialist in analyzing samples to diagnose disease. She one of several UCSF doctors who perform fine needle aspirations, a simple procedure in which a needle is inserted through the skin to draw material from a lump. (By examining the sample microscopically, pathologists can assess whether the lump is cancerous.) Ljung is dedicated to finding the causes of cancer and providing each patient with a timely diagnosis.Ljung earned her medical degree at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. She completed part of her medical training in Sweden in oncology, the study of cancer, and in cytology, the study of cells to make diagnoses. She continued her training at the University of California, Los Angeles, completing a residency in pathology. She joined UCSF in 1983.
Ljung has written more than 100 articles for scientific journals on the complex nature of breast cancer and other cancers.
Research Funding
- October 16, 2023 - October 16, 2023 - Clinical research on Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies, impact on patient care and factors that drive cost effectiveness and accuracy of diagnosis including molecular testing and quality of sampling and interpretation. , . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
- October 16, 2023 - October 16, 2023 - , . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
Education
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, BS, 1971
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, MD, 1975
Koping Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, Intern, 1975-77, Rotating
Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, Resident, 1977-78, Oncology
Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, Resident, 1978-80, Cytology
University Of California, Los Angeles, School Of Medicine, Resident, 1980-83, Pathology
Honors & Awards
- 1987
1987 Year Book of Cancer - 1987
Academic Senate Committee on Equal Opportunity Faculty Development Affirmative Action Award - 1994
Outstanding Lecture, UCSF Medical Students - 1995
Honorary Visiting Professor of Cytology, University of Iowa - 1997
John K. Frost Lectureship, 38th Annual Postgraduate Institute Johns Hopkins University - 1999
Elected to Gerson Lehrman Group's Council of Healthcare Advisors - 2000
Best Abstract Presentation by Senior Faculty Member, UCSF - 2001
Nominated for "An Outstanding Lecture" UCSF Medical Students - 2001
Outstanding Lecture Series, UCSF Medical Students - 2002
Selected Top Doctor in Pathology, www.guidetotopdoctors.org. - 2004
Bay Area Top Doctors ( 8 mentions) - 2009
America’s Top Doctors for Cancer, Castle Connolly American Registry - 2010
Yolanda Oertel Interventional Cytopathologist of the Year, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology - 2010
College of American Pathologists Excellence in Education Award
Selected Publications
- Kimambo AH, Vuhahula EA, Mwakigonja AR, Ljung BM, Zhang L, Van Loon K, Ng DL. Evaluating Estrogen Receptor Immunohistochemistry on Cell Blocks From Breast Cancer Patients in a Low-Resource Setting. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2021 07 01; 145(7):834-841. View on PubMed
- Ng DL, van Zante A, Griffin A, Hills NK, Ljung BM. A Large Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Cohort with Long-Term Population-Based Follow-Up. Thyroid. 2021 07; 31(7):1086-1095. View on PubMed
- Goldhoff PE, Vohra P, Kolli KP, Ljung BM. Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Liver Lesions Yields Higher Tumor Fraction for Molecular Studies: A Direct Comparison With Concurrent Core Needle Biopsy. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2019 09 01; 17(9):1075-1081. View on PubMed
- Yang SR, Ljung BM. Teaching and learning FNA biopsy: An update for the modern audience. Cancer Cytopathol. 2019 10; 127(10):615-617. View on PubMed
- Field AS, Raymond WA, Rickard M, Arnold L, Brachtel EF, Chaiwun B, Chen L, Di Bonito L, Kurtycz DFI, Lee AHS, Lim E, Ljung BM, Michelow P, Osamura RY, Pinamonti M, Sauer T, Segara D, Tse G, Vielh P, Chong PY, Schmitt F. The International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System for Reporting Breast Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy Cytopathology. Acta Cytol. 2019; 63(4):257-273. View on PubMed