Clinical Specialties
Endocrine Surgery, Pancreaticobiliary Surgery
Surgical Oncology, Minimally Invasive Surgery

Board Certifications
American Board of Surgery, 1990

Research
My area of interest in research is related to surgical oncology and particularly to mechanisms of tumor metastases. I have focused primarily on pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer. In pancreatic cancer, the group which I led did seminal work in demonstrating that pancreatic cancers have a high rate of early micrometastases even in apparent clinical stage I tumors. We were able to demonstrate this by both immunohistochemistry and PCR dependent methods. This work led to further studies looking at the affects of adjuvant chemoradiation in patients with micrometastases. It also led to ongoing work examining the role of the immune system in tumor defense. We currently have a mouse model which we are using to study the effects of immunization of Kras peptides.

Work related to thyroid cancer has focused on cellular properties associated with metastases. We have looked at the cytoskeleton, integrins, other cell surface extracellular matrix receptors and tumor proteases. We have shown in the cultured cell models that metastatic are highly aggressive tumor cells have altered actin architecture, decreased ECM receptors and increased tumor proteases. We are now focusing on translating these findings into studies that may help diagnose indeterminate follicular neoplasms. A further outgrowth of this work is a study which would employ micro array technology to examine the properties of thyroid neoplasms.

A new effort at the University of Arizona in research has been to work with colleagues in the Arizona Cancer Center on a phase II clinical trail on anaplastic thyroid cancer. We have learned recently that we will be the lead institution in a multi-center study through the auspices of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group to look at the effect of a two-drug regimen of paclitaxel and SCH66336 (farnesyl transferase inhibitor) on anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Selected Publications

• Demeure MJ. Endocrine Tumors of the Pancreas. In: Steel, GD, Phillips TL, Chabner BA (eds.) Endocrine Tumors. BC Decker Inc. 2003.
• Grippo PJ, Demeure MJ, Sandgren EP. Preinvasive Ductal Pancreatic Neoplasia Induced by Acinar Cell Targeting of Mutant Kras in Transgenic Mice. Cancer Research. 63(9):2016-9, 2003. (cover story)
• Neeleman SD, Demeure MJ. Non-functioning Islet Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas. In: Ettinger DS (ed.). Endocrine Tumors, Chap. 3, p355-360, Current Science, 2002.
• Ahrendt, SA, Komorowski RK, Demeure MJ, Wilson SD, Pitt HA. Cystic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Is Preoperative Diagnosis Possible? J Gastroinestinal Surg. 6: 66-74, 2002.
• Goldblatt MI, Duelge J, Erickson BA, Ritch PS, Demeure MJ, Wilson SD, Pitt, HA. Gemcitabine Increases Toxicity without Altering Pancreatic Cancer Survival. Gastroenterology 120: 483, 2001.
• Keene SA and Demeure MJ. The Clinical Significance of Micrometastases and Molecular Metastases. Surgery 129(1): 1-5, 2001.
• Brown HB, Ahrendt SA, Komorowski RA, Doffek K, Wilson SD, Demeure MJ. Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Detection of Nodal Micrometastases in Pancreatic Cancer. J Surg Res. 95:141-146, 2001.
• Ahrendt SA, Brown HM, Komorowski RA, Zhu YR, Wilson SD, Erickson BA, Ritch PS, Pitt HA, Demeure MJ. p21WAF1 Expression is Associated with Improved Survival Following Adjuvant Chemoradiation for Pancreatic Cancer. Surgery 128(4): 520-530, 2000.