Dr. Brufsky's research interests include novel clinical therapeutics for breast cancer, bone-breast cancer interactions and therapeutics, molecular biology of metastatic breast cancer, and novel management strategies for metastatic breast cancer.
Dr. Brufsky currently directs the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program of the UPMC Cancer Centers and the University of Pittsburgh. He manages approximately 30 clinical trials investigating various aspects of breast cancer etiology and treatment. His main clinical interests are in breast cancer medical oncology with a particular interest in metastatic breast cancer.
- AB, Dartmouth College, 1984
- MD, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 1990
- PhD, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 1990
- Residency, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1991
- Fellowship, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 1992
Education & Training
Brufsky AM, Bundred N, Coleman R, Lambert-Falls R, Mena R, Dong M, Schenk N, Lacerna L, Perez E. Integrated analysis of zoledronic acid for prevention of aromatase inhibitor–associated bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole. The Oncologist. 2008; 13: 503-514.
Brufsky AM, Hurvitz S, Perez E, Swamy R, Valero V, O’Neill V, Rugo HS. RIBBON-2: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy for second–line treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2011; 29: 4286-4293.
Robert NJ, Dieras V, Glaspy J, Brufsky A, Bondarenko I, Lipatov O, Perez E, Yardley D, Zhou X, Phan S. RIBBON-1: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial of chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab (B) for first-line treatment of HER2-negative locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2011; 29: 1252-1260.
Brufsky AM, Mayer M, Rugo HS, Kaufman PA, Tan-Chiu E, Yood M, Tripathy D, Birkner M, Brammer MG, Yardley DA. RegistHER: Patient characteristics and time course of central nervous system metastases in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Clinical Cancer Research. 2011; 17: 4834-4853.
Patterson AH, Anderson SJ, Lembersky BC, Fehrenacher L, Falkson CI, King KM, Wier LM, Brufsky AM, Dakhil S, Lad T, Baez-Diaz L, Gralow JR, Robidoux A, Pere EA, Zheng P, Geyer CE Jr, Swain SM, Costantino JP, Mamounas EP, Wolmark N. Oral clodronate for adjuvant treatment of operable breast cancer (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project protocol B-34): a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Lancet Oncology. 2012; 13: 734-742.
Zhang Y, Schnabel CA, Schroeder BE, Jerevall PL, Jankowitz RC, Fornander T, Stål O, Brufsky AM, Sgroi D, Erlander MG. Breast cancer index identifies early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients at risk for early-and late-distant recurrence. Clinical Cancer Research. 2013; 19: 4196-4205.
Sparano JA, Gray RJ, Makower DF, Pritchard KI, Albain KS, Hayes DF, Geyer CE Jr, Dees EC, Perez EA, Olson JA Jr, Zujewski J, Lively T, Badve SS, Saphner TJ, Wagner LI, Whelan TJ, Ellis MJ, Paik S, Brufsky AM, Sledge GW. Prospective Validation of a 21-Gene Expression Assay in Breast Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2015; 373: 2005-2014.
Wang P, Bahreini A, Gyanchandani R, Lucas P, Hartmaier RJ, Watters RJ, Jonnalagadda AR, Trejo Bittar H, Berg A, Hamilton RL, Kurland BF, Weiss K, Mathew A, Leone JP, Davidson NE, Nikiforova MN, Brufsky AM, Puhalla S, Lee AW, Oesterreich S. Sensitive detection of mono- and polyclonal ESR1 mutations in primary tumors, metastatic lesions and cell free DNA of breast cancer patients. Clinical Cancer Research. 2016; 22: 1130-1137.
Brufsky AM, Mathew A. Bisphosphonates, bone, and breast cancer recurrence. Lancet. 2015; 386 (10001): 1319-20. Lancet. 2015; 386: 1319-1320.
- Fellow, American College of Physicians, 2005
- America's Top Doctors, Castle Connoly, 2005-present
- America's Top Doctors for Cancer, 2005-present
- Merill J. Egorin Excellence in Scientific Leadership Award, UPCI, 2011
- Chair, Experimental Therapeutics Study Section, USAMRAID DOD Breast Cancer Program, 2011, 2013, 2015
- PNC Bank/ UPCI Director’s Distinguished Scholar Award, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 2014
