Christos Fountzilas

MD, FACP

Medical Oncology

Dr. Fountzilas is a Buffalo Spree Top Doctor! See all of our physicians who made this year's list.

Top Doctors 2024

Cancers Treated:

Colorectal Esophageal Gallbladder & Bile Duct Liver Pancreatic Stomach

Specializing In:

Early phase clinical trials

Research Interests:

DNA repair dysregulation in gastrointestinal cancers Biomarker-driven therapy of gastrointestinal cancers Novel immunotherapeutics for gastrointestinal malignancies (cellular immunotherapy, cytokine therapy, oncolytic virotherapy) Drug development Biomarker identification

About Christos Fountzilas

Biography:

I am a board certified medical oncologist focusing in gastrointestinal cancers with special emphasis in in pancreatic cancer. My research interests include drug development for gastrointestinal cancers, novel immunotherapy strategies and biomarker discovery.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Associate Professor of Oncology
Department of Medicine
Co-Leader, Gastrointestinal Clinical Disease Team
Associate Director for Solid Tumors, Early Phase Clinical Trials Program

Background

Education and Training:

2000-2006 - MD - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine

Residency:

2007-2008 - Post Graduate Internship, Athens Naval Hospital and Veterans Medical Center, Hellenic Navy, Athens, Greece
2010-2013 - Internal Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, New York, New York

Fellowship:

2013-2016 - Hematology and Medical Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Board Certification:

Medical Oncology Board Certification, Greece
American Board of Internal Medicine-Certification in Medical Oncology
American Board of Internal Medicine-Certification in Hematology
American Board of Internal Medicine-Certification in Internal Medicine

Professional Memberships:

American Association for Cancer Research
European Society for Medical Oncology
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American College of Physicians
North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society
American College of Gastroenterology
Athens Medical Association

Professional Experience:

2013-2016 - Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
2010-2013 - Internal Medicine Residency, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
2007-2010 - Medical Officer, Hellenic Navy, Athens, Greece

Honors & Awards:

2022 - Young Investigator Award, National Comprehensive Cancer Network Foundation
2020 - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN) Patient Champions
2019 - Fellow, American College of Physicians
2015-2016 - Cancer Research Training Program from Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, RP140105
2015 - Harold F. and Sarah L. McDonald Scholar Award for Excellence in Oncology
2015 - AACR/ASCO 2015 Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop
2009 - Hellenic Republic Medal for participation in international peacekeeping operations
2008 - United Nations Peacekeeping Medal
2006-2007 - Hellenic State Scholarship Foundation Award
2005-2006 - Hellenic State Scholarship Foundation Scholarship

Clinical Trials

Trifluridine/Tipiracil and Talazoparib for the Treatment of Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal or Gastroesophageal Cancer

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A Study of PARG Inhibitor IDE161 in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors

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WTX-330 in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors or Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

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A Study of ASP3082 in Adults With Previously Treated Solid Tumors

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Study of Tinengotinib VS. Physician's Choice a Treatment of Subjects With FGFR-altered in Cholangiocarcinoma

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Claudin 18.2-Targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells in Subjects With Unresectable, Locally Advanced, or Metastatic Gastric, Gastroesophageal Junction (GEJ), Esophageal, or Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

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A Study of Ivaltinostat Plus Capecitabine or Capecitabine in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

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Testing the Addition of Pembrolizumab, an Immunotherapy Cancer Drug to Olaparib Alone as Therapy for Patients With Pancreatic Cancer That Has Spread With Inherited BRCA Mutations

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Featured on Cancer Talk

Publications

Full Publications list on PubMed

- Fountzilas C, Bajor D, Mukherjee S, Saltzman J, Witkiewicz A, Maguire O, Minderman H, Nambiar R, Rosenheck H, Knudsen E, Muhitch J, Abrams S, Wang K, Hutson A, Attwood K, Hicks K, Jurcevic J, Kalinski P, Iyer R, Boland PM. Phase Ib/II study of Cetuximab Plus Pembrolizumab in Patients with Advanced RAS wild-type Colorectal Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Oct 13:clincanres.1650.2021. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1650
- Mahalingam D, Wilkinson G, Eng K, Fields P, Raber P, Moseley J, Cheetham K, Coffey M, Nuovo G, Kalinski P, Zhang B, Arora S, Fountzilas C. Pembrolizumab in combination with the oncolytic virus pelareorep and chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a Phase 1b study. Clin Cancer Res. 2019 Nov 6. pii: clincanres.2078.2019. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-2078.
- Zonneville J, Wang M, Alruwaili MM, Smith B, Melnick M, Eng KH, Melendy T, Park BH, Iyer R, Fountzilas C, Bakin AV. Selective therapeutic strategy for p53-deficient cancer by targeting dysregulation in DNA repair. Commun Biol 4, 862 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02370-0
- Fountzilas C, Gupta M, Lee S, Krishnamurthi S, Estfan B, Wang K, Attwood K, Wilton J, Bies R, Bshara W, Iyer RV. A Multicenter Phase Ib/II Study of Tivozanib in Patients with Advanced Inoperable Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Br J Cancer 122, 963–970 (2020). doi: 10.1038/s41416-020-0737-6
- Ling X, Wu W, Aljahdali IAM, Liao J, Santha S, Fountzilas C, Boland PM, Li F. FL118, acting as a 'molecular glue degrader', binds to dephosphorylates and degrades the oncoprotein DDX5 (p68) to control c-Myc, survivin and mutant Kras against colorectal and pancreatic cancer with high efficacy. Clin Transl Med. 2022 May;12(5):e881. doi: 10.1002/ctm2.881. PMID: 35604033; PMCID: PMC9126027.