Heather Wakelee

Clinical Focus

• Investigational Therapeutics
• Lung Cancer - Medical Oncology
• Medical Oncology
• Mesothelioma
• Mesothelioma - Medical Oncology
• Oncology (Cancer)
• Thoracic Cancers
• Thoracic Cancers - Medical Oncology
• thymoma
• thymic carcinoma

Department

• Cancer > Thoracic Oncology

Honors and Awards

• Teaching Award, Stanford University Division of Oncology (2007, 2008)
• Alpha Omega Alpha, Johns Hopkins University (06/1996)
• Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology (05/2003)

Professional Education

• Board Certification: Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine (2003)
• Stanford University Medical Center (2003) CA
• Board Certification: Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine (1999)
• Stanford University Medical Center (1999) CA
• Stanford University Medical Center (1997) CA
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1996) MD
• M. D., Johns Hopkins University Medicine (1996)
• A.B., Princeton University Molecular Biology (1992)

Postdoctoral Advisees

• Christelle Clement-Duchene

Industry Relationships

Stanford is committed to ethical and transparent interactions with our industry partners. It is our policy to disclose payments of $5,000 or more, equity valued at $5,000 or more in a publicly traded company, or any equity in a privately held company, to physicians and scientists employed by Stanford University from companies or other commercial entities with which they interact as part of their professional activities. 

• Consulting: Educational Concepts Group, LLP, Medical Learning Institute, Inc., PER Group LP, The Center for Biomedical Continuing Education (CBCE)

Research Interests

Dr. Wakelee is a clinical investigator with a focus in lung cancer. Her current focus is on anti-angiogenesis strategies, primarily with the agent bevacizumab. She is investigating this antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in combination with chemotherapy for patients with brain metastases from lung cancer, as well as with chemotherapy for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients. She is also conducting a trial with a related compound known as aflibercept (VEGF-TRAP) and a trial with the vascular disrupting agent ASA404.
Dr. Wakelee is an active member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and is the prinicipal investigator of a large adjuvant trial for patients with completely resected lung cancer who are randomized to chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus bevacizumab.
Dr. Wakelee is also involved in several collaborative efforts with her colleagues in thoracic surgery and radiation oncology (a multi-disciplinary trial for stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients and cyberknife protocols for early stage patients not eligible for surgery), as well as in pulmonary medicine (analysis of blood samples for circulating lung tumor cells and other basic science projects).

Clinical Trials

• A Phase 1/2 Study of Aflibercept Administered in Combination with Pemetrexed and Cisplatin in Patients with Advanced Carcinoma Recruiting
• A Study of ASA404 or Placebo in Combination With Docetaxel in Second-Line Treatment for (Stage IIIb/IV) Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (ATTRACT-2) Recruiting
• A Study of XL184 With or Without Erlotinib in Adults With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Recruiting
• AZD0530 in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Thymoma or Thymic Cancer Recruiting
• An Observational Study of the Ethnic Impact of Patients Undergoing 2nd Line Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Pemetrexed Recruiting
• CT-2103/Carboplatin vs Paclitaxel/Carboplatin for NSCLC in Women With Normal Estradiol Recruiting
• Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Stage IB, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Non-Small Lung Cancer That Was Removed By Surgery Recruiting
• Identification of Circulating Tumor Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Lung Cancer Patients Recruiting
• A Phase 1 Dose Escalation Study of OMP-21M18 in Subjects With Solid Tumors Recruiting
• Clinical and Pathologic Studies of Patients Undergoing Treatment with EGFR Inhibitors Recruiting
• Immunobiology of Cancer Recruiting
• Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression and Identification of Progenitor Cells in Lung Carcinoma Recruiting
• Ph I Dose-Escalation of AEG40826-2HCI for Advanced Solid Tumors Recruiting
• Phase 1 Trial of Oral Ixabepilone Recruiting
• Phase I Vorinostat Concurrent with Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) in Brain Metastases from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Recruiting
• Study of XL518 in Adults With Solid Tumors Recruiting
• Three Different Radiation Therapy Regimens in Treating Patients With Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Cisplatin and Etoposide Recruiting
• A Study of Enzastaurin and Erlotinib in Patients With Solid Tumors and Lung Cancer No longer recruiting
• Phase II Bevacizumab, Gemcitabine and Carboplatin in Newly Diagnosed Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (excluding squamous cell) No longer recruiting
• Phase II Docetaxel / Carboplatin / XRT + Surgical Resection in Stage III NSCLC No longer recruiting
• Phase II trial of bevacizumab in combination with pemetrexed as 2nd line therapy in patients with stable brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer No longer recruiting
• Safety and Efficacy Clinical Study of SNS-595 in Patients With Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancer Completed
• Study of XL647 in Subjects With NSCLC Who Have Progressed After Responding to Treatment With Gefitinib or Erlotinib No longer recruiting
• Sorafenib in Treating Patients With Refractory Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer No longer recruiting
• A Phase I/II Study of HKI-272 in Combination With Paclitaxel in Subjects With Advanced Solid Tumors and Breast Cancer No longer recruiting
• Evaluation of Cyberknife Precision Radiation Delivery System for Unresectable Malignant Lung Cancer No longer recruiting
• PR-104 in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated or Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer No longer recruiting
• Safety and Tolerability Study of SNS-314 for Advanced Solid Tumors Completed
• Study of XL647 Administered Orally Daily to Patients With Solid Tumors No longer recruiting

Publications

• Lung cancer incidence in never smokers. Wakelee HA,  Chang ET, Gomez SL, Keegan TH, Feskanich D, Clarke CA, Holmberg L, Yong LC, Kolonel LN, Gould MK, West DW.  J Clin Oncol.  2007; 25 (5): 472-8
• Monoclonal antibodies targeting vascular endothelial growth factor: current status and future challenges in cancer therapy. Hsu JY,  Wakelee HA.  BioDrugs.  2009; 23 (5): 289-304
• Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of lexatumumab (HGS-ETR2) given every 2 weeks in patients with advanced solid tumors. Wakelee HA,  Patnaik A, Sikic BI, Mita M, Fox NL, Miceli R, Ullrich SJ, Fisher GA, Tolcher AW.  Ann Oncol.  2009;
• Osteoblastic bone flare on F18-FDG PET in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving bevacizumab in addition to standard chemotherapy. Krupitskaya Y,  Eslamy HK, Nguyen DD, Kumar A, Wakelee HA.  J Thorac Oncol.  2009; 4 (3): 429-31
• Uncovering disparities in survival after non-small-cell lung cancer among Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic populations in California. Chang ET,  Shema SJ, Wakelee HA, Clarke CA, Gomez SL.  Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.  2009; 18 (8): 2248-55
• Cooperative group research efforts in lung cancer 2008: focus on advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  Kernstine K, Vokes E, Schiller J, Baas P, Saijo N, Adjei A, Goss G, Gaspar L, Gandara DR, Choy H, Putnam JB.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2008; 9 (6): 346-51
• Sex differences in lung-cancer susceptibility: a smoke screen? Wakelee HA,  Gomez SL, Chang ET.  Lancet Oncol.  2008; 9 (7): 609-10
• Lung cancer presenting with amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia. Witteles WH,  Schrier SL, Wakelee HA.  J Clin Oncol.  2008; 26 (7): 1171-4
• Adjuvant chemotherapy for resected non-small cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  Chhatwani L.  Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2008; 20 (3): 198-203
• Antibodies to vascular endothelial growth factor in non-small cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  J Thorac Oncol.  2008; 3 (6 Suppl 2): S113-8
• Complications of ablative therapies in lung cancer. Padda S,  Kothary N, Donington J, Cannon W, Loo BW, Kee S, Wakelee H.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2008; 9 (2): 122-6
• Cooperative group portfolio in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: are we making progress? Langer CJ,  Wakelee H, Schiller J, Choy H, Shepherd F, Vokes EE, Adjei AA, Baas P, Saijo N, Gandara DR.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2008; 9 (2): 85-91
• Cooperative group research efforts in lung cancer: focus on early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  Langer C, Vokes E, Schiller J, Baas P, Saijo N, Adjei A, Shepherd F, Choy H, Gandara DR.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2008; 9 (1): 9-15
• Summary statement novel agents in the treatment of lung cancer: Fifth Cambridge Conference assessing opportunities for combination therapy. Lynch TJ,  Blumenschein GR, Engelman JA, Espinoza-Delgado I, Govindan R, Hanke J, Hanna NH, Heymach JV, Hirsch FR, Janne PA, Lilenbaum RC, Natale RB, Riely GJ, Sequist LV, Shapiro GI, Shaw A, Shepherd FA, Socinski M, Sorensen AG, Wakelee HA, Weitzman A.  J Thorac Oncol.  2008; 3 (6 Suppl 2): S107-12
• Optimal adjuvant therapy for non-small cell lung cancer--how to handle stage I disease. Wakelee H,  Dubey S, Gandara D.  Oncologist.  2007; 12 (3): 331-7
• Adjuvant chemotherapy of stage I non-small cell lung cancer in North America. Gandara DR,  Wakelee H, Calhoun R, Jablons D.  J Thorac Oncol.  2007; 2 (7 Suppl 3): S125-7
• Role of anti-angiogenesis agents in treating NSCLC: focus on bevacizumab and VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Cabebe E,  Wakelee H.  Curr Treat Options Oncol.  2007; 8 (1): 15-27
• Metabolic tumor burden predicts for disease progression and death in lung cancer. Lee P,  Weerasuriya DK, Lavori PW, Quon A, Hara W, Maxim PG, Le QT, Wakelee HA, Donington JS, Graves EE, Loo BW.  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys.  2007; 69 (2): 328-33
• Sunitinib: a newly approved small-molecule inhibitor of angiogenesis. Cabebe E,  Wakelee H.  Drugs Today (Barc).  2006; 42 (6): 387-98
• A multidisciplinary approach to management in a patient with bilateral superior sulcus non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Roy MS,  Le QT, Donington JS, Wakelee HA.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2006; 8 (2): 146-8
• An evaluation of tumor oxygenation and gene expression in patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancers. Le QT,  Chen E, Salim A, Cao H, Kong CS, Whyte R, Donington J, Cannon W, Wakelee H, Tibshirani R, Mitchell JD, Richardson D, O'Byrne KJ, Koong AC, Giaccia AJ.  Clin Cancer Res.  2006; 12 (5): 1507-14
• Results of a phase I dose-escalation study using single-fraction stereotactic radiotherapy for lung tumors. Le QT,  Loo BW, Ho A, Cotrutz C, Koong AC, Wakelee H, Kee ST, Constantinescu D, Whyte RI, Donington J.  J Thorac Oncol.  2006; 1 (8): 802-9
• Survival differences by sex for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial 1594. Wakelee HA,  Wang W, Schiller JH, Langer CJ, Sandler AB, Belani CP, Johnson DH.  J Thorac Oncol.  2006; 1 (5): 441-6
• Current status of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage IB non-small-cell lung cancer: implications for the New Intergroup Trial. Wakelee HA,  Schiller JH, Gandara DR.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2006; 8 (1): 18-21
• Second- and third-line treatments in non-small cell lung cancer. Kumar A,  Wakelee H.  Curr Treat Options Oncol.  2006; 7 (1): 37-49
• Changes in the natural history of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC)--comparison of outcomes and characteristics in patients with advanced NSCLC entered in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trials before and after 1990. Wakelee HA,  Bernardo P, Johnson DH, Schiller JH.  Cancer.  2006; 106 (10): 2208-17
• Lung cancer in women: exploring sex differences in susceptibility, biology, and therapeutic response. Donington JS,  Le QT, Wakelee HA.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2006; 8 (1): 22-9
• Activity of novel cytotoxic agents in lung cancer: epothilones and topoisomerase I inhibitors. Wakelee HA,  Sikic BI.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2005; 7 Suppl 1 S6-12
• Phase II study of gefitinib, fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin therapy in previously treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Kuo T,  Cho CD, Halsey J, Wakelee HA, Advani RH, Ford JM, Fisher GA, Sikic BI.  J Clin Oncol.  2005; 23 (24): 5613-9
• Targeting angiogenesis with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor small-molecule inhibitors: novel agents with potential in lung cancer. Wakelee HA,  Schiller JH.  Clin Lung Cancer.  2005; 7 Suppl 1 S31-8
• Optimizing first-line treatment options for patients with advanced NSCLC. Wakelee H,  Belani CP.  Oncologist.  2005; 10 Suppl 3 1-10
• Docetaxel in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  Ramalingam S, Belani CP.  Expert Rev Anticancer Ther.  2005; 5 (1): 13-24
• Post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) or chemoradiotherapy (CPORT) following resection of stages II and IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) does not increase the expected risk of death from intercurrent disease (DID) in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) trial E3590. Wakelee HA,  Stephenson P, Keller SM, Wagner H, Herskovic A, Komaki R, Marks RS, Perry MC, Livingston RB, Johnson DH.  Lung Cancer.  2005; 48 (3): 389-97
• A phase I trial of irinotecan (CPT-11) with amifostine in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Wakelee H,  Fisher GA.  Invest New Drugs.  2005; 23 (3): 241-2
• Novel approaches for the treatment of small cell lung cancer. Wakelee H,  Kelly K.  Hematol Oncol Clin North Am.  2004; 18 (2): 499-518
• Delta F508-CFTR channels: kinetics, activation by forskolin, and potentiation by xanthines. Haws CM,  Nepomuceno IB, Krouse ME, Wakelee H, Law T, Xia Y, Nguyen H, Wine JJ.  Am J Physiol.  1996; 270 (5 Pt 1): C1544-55