George R. Blumenschein Jr., M.D.
- Contact Address
- M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas
1515 Holcombe Blvd
Houston, TX - Professional Affiliations
- Expertise
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Head and Neck Cancers
- Website
- Biography/CV (will open new window)
- Biography
Research Interests
Novel therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), and head and neck cancers.
My areas of interest are new drug development and multimodality therapy for the treatment of lung cancer and head and neck cancer. I am interested in the utilization of compounds with novel mechanisms of action and am specifically focusing on the use of epidermal growth factor inhibitors, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors in the treatment of these cancers. As part of our clinical research we are also evaluating biologic correlates in order to improve our understanding of the mechanism by which these drugs work so that we may better design future treatments for patients with cancer.
Current protocols for which I am principal investigator include a randomized trial of a small molecule growth inhibitor, Lapatinib, for patients with untreated NSCLC, a phase II study of the antiangiogenic compound BAY 43-9006 for patients with previously treated NSCLC, and a phase II study of the small molecule growth inhibitor, Gefitinib, for patients with salivary cancers. M .D. Anderson Cancer Center will be the lead site for a multi-center phase II study of Cetuxumab (a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor) in combination with chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC. I serve as the principal investigator for this study, which is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and is being conducted through the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).
