Ajay Dhakal, M.B.B.S.

Biography

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

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Clinical Trials

(CompassHER2-pCR): Preoperative THP and Postoperative HP in Patients Who Achieve a Pathologic Complete Response

Lead Researcher: Ajay Dhakal

This trial studies how well paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab work in eliminating further chemotherapy after surgery in patients with HER2-positive stage II-IIIa breast cancer who have no cancer remaining at surgery (either in the breast or underarm lymph nodes) after pre-operative chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Trastuzumab and pertuzumab are both a form of "targeted therapy" because they work by attaching themselves to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, known as HER2 receptors. When these drugs attach to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the tumor cell may be marked for destruction by the body's immune system. Giving paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab may enable fewer chemotherapy drugs to be given without compromising patient outcomes compared to the usual treatment.

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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.

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Publications

Journal Articles

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.

9/22/2022
Dhakal A, Van Swearingen AED, O'Regan R, Anders CK. "Systemic Therapy Approaches for Breast Cancer Brain and Leptomeningeal Metastases." Current treatment options in oncology.. 2022 Sep 22; Epub 2022 Sep 22.

4/7/2022
Gupta RK, Roy AM, Gupta A, Takabe K, Dhakal A, Opyrchal M, Kalinski P, Gandhi S. "Systemic Therapy De-Escalation in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Dawn of a New Era?" Cancers.. 2022 Apr 7; 14(8)Epub 2022 Apr 07.

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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