Dr. Wapnir Receives Smart Foundation Funding for Breast Cancer Research
January 13, 2025
Dr. Irene Wapnir has received funding from the Smart Foundation for her research project: “Early and Late Hormone-positive Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrences’ Genomic Signatures.”
“Our study focuses on trying to characterize the types of tumors that recur locally after lumpectomy or breast conserving surgery,” said Wapnir. “Some of these recurrences appear decades later, so we wonder: are these new cancers that develop or cancer cells that remained dormant in the area and survived all the prior treatments?”
About half of these recurrences are highly-associated with the presence of metastasis in tissues and organs outside the breast. Genomic signatures have defined sub-groups of tumors with aggressive and less aggressive behaviors.
“One of the goals of our research is to correlate these signatures to early or late recurrences. In fact, we might use the findings to classify an in-breast recurrence as early or late,” said Wapnir.
Wapnir will be working closely with Dr. Colin Bergstrom, one of the fellows in the Breast Program who has worked with Dr. Jennifer Caswell and Dr. Christina Curtis on these genomic signatures.
Much of Wapnir’s national clinical trials work has been on studying the longterm outcomes of patient in NSABP trials who experienced locoregional recurrences. She was also chair of Chemotherapy as Adjuvant for Locally Recurrent breast cancer (CALOR) trial, which investigated the effectiveness of chemotherapy after local therapy for isolated locoregional recurrence.
Additionally, the Williams Foundation is continuing to support Dr. Wapnir’s project: Investigator Initiated Randomized Trial of Neoadjuvant partial breast radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Media Contact
Bio
About Stanford Surgery
The Stanford University Department of Surgery is dedicated to inventing the future of surgical care through:
• pioneering cutting-edge research,
• developing the next generation of leaders, and
• healing through incomparable surgical skills and compassion.
To learn more, please visit surgery.stanford.edu
The Latest
– SurgeryFuture Physician Feature: Alexxandra Hurtado
Alexxandra Hurtado is an HBCU MD Student from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science working in Dr. Amanda Kirane's lab.
– Department of Medicine
NewsStanford-HBMC RISE Awards 2025
The Stanford-HBMC Program celebrates the awardees of the 2025 Recognizing Individuals for Support and Empowerment (RISE) Awards, recognizing faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and residents who demonstrated exceptional mentorship to visiting medical students from Historically Black Medical Colleges (HBMCs) including our own Dr. Amanda Kirane.
– Vascular & Endovascular SurgeryDrs. Michael Sgroi and Elizabeth George Assume Leadership of Stanford Vascular Surgery Training Programs
The Division of Vascular Surgery announces new leadership of its training programs. Dr. Michael Sgroi has been appointed Program Director of the Stanford Vascular Surgery Residency and Fellowship Programs. Dr. Elizabeth George has been appointed Associate Program Director.
– SurgerySpotlight: Dr. Abdourahmane Ndong
Dr. Abdourahmane Ndong is a visiting scholar participating in the Stanford African Scholars in Global Health Program (SASH), organized by the Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH). He spent six weeks on campus focusing on laparoscopic surgery training and how he might scale this work in his native Senegal.
– Division of Plastic & Reconstructive SurgeryPalca Shibale Receives SUS Karl Storz Resident Research Scholar Award
Dr. Palca Shibale, a general surgery resident from the University of Wisconsin currently conducting research in Dr. Michael Longaker’s laboratory at Stanford, has been awarded the SUS Karl Storz Resident Research Scholar Award, which provides $40,000 in funding to support her project titled “Fibroblast Subpopulations and the Foreign Body Response to Implanted Materials.”
– SurgeryStanford Breast Surgery Program Goes Global
Stanford's Breast Surgery Team gave the world’s first live demonstration of omental breast reconstruction with nipple neurotization at the 2025 Chang Gung Microsurgery Conference in Taiwan last week.
– SurgeryFuture Physician Feature: Subin Cho
Subin Cho is a Stanford Plastic Surgery CARE Research Fellow and a medical student at Loyola University.
– Vascular & Endovascular SurgeryA Legacy in Vascular Surgery: Father and Son Reunite at Stanford
Dr. Sean Harris joins Stanford’s Division of Vascular Surgery—the same program where his father, Dr. E. John Harris, Jr., built a distinguished career.
– Division of Plastic & Reconstructive SurgeryDr. Arash Momeni Elected Vice President at German Plastic Surgery Meeting
Arash Momeni, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University, recently attended the 55th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, held September 25–27, 2025, in Leipzig, Germany.
– Division of Plastic & Reconstructive SurgeryINSIDE PSTM 2025: Stanford Plastic Surgery Recap
This year, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (ASPS) Plastic Surgery The Meeting (PSTM) was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from October 9–11. Stanford Plastic Surgery participated in sessions across multiple subspecialties.