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Deborah Mulford, M.D.

Deborah Mulford, M.D.

Cancer

UR Medicine Faculty The University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group (URMFG) consists of over 900 specialist and primary care providers spanning 19 departments. URMFG is certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Accountable Health Partner Accountable Health Partners (AHP) is a network of over 2,000 community and UR medical faculty and a dozen leading hospitals throughout the region. AHP offers a full range of care.
Accepting New Patients

Contact

Appointment (585) 275-5823
Office (585) 275-5823
Fax (585) 273-5761
Administrative (585) 275-9484

About Me

I was drawn to the field of oncology because it allows me to treat the whole person. The number of new and effective cancer therapies we can offer patients excites me, and it is incredibly rewarding to experience positive results with patients and families.

My practice style is patient- and f...
I was drawn to the field of oncology because it allows me to treat the whole person. The number of new and effective cancer therapies we can offer patients excites me, and it is incredibly rewarding to experience positive results with patients and families.

My practice style is patient- and family-focused. I work closely with a multidisciplinary team to determine the best, evidence-based treatment option for each individual. My primary focus is in the treatment of cancers originating from the lung and/or head and neck region. I am a native Rochesterian and am proud to have attended the University of Rochester for medical school.

Conditions I Treat:

- Non small cell lung cancer
- Small cell lung cancer
- Neuroendocrine carcinoma
- Mesothelioma
- Head and neck malignancies
- Thyroid cancer
- Other malignancies

Faculty Appointments

Professor of Clinical Medicine - Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology (SMD)

Credentials

Residency & Fellowship

Fellowship, Hematology & Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. 2002 - 2005

Residency, Internal Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center-GME. 2000 - 2002

Internship, Internal Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center-GME. 1999 - 2000

Education

MD | University of Rochester. 1999

Awards

NIH Clinical Loan Repayment Program. 2004 - 2006

Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation Endowed Fellowship. 2003 - 2005

Mortimer J. Lacher Fellowship Award. 2003 - 2005

International Cancer Fellowship. 1996 - 1996

U.S. and European Patent-Photographic Apparatus for an Optical Instrument. 1991

Warner King Prize. 1990

Stearns Prize. 1989 - 1990

Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Societies. 1988 - 1990

Tidmarsh Scholarship for Piano. 1986 - 1990

Research

Clinical Trials

EA5163/S1709 INSIGNA : A Randomized, Phase III Study of Firstline Immunotherapy Alone or in Combination with Chemotherapy in Induction/Maintenance or Postprogression in Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with Immunobiomarker SIGNature-Driven Analysis

Lead Researcher: Deborah Mulford MD

This phase III trial studies whether pembrolizumab alone as a first-line treatment, followed by pemetrexed and carboplatin with or without pembrolizumab after disease progression is superior to induction with pembrolizumab, pemetrexed and carboplatin...

Pragmatica-Lung: A Prospective Randomized Study of Ramucirumab (LY3009806; NSC 749128) Plus Pembrolizumab (MK-3475; NSC 776864) Versus Standard of Care for Participants Previously Treated With Immunotherapy for Stage IV or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lead Researcher: Deborah Mulford MD

This phase III trial compares the effect of the combination of ramucirumab and pembrolizumab versus standard of care chemotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer that is stage IV or that has come back after a period of improvement (re...

Publications

Journal Articles

Response-Adapted, Time-Limited Venetoclax, Umbralisib and Ublituximab for Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Hill BT, Ma S, Zent CS, Baran AM, Wallace DS, Advani AS, Winter AM, Winter JN, Gordon LI, Karmali R, Liesveld JL, Mulford DA, Rowland C, Bui A, Sportelli P, Miskin HP, Weiss MS, Friedberg JW, Barr PM

Blood advances.. 2023 October 23 Epub 10/23/2023.

Heterogeneity of neuroendocrine transcriptional states in metastatic small cell lung cancers and patient-derived models.

Lissa D, Takahashi N, Desai P, Manukyan I, Schultz CW, Rajapakse V, Velez MJ, Mulford D, Roper N, Nichols S, Vilimas R, Sciuto L, Chen Y, Guha U, Rajan A, Atkinson D, El Meskini R, Weaver Ohler Z, Thomas A

Nature communications.. 2022 April 1913 (1):2023. Epub 04/19/2022.

Notch signaling and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in relapsed small cell lung cancer.

Roper N, Velez MJ, Chiappori A, Kim YS, Wei JS, Sindiri S, Takahashi N, Mulford D, Kumar S, Ylaya K, Trindade C, Manukyan I, Brown AL, Trepel JB, Lee JM, Hewitt S, Khan J, Thomas A

Nature communications.. 2021 June 2312 (1):3880. Epub 06/23/2021.

Erratum: Anterior mediastinal large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with elevated AFP: A case report and review.

Komisarof J, Qiu H, Velez MJ, Mulford D

Molecular and clinical oncology.. 2021 April 14 (4):86. Epub 02/26/2021.

Anterior mediastinal large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with elevated AFP: A case report and review.

Komisarof J, Qiu H, Velez MJ, Mulford D

Molecular and clinical oncology.. 2021 February 14 (2):34. Epub 12/22/2020.

Atorvastatin is associated with reduced cisplatin-induced hearing loss.

Fernandez KA, Allen P, Campbell M, Page B, Townes T, Li CM, Cheng H, Garrett J, Mulquin M, Clements A, Mulford D, Ortiz C, Brewer C, Dubno JR, Newlands S, Schmitt NC, Cunningham LL

The Journal of clinical investigation.. 2021 January 4131 (1)Epub 1900 01 01.

Risk of brain metastases in T1-3N0 NSCLC: a population-based analysis.

Milano MT, Bates JE, Budnik J, Qiu H, Hardy S, Cummings MA, Baumgart MA, Maggiore RJ, Mulford DA, Usuki KY

Lung cancer management.. 2020 February 259 (1):LMT25. Epub 02/25/2020.

Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study.

Burtness B, Harrington KJ, Greil R, Soulières D, Tahara M, de Castro G, Psyrri A, Basté N, Neupane P, Bratland Å, Fuereder T, Hughes BGM, Mesía R, Ngamphaiboon N, Rordorf T, Wan Ishak WZ, Hong RL, González Mendoza R, Roy A, Zhang Y, Gumuscu B, Cheng JD, Jin F, Rischin D,

Lancet.. 2019 October 31 Epub 10/31/2019.

-Paclitaxel-Based Therapy in Underserved Patient Populations: The ABOUND.PS2 Study in Patients With NSCLC and a Performance Status of 2.

Gajra A, Karim NA, Mulford DA, Villaruz LC, Matrana MR, Ali HY, Santos ES, Berry T, Ong TJ, Sanford A, Amiri K, Spigel DR

Frontiers in oncology.. 2018 8 :253. Epub 07/24/2018.

SWOG0919: a Phase 2 study of idarubicin and cytarabine in combination with pravastatin for relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia.

Advani AS, McDonough S, Copelan E, Willman C, Mulford DA, List AF, Sekeres MA, Othus M, Appelbaum FR

British journal of haematology.. 2014 October 167 (2):233-7. Epub 07/18/2014.

SWOG0919: a Phase 2 study of idarubicin and cytarabine in combination with pravastatin for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.

Advani AS; McDonough S; Copelan E; Willman C; Mulford DA; List AF; Sekeres MA; Othus M; Appelbaum FR.

British Journal of Hematology. 2014; Volume 167(Issue 2).

A phase I study of decitabine and rapamycin in relapsed/refractory AML.

Liesveld JL, O'Dwyer K, Walker A, Becker MW, Ifthikharuddin JJ, Mulford D, Chen R, Bechelli J, Rosell K, Minhajuddin M, Jordan CT, Phillips GL

Leukemia research.. 2013 December 37 (12):1622-7. Epub 09/08/2013.

Phase 1 dose-ranging study of ezatiostat hydrochloride in combination with lenalidomide in patients with non-deletion (5q) low to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Raza A, Galili N, Mulford D, Smith SE, Brown GL, Steensma DP, Lyons RM, Boccia R, Sekeres MA, Garcia-Manero G, Mesa RA

Journal of hematology & oncology.. 2012 April 305 :18. Epub 04/30/2012.

A phase 2 randomized multicenter study of 2 extended dosing schedules of oral ezatiostat in low to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

Raza A, Galili N, Smith SE, Godwin J, Boccia RV, Myint H, Mahadevan D, Mulford D, Rarick M, Brown GL, Schaar D, Faderl S, Komrokji RS, List AF, Sekeres M

Cancer.. 2012 April 15118 (8):2138-47. Epub 09/01/2011.

Proteasome inhibition in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myelogenous leukemia cell lines.

Liesveld JL, Rosell KE, Bechelli J, Lu C, Messina P, Mulford D, Ifthikharuddin JJ, Jordan CT, Phillips Ii GL

Cancer investigation.. 2011 August 29 (7):439-50. Epub 1900 01 01.

A phase 2 study of lenalidomide monotherapy in patients with deletion 5q acute myeloid leukemia: Southwest Oncology Group Study S0605.

Sekeres MA, Gundacker H, Lancet J, Advani A, Petersdorf S, Liesveld J, Mulford D, Norwood T, Willman CL, Appelbaum FR, List AF

Blood.. 2011 July 21118 (3):523-8. Epub 05/06/2011.

Sequential cytarabine and alpha-particle immunotherapy with bismuth-213-lintuzumab (HuM195) for acute myeloid leukemia.

Rosenblat TL, McDevitt MR, Mulford DA, Pandit-Taskar N, Divgi CR, Panageas KS, Heaney ML, Chanel S, Morgenstern A, Sgouros G, Larson SM, Scheinberg DA, Jurcic JG

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.. 2010 November 116 (21):5303-11. Epub 09/21/2010.

Phase I study of cladribine, cytarabine (Ara-C), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) (CLAG Regimen) and simultaneous escalating doses of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) in relapsed/refractory AML.

Walker AR, Komrokji RS, Ifthikharuddin J, Messina P, Mulford D, Becker M, Friedberg J, Oliva J, Phillips G, Liesveld JL, Abboud C

Leukemia research.. 2008 December 32 (12):1830-6. Epub 06/20/2008.

Rapid method for detection of mutations in the nucleophosmin gene in acute myeloid leukemia.

Laughlin TS, Becker MW, Liesveld JL, Mulford DA, Abboud CN, Brown P, Rothberg PG

The Journal of molecular diagnostics : JMD.. 2008 July 10 (4):338-45. Epub 06/13/2008.

Sequential therapy with cytarabine and bismuth-213 (213Bi)-labeled-HuM195 (anti-CD33) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Mulford, D.; Pandit-Taskar, N.; McDevitt, M.; Finn, R.; Weiss, M.; Apostolidis, C.; Morgenstern, A.; Divgi, C.; Larson, S.; Scheinberg, D., Jurcic, J.;.

Blood. 2004; .

Reducing standard postremission chemotherapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with risk-adapted therapy.

Mulford, D.; Maslak, P.; Weiss, M.; Scheinberg, D.; Jurcic, J.;.

Blood. 2003; : 619a.

Retrospective study to determine if the presence of trisomy 12 by FISH and cytogenetics is predictive of a slowly-progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Landau, H.; Mulford, D.; Jurcic, J.; Lammanna, N.; Weiss, M.

nab-Paclitaxel-Based Regimens in Underserved Patient Populations Part 2: The ABOUND.PS2 Study in Patients with NSCLC and a Performance Status of 2.

Gajra A; Karim NA; Mulford DA; Villaruz LC; Matrana MR; Haythem YA; Santos ES; Berry T; Ong TJ; Sanford A; Amiri K; Spigel DR.

Frontiers in Oncology, section Thoracic Oncology. .

Books

Cancer Chemotherapy and Biotherapy (2006)

Chapter: Monoclonal Antibody Therapies of Cancer

Authors: Scheinberg DA, Mulford DA, Jurcic JG, Junghans RP, Sgouros G.

Publisher: Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, And Wilkins 2006