Solid Tumor Oncology

Cancer Answer Line: 866.223.8100

Cancer Answer Line:

866.223.8100

The Solid Tumor Oncology Department at Taussig Cancer Institute is focused on groundbreaking research and excellent clinical care, with a strong commitment to the community through health screenings and educational programs.

Our department specializes in Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors, Breast Cancer, Genitourinary Cancers, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Head and Neck Cancers, Lung Cancers, Melanoma, Ophthalmic Oncology, Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors, and Palliative Medicine.

Palliative Medicine

Patients with a complex, life-threatening illness often have unrelieved cancer symptoms and significant physical difficulties sometime during their illness. Specially trained staff in the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute coordinate the complex medical care for patients as they face the physical and psychological challenges associated with their illness and the pain related to cancer symptoms.

Taussig Oncology Program for Seniors (TOPS)

If you are 75 or older and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may benefit from a specialized assessment at Taussig Cancer Institute's Geriatric Oncology Clinic. The assessment is designed to identify and manage problems related to a cancer diagnosis and treatment that may otherwise get overlooked. The assessment's goal is to improve your quality of life, offer reassurance to you and your family, and empower you to make informed health care decisions.

Robert Dreicer, M.D.

Chairman of Solid Tumor Oncology
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Robert Dreicer, MD, FACP, is Chairman of the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic and a Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine. Dr. Dreicer is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. His areas of specialization are the management of genitourinary malignancies and the design and conduct of clinical trials in urologic oncology.

Dr. Dreicer received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He completed an internal medicine residency at Indiana University in Indianapolis, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1989, Dr. Dreicer joined the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Iowa and upon his departure, he was a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Director of Hematology/Oncology.

David Adelstein, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

David Adelstein, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute, and he is a Professor of Medicine in Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Adelstein is also Co-Chairman of the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee.

Dr. Adelstein completed his undergraduate education at the University of Chicago, his medical school training at New York University School of Medicine, and his internship, residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals.

Steven Andresen, D.O.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Steven Andresen, DO, has been a Staff Physician in the Department of the Hematologic Oncology & Blood Disorders since 1987, and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology. Dr. Andresen attended the University of Iowa and received his medical degree from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa.

His specialty interests include Bone Marrow Transplantation, Breast Cancer, and Hematologic Malignancies.

G. Thomas Budd, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

George Thomas Budd, MD, is a staff physician at Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute. His clinical interests include breast cancer, sarcomas, experimental therapeutics, and research.

Dr. Budd received his medical degree from the University of Kansas Medical School. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship in medical oncology at Cleveland Clinic.

Mellar Davis, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Mellar Davis, M.D., received his undergraduate degree at Otterbein University, and his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He completed an internship and residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, OH and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

His specialty interests include pain management, cancer pain, palliative medicine, hospice, symptom control, supportive cancer care, cancer related fatigue, cancer anorexia and weight loss, lung cancer, paraproteinemias and amyloidosis.

Bassam Estfan, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Bassam Estfan, MD, received his medical degree at Damascus University-Faculty of Medicine in Damascus, Syria. He completed a residency at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ and two fellowships at Cleveland Clinic: Palliative Medicine and Medical Oncology.

His specialty interests include pain management, cancer pain, cancer related fatigue, cancer anorexia and weight loss, palliative medicine, hospice, symptom control, and cancer supportive care.

Jorge Garcia, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Jorge Garcia, MD, received his undergraduate degree at Calasanz College in Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia and his medical degree at Escuela Colombiana de Medicina in Santa Fe De Bogota, Colombia. He completed a fellowship at Harvard Medical School, an internship and a residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and two fellowships in Hematology/Medical Oncology and Urologic Oncology at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

His specialty interests include clinical trials, experimental therapeutics, and genitourinary malignancies.

Timothy Gilligan, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Timothy Gilligan, MD, is a Medical Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Cleveland, Ohio. He is board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine and specializes in cancers of the testicles, bladder, prostate and kidneys as well as in problems related to cancer survivorship.

Dr. Gilligan has published over half a dozen original scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, has written several review articles and book chapters and has given numerous lectures on genitourinary cancers and biomedical ethics.

Harold Goforth, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Harold Goforth, MD, received his undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University. He attended medical school at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, OH. Dr. Goforth completed an internship at Northwestern University Affiliated Hospitals in Chicago and two residencies at Loyola University and University of Chicago Hospitals. He completed a fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

Dr. Goforth is certified in geriatric psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. His specialty interest is palliative medicine.

Mona Gupta, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Mona Gupta, MD, earned her medical degree at Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals in New Delhi, India. She completed an internship in Anesthesiology at Maulana Azad Medical College Associated Hospitals, two residencies at Huron Hospital, and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, Hematology/Medical Oncology, and Palliative Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.

Terence Gutgsell, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Terence Gutgsell, MD, earned his medical degree at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 1972 and completed his internal medicine residency at the A.B. Chandler University of Kentucky Medical Center in 1976. He left his practice of internal medicine in 1995 to complete a palliative medicine fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in 1996.

He served as Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer at Hospice of the Bluegrass, and Medical Director of the Hospice Care Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Ky., from 1996-2007. From 1999-2007, he was Medical Director of the Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass and Medical Director of the Palliative Care Unit at Central Baptist Hospital. His work with Hospice of the Bluegrass and local hospitals in Lexington led to designation of the Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass as one of six nationally recognized Robert Wood Johnson Palliative Care Leadership Centers (PCLC).

Nooshin Hashemi Sadraei, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Nooshin Hashemi Sadraei, MD, earned her medical degree at Tehran University School of Medicine in Tehran, Iran. She completed a residency at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

Her specialty interests include lung cancer, thyroid cancer, and thymoma.

Ruth Lagman, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Ruth Lagman, MD, was born in Manilla, Philippines. She finished her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of the Philippines in 1982. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, in Manila in 1986. She then spent a year in a clinical-internship followed by a brief stint as a volunteer physician in rural Philippines. Her experience in rural Philippines motivated her to pursue a master’s degree in Public Health at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University with a concentration in the epidemiology of infectious disease. The degree was conferred in 1993 upon completion of her master's thesis.

Dr. Lagman did her internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn., from 1990-1993. She then returned home to the Philippines and spent a year teaching at the College of Medicine at Angeles University in Pampanga, Philippines. In 1995, she entered the clinical fellowship program in Palliative Care at Cleveland Clinic. She then spent the next few years in private practice, with general internal medicine in the greater Chicago area. She returned to Cleveland, Ohio, in July 2001 to join the medical staff of the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, Department of Hematology and Oncology, at Cleveland Clinic.

Susan LeGrand, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

A native of South Carolina, Susan LeGrand, MD, joined Cleveland Clinic's pioneering Palliative Medicine program in 1998. Prior to this, she had a solo oncology practice in North Carolina. She received her undergraduate and medical education at the University of South Carolina, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She received the Behavioral Sciences Award in her first year of medical school. Dr. LeGrand is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hospice and palliative medicine. She was elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 2002.

Dr. LeGrand has been a leader in palliative medicine fellowship education, co-chairing a workgroup to develop standards for fellowship training. She spearheaded the development of a Forum for Program Directors under the auspices of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and chaired that group through its infancy. She is a Master Facilitator for the Education in Palliative and End of Life Care program and was the palliative medicine representative on the Robert Wood Johnson Workgroup to improve end-of-life care for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Patrick C. Ma, M.D., M.S.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Patrick C. Ma, MD, MS, was appointed Associate Staff Physician in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Translational Hematology and Oncology Research in Cleveland Clinic's Taussing Cancer Institute in 2010. Dr. Ma is the Director of Aerodigestive Oncology Translational Research.

Dr. Ma received his undergraduate degree from University of Hong Kong. He received his graduate and medical degrees from University of Toronto. Dr. Ma studied for his residency at both Toronto General Hospital and Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, MA. He then completed two fellowships at Dana Farber and New England Medical Center (both in Boston, MA).

Michael McNamara, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Michael McNamara, MD, was appointed Associate Staff at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in 2008. He completed his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University and attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University. He then completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Some of his special interests include esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, and solid tumor disorders.

Halle Moore, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Halle Moore, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute. She is also a clinical member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention, Control and Population Research Program.

Dr. Moore is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. Her clinical practice focuses on the medical management of breast cancer. Her research involves the investigation of new treatments for breast cancer as well as the study of long-term effects of cancer treatment, including effects on fertility, bone health and cognitive function. In addition, Dr. Moore serves on the Board of Trustees for the Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition.

Kathleen Neuendorf, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Kathleen Neuendorf, MD, earned her undergraduate degree at College of Wooster and her medical degree at Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. She completed a residency at Grant/Riverside Methodist Hospitals and a fellowship in Palliative Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin Clinics

Some of her specialty interests include Palliative care in non-cancer diagnoses.

Tobenna Nwizu, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Tobenna Nwizu, MD, is an Associate Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute.

Dr. Nwizu attended medical school at the University of Ibadan Faculty of Medicine in Nigeria. He completed a residency at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago and a fellowship at University of Chicago Hospitals.

Armida Parala-Metz, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Armida Parala-Metz, MD, earned her medical degree at University of the East in Manila, Phillipines. She completed a residency and a fellowship in geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center and another fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Some of her specialty interests include cancer pain, geriatrics, pain and symptom management, and palliative medicine.

Chirag Patel, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Chirag Patel, MD, is an Associate Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute.

Dr. Patel attended medical school at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, OH. He completed residency training at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC, and a fellowship at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Dr. Patel’s specialty interest is palliative medicine.

David Peereboom, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

David Peereboom, MD, is a joint staff member at Cleveland Clinic’s Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. He is a medical oncologist specializing in the management of brain tumors.

A graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College in Richmond, Va., Dr. Peereboom received his specialty training at University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore. His specialty interests include neuro-oncology and experimental therapeutics.

Robert Pelley, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Robert J. Pelley, MD, is a Staff member in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders at Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Pelley is board-certified in internal medicine with subspecialties in hematology and medical oncology. His clinical interests include gastrointestinal tumors.

Dr. Pelley received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship in hematology and oncology at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Dr. Pelley served as Program Director of the Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship for nearly 10 years and continues to take an active role in the education of young hematologists and oncologists in training.

Nathan Pennell, M.D., Ph.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Dr. Pennell is a board certified medical oncologist who joined the staff at Taussig Cancer Institute in 2008. He specializes in the treatment of thoracic malignancies with a focus on lung cancer. Dr. Pennell's research interests include clinical trials using novel therapies, with a goal of facilitating the movement of new treatments from the laboratory to the clinic.

In 1998, Dr. Pennell received his PhD in neuroscience and his medical degree in 2002 from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL. Dr. Pennell completed his internal medicine residency in 2005 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. His medical oncology fellowship training was completed in 2007 at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Brian Rini, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Brian I. Rini, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A Staff member of the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology, Dr. Rini’s work focuses on genitourinary malignancies.

Dr. Rini earned his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. After completing a residency program in internal medicine at University of Chicago Hospitals in Illinois, Dr. Rini was awarded a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Rini was an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco before moving to Cleveland Clinic.

Marc Shapiro, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Marc Shapiro, MD, was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. He completed his internal medicine training at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and earned his board certification in internal medicine in 2001. Dr. Shapiro completed his specialty training in medical oncology and hematology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. He is now a Staff member in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Shapiro's clinical interests include the treatment of lung, breast, gastrointestinal and colon cancers.

Dale Shepard, M.D., Ph.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Dale Shepard, MD, PhD, received his doctorate at The Ohio State University, and later received his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He completed a Research Fellowship of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Chicago, and then later completed a residency and fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

Some of his specialty interests include genitourinary oncology, geriatric oncology, and experimental therapeutics.

Davendra Sohal, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Davendra Sohal, MD, is an Associate Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Sohal earned his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. He completed residency training and a year as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at the Jacobi Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. Dr. Sohal completed a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.

Clinically, his primary interests include gastrointestinal malignancies and clinical trials.

James Stevenson, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

James Stevenson, MD, completed his undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame. After studying medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, Dr. Stevenson completed an internship at University of Florida College of Medicine at Shands Medical Center in Gainesville, FL. He completed both a residency and fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Stevenson’s specialty interests include thoracic neoplasms and mesothelioma.

Pierre Triozzi, M.D.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Pierre Triozzi is a Staff Member in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine with Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His research interests include tumor immunology, cancer vaccines, biologic response modifiers, cellular immunotherapy, and clinical trials

Dr. Triozzi earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. He completed an internship, residency and hematology and oncology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

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