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Toni Choueiri

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Toni Choueiri
Choueiri in 2025
Born
Beirut, Lebanon
Academic background
EducationMD, Saint Joseph University Residency/Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic
Academic work
InstitutionsDana–Farber Cancer Institute

Toni K. Choueiri is a Lebanese American medical oncologist and researcher. He is the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. His work has led to the establishment of several novel drugs (cabozantinib, avelumab, pazopanib and others) and prognostic factors in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Choueiri also co-established the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) with Daniel Heng. His biomarker work has shed light on complex immunogenomic mechanisms contributing to response and resistance to targeted therapy and immunotherapy,[1][2] as well as HIF-2α biology, rare kidney tumor subtypes and solid tumor liquid biopsy.

Early life and education

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Choueiri was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon,[3] and received his medical degree at Saint Joseph University's Faculty of Medicine. He trained at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after medical school and moved in 2007 to Dana–Farber Cancer Institute.[4]

Career

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Choueiri collaborated with Paul L. Nguyen in 2011 to perform a meta-analysis of randomized studies involving 4,141 prostate cancer patients to examine whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular death. The study found no significant difference in cardiovascular mortality in patients who received ADT and those who didn't, but it could not exclude a possible increased risk of fatal cardiac events.[5] The following year, Choueiri led an analysis showing that several new anti-cancer agents were associated with a small increase in the risk of treatment-related death.[6]

From 2015 and for the next several years, Choueiri led the development of cabozantinib in metastatic RCC, from early phase 1 to randomized trials leading to its approval in TKI-refractory disease in 2016 and in untreated RCC patients in 2017.[7][8] Choueiri also co-established the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) with Daniel Heng.[9]

In 2017, Choueiri led a study that found that patients with metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma benefited from savolitinib, a drug that targets an abnormal genetic pathway causing cancerous growth.[10]

The following year, Choueiri was appointed full professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School while continuing in his position as director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology.[11] In this role, he led the development of the combination of axitinib and avelumab from phase 1 to late stage trials, leading to the combination being approved for RCC therapy in May 2019.[12] He also collaborated with Nobel prize laureate and long-term close colleague William Kaelin Jr. on translational and clinical research involving hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF-2α) as a therapeutic target in clear-cell RCC.[13][14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Choueiri worked clinical shifts caring for oncology patients with COVID-19 and led a multinational effort to identify risk factors unique to cancer patients.[15][16] During the same period, he continued his kidney cancer research, including work with Matthew Freedman on liquid biopsy approaches for early detection of RCC. One such study reported high accuracy in distinguishing patients with kidney cancer from individuals without the disease using blood-based molecular profiling.[17]

In January 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab in combination with cabozantinib as the first-line treatment for advanced RCC following results from a trial led by Choueiri.[18][19] He also co-led, with Robert Motzer, the development of the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab, which received FDA approval for advanced RCC in August 2021.[20][21]

Later that year, Choueiri presented results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-564 trial, which demonstrated the benefit of adjuvant pembrolizumab after nephrectomy in patients with RCC at increased risk of recurrence. The findings led to FDA approval of pembrolizumab for adjuvant treatment of RCC later in 2021.[22][23]

Choueiri later led LITESPARK-005, a randomized phase 3 trial that established the HIF-2α inhibitor belzutifan as a treatment option for previously treated advanced RCC and supported its FDA approval in 2023.[24]

In 2024, Choueiri and Dana-Farber scientist Catherine J. Wu oversaw a clinical trial evaluating personalized neoantigen vaccines in patients with kidney cancer. All nine participants developed vaccine-induced immune responses directed against tumor-associated neoantigens, supporting further investigation of personalized cancer vaccines in RCC.[25][26]

In 2026, FDA approval was granted to the combination of pembrolizumab and belzutifan[24] based on Choueiri's work combining targets and drugs from the 2018 (immune checkpoint blockers) and 2019 (HIF2 inhibitors) Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physiology.

As a result of his research, Choueiri was inducted into the 2021 Giants of Cancer Care class[27] and received the King Hussein Cancer Research Lifetime Achievement Award (International Track).[28] In recognition of his continued efforts to combat cancer, he was awarded the Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research in 2024.[29]

He was also inducted as a member into the American Society for Clinical Investigation[30] and into the Association of American Physicians in 2026.[31] That same year, he received the KidneyCAN Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his pivotal contributions to renal cell carcinoma research.[32]

Personal life

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Choueiri and his wife Sue have two children together and are soccer fans of the MLS, Bundesliga and Premier League.[15]

References

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  1. ↑ Motzer, R. J.; Robbins, P. B.; Powles, T.; Albiges, L.; Haanen, J. B.; Larkin, J.; Mu, X. J.; Ching, K. A.; Uemura, M.; Pal, S. K.; Alekseev, B.; Gravis, G.; Campbell, M. T.; Penkov, K.; Lee, J. L.; Hariharan, S.; Wang, X.; Zhang, W.; Wang, J.; Chudnovsky, A.; Di Pietro, A.; Donahue, A. C.; Choueiri, T. K. (November 2020). "Avelumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma: biomarker analysis of the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial". Nature Medicine. 26 (11): 1733–1741. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-1044-8. PMC 8493486. PMID 32895571.
  2. ↑ Miao, D.; Margolis, C. A.; Gao, W.; Voss, M. H.; Li, W.; Martini, D. J.; Norton, C.; Bossé, D.; Wankowicz, S. M.; Cullen, D.; Horak, C.; Wind-Rotolo, M.; Tracy, A.; Giannakis, M.; Hodi, F. S.; Drake, C. G.; Ball, M. W.; Allaf, M. E.; Snyder, A.; Hellmann, M. D.; Ho, T.; Motzer, R. J.; Signoretti, S.; Kaelin Jr, W. G.; Choueiri, T. K.; Van Allen, E. M. (February 16, 2018). "Genomic correlates of response to immune checkpoint therapies in clear cell renal cell carcinoma". Science. 359 (6377): 801–806. Bibcode:2018Sci...359..801M. doi:10.1126/science.aan5951. PMC 6035749. PMID 29301960.
  3. ↑ Wisnia, Saul (July 25, 2018). "Dana-Farber Oncologist Gears Up for First Pan-Mass Challenge". jimmyfund.org. The Jimmy Fund. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Toni K. Choueiri, MD". physiciandirectory.brighamandwomens.org. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  5. ↑ "New study reassures on heart risks of prostate cancer treatment". dana-farber.org. December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Three 'targeted' cancer drugs raise risk of fatal side effects". dana-farber.org. February 6, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ Choueiri, Toni K.; Escudier, Bernard; Powles, Thomas (November 5, 2015). "Cabozantinib versus Everolimus in Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma". The New England Journal of Medicine. 373 (19): 1814–1823. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1510016. PMC 5024539. PMID 26406150.
  8. ↑ Choueiri, Toni K. (February 20, 2017). "Cabozantinib Versus Sunitinib As Initial Targeted Therapy for Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma of Poor or Intermediate Risk: The Alliance A031203 CABOSUN Trial". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 35 (6): 591–597. doi:10.1200/JCO.2016.70.7398. PMC 5455807. PMID 28199818.
  9. ↑ Ko, J. J.; Xie, W.; Kroeger, N.; Lee, J. L.; Rini, B. I.; Knox, J. J.; Bjarnason, G. A.; Srinivas, S.; Pal, S. K.; Yuasa, T.; Smoragiewicz, M.; Donskov, F.; Kanesvaran, R.; Wood, L.; Ernst, D. S.; Agarwal, N.; Vaishampayan, U. N.; Rha, S. Y.; Choueiri, T. K.; Heng, D. Y. (March 2015). "The International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model as a prognostic tool in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma previously treated with first-line targeted therapy: a population-based study". The Lancet Oncology. 16 (3): 293–300. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(14)71222-7. PMID 25681967.
  10. ↑ "Targeted drug shows promise in rare advanced kidney cancer". dana-farber.org. June 23, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ "2018-2019 Recently Appointed Professors" (PDF). fa.hms.harvard.edu. 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Choueiri, Toni K. (May 20, 2019). "Biomarker analyses from JAVELIN Renal 101: Avelumab + axitinib (A+Ax) versus sunitinib (S) in advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC)". Journal of Clinical Oncology. 37 (15): 101. doi:10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.101. S2CID 190871839. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Nobel Prize Research Was a Winning Formula for Patient with Kidney Cancer". dana-farber.org. January 7, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. ↑ Onyeneho, Laura (December 14, 2019). "Harvard Nobel Prize winner's research extends life of cancer patient". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Lemieux, Jeff (April 24, 2020). "Hometown Heroes: Dr. Toni Choueiri, Revs Season Member, fighting on the frontlines". revolutionsoccer.net. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Multinational study identifies high risk to cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19". dana-farber.org. May 28, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Biomarker test highly accurate in detecting early kidney cancer". newswise.com. June 22, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ "FDA approves nivolumab plus cabozantinib for advanced renal cell carcinoma". fda.gov. January 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  19. ↑ Goodman, Alice (September 19, 2020). "CheckMate 9ER Trial Shows Benefit of Novel Doublet for Advanced Kidney Cancer". ascopost.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  20. ↑ Motzer, Robert; et al. (April 8, 2021). "Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab or Everolimus for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma". The New England Journal of Medicine. 384 (14): 1289–1300. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2035716. PMID 33616314. S2CID 231988072.
  21. ↑ "FDA approves lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab for advanced renal cell carcinoma". FDA. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  22. ↑ "FDA Approves Merck's KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) as Adjuvant Therapy for Certain Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) Following Surgery". Merck & Co. November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  23. ↑ Choueiri, Toni K.; et al. (August 19, 2021). "Adjuvant Pembrolizumab after Nephrectomy in Renal-Cell Carcinoma". The New England Journal of Medicine. 385 (8): 683–694. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2106391. PMID 34407342. S2CID 237215136.
  24. 1 2 Choueiri, Toni K.; Motzer, Robert J.; Karam, Jose A.; Yip, Wesley; Suárez, Cristina; Ye, Dingwei; He, Zhisong; Caglevic, Christian; Ferguson, Tom; Chang, Yen-Hwa; Rojas, Carlos; Iacovelli, Roberto; Ürün, Yüksel; Verzoni, Elena; Limón, Juan Carlos Vázquez (2026-07-01). "Adjuvant Pembrolizumab plus Belzutifan for Renal-Cell Carcinoma". New England Journal of Medicine. 395 (1). Massachusetts Medical Society: 32–43. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2518245. ISSN 0028-4793.
  25. ↑ "Cancer vaccine shows promise for patients with stage III and IV kidney cancer". Dana-Farber. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ Braun, David A.; et al. (February 5, 2025). "A neoantigen vaccine generates antitumour immunity in renal cell carcinoma". Nature. 639 (8054): 474–482. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08507-5. PMC 11903305.
  27. ↑ "Giants of Cancer Care® Announces Ninth Annual Class of Inductees". PR Newswire. September 16, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Professor Toni Choueiri: Lifetime Achievement International Track". King Hussein Cancer Award. 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Dana-Farber Researchers Receive AACR 2025 Scientific Achievement Awards". Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Toni K. Choueiri, MD, MS". American Society for Clinical Investigation. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Dana-Farber's Dr. Toni Choueiri Elected to the Association of American Physicians | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute". www.dana-farber.org. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  32. ↑ "Toni Choueiri Honored with KidneyCAN Hall of Fame Award - OncoDaily". oncodaily.com. 2026-07-24. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
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