Samira M. Sadowski, M.D.

Neuroendocrine tumors are a diverse and increasingly common set of cancers. While some of these tumors are known to have a hereditary component, in general they are understudied and often fatal.

Dr. Sadowski’s work addresses the critical gaps in our knowledge of the basic mechanisms of neuroendocrine tumor biology, such as the high variability in receptor density and treatment response in patients with identical histology and tumor grade or the difficulties in detecting disease. She is seeking to uncover new therapies for neuroendocrine tumors in order to improve patient survival. To this end, she intends to establish a reproducible model for neuroendocrine tumor research and elucidate regulation of the neuroendocrine tumor surface receptor repertoire.

Dr. Sadowski’s translational and clinical investigations have three main goals: 1) to develop effective therapies for rare and neglected endocrine cancers, 2) to identify new methods, strategies and technologies for improving the diagnosis and prognostication of endocrine neoplasms, and 3) to develop methods for personalized precision treatment of endocrine tumors.

Dr. Sadowski received her medical training at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She completed her general surgery residency training at the University Hospitals of Geneva and received a master's degree in medical biostatistics at the University of Montreal, Canada. She completed her endocrine oncology surgery fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sadowski was on faculty at the University Hospitals of Geneva before being recruited to the NCI.