Description of Research Expertise

My research is focused on 1) developing strategies to mitigate breast cancer risk associated with metabolic syndrome by lifestyle modifications and by re-purposing some of the commonly prescribed medications to prevent breast cancer initiation and progression; 2) elucidating how novel immunotherapy such as CAR T therapy can induce epitope spreading and how combination therapy can unleash the anti-tumor effects of our own immune system; and 3) how we can use large data to enhance our understanding of tumor biology with the common goal of improving breast cancer outcomes.

Selected Publications

Manik R, Grady CB, Elmore LC, Fieber JH, Freedman GM, Jankowitz RC, Tchou JC, Zhang JQ, Hubbard RA, Fayanju OM: Temporal trends and factors associated with receipt of post-mastectomy radiation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with cT3 breast cancer Annals of Surgical Oncology 30 (11): 6506-6515,2023.

Boughey JC, Yu H, Dugan CL, Piltin MA, Postlewait L, Son JD, Edmiston KK, Godellas CV, Lee MC, Carr MJ, Tonneson JE, Crown A, Lancaster RB, Woriax HE, Ewing CA, Chau HS, Patterson AK, Wong JM, Alvarado MD, Yang RL, Chan TW, Sheade JB, Ahrendt GM, Larson KE, Switalla K, Tuttle TM, Tchou JC, Rao R, Tamirisa N, Singh P, Gould RE, Terando A, Sauder C, Hewitt K, Chiba A, Esserman LJ, Mukhtar RA: Changes in surgical management of the axilla over 11 years - Report on more than 1500 breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the prospective I-SPY2 trial Annals of Surgical Oncology 30 (11): 6401-6410,2023.

Perry NJ, Sharon CE, Tortorello GN, Ma KL, Straker RJ 3rd, Fayanju OM, Tchou JC, Miura JT, Karakousis GC: Impact of travel burden on the treatment of stage I and II breast cancer: A National Cancer Database analysis Surgery 74 (4): 794-800,2023.

Mukhtar RA, Chau H, Woriax H, Piltin M, Ahrendt G, Tchou J, Yu H, Ding Q, Dugan CL, Sheade J, Crown A, Carr M, Wong J, Son J, Yang R, Chan T, Terando A, Alvarado M, Ewing C, Tonneson J, Tamirisa N, Gould R, Singh P, Godellas C, Larson K, Chiba A, Rao R, Sauder C, Postlewait L, Lee MC, Symmans WF, Esserman LJ, Boughey JC; ISPY-2 Locoregional Working Group: Breast conservation surgery and mastectomy have similar locoregional recurrence following neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Results from 1,462 patients on the prospective, randomized I-SPY2 trial Annals of Surgery 278 (3): 320-327,2023.

Freedman GM, Li T, Garver E, Shillington K, Shinkle B, Tchou JC, Fayanju OM, Lin L, Taunk NK: Five-year outcomes of a phase 1/2 trial of accelerated partial breast irradiation using proton therapy for women with stage 0-IIA breast cancer Advances in Radiation Oncology 9 (2): 101334,2023.

Sharon CE, Wang M, Tortorello GN, Perry NJ, Ma KL, Tchou JC, Fayanju OM, Mahmoud NN, Miura JT, Karakousis GC: Impact of patient comorbidities on presentation stage of breast and colon cancers Annals of Surgical Oncology 30 (8): 4617-4626,2023.

Shah PD, Huang AC, Xu X, Orlowski R, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Zhang P, Tchou J, Matlawski T, Cervini A, Shea J, Gilmore J, Lledo L, Dengel K, Marshall A, Wherry EJ, Linette GP, Brennan A, Gonzalez V, Kulikovskaya I, Lacey SF, Plesa G, June CH, Vonderheide RH, Mitchell TC: Phase I trial of autologous RNA-electroporated cMET-directed CAR T cells administered intravenously in patients with melanoma and breast carcinoma Cancer Research Communications 3 (5): 821-829,2023.

Uslu U, Da T, Assenmacher CA, Scholler J, Young RM, Tchou J, June CH: Chimeric antigen receptor T cells as adjuvant therapy for unresectable adenocarcinoma Science Advances 9 (2): eade2526,2023.

Burkbauer L, Goldbach M, Hoffman DI, Giannakou A, Dultz R, Brooks AD, Sataloff DM, Keele L, Tchou J: Preoperative MRI and its impact on surgical outcomes in patients with triple negative breast cancer treated with primary surgery: Did new margin guidelines or cavity shave margins practice diminish the role of preoperative MRI? Annals of Surgical Oncology : 2022 (Epub).

Osdoit M, Yau C, Symmans WF, Boughey JC, Ewing CA, Balassanian R, Chen YY, Krings G, Wallace AM, Zare S, Fadare O, Lancaster R, Wei S, Godellas CV, Tang P, Tuttle TM, Klein M, Sahoo S, Hieken TJ, Carter JM, Chen B, Ahrendt G, Tchou J, Feldman M, Tousimis E, Zeck J, Jaskowiak N, Sattar H, Naik AM, Lee MC, Rosa M, Khazai L, Rendi MH, Lang JE, Lu J, Tawfik O, Asare SM, Esserman LJ, Mukhtar RA: Association of residual ductal carcinoma in situ with breast cancer recurrence in the neoadjuvant I-SPY2 trial JAMA Surgery 157 (11): 1034-1041,2022.

Academic Contact Information

Division of Breast Surgery
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce Street, 4 Silverstein
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283
Phone: 215-615-7575
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366