Medical Oncology

Sarah Sammons, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Email address sarah.sammons@duke.edu

Education and Training

College/University
University of Delaware

Medical School
Sidney Kimmel Medical College - Thomas Jefferson University

Residency
University of Maryland

Career and Research Goals

My career focus is in the treatment of women with aggressive sub-types of breast cancer such as basal-like (triple negative) and ERBB-2 amplified. My current research goals are finding therapeutic strategies to target the ERBB family of receptors specifically EGFR and ERBB3 in basal-like breast cancer. I hope to characterize the role somatic ERBB3 mutations in primary and metastatic basal type breast cancer. I also have a special interest in early phase drug development and toxicity management.

Honors, awards and distinctions

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society

Education and Training

  • Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, Duke University School of Medicine, 2015 - 2018
  • Internal Medicine Residency, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2012 - 2015
  • M.D., Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, 2012

Grants

Publications

Prakash, Ipshita, N Ben Neely, Samantha M. Thomas, Sarah Sammons, Rachel C. Blitzblau, Gayle A. DiLalla, Terry Hyslop, et al. “Utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk, node-negative early breast cancer.” Cancer Med 11, no. 4 (February 2022): 1099–1108. https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.4517.

PMID
34989142
Full Text

Marks, Caitlin E., Samantha M. Thomas, Oluwadamilola M. Fayanju, Gayle DiLalla, Sarah Sammons, E Shelley Hwang, and Jennifer K. Plichta. “Metastatic breast cancer: Who benefits from surgery?” Am J Surg 223, no. 1 (January 2022): 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.07.018.

PMID
34325907
Full Text

Taskindoust, Mahsa, Samantha M. Thomas, Sarah L. Sammons, Oluwadamilola M. Fayanju, Gayle DiLalla, E Shelley Hwang, and Jennifer K. Plichta. “Survival Outcomes Among Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: Review of 47,000 Patients.” In Ann Surg Oncol, 28:7441–49, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-021-10227-3.

PMID
34050430
Full Text

Fernandes, Louis E., Caroline G. Epstein, Alexandria M. Bobe, Joshua S. K. Bell, Martin C. Stumpe, Michael E. Salazar, Ameen A. Salahudeen, et al. “Real-world Evidence of Diagnostic Testing and Treatment Patterns in US Patients With Breast Cancer With Implications for Treatment Biomarkers From RNA Sequencing Data.” Clin Breast Cancer 21, no. 4 (August 2021): e340–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2020.11.012.

PMID
33446413
Full Text

Sammons, Sarah, Amanda E. D. Van Swearingen, and Carey K. Anders. “Receptor discordance in breast cancer brain metastases: when knowledge is power.” Neuro Oncol 22, no. 8 (August 17, 2020): 1060–61. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noaa131.

PMID
32479604
Full Text

Andreano, Kaitlyn J., Jennifer G. Baker, Sunghee Park, Rachid Safi, Sandeep Artham, Steffi Oesterreich, Rinath Jeselsohn, et al. “The Dysregulated Pharmacology of Clinically Relevant ESR1 Mutants is Normalized by Ligand-activated WT Receptor.” Mol Cancer Ther 19, no. 7 (July 2020): 1395–1405. https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-19-1148.

PMID
32381587
Full Text

Sammons, Sarah, Mina S. Sedrak, and Gretchen G. Kimmick. “The Evolving Complexity of Treating Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2)-Negative Breast Cancer: Special Considerations in Older Breast Cancer Patients-Part I: Early-Stage Disease.” Drugs Aging 37, no. 5 (May 2020): 331–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-020-00748-z.

PMID
32100240
Full Text

Hill, Addie, Eutiquio Gutierrez, Jennifer Liu, Sarah Sammons, Gretchen Kimmick, and Mina S. Sedrak. “The Evolving Complexity of Treating Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2)-Negative Breast Cancer: Special Considerations in Older Breast Cancer Patients-Part II: Metastatic Disease.” Drugs Aging 37, no. 5 (May 2020): 349–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-020-00758-x.

PMID
32227289
Full Text

Sammons, Sarah, Mythili Shastry, Susan Dent, Carey Anders, and Erika Hamilton. “Practical Treatment Strategies and Future Directions After Progression While Receiving CDK4/6 Inhibition and Endocrine Therapy in Advanced HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer.” Clin Breast Cancer 20, no. 1 (February 2020): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2019.06.017.

PMID
31780379
Full Text

Pages