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Ajay Dhakal, M.B.B.S.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 487-1700

Fax: (585) 321-1724

URMFGA member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group

groupAn Accountable Health Partner

assignmentAccepting New Patients

Faculty Appointments

Patient Care Setting

Cancer

Biography

Dr. Ajay Dhakal received his medical degree and completed his internship at Kathmandu Medical College in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2009. Dr. Dhakal then finished his residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York in 2015. He then completed a clinical fellowship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York in 2018.

Dr. Dhakal's special interest is breast cancer. His goal is to help breast cancer patients live longer with a good quality of life. Dr. Dhakal is passionate about conducting clinical research to better understand cancer biology and to discover new ways to treat breast cancer.

In his free time, Dr. Dhakal likes to travel and watch movies.

Credentials

Specialties

    Education

    2009
    MBBS | Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital (Nepal)

    Post-doctoral Training & Residency

    07/01/2015 - 06/30/2018
    Fellowship in Hematology & Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute

    07/01/2013 - 06/30/2015
    Residency in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center

    07/01/2012 - 06/30/2013
    Internship in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center

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    Awards

    2017 - 2018
    Nominated for Gerald L. Logue Memorial Travel Award
    Sponsor: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center,
    Location: Buffalo, NY

    2017
    Best Poster, Annual Research Day
    Sponsor: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
    Location: University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

    2014
    Resident-Rock Award
    Sponsor: Maimonides Medical Center
    Location: Brooklyn, NY

    2005
    Dean's List in Basic Science Final Examinations
    Sponsor: Kathmandu Medical College
    Location: Nepal

    2003 - 2009
    Ministry of Education Scholarship
    Sponsor: Kathmandu Medical College
    Location: Nepal

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    Clinical Trials

    Phase 3, Open-Label, Randomized, Study Comparing Gedatolisib Combined With Fulvestrant & With or Without Palbociclib to Standard-of-Care Therapies in Patients With HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer Previously Treated With a CDK4/6 Inhibitor in Combination w/Non-Steroidal Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy

    Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

    This is a Phase 3, open-label, randomized, clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of gedatolisib plus fulvestrant with or without palbociclib for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic HR+/HER2- breast cancer following progression on or after CDK4/6 and aromatase inhibitor therapy.

    View Study Details

    An Open-Label Phase II Trial of Neratinib Plus Capecitabine in Subjects With HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases and Abnormally Active HER2 Signaling

    Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

    The purpose of this research is to look at the safety and effectiveness of a HER2-targeted therapy neratinib when given with capecitabine, a chemotherapy, for breast cancer patients with brain metastases whose tumors were HER2-negative by standard tests but showed abnormal HER2 activity based on the CELsignia results.

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    The CompassHER2 Trials (Comprehensive Use of Pathologic Response Assessment to Optimize Therapy in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer) CompassHER2 Residual Disease (RD), a Double-Blinded, Phase III Randomized Trial of T-DM1 Compared With T-DM1 and Tucatinib

    Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

    This phase III trial studies how well trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and tucatinib work in preventing breast cancer from coming back (relapsing) in patients with high risk, HER2 positive breast cancer. T-DM1 is a monoclonal antibody, called trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug, called DM1. Trastuzumab is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors, and delivers DM1 to kill them. Tucatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving T-DM1 and tucatinib may work better in preventing breast cancer from relapsing in patients with HER2 positive breast cancer compared to T-DM1 alone.

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    MammaPrint, BluePrint, and Full-genome Data Linked With Clinical Data to Evaluate New Gene EXpression Profiles: An Adaptable Registry (FLEX Registry)

    Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

    The FLEX Registry will be implemented to operate as a large-scale, population based, prospective registry. All patients with stage I to III breast cancer who receive MammaPrint® and BluePrint testing on a primary breast tumor are eligible for entry into the FLEX Registry, which is intended to enable additional study arms at low incremental effort and cost. FLEX Registry will utilize an adaptive design, where additional targeted substudies and arms can be added after the initial study is opened.

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    MammaPrint, BluePrint, and Full-genome Data Linked with Clinical Data to Evaluate New Gene EXpression Profiles: An Adaptable Registry (FLEX Registry)

    Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

    The purpose of this registry is to create a large-scale, population-based database. This database will match health information to genome data to identify new gene associations in breast cancer. The study will look at Agendia Breast Cancer tests, including MammaPrint® and BluePrint™, which are tests that help doctors analyze and profile breast cancer tumors.

    View Study Details

    Publications

    Journal Articles

    6/2023
    Arya Mariam Roy; Vasanthan Muthusamy Kumarasamy; Ajay Dhakal;, Ruth O'Regan; Shipra Gandhi. "A review of treatment options in HER2-low breast cancer and proposed treatment sequencing algorithm" . Cancer. 2023; .

    1/2023
    Turner BM; Finkelman BS; Hicks DG; Numbereye N; Moisini I; Dhakal A; Skinner K; Sanders MAG; Wang X; Shayne M; Schiffhauer L; Katerji H; Zhang H. "The Rochester Modified Magee Algorithm (RoMMa): An Outcomes Based Strategy for Clinical Risk-Assessment and Risk-Stratification in ER Positive, HER2 Negative Breast Cancer Patients Being Considered for Oncotype DX® Testing." Cancers. 2023; 3(15): 903.

    12/1/2022
    Dhakal A, Anders CK. "Screening brain MRI in inflammatory breast cancer: Is it time?" Cancer.. 2022 Dec 1; 128(23):4055-4057. Epub 2022 Oct 10.

    Books & Chapters

    2006
    Book Title: Angel's Concise Clinical Methods,
    Author List: Dhakal A, Magar A, Shrestha S, Shrestha R, Palikhey S
    Published By: Makalu Publication House 2006 in Nepal

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    Reviews

    At URMC, we believe that patients should be empowered to make the right decisions regarding their personal healthcare. To do so, transparency is critical. URMC partners with Press Ganey, to survey our patients about all aspects of their care experience. We are now putting this pertinent information at your fingertips by displaying star ratings for our providers along with anonymous patient comments on our website. This will help you make better-informed choices about how and with whom you seek care. Click here to learn more about the surveys used to generate this vital information.