Misako Nagasaka, MD, PhD
Dr. Misako Nagasaka is an accomplished thoracic oncologist and clinical researcher whose use of novel drug protocols has made a significant difference for her lung cancer and mesothelioma patients, as well as for those diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She practices at the University of California-Irvine in Orange, California.[1]
In addition to patient care, Dr. Nagasaka’s interests include early-phase clinical trials, medical ethics, and survivorship care for patients.
Education and Career
Dr. Nagasaka earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Keio University’s Department of Literature, in Tokyo, Japan. She earned both her medical degree and her PhD in Internal Medicine from St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan.[1]
After completing a residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, she completed a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Karmanos Cancer Institute.[1]
Research
Dr. Nagasaka is an active researcher with interests in lung cancer and thoracic oncology. She is a clinical trial investigator who collaborates with basic scientists to create novel protocols. She is currently involved in several clinical trials, including:[2]
Clinical Trials
Start Date: Jun 2022. Estimated Completion Date: Mar 2026. Recruitment Status: Recruiting
Start Date: Mar 2021. Estimated Completion Date: Aug 2025. Recruitment Status: Recruiting
Start Date: Nov 2019. Estimated Completion Date: Dec 2024. Recruitment Status: Recruiting
Start Date: Jan 2015. Estimated Completion Date: Dec 2026. Recruitment Status: Recruiting
Dr. Nagasaka has also authored and co-authored several articles documenting her research, including:
Publications
- The Nail in the Coffin?: Examining the KEYNOTE-789 Clinical Trial’s Impact. Lung Cancer (Auckl). 2024; 15:1-8. Arter ZL, Nagasaka M. PMID: 38298470; PMCID: PMC10825580.
- Consolidation Osimertinib versus Durvalumab versus Observation following Concurrent Chemoradiation in Unresectable EGFR-Mutant Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study. J Thorac Oncol. 2024 Jan 24. Nassar AH, Kim SY, Aredo JV, Feng J, Shepherd F, Xu C, Kaldas D, Gray JE, Dilling TJ, Neal JW, Wakelee HA, Liu Y, Lin SH, Abuali T, Amini A, Nie Y, Patil T, Lobachov A, Bar J, Fitzgerald B, Fujiwara Y, Marron TU, Thummalapalli R, Yu H, Owen DH, Sharp J, Farid S, Rocha P, Arriola E, D’Aiello A, Cheng H, Whitaker R, Parikh K, Ashara Y, Chen L, Sankar K, Harris JP, Nagasaka M, Ayanambakkam A, Manana AI, Ragavan M, Lin JJ, Piotrowska Z, Wilgucki M, Reuss J, Luders H, Grohe C, Espinar JB, Feiner E, Punekar SR, Gupta S, Leal T, Kwiatkowski DJ, Mak RH, Adib E, Naqash AR, Goldberg SB. PMID: 38278303.
- Taletrectinib for the treatment of ROS-1 positive non-small cell lung cancer: a drug evaluation of phase I and II data. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2024 Jan 15. Nagasaka M, Brazel D, Ou IS. PMID: 38224083.
- Repotrectinib in ROS1 Fusion-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2024 Jan 11; 390(2):118-131. Drilon A, Camidge DR, Lin JJ, Kim SW, Solomon BJ, Dziadziuszko R, Besse B, Goto K, de Langen AJ, Wolf J, Lee KH, Popat S, Springfeld C, Nagasaka M, Felip E, Yang N, Velcheti V, Lu S, Kao S, Dooms C, Krebs MG, Yao W, Beg MS, Hu X, Moro-Sibilot D, Cheema P, Stopatschinskaja S, Mehta M, Trone D, Graber A, Sims G, Yuan Y, Cho BC, TRIDENT-1 Investigators. PMID: 38197815.
- Oncogenic Fusions: Targeting NTRK. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2023 Dec 18; 104234. Hagopian G, Nagasaka M. PMID: 38122917.
- Stage as the Sole “Biomarker” for Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resected Stage IB to IIIA NSCLC without Considerations for PD-L1 Expression Level, ALK/EGFR Mutational Status, and Prior Adjuvant Chemotherapy per FDA Approval Indications of PEARLS/Keynote-091? Lung Cancer (Auckl). 2023; 14:101-109. Nagasaka M, Ou SI. PMID: 38111829; PMCID: PMC10725831.
- Comprehensive review of ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)-classified by structural designs and mutation spectrum [solvent front mutation (G2032R) and central β-sheet 6 (Cβ6) mutation (L2086F)]. J Thorac Oncol. 2023 Dec 07. Ou SI, Hagopian GG, Zhang SS, Nagasaka M. PMID: 38070596.
