Research Summary

Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, is professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she is also the director of Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education. Dr. Rugo joined the Breast Care Center in 1999 after a decade of experience at University of California San Francisco in malignant hematology and bone marrow transplantation for a variety of diseases, including breast cancer. She entered the field of breast cancer in order to incorporate novel therapies based on an understanding of the biology of cancer with excellent quality of care into the treatment of women with breast cancer.

Dr. Rugo is the Director of Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a principal investigator of multiple clinical trials focusing on combining novel targeted therapeutics with standard treatment to improve the treatment of both early and late stage breast cancer, and has published widely in this area. Her current research interests include immunotherapy and combinations of targeted agents in the treatment of breast cancer to overcome resistance. She was a member of the steering committee for the EMBRACA and ABRAZO studies that evaluated the efficacy of the PARP inhibitor talazoparib in patients with metastatic breast cancer and germline mutations in BRCA1 and 2. In addition, Dr. Rugo has conducted a number of studies focusing on reducing toxicity from therapy, resulting in approval of scalp cooling to reduce chemotherapy induced hair loss, and a steroid mouthwash to reduce targeted agent stomatitis. She is an investigator and the chair of the Safety Committee for the multicenter adaptively randomized phase II I-SPY2 trial, and serves on the Novel Agents Committee. Dr. Rugo is the co-chair of the Triple Negative Working Group and an active member of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC), and is the principal investigator of several TBCRC trials including a multi-center immunotherapy trial funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). She is an active member of the Alliance (formerly CALGB) Breast Committee, as well as ASCO, where she serves on the Guidelines Committee and as an editor for the Education Committee.

In addition to her research, Dr. Rugo is an active clinician, and is committed to education, regularly lecturing locally, nationally and internationally on subjects relating to the treatment of and supportive care for breast cancer. At UCSF, Dr. Rugo runs the Breast Forum, an open bimonthly evening educational session for breast cancer patients, families and friends from throughout the bay area.

Dr. Rugo graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1983. She completed a residency in internal medicine and primary care followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of California San Francisco. She was a post-doctoral fellow in immunology participating in laboratory research at Stanford University from 1988-1990. In 1990, Dr. Rugo joined the faculty at UCSF in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Rugo recognized for her excellence in both patient care and in teaching of both medical students and training physicians. She has received several awards including the Bank of America Gianini Foundation Award and a UCSF Clinical Cancer Center Investigator Research Program intra-mural award. In 2006, she received an honor for her work in Breast Cancer Research by the Friends of the Breast Care Center and received the Cancer Care physician of the year award in 2010 by the Cancer Care National Organization.

Research Funding

  • December 1, 1974 - September 29, 2006 - General Clinical Research Center, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCRR, Sponsor Award ID: M01RR000079
  • December 1, 1974 - September 29, 2006 - General Clinical Research Center, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCRR, Sponsor Award ID: M01RR000079
  • December 1, 1974 - September 29, 2006 - General Clinical Research Center, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCRR, Sponsor Award ID: M01RR000079
  • December 1, 1974 - September 29, 2006 - General Clinical Research Center, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCRR, Sponsor Award ID: M01RR000079

Education

Tufts University, BS, 1979, Chemistry
University of Pennsylvania, MD, 1984, Medicine
University of California San Francisco, 1987, Resident, Internal Medicine
University of California San Francisco, 1990, Fellow, Hematology/Oncology
Stanford University, 1988-90, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Microbiology/Immunology
DNAX Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, 1989-90, Visiting Scientist, Immunology

Honors & Awards

  • College
    Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi; Victor Prather Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research; Durkee Scholarship for promise and achievement in the field of chemistry; Max Tishler Prize Scholarship for outstanding achievement in the sciences
  • Medical School
    Henry Luce Scholar in the Philippines; Certificate of Commendation, Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health; National Health Service Corps Scholarship; Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citation
  • 1990
    Awarded Bank of America Gianini Foundation Research Fellowship

Selected Publications

  1. Jhaveri K, Burris Rd HA, Yap TA, Hamilton E, Rugo HS, Goldman JW, Dann S, Liu F, Wong GY, Krupka H, Shapiro GI. The evolution of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors in the treatment of cancer. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2021 Sep 01; 1-20.  View on PubMed
  2. Neven P, Rugo HS, Tolaney SM, Iwata H, Toi M, Goetz MP, Kaufman PA, Lu Y, Haddad N, Hurt KC, Sledge GW. Abemaciclib plus fulvestrant in hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer in premenopausal women: subgroup analysis from the MONARCH 2 trial. Breast Cancer Res. 2021 Aug 23; 23(1):87.  View on PubMed
  3. Emens LA, Molinero L, Loi S, Rugo HS, Schneeweiss A, Diéras V, Iwata H, Barrios CH, Nechaeva M, Nguyen-Duc A, Chui SY, Husain A, Winer EP, Adams S, Schmid P. Atezolizumab and nab-Paclitaxel in Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Biomarker Evaluation of the IMpassion130 Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2021 Aug 02; 113(8):1005-1016.  View on PubMed
  4. Emens LA, Adams S, Barrios CH, Diéras V, Iwata H, Loi S, Rugo HS, Schneeweiss A, Winer EP, Patel S, Henschel V, Swat A, Kaul M, Molinero L, Patel S, Chui SY, Schmid P. Corrigendum to 'First-line atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: IMpassion130 final overall survival analysis': Annals of Oncology 2021; volume 32: 983-993. Ann Oncol. 2021 Aug 02.  View on PubMed
  5. Emens LA, Adams S, Cimino-Mathews A, Disis ML, Gatti-Mays ME, Ho AY, Kalinsky K, McArthur HL, Mittendorf EA, Nanda R, Page DB, Rugo HS, Rubin KM, Soliman H, Spears PA, Tolaney SM, Litton JK. Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer. 2021 Aug; 9(8).  View on PubMed
  6. Burstein HJ, Somerfield MR, Barton DL, Dorris A, Fallowfield LJ, Jain D, Johnston SRD, Korde LA, Litton JK, Macrae ER, Peterson LL, Vikas P, Yung RL, Rugo HS. Endocrine Treatment and Targeted Therapy for Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Jul 29; JCO2101392.  View on PubMed
  7. Bardia A, Hurvitz SA, Rugo HS. Sacituzumab Govitecan in Metastatic Breast Cancer. Reply. N Engl J Med. 2021 07 15; 385(3):e12.  View on PubMed
  8. Cortes J, Rugo HS, Guo Z, Karantza V, Schmid P. Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer - Authors' reply. Lancet. 2021 07 03; 398(10294):24-25.  View on PubMed
  9. Emens LA, Adams S, Barrios CH, Diéras V, Iwata H, Loi S, Rugo HS, Schneeweiss A, Winer EP, Patel S, Henschel V, Swat A, Kaul M, Molinero L, Patel S, Chui SY, Schmid P. First-line atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel for unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: IMpassion130 final overall survival analysis. Ann Oncol. 2021 08; 32(8):983-993.  View on PubMed
  10. Spring LM, Nakajima E, Hutchinson J, Viscosi E, Blouin G, Weekes C, Rugo H, Moy B, Bardia A. Sacituzumab Govitecan for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Clinical Overview and Management of Potential Toxicities. Oncologist. 2021 Jun 27.  View on PubMed
  11. Koh SB, Ross K, Isakoff SJ, Melkonjan N, He L, Matissek KJ, Schultz A, Mayer EL, Traina TA, Carey LA, Rugo HS, Liu MC, Stearns V, Langenbucher A, Saladi SV, Ramaswamy S, Lawrence MS, Ellisen LW. RASAL2 Confers Collateral MEK/EGFR Dependency in Chemoresistant Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Sep 01; 27(17):4883-4897.  View on PubMed
  12. Pusztai L, Yau C, Wolf DM, Han HS, Du L, Wallace AM, String-Reasor E, Boughey JC, Chien AJ, Elias AD, Beckwith H, Nanda R, Albain KS, Clark AS, Kemmer K, Kalinsky K, Isaacs C, Thomas A, Shatsky R, Helsten TL, Forero-Torres A, Liu MC, Brown-Swigart L, Petricoin EF, Wulfkuhle JD, Asare SM, Wilson A, Singhrao R, Sit L, Hirst GL, Berry S, Sanil A, Asare AL, Matthews JB, Perlmutter J, Melisko M, Rugo HS, Schwab RB, Symmans WF, Yee D, Van't Veer LJ, Hylton NM, DeMichele AM, Berry DA, Esserman LJ. Durvalumab with olaparib and paclitaxel for high-risk HER2-negative stage II/III breast cancer: Results from the adaptively randomized I-SPY2 trial. Cancer Cell. 2021 Jul 12; 39(7):989-998.e5.  View on PubMed
  13. Rugo HS, Pennella EJ, Gopalakrishnan U, Hernandez-Bronchud M, Herson J, Koch HF, Loganathan S, Deodhar S, Marwah A, Manikhas A, Bondarenko I, Mukhametshina G, Nemsadze G, Parra JD, Abesamis-Tiambeng MLT, Baramidze K, Akewanlop C, Vynnychenko I, Sriuranpong V, Mamillapalli G, Roy S, Yanez Ruiz EP, Barve A, Fuentes-Alburo A, Waller CF. Final overall survival analysis of the phase 3 HERITAGE study demonstrates equivalence of trastuzumab-dkst to trastuzumab in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Jul; 188(2):369-377.  View on PubMed
  14. Ruddy KJ, Zheng Y, Tayob N, Hu J, Dang CT, Yardley DA, Isakoff SJ, Valero VV, Faggen MG, Mulvey TM, Bose R, Sella T, Weckstein DJ, Wolff AC, Reeder-Hayes KE, Rugo HS, Ramaswamy B, Zuckerman DS, Hart LL, Gadi VK, Constantine M, Cheng KL, Briccetti FM, Schneider BP, Merrill Garrett A, Kelly Marcom P, Albain KS, DeFusco PA, Tung NM, Ardman BM, Nanda R, Jankowitz RC, Rimawi M, Abramson V, Pohlmann PR, Van Poznak C, Forero-Torres A, Liu MC, Rosenberg S, DeMeo MK, Burstein HJ, Winer EP, Krop IE, Partridge AH, Tolaney SM. Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) after adjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) compared to paclitaxel in combination with trastuzumab (TH) (TBCRC033: ATEMPT Trial). Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Aug; 189(1):103-110.  View on PubMed
  15. Rugo HS, Cristofanilli M, Loibl S, Harbeck N, DeMichele A, Iwata H, Park YH, Brufsky A, Theall KP, Huang X, McRoy L, Bananis E, Turner NC. Prognostic Factors for Overall Survival in Patients with Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer: Analyses From PALOMA-3. Oncologist. 2021 Aug; 26(8):e1339-e1346.  View on PubMed
  16. Potter DA, Thomas A, Rugo HS. A Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Trial for Early Breast Cancer is Impacted by COVID-19: Addressing Vaccination and Cancer Trials Through Education, Equity, and Outcomes. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 08 15; 27(16):4486-4490.  View on PubMed
  17. Bardia A, Tolaney SM, Punie K, Loirat D, Oliveira M, Kalinsky K, Zelnak A, Aftimos P, Dalenc F, Sardesai S, Hamilton E, Sharma P, Recalde S, Gil EC, Traina T, O'Shaughnessy J, Cortes J, Tsai M, Vahdat L, Diéras V, Carey LA, Rugo HS, Goldenberg DM, Hong Q, Olivo M, Itri LM, Hurvitz SA. Biomarker analyses in the phase III ASCENT study of sacituzumab govitecan versus chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Ann Oncol. 2021 09; 32(9):1148-1156.  View on PubMed
  18. Rugo HS, Loi S, Adams S, Schmid P, Schneeweiss A, Barrios CH, Iwata H, Diéras V, Winer EP, Kockx MM, Peeters D, Chui SY, Lin JC, Duc AN, Viale G, Molinero L, Emens LA. PD-L1 Immunohistochemistry Assay Comparison in Atezolizumab plus nab-Paclitaxel-Treated Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2021 Jun 07.  View on PubMed
  19. Tolaney SM, Tayob N, Dang C, Yardley DA, Isakoff SJ, Valero V, Faggen M, Mulvey T, Bose R, Hu J, Weckstein D, Wolff AC, Reeder-Hayes K, Rugo HS, Ramaswamy B, Zuckerman D, Hart L, Gadi VK, Constantine M, Cheng K, Briccetti F, Schneider B, Garrett AM, Marcom K, Albain K, DeFusco P, Tung N, Ardman B, Nanda R, Jankowitz RC, Rimawi M, Abramson V, Pohlmann PR, Van Poznak C, Forero-Torres A, Liu M, Ruddy K, Zheng Y, Rosenberg SM, Gelber RD, Trippa L, Barry W, DeMeo M, Burstein H, Partridge A, Winer EP, Krop I. Adjuvant Trastuzumab Emtansine Versus Paclitaxel in Combination With Trastuzumab for Stage I HER2-Positive Breast Cancer (ATEMPT): A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Jul 20; 39(21):2375-2385.  View on PubMed
  20. Turner S, Chia S, Kanakamedala H, Hsu WC, Park J, Chandiwana D, Ridolfi A, Yu CL, Zarate JP, Rugo HS. Effectiveness of Alpelisib + Fulvestrant Compared with Real-World Standard Treatment Among Patients with HR+, HER2-, PIK3CA-Mutated Breast Cancer. Oncologist. 2021 07; 26(7):e1133-e1142.  View on PubMed

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