UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center : JCCC Member Directory

Beth Y. Karlan, M.D.

Specialty:

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Gynecologic Oncology

General Information:

Gender:	Female
Language(s):	English

Affiliation(s):

Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Director, Women’s Cancer Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute

Member, JCCC Signal Transduction and Therapeutics Program Area

Hospital Affiliation(s):

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Education:

Fellowship:	Gynecologic Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, 1987 - 1989 Molecular Biology, Yale University, 1986 - 1987
Residency:	Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale-New Haven Hospital, 1982 - 1986
Medical Degree:	M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1982

Certification(s):

Medical Board Certification(s):	Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1990, 1998, 2010 Gynecologic Oncology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1991, 1998, 2010

Contact Information:

Phone:	(310) 423-3302
Email:	karlanb@cshs.org

Practice Information:

Clinical Interest(s):	All reproductive cancers with special interest in ovarian cancer and genetic disposition

Scientific Interest(s):

Dr. Beth Karlan’s research focuses on the discovery of ovarian cancer-specific biomarkers for early detection, targeted/individualized therapy and prognostication. Her work also includes the study of inherited cancer susceptibility, specifically cancers associated with BRCA mutations. Karlan’s clinical studies involve early detection in high risk populations as well as targeted therapies for ovarian cancer.

Karlan’s work with the Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Detection Program helped shape the NIH Consensus Statement on Ovarian Cancer Screening. Her research contributions to this project include: molecular analysis demonstrated the multifocality of these tumors, and focused screening efforts on biomarkers; analysis of BRCA ovarian cancers demonstrated improved survival and enhanced platinum sensitivity; and further analysis demonstrated secondary mutations as a mechanism of acquired platinum resistance.

Karlan’s current investigations include work on genomic and proteomic profiles that comprise ovarian cancer-specific signatures and hereditary cancer penetrance, behavior and epigenetic modifiers.

Selected Cancer-Related Publications:

Walsh CS, Ogawa S, Karahashi H, Scoles DR, Pavelka JC, Tran H, Miller CW, Kawamata N, Ginther C, Dering J, Sanada M, Nannya Y, Slamon DJ, Koeffler HP, Karlan BY. ERCC5 is a novel biomarker of ovarian cancer prognosis. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Jun 20;26(18):2952-8.

Sakai W, Swisher EM, Karlan BY, Agarwal MK, Higgins J, Friedman C, Villegas E, Jacquemont C, Farrugia DJ, Couch FJ, Urban N, Taniguchi T. Secondary mutations as a mechanism of cisplatin resistance in BRCA2-mutated cancers. Nature. 2008 Feb 28;451(7182):1116-20. Epub 2008 Feb 10.

Karlan BY, Berchuck A, Mutch D. The role of genetic testing for cancer susceptibility in gynecologic practice. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Jul;110(1):155-67.

Gordon MS, Matei D, Aghajanian C, Matulonis UA, Brewer M, Fleming GF, Hainsworth JD, Garcia AA, Pegram MD, Schilder RJ, Cohn DE, Roman L, Derynck MK, Ng K, Lyons B, Allison DE, Eberhard DA, Pham TQ, Dere RC, Karlan BY. Clinical activity of pertuzumab (rhuMAb 2C4), a HER dimerization inhibitor, in advanced ovarian cancer: potential predictive relationship with tumor HER2 activation status. J Clin Oncol. 2006; 24(26): 4324-32.

Cass I, Holschneider C, Datta N, Barbuto D, Walts AE, Karlan BY. BRCA-mutation-associated fallopian tube carcinoma: a distinct clinical phenotype? Obstet Gynecol. 2005; 106(6): 1327-34.