Margaret von Mehren, MD

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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

Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment

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

Link to /sites/default/files/styles/patient_story/public/images/patient-stories/IMG_1762.JPG?h=89aecc28&itok=f1FQ2ScR

Michelle Palandro

Sarcoma

Michelle Palandro was a healthy and active 27-year-old woman when she was diagnosed with liposarcoma. After first meeting with an oncologist at a large teaching hospital, Michelle was not convinced that this was the best place for her treatment. She sought a second opinion and was pleased with the compassion and thoroughness of the treatment team at Fox Chase. After undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, Michelle is happy to report that she has been cancer free since 2012, and that she gave birth to a healthy baby boy in 2015. "At Fox Chase, every single person I met and every single nurse who took care of me was exceptional."

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John St. Omer

GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor)

In the spring 2005, I passed out at my home and was taken to my local emergency room. After describing my symptoms, an endoscopy was performed. Doctors found a mass in my stomach and performed laparoscopic surgery to remove it. My discharge instructions made no mention of cancer.

In April 2007, my symptoms were back, so I returned to the same hospital. The doctors asked me whether I followed up with an oncologist after my initial surgery. No one at my local hospital ever told me I had cancer, so I was confused and shocked by this news.

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Warren Chambers

GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor)

My body’s call for medical attention came on a seemingly normal morning in 2007, when I experienced extreme difficulty swallowing after completing my regular workout routine. I had an uneasy feeling about the strange sensation, but I delayed pursuing a doctor’s help until the next day, when I finally decided to go to the emergency room at a local hospital. The emergency room doctor found a large growth in my stomach and recommended that I seek a facility that was able to handle a tumor of that type and size. I was shocked that I could be living with something and not know. I was able to run five miles the previous day with no issues.

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.

... Expand

Hensley H, Devarajan K Johnson JR, Piwnica-Worms D, Godwin AK, von Mehren M, Rink L. Evaluating New Therapies in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Using in vivo Molecular Optical Imaging. Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, 15(7):911-8, 2014. PubMed

Demetri G, Reichardt P, Kang Y-K, Blay JY, Rutkowski P, Gelderblom H, Hohenberger P, Leahy M, von Mehren M, Joensuu H, Badalamenti G, Blackstein M, Le Cesne A, Schffski P, Maki RG, Bauer S, Nguyen BB, Xu J, Nishida T, Chung J, Kappeler C, Kuss I, Laurent D, Casali PG. Efficacy and safety of regorafenib for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours after failure of imatinib and sunitinib (GRID): an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet, 381(9863):295-302. 2013. PubMed PMID: 23177515; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3819942.

Belinsky MG, Rink L, Flieder DB, Jahromi MS, Schiffman JD, Godwin AK, von Mehren M. Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and frequent mutational inactivation of SDHA in wild-type SDHB-negative gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer, 52(2):214-24, 2013. PubMed PMID: 23109135; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3564228.

George S, Wang Q, Heinrich MC, Corless CL, Zhu M, Butrynski JE, Morgan JA, Wagner AJ, Choy E, Tap WD, Yap JT, Van den Abbeele AD, Manola JB, Solomon SM, Fletcher JA, von Mehren M, Demetri GD. Efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) following failure of imatinib and sunitinib: a multicenter phase II trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 30(19):2401-7, 2012.

von Mehren M, Rankin C, Goldblum JR, Demetri GD, Bramwell V, Ryan CW, Borden E. Phase II SWOG-directed Intergroup Trial (S0505) of Sorafenib in Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas. Cancer, 118(3):770-6, 2012.

Demetri GD, Wang Y, Wehrle E, Racine, Nikolova Z, Blanke C, Joensuu H, von Mehren M. Imatinib Plasma Levels Correlate With Clinical Benefit in Patients With Unresectable/ Metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST). Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27(19):3141-7, 2009. Epub May 18 2009. PubMed PMID: 18942073; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2606912.

Eisenberg BL, Harris J, Blanke CD, Demetri GD, Heinrich MC, Watson JC, Hoffman JP, Okuno S, Kane JM, von Mehren M. Phase II trial of Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant Imatinib Mesylate for Advanced Primary and Metastatic/Recurrent Operable Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) – early results of RTOG 0132. Journal of Surgical Oncology, 99(1):42-7, 2009. PubMed

Additional Publications

MyNCBI

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