Arta M. Monjazeb, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
CCSG Staff Investigator for Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory of Cancer Immunology
To see if Arta M. Monjazeb is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Locations and Contact
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
4501 X St.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Additional Numbers
Clinic Phone
Clinic Referral Phone
Physician Referrals
Philosophy of Care
Cancer is not a disease that occurs in a vacuum and thus I focus not only on treating the cancer but also on assisting patients with the nutritional, social, emotional, and spiritual issues which are often ignored in modern medicine. I believe strongly in a multidisciplinary team approach to cancer including open lines of communication with both my patients and fellow physicians. Although I employ aggressive cutting edge anti-cancer treatments I am also respectful of and willing to incorporate holistic and alternative medicines into patient care. Ultimately I strive to treat each patient with the same respect and diligence I would an ailing member of my own family.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Monjazeb is a clinician scientist performing cutting edge clinical and basic science research. He is an internationally recognized expert in cancer immunotherapy. His research is focused on understanding how the immune system can be harnessed to fight cancer and how radiotherapy can be used to promote anti-tumor immune responses. Through his own personal research and national leadership roles in cancer immunotherapy he is able to translate his research into the clinic offering patients novel treatment strategies for cancer.
Dr. Monjazeb has a clinical focus on the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies (including esophageal cancer), sarcoma, melanoma and breast cancers. He specializes in various radiotherapy techniques including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SAR / SBRT) and high dose rate brachytherapy. Dr. Monjazeb is a principal investigator on a number of clinical trials testing novel cancer immunotherapy approaches and sees patients with various types of cancers for consideration of these trials.
Division
Radiation Oncology
Center/Program Affiliation
Undergraduate School
B.A., UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA 1997
Medical School
M.D., Wake Forest University (Bowman Gray School of Medicine), Winston-Salem NC 2010
Other School
Ph.D., Wake Forest University (Bowman Gray School of Medicine), Winston-Salem NC 2003
Internship
Harbor – UCLA Medical Center, Torrance CA 2005
Residency
Wake Forest University (Bowman Gray School of Medicine), Winston-Salem NC 2010
Dean's Award for Excellence in Team Science, UC Davis, 2017
Sacramento's Top Doctors - Sacramento Magazine, 2016
NCI PD-L1 Development Project Team, 2015
NCI NRG Oncology Committee on Immunotherapy and Immunomodulation, 2014
NIH Association for Clinical and Translational Science - Outstanding Abstract Award, 2013
Demisse R, Damle N, Kim E, Gong J, Fakih M, Eng C, Oesterich L, McKenny M, Ji J, Liu J, Louie R, Tam K, Gholami S, Halabi W, Monjazeb A, Dayyani F, Cho M. Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy-Based Systemic Treatment in MMR-Deficient or MSI-High Rectal Cancer: Case Series. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2020 Jul;18(7):798-804. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2020.7558. PMID:32634770.
Gingrich AA, Marrufo AS, Liu Y, Li CS, Darrow MA, Monjazeb AM, Thorpe SW, Canter RJ. Radiotherapy is Associated With Improved Survival in Patients With Synovial Sarcoma Undergoing Surgery: A National Cancer Database Analysis. J Surg Res. 2020 Jun 26;255:378-387. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2020.05.075. Online ahead of print. PMID:32599458.
Monjazeb AM, Schalper KA, Villarroel-Espindola F, Nguyen A, Shiao SL, Young K. Effects of Radiation on the Tumor Microenvironment. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2020 Apr;30(2):145-157. doi:10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.12.004. PMID:32381294.
Judge SJ, Dunai C, Aguilar EG, Vick SC, Sturgill IR, Khuat LT, Stoffel KM, Van Dyke J, Longo DL, Darrow MA, Anderson SK, Blazar BR, Monjazeb AM, Serody JS, Canter RJ, Murphy WJ. Minimal PD-1 expression in mouse and human NK cells under diverse conditions. J Clin Invest. 2020 Jun 1;130(6):3051-3068. doi:10.1172/JCI133353. PMID:32134744.
Chen H, Nguyen KNB, Huang H, Feng C, Zhao X, Daly ME, Rao S, Fragoso R, Valicenti R, Sekhon S, Navarro SM, Kim EJ, Cho M, Tam K, Farkas L, Halabi WJ, Monjazeb AM, Rong Y. Effect and Safety of Radiation Therapy Boost to Extramesorectal Lymph Nodes in Rectal Cancer. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2019 Dec 20:S1879-8500(19)30371-6. doi:10.1016/j.prro.2019.12.007. Online ahead of print. PMID:31866577.
Gong J, Robertson MD, Kim E, Fakih M, Schrock AB, Tam KW, Burugapalli B, Monjazeb AM, Hendifar AE, Hitchins M, Klempner SJ, Cho M. Efficacy of PD-1 Blockade in Refractory Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer With High Tumor Mutation Burden. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2019 Dec;18(4):307-309. doi:10.1016/j.clcc.2019.08.001. Epub 2019 Sep 4. PMID:31563511.
Naik A, Monjazeb AM, Decock J. The Obesity Paradox in Cancer, Tumor Immunology, and Immunotherapy: Potential Therapeutic Implications in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Front Immunol. 2019 Aug 14;10:1940. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.01940. eCollection 2019. PMID:31475003.
Wang Z, Aguilar EG, Luna JI, Dunai C, Khuat LT, Le CT, Mirsoian A, Minnar CM, Stoffel KM, Sturgill IR, Grossenbacher SK, Withers SS, Rebhun RB, Hartigan-O'Connor DJ, Méndez-Lagares G, Tarantal AF, Isseroff RR, Griffith TS, Schalper KA, Merleev A, Saha A, Maverakis E, Kelly K, Aljumaily R, Ibrahimi S, Mukherjee S, Machiorlatti M, Vesely SK, Longo DL, Blazar BR, Canter RJ, Murphy WJ, Monjazeb AM. Paradoxical effects of obesity on T cell function during tumor progression and PD-1 checkpoint blockade. Nat Med. 2019 Jan;25(1):141-151. doi:10.1038/s41591-018-0221-5. Epub 2018 Nov 12. PMID:30420753.
McGee HM, Daly ME, Azghadi S, Stewart SL, Oesterich L, Schlom J, Donahue R, Schoenfeld JD, Chen Q, Rao S, Fragoso RC, Valicenti RK, Canter RJ, Maverakis EM, Murphy WJ, Kelly K, Monjazeb AM. Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy Induces Systemic Differences in Peripheral Blood Immunophenotype Dependent on Irradiated Site. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2018 Aug 1;101(5):1259-1270. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.04.038. Epub 2018 Apr 22.
Miyamoto J, Michaud AL, Harandi NK, Kim EJ, Semrad T, Khatri V, Mayadev J, Perks J, Monjazeb AM. The Role of Image-guided Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Anorectal Cancer Using Prone Belly-board Positioning. Anticancer Res. 2016 Jun;36(6):3013-7. PMID:27272819.