Margaret von Mehren, MD

Margaret Von Mehren

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Clinical Locations

  • Fox Chase Cancer Center
    333 Cottman Avenue
    Philadelphia, PA 19111
    Phone: 888-369-2427

Chief, Division of Sarcoma Medical Oncology

Vice Chair, Department of Hematology/Oncology

Physician Director, Clinical Trials Office

Associate Director, Clinical Research

Professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology

NCCN, Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Panel Member

NCCN, Soft Tissue Sarcoma Panel Member

Specialties

  • Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Medical Oncology

Areas of Expertise

Uterine Sarcoma, GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor), Skin Cancer, Sarcoma, Melanoma

Treatment Focus

Chemotherapy; tyrosine kinase therapy; immunotherapy

Research Program

Distinctions

Treatment Philosophy

I first had the opportunity to treat patients with sarcoma during my oncology fellowship training. I really enjoyed the challenge of this area of oncology because of the many types of tumors and their rarity.  When I meet a patient, I work to be certain the pathologic diagnosis is correct and address what we need to do to treat the disease. I collaborate with Fox Chase pathologists, radiologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and social workers to develop the right treatment plan. We meet as a team weekly at the Sarcoma multi-disciplinary tumor board to review individual patient cases and agree on the best management.

I am also committed to developing new therapies for patients with sarcomas. The strides made in improving cancer care have come from research and clinical trials. I work closely with scientists to better understand gastrointestinal stromal tumors and other sarcomas. I aim to have research studies as a treatment option for my sarcoma patients.

Educational Background

  • Fellow, Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
  • Resident, Internal Medicine, New York University Medical Center, NY
  • MD, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 1989
  • BS, Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1985

Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine - Medical Oncology

Memberships

  • National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
    • Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Panel
    • JNCCN Editorial Board
    • Soft Tissue Sarcoma Panel
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • American Association of Cancer Research
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
  • Connective Tissue Oncology Society
  • Intergroup Coalition Against Sarcomas, 2003-2007
  • Sarcoma Alliance through Research and Collaboration
  • Medical Advisory and Editorial Board of the of the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, 2010-201

Honors & Awards

  • Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2006-2024
  • Best Doctors in America® , 2013-14, 2019-2020, Medical Oncology and Urology
  • America’s Top Doctors®, 2015-17
  • Co-Chairman, 2013 GIST NET Global Opinion Leader Summit, Helsinki, FI, 2013
  • Co-Chairman, 2008 GIST Global Opinion Leader Summit, Warsaw, Poland, 2008
  • Clinical Investigator Training Program K-12 Award, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 1996-1998
  • Kenneth B. Olsen Prize, The Lamb Foundation, Inc., 1989
  • Amgen Fellowship Scholarship, American Association of Cancer Research, 1986
Robert Smith

Robert Smith

  • Sarcoma

I recently ended a long-term relationship with Fox Chase Cancer Center, where I have been receiving treatment on and off for more than a decade.

VIEW PATIENT STORY
Carol Rey

Carol Rey

  • GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor)

When I met the physicians at Fox Chase Cancer Center who would be treating me, I knew right away there were no better hands to be in.

I am a breast cancer survivor, but my second journey with cancer started about two and a half years ago, when I started to experience two symptoms. First, I was waking every two hours during the night to empty my bladder. Second, I started having quite a bit of trouble moving my bowels. I put off seeing a doctor about these symptoms, but finally a friend of mine suggested that I go see a gynecologist to discuss what was happening.

VIEW PATIENT STORY
Steven Zatoris and his wife.

Steven Zatoris

  • Sarcoma
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Lung Cancer

In 2021, I started having pain in my left leg. I visited my family doctor, and at first we thought it might be a deep vein thrombosis. When we ruled that out, I saw a vascular doctor in case it might be varicose veins. That doctor had me get an MRI, and after those results came back, I had to get a biopsy. That’s when the doctors confirmed that I had a stage IV tumor in my leg.

VIEW PATIENT STORY
Link to /sites/default/files/styles/patient_story/public/images/patient-stories/toulabanner.jpg?h=5ea76856&itok=8KmTtTXT

Toula Aris

  • Breast Cancer

As a cancer survivor of over 20 years and as a mother who lost a daughter to cancer, I can say with certainty that cancer does not discriminate. Prior to my diagnosis, there was no family history of cancer and I always lived a healthy lifestyle, yet this disease affected me. A diagnosis can sneak up on anyone, regardless of how healthy they appear.

VIEW PATIENT STORY

Research Interests

  • Soft tissue and bone sarcomas
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
  • Drug development
  • Clinical trials

Selected Publications

Blay J.Y., Kang Y.K., Nishida T.,von Mehren M., Gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 7(1): 22, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33737510.

von Mehren M., George S., Heinrich M.C., Schuetze S.M., Yap J.T., Yu J.Q., Abbott A., Litwin S., Crowley J., Belinsky M., Janeway K.A., Hornick J.L., Flieder D.B., Chugh R., Rink L.A.,Van den Abbeele A.D., Linsitinib (osi-906) for the treatment of adult and pediatric wild type gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a sarc phase ii study. Clin Cancer Res. 26(8): 1837-1845, 2020. PMC7856429. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31792037.

Patel D, Handorf E, von Mehren M, Martin L, Movva S. Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Uterine Leiomyosarcoma: Trends and Factors Impacting Usage. Sarcoma, 2019:3561501, 2019. PMC6387708

Calvo E, Azaro A, Rodon J, Dirix L, Huizing M, Senecal FM, LoRusso P, Yee L, Poggesi I, de Jong J, Triantos S, Park YC, Knoblauch RE, Parekh TV, Demetri GD, von Mehren M. Hepatic safety analysis of trabectedin: results of a pharmacokinetic study with trabectedin in patients with hepatic impairment and experience from a phase 3 clinical trial. Investigational new drugs, 36(3):476-86, 2018. PubMed

Moten AS, Movva S, von Mehren M, Wu H, Esnaola NF, Reddy SS, Farma JM. Granular cell tumor experience at a comprehensive cancer center. J Surg Res, 226:1-7, 2018. PubMed

von Mehren M, Joensuu H. Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors. Journal of clinical oncology: official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 36(2):136-43, 2018. ascopubs.org

Movva S, Wen W, Chen W, Millis SZ, Gatalica Z, Reddy S, von Mehren M, Van Tine BA. Multi-platform profiling of over 2000 sarcomas: Identification of biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. Oncotargets 2015 Mar 26. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

von Mehren M, Bookman M, Meropol N, Weiner L, Sherman E, Li J, Knoblauch R, Parekh T, Cohen R. Phase I study of the safety and pharmacokinetics of trabectedin with docetaxel in patients with advanced malignancies. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 75(5):1047-55, 2015. PubMed

von Mehren M, Randall RL, Benjamin RS, Boles S, Bui MM, Casper ES, Conrad EU 3rd, DeLaney TF, Ganjoo KN, George S, Gonzalez RJ, Heslin MJ, Kane JM 3rd, Mayerson J, McGarry SV, Meyer C, O'Donnell RJ, Pappo AS, Paz IB, Pfeifer JD, Riedel RF, Schuetze S, Schupak KD, Schwartz HS, Van Tine BA, Wayne JD, Bergman MA, Sundar H. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors, version 2.2014. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 12(6):853-62, 2014. PubMed

von Mehren M, Randall RL, Benjamin RS, Boles S, Bui MM, Casper ES, Conrad EU, DeLaney TF, Ganjoo KN, George S, Gonzalez RJ, Heslin MJ, Kane JM, Mayerson J, McGarry SV, Meyer C, O'Donnell RJ, Pappo AS, Paz IB, Pfeifer JD, Riedel RF, Schuetze S, Schupak KD, Schwartz HS, Van Tine BA, Wayne JD, Bergman MA, Sundar H. Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Version 2.2014 Featured Updates to the NCCN Guidelines. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 12(4):473-83, 2014.

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