Massimo Cristofanilli's Biography

Massimo Cristofanilli, Professor of Medicine, Associate Director of Translational Research and Precision Medicine, Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University

Dr. Cristofanilli received his medical degree in 1986 from the University “La Sapienza” Medical School in Rome (Italy) where he subsequently completed a Fellowship in Medical Oncology in November 1990. In July 1996, he started a Medical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Between 1998 and 2010 he held a faculty position in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center where he served as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Executive Director of the Morgan Welch IBC clinic and research program that he founded in 2006. In 2010 he joined the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia as Chairman of Medical Oncology, Leader of the Breast Service Line and co-Leader of the Women Cancer Program. Subsequently, he served as Director of the Jefferson Breast Cancer Center and Clinical program and Deputy Director of Translational Research at the SKCC. He is currently the Associate Director of Translational Research and Precision Medicine at the Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Director of the oncoSET Program.

His major research interest consists in the detection, characterization and possible therapeutic targeting of occult (microscopic) disease in breast cancer. His initial work using a novel immunomagnetic-based technology (CellSearch™) led to a pivotal trial which successfully demonstrated the detection and prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Several seminal papers resulted from this initial study that have also fostered research in other tumor types and expanded the potential implication of microscopic disease in advanced cancer. Hi interest in blood-based molecular diagnostics has recently expanded to define the role, applications and clinical implications of tissue-based (NGS, RPMA) and blood-based testing (ctDNA).

He has been involved in the development of new targeted agents in metastatic breast cancer (e.g. lapatinib, gefitinib and palbociclib). In particular, he was the lead investigator for the prospective, multicenter clinical trial evaluating palbociclib in combination with fulvestrant (Faslodex) in patients with hormone-receptor positive MBC (PALOMA-3).