Philip Philip

Philip Philip

Medical Oncologist

Gastrointestinal Oncology

Henry Ford Cancer Institute

Location USA, Detroit

Linkedin

Dr. Philip Philip is an internationally renowned medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers, with particular expertise in pancreatic cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. He serves as Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Co-Director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center, and Medical Director of Research and Clinical Care Integration at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, and holds the Kathryn Cramer Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Wayne State University. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, he earned his medical degree from the University of Baghdad and his PhD in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics from the University of London, Guy’s Hospital Medical School. He completed senior registrar training at the University of Oxford and Imperial Cancer Research Fund and fellowship in Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has chaired the GI committee for SWOG, has authored more than 200 publications, has given more than 400 international and national presentations, and co-edited a book on pancreatic cancer. He is a Professor with Tenure in the Department of Oncology at Wayne State University and a member of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute.

Current Positions

  • Director, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Henry Ford Cancer Institute
  • Co-Director, Pancreatic Cancer Center, Henry Ford Cancer Institute
  • Medical Director, Research and Clinical Care Integration, Henry Ford Cancer Institute
  • Kathryn Cramer Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, Karmanos Cancer Institute / Wayne State University, 2014–present
  • Professor with Tenure, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 2010–present
  • Professor with Tenure, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University, 2006–present
  • Vice President for Medical Affairs, Karmanos Cancer Hospital, Detroit, 2012–present
  • Leader, Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Team, 2006–present
  • Attending Physician, Karmanos Cancer Hospital, Detroit, 2005–present
  • Attending Physician, Hematology/Oncology, Detroit Medical Center, 1995–present

Education

  • Baccalaureate, American Jesuit Fathers College, Baghdad, Iraq, 1971
  • MD, University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq, 1977
  • PhD, Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, University of London, Guy’s Hospital Medical School, London, UK, 1986

Postgraduate Training

  • Intern, Internal Medicine and General Surgery, Medical City Teaching Hospital, University of Baghdad, 1977–1978
  • Resident, Internal Medicine, Al-Taji Hospital, Baghdad, 1978–1980
  • Senior Resident, Internal Medicine, Medical City Teaching Hospital, University of Baghdad, 1980–1981
  • Lecturer, Clinical Pharmacology, Baghdad University Medical College, 1981–1982
  • Resident Medical Officer, St. Raphael Hospital, Baghdad, 1981–1982
  • Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Registrar, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Lymphoma Unit, Guy’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, 1982–1986
  • Registrar, Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital, University of London, 1986–1988
  • Registrar, Medical Oncology, Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, Manchester, University of Manchester, 1988
  • Senior Registrar, Medical Oncology, University of Oxford and Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clinical Oncology Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, 1988–1993
  • Fellow, Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 1993–1995
  • Fellowship in Leadership Course, Advisory Board Company, Washington DC, 2013–2015

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Professor (Clinician-Educator Track), Karmanos Cancer Institute / Wayne State University, 1995–1998
  • Associate Professor, Karmanos Cancer Institute / Wayne State University, 1998–2003
  • Clinical Professor / Professor (Clinician-Educator Track), Karmanos Cancer Institute / Wayne State University, 2003–2006
  • Professor with Tenure, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University, 2006–present
  • Professor with Tenure, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 2010–present
  • President of Medical Staff, Karmanos Cancer Hospital, 2010–2012
  • Vice President for Medical Affairs, Karmanos Cancer Hospital, 2012–present
  • Kathryn Cramer Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, 2014–present

Research Activity

  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): Clinical and translational research across multiple fronts including KRAS-targeted therapies, DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway alterations, MTAP-deficient PDAC, and novel combination strategies; co-investigator on studies evaluating gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN) and cisplatin triple-combination outcomes stratified by stromal gene expression; PI and co-investigator on sacituzumab govitecan plus capecitabine phase I trial in advanced GI cancers (NCT06065371)
  • Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC): Co-investigator and steering committee member, PANOVA-3 phase III trial (TTFields plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in LA-PAC), the largest phase III trial exclusively in LAPC and the first to demonstrate significant OS benefit (Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2025)
  • Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs): Research on molecular characterization of pNETs including PAK4/NAMPT alterations, MEN1-wild-type low-grade metastatic pNET genomics and transcriptomics; co-author on preclinical evaluation of novel NAMPT inhibitor RPT-E-037 in pNETs (AACR 2026)
  • NAMPT pathway and NAD biosynthesis: Preclinical research on NAMPT inhibition in PDAC and pNETs; collaboration on novel hyperbolic NAMPT inhibitor combinations with pan-RAS targeted therapies, gemcitabine, and checkpoint inhibitors
  • XPO1/nuclear export in PDAC immunology: Co-investigator on XPO1 inhibition studies reprogramming the immune tumor microenvironment in PDAC and combining with anti-PD-1 (AACR 2026)
  • KRAS targeting: Co-author on comprehensive review of KRAS mutations and therapeutic strategies (Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2025); co-investigator on preclinical PCNA/KRAS and XPO1/KRAS combination studies
  • Biliary tract cancer: Co-author on review of advancing systemic therapy for biliary tract cancer (Frontiers in Oncology, 2026)
  • Colorectal cancer: Co-investigator, CALGB/SWOG 80702 (Alliance) studies including analyses of sex differences in chemotherapy completion and WCRF/AICR recommendation adherence and survival; participant in NRG-GI008 (CIRCULATE-North America) and NRG-GI010 (Janus Rectal Cancer Trial)
  • SWOG GI committee leadership: Chair of the GI committee for SWOG (NCI-sponsored clinical trials collaborative); involvement in NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program committee
  • Multi-omics in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Co-author on multi-omics profiling review of pNETs and preprint integrating genomic instability and tumor microenvironment remodeling (2025)
  • DDR pathway in PDAC: Study of advanced PDAC outcomes with DDR deficiencies outside BRCA1/2 and PALB2 using Tempus Lens real-world platform; MTAP-deficient PDAC retrospective cohort characterization (Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2026)

Honors and Awards

  • Kathryn Cramer Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, 2014–present
  • Best Doctors of America, 2009–present
  • Heroes of Cancer Award, KCI/KCC
  • Wayne State University Medical School Teaching Award, 2004 and 2016
  • Outstanding Instructor in Oncology Award, Wayne State University Oncology Fellowship Program, 2001 and 2014
  • HOUR Detroit Magazine Top Docs, 2009–2011

Board Certifications

  • Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), 2005–2025
  • Internal Medicine, ABIM, 2005–2015
  • Royal College of Physicians of UK (Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology)

Memberships / Affiliations

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 1995–present
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 1995–present
  • Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), 1995–present — Chair, GI Committee
  • American Pancreatic Association (APA), 2000–present
  • International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA), 2010–present
  • NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program — committee member

Areas of Specialization

  • Medical oncology — gastrointestinal cancers
  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)
  • Pancreatic and gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors
  • Biliary tract cancers (cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer)
  • Colorectal and anal cancer
  • Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC)
  • KRAS-targeted therapies and resistance mechanisms
  • DDR pathway alterations in pancreatic cancer
  • NAMPT/NAD biosynthesis pathway targeting
  • Clinical pharmacology and pharmacogenetics
  • Tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy in PDAC
  • Clinical trial leadership (SWOG, NCI cooperative groups)
  • Neuroendocrine tumor biology (PAK4, NAMPT, mTOR)

Publications

Dr. Philip has authored and co-authored more than 622 publications. A selection of his most recent publications from the provided materials is listed below.

Wan Y, Zhang Y, Philip PA, Shi Y, et al. “Multi-omics profiling of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Interplay of genomic instability and the tumor microenvironment (Review).” Oncology Letters, April 2026.

Uddin MH, Al Hallack MN, Nagasaka M, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Targeting XPO1 reprograms immune microenvironment and confers sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.” Cancer Research 86(8_Suppl):Abstract LB416, AACR 2026.

Ramu A, Aushev VN, Ortiz JB, Philip PA, Botta GP, et al. “Large-scale genomic analysis of pancreatic cancer in a real-world patient population.” Cancer Research 86(7 Suppl):Abstract 5345, AACR 2026.

Nagaraju GP, Sarvesh S, Bandi DSR, El-Rayes B, Philip PA, et al. “NAMPT inhibition enhances the efficacy of standard chemotherapies and immunomodulation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.” Cancer Research 86(7 Suppl):Abstract 2936, AACR 2026.

Uddin MH, Khan HY, Aboukameel A, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Targeting NAMPT using Novel Inhibitor RPT-E-037 in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor.” Cancer Research 86(7 Suppl):Abstract 419, AACR 2026.

Khan HY, Al Hallak MN, Bannoura SF, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Preclinical evaluation of a novel hyperbolic NAMPT inhibitor in combination with pan-RAS targeted therapies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.” Cancer Research 86(7 Suppl):Abstract 4579, AACR 2026.

Cheng E, Ma C, Shi Q, Philip PA, Meyerhardt JA, et al. “Associations of WCRF/AICR recommendations with survival and chemotherapy outcomes in colon cancer: CALGB/SWOG 80702 (Alliance).” Cancer Research 86(7 Suppl):Abstract 5038, AACR 2026.

Choucair K, Chamseddine S, Azmi A, Philip PA. “Advancing systemic therapy for biliary tract cancer: current strategies and emerging paradigms.” Frontiers in Oncology, February 2026.

Diab M, Ghosh S, Khan G, Philip PA, et al. “Sacituzumab govitecan in combination with capecitabine for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancers after progression on standard therapy.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(TPS856), January 2026.

Diab M, Rhead B, Fragkogianni M, Philip PA, et al. “Advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma outcomes in patients with DDR deficiencies outside of BRCA1/2 and PALB2.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(Abstract 759), January 2026.

Tamr A, Chohan S, Muslehuddin Z, Philip PA, et al. “MTAP-deficient pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Clinical and molecular features.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(Abstract 742), January 2026.

Bannoura SF, Khan HY, Aboukameel A, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “PCNA Inhibition Enhances the Antitumor Activity of KRAS-Targeted Therapies in Pancreatic Cancer.” Preprint, December 2025.

Uddin MH, Mahdi Z, Muqbil I, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscapes of MEN1-Wild-Type Low-Grade Metastatic Pancreatic NETs Uncover Key Oncogenic Drivers and Targetable Pathways.” Preprint, December 2025.

Choucair K, Imtiaz H, Uddin MH, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Targeting KRAS mutations: orchestrating cancer evolution and therapeutic challenges.” Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 10(1):347, November 2025.

Khan HY, Al Hallak MN, Aboukameel A, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Co-targeting KRAS and Exportin1 as an effective therapeutic strategy for KRASG12D mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.” Preprint, November 2025.

Wan Y, Zhang Y, Philip PA, Shi Y, et al. “Multi-Omics Profiling Reveals the Interplay Between Genomic Instability and Microenvironmental Remodeling in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.” Preprint, September 2025.

Babiker H, Macarulla T, Dragovich T, Picozzi VJ, Philip PA, et al. “Phase III study of TTFields in locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PANOVA-3): Post-hoc subgroup analyses based on device usage and CA 19-9.” Annals of Oncology, September 2025.

Mahadevia H, Wu S, McWilliams RR, Babiker H, Philip PA, et al. “The differential effect of stromal genes on gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN) and GN/cisplatin (GCN) outcomes in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 43(Abstract 4166), June 2025.

Picozzi VJ, Babiker H, Chandana SR, González Espinoza IR, Philip PA, et al. “Tumor Treating Fields With Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Randomized, Open-Label, Pivotal Phase III PANOVA-3 Study.” Journal of Clinical Oncology 43(18):2010–2020, May 2025.

Azar I, Khan HY, Bannoura SF, Azmi AS, Philip PA, et al. “Molecular Characterization and Clinical Outcomes of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms Harboring PAK4-NAMPT Alterations.” JCO Oncology Advances 3(1):e2400166, May 2025.

All information is sourced from publicly available materials.