Christine A. Ciunci, MD, MSCE
Dr. Ciunci is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine (Hematology-Oncology) and a medical oncologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her clinical expertise is in thoracic malignancies including malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer.[1]
Dr. Ciunci is part of the multidisciplinary team for the Penn Lung Cancer Program, the Penn Mesothelioma Program, and the Penn Pleural Disease Program. She is board-certified in Hematology, Internal Medicine, and Medical Oncology.
Education and Career
Dr. Ciunci earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Ursinus College and then attended medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning her medical degree, she completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and a fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology. She also earned a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania.[1]
Since completing her medical education and training, she has taken on several roles within the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, including Vice Chief for Clinical Affairs and Quality in the Division of Hematology-Oncology; Physician Lead for Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s Clinical Research Program; Chief of Hematology and Oncology, Physician lead for the Cancer Service Line, Attending at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s Abramson Cancer Center; and attending at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Research
Dr. Ciunci’s is involved in clinical trials and research focused on improving outcomes for patients with thoracic malignancies like malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer. Her recent publications include:[1]
Friedes C, Yegya-Raman N, Zhang S, Iocolano M, Cohen RB, Aggarwal C, Thompson JC, Marmarelis ME, Levin WP, Cengel KA, Ciunci CA, Singh AP, D’Avella C, Davis CW, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Patterns of Failure in Metastatic NSCLC Treated With First-Line Pembrolizumab and Use of Local Therapy in Patients With Oligoprogression Clin Lung Cancer: 2023.
Yegya-Raman N, Berman AT, Ciunci CA, Friedes C, Berlin E, Iocolano M, Wang X, Lai C, Levin WP, Cengel KA, O’Reilly SE, Cohen RB, Aggarwal C, Marmarelis ME, Singh AP, Sun L, Bradley JD, Plastaras JP, Simone CB 2nd, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Phase 2 Trial of Consolidation Pembrolizumab After Proton Reirradiation for Thoracic Recurrences of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys: 2023.
Aggarwal C, Maity AP, Bauml JM, Long Q, Aleman T, Ciunci C, D’Avella C, Volpe M, Anderson E, Jones LM, Sun L, Singh AP, Marmarelis ME, Cohen RB, Langer CJ, Amaravadi R.: A Phase II Open-Label Trial of Binimetinib and Hydroxychloroquine in Patients With Advanced KRAS-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Oncologist 28: 644-e564,2023.
Marmarelis ME, Wang X, Roshkovan L, Grady CB, Miura JT, Ginsberg MS, Ciunci CA, Egger J, Walker S, Cercek A, Foote MB, Litzky LA, Nash G, Haas AR, Karakousis GC, Cengel KA, Katz SI, Zauderer MG, Langer CJ, Offin M.: Clinical Outcomes Associated With Pembrolizumab Monotherapy Among Adults With Diffuse Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma JAMA Netw Open 6: e232526,2023.
Tompkins WP, Hwang WT, Yang YX, Singh A, Ciunci C, D’Avella C, Aggarwal C, Cohen RB, Langer CJ, Mamtani R, Marmarelis ME.: Brief Report: Second-line treatment outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC previously treated with first-line immunotherapy regimens Clin Lung Cancer: 2023.
Yegya-Raman N, Friedes C, Sun L, Iocolano M, Kim KN, Doucette A, Cohen RB, Robinson KW, Levin WP, Cengel KA, Lally B, Agarwal M, D’Avella CA, Marmarelis ME, Kosteva JA, Singh AP, Ciunci CA, Aggarwal C, Berman AT, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Utilization and Factors Precluding Receipt of Checkpoint Inhibitor Consolidation for Stage III NSCLC in a Large US Academic Health System Clin Lung Cancer: 2023.
Wang X, Katz S, Miura J, Karakousis G, Roshkovan L, Walker S, McNulty S, Ciunci C, Cengel K, Langer CJ, Marmarelis ME.: A single-center retrospective cohort study of perioperative systemic chemotherapy in diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma PLoS One 17: e0275187,2022.
Thompson JC, Aggarwal C, Wong J, Nimgaonkar V, Hwang WT, Andronov M, Dibardino DM, Hutchinson CT, Ma KC, Lanfranco A, Moon E, Haas AR, Singh AP, Ciunci CA, Marmarelis M, D’Avella C, Cohen JV, Bauml JM, Cohen RB, Langer CJ, Vachani A, Carpenter EL.: Plasma Genotyping at the Time of Diagnostic Tissue Biopsy Decreases Time-to-Treatment in Patients With Advanced NSCLC-Results From a Prospective Pilot Study JTO Clin Res Rep 3: 100301,2022.
Christine A Ciunci 1, Jacob B Reibel 2, Tracey L Evans 3, Rosemarie Mick 2, Joshua M Bauml 2, Charu Aggarwal 2, Melina E Marmarelis 2, Aditi P Singh 2, Christopher D’Avella 2, Roger B Cohen 2, Corey J Langer 2: Phase II Trial of Combination Nab-paclitaxel and Gemcitabine in Non-squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer After Progression on Platinum and Pemetrexed Clin Lung Cancer: 2022.
Marmarelis ME, Yang YX, Hwang WT, Mamtani R, Singh A, Ciunci C, Aggarwal C, Cohen RB, Langer CJ.: Platinum Re-Exposure as a Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Treatment Strategy in the Age of Immunotherapy Clin Lung Cancer : 2022.
