Faculty Appointments
Patient Care Setting
Cancer
Biography
As Director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, I seek to provide the highest level of compassionate care for patients, ensuring access to novel treatments and clinical trials whenever possible. My background brings the entire continuum of lymphoma experience to patients, from diagnosis through all treatments including autologous stem cell transplantation, CAR-T cell interventions, novel agents, and survivorship.
We have built an incredibly strong team in Rochester to care for patients with lymphoma that is absolutely first rate and internationally recognized. We have expertise in hematopathology, radiation oncology, dermatology and neurology, in addition to hematology and medical oncology. Driving this team toward excellence – and seeing our success – is highly rewarding.
Our understanding of blood cancers in general, and specifically lymphoma, has enabled us to cure a subset of patients – and that attracted me to this specialty. Happily, this fraction of cured patients has substantially increased during my almost 20 years in this field. Since lymphoma can affect anyone – males, females, young patients, older patients and all ethnicities – I am rewarded by the interaction with a variety of patients. Finally, lymphoma is a complex set of diseases that can affect any organ system and I was drawn to that challenge.
My practice team includes Lynn Rich, NP and Melinda Trotto, RN.
Conditions I Treat
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Professional Background
Jonathan W. Friedberg, M.D., is Director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, and Director of Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research.
He is a driving force behind the operations of our clinical and research programs.
Friedberg is a chair of the lymphoma committee in the SWOG group of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network, and is an independently R01-funded investigator in the field of lymphoid malignancies.
Dr. Friedberg received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. His postgraduate training included an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed a medical oncology and hematology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care in Boston. Dr. Friedberg also has an M.M.Sc. degree from Harvard Medical School in clinical investigation. He holds subspecialty certification in Medical Oncology and Hematology.
His research interests focus on development of novel therapies for patients with lymphoma. He formerly received a Scholar in Clinical Research award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, based upon his work with an oral inhibitor of a protein called Syk, which demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of several different forms of lymphoma. He is currently funded as PI of the ILyAD trial, evaluating patients with follicular lymphoma receiving rituximab with a vitamin D intervention. As chair of SWOG, he is co-leader of the current North American intergroup effort in advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma. He is also a founding member of the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes Consortium..
Credentials
Specialties
- Hematology - American Board of Internal Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Oncology
Education
1994
MD | Harvard Medical School Children s Hospital
Post-doctoral Training & Residency
07/01/1997 - 06/01/1999
Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
07/01/1995 - 06/01/1997
Residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital
07/01/1994 - 06/30/1995
Internship in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital
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Awards
2012
Faculty Academic Mentoring Award
Sponsor: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Location: University of Rochester
2008 - 2008
Scholar in Clinical Research
Sponsor: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
2008 - 2008
America's Top Doctors Selection
2007 - 2007
Jacob Gitelman Award
Sponsor: Gilda's Club and Cancer Action
Location: Rochester, NY
2004 - 2006
Lawrence A. Kohn Senior Teaching Fellow
Sponsor: Institute of Medicine
Location: Outstanding Teaching Contributions, Department of Medicine, Univ
2003 - 2003
Clinical Investigator Career Development Award
Sponsor: Lymphoma Research Foundation
2001 - 2003
Clinical Oncology Research Fellowship " Immunotherapy of Hodgkin's Disease"
Sponsor: Berlex Oncology Foundation
2001 - 2003
Rising stars program for innovative research
Sponsor: Dunkin Donuts and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Department of Adu
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Clinical Trials
A Phase III, Randomized Study of Nivolumab (Opdivo) Plus AVD or Brentuximab Vedotin (ADCETRIS) Plus AVD in Patients (Age >/= 12 Years) With Newley Diagnosed Advanced Stage Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (S1826)
Lead Researcher: Jonathan W Friedberg MD
This randomized phase III trial compares immunotherapy drugs (nivolumab or brentuximab vedotin) when given with combination chemotherapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed stage III or IV classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Brentuximab vedotin is a monoclonal antibody, brentuximab, linked to a toxic agent called vedotin. Brentuximab attaches to cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers vedotin to kill them. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. The addition of nivolumab or brentuximab vedotin to combination chemotherapy may shrink the cancer or extend the time without disease symptoms coming back.
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ULYM17025: ILyAD (Indolent Lymphoma And Vitamin D): A phase III double blind, prospective randomized trial to evaluate the supplemental effect of vitamin D (cholecalciferol) on progression-free survival in patients with low tumor-burden
indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with rituximab therapy
Lead Researcher: Jonathan W Friedberg MD
Despite strong evidence suggesting that vitamin D deficiency is associated with undesirable outcomes in patients with numerous cancers, there has never been a thorough study of vitamin D treatment in subjects undergoing treatment for cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether modification of vitamin D levels in the blood, through supplementation, can improve outcomes.
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Publications
Journal Articles
11/25/2020
de Vos S, Leonard JP, Friedberg JW, Zain J, Dunleavy K, Humerickhouse R, Hayslip J, Pesko J, Wilson WH. "Safety and efficacy of navitoclax, a BCL-2 and BCL-X inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoid malignancies: results from a phase 2a study." Leukemia & lymphoma.. 2020 Nov 25; :1-9. Epub 2020 Nov 25.
10/30/2020
Zent CS, Brady MT, Delage C, Strawderman M, Laniewski N, Contant PN, Kanagaiah P, Sangster MY, Barr PM, Chu CC, Topham DJ, Friedberg JW. "Short term results of vaccination with adjuvanted recombinant varicella zoster glycoprotein E during initial BTK inhibitor therapy for CLL or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma." Leukemia.. 2020 Oct 30; Epub 2020 Oct 30.
10/26/2020
Persky DO, Smith SM, LeBlanc ML, Friedberg JW. "Reply to E. Hawkes et al." Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.. 2020 Oct 26; :JCO2002856. Epub 2020 Oct 26.
Books & Chapters
2008
Chapter Title: Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma. Evidence-based Hematology
Book Title: Evidence-based Hematology
Author List: McMahon B, Friedberg JW
Published By: Evidence based Hematology 2008
2008
Chapter Title: Monoclonal antibodies in lymphoma: the first decade.
Book Title: Seminars in Hematology
Author List: Link BK and Friedberg JW
Published By: Seminars in Hematology 2008
2008
Chapter Title: Non-myeloablative radioimmunotherapy for lymphoma.
Book Title: Seminars in Hematology
Author List: Schaefer-Cutillo J., Friedberg JW
Published By: Seminars in Hematology 2008
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