Gagandeep Singh, M.D.

Gagandeep Singh, M.D., is an internationally recognized liver and pancreas surgeon. He is the surgical director of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program and is the lead for the gastrointestinal disease team.

He started his faculty academic career at Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. From there, he was appointed as director of the Liver and Pancreas Center at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, California, where he also served as chair of the Cancer Committee and vice president for Fellowship Education. In 2010, City of Hope asked Dr. Singh to spearhead the liver and pancreatic cancer program. He was appointed clinical professor of surgery and as the new chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology (2011 to 2019) and hoisted the program to national recognition. He has an extensive referral base that reflects peer recognition of his clinical acumen and surgical expertise and is listed in "America's Top Surgeons," "Best Doctors of America," "Super Doctors" and "Top Doctors of America."

Prior to his tenure in the Unites States, he earned is his medical degree from the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in India, and then trained at some of the finest cancer centers and hepatobiliary institutes around the world. These international institutions include: Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Center (Bombay, India), Rene Descartes University - Hopital Cochin (Paris, France) and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (England). In the U.S., these institutes include: Marion Bessin Liver Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York), Maricopa Medical Center (Phoenix) and the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (Iowa City). Dr. Singh is a board-certified surgeon, a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of some of the top elite surgical societies and has served as invited speaker/chair at several national and international conferences. He is also a panel member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network for Hepatobiliary Cancers, that lays down the guidelines for the standard of care for these cancers; providing direction to both patients and physicians across the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Dr. Singh has a very thoughtful, effective and yet forceful approach to beating cancer, in a systematic fashion working with an outstanding multidisciplinary team. Dynamic and compassionate, he is a skilled and an accomplished surgeon. He has extensive experience in liver and pancreatic diseases and other gastrointestinal cancers. His work is very well published with numerous publications in prestigious journals. His publications encompass complex liver resections for liver metastases, management algorithms for neuroendocrine tumors, vascular reconstructions following difficult pancreatic surgery for pancreatic cancer, and advanced robotic surgery. Currently, his group is advancing the scope and providing leading-edge surgery for complex liver and pancreatic operations using minimally invasive surgery techniques with the 3D high-definition da Vinci robotic surgical systems. His work in robotic surgery has been presented on the national podium at the Society of Surgical Oncology, Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons and other national meetings.

An innovator at heart, Dr. Singh is in constant pursuit of enhancing the surgical experience and developing technical innovations in liver and pancreatic surgery. He has collaborative endeavors with engineers from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) & Harvey Mudd College. He has several invention disclosures and patents.

In addition to a large clinical practice, Dr. Singh is passionately advancing leading-edge translational research. He collaborates with City of Hope's molecular biologists, X-ray crystallographers, structural chemists and superresolution scientists. A visionary clinician, he is developing novel targeted molecules for neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic cancers and metastatic colon and rectal cancers. He believes early detection is critical and is authenticating an early detection blood test for pancreatic cancers and colorectal cancers.

In The News

• JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHWAYS - New Score Points to Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Outcome (2017)
• LOS ANGELES TIMES - Reason behind Steve Jobs' medical leave unclear (2011)
• MEDSCAPE (FREE REGISTRATION REQUIRED) - How the Experts Treat Neuroendocrine Tumor
• WEBMD - Can a Saliva Test Spot Early Pancreatic Cancer? (2011)

Videos

Surgical Procedures

• Whipple Procedure
• Total Pancreatectomy
• Liver Resection
• Distal Pancreatectomy
• Surgical Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors

LACNETS

• Defining Order Beneath the Chaos - Living with NET Liver Metastasis

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

• Surgical Advances in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma:

• Development of a receptor based nanoparticcle for early detection
• Selective targeting by Histone Methyltransferase Inhibitors for pancreatic cancer therapy

Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET) and Carcinoid Tumors:

• Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors and Small Bowel Carcinoids - Development of multivalent SST2/5-targeted agent (in conjunction with John Williams, Ph.D.) to specifically target and treat NETs.

Liver & Pancreatic Surgery- Technical Innovations:

• Development of a self-cleaning coaptive sealing device
• Development of Irreversible electroporation surface and wrap-around applicators
• Instrument tracking systems and the development of a smart table

• Thornblade LW, Warner SG, Melstrom LG, Ituarte PGH, Chang S, Li D, Fong Y, Singh G. Does surgery provide a survival advantage in non-disseminated poorly differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms? Surgery. 01/2021. Accepted
• Nguyen AH, O’Leary MP, De Andrade JP, Ituarte PHG, Kessler J, Li D, Singh G. Chang S Natural History of Renal Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A NET by Any Other Name? Front. Endocrinol., 05 February 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2020.624251
• Li D, Rock A, Kessler J, Ballena R, Hyder S, Mo C, Chang S, Singh G. Understanding the Management and Treatment of Well-Differentiated Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Clinician’s Guide to a Complex Illness. JCO Oncol Pract. 2020 Nov;16(11):720-728. doi: 10.1200/JCOOP.20.00010. Epub 2020 Oct 21. PMID: 33085933
• Banapour P, Yuh B, Chenam A, Shen JK, Ruel N, Han ES, Kim JY, Maghami EG, Pigazzi A, Raz DJ, Singh G, Wakabayashi M, Woo Y, Fong Y, Lau CS. Readmission and complications after robotic surgery: experience of 10,000 operations at a comprehensive cancer center. J Robot Surg. 2020 Apr 10. doi: 10.1007/s11701-020-01077-4. PMID:32277400.
• Blakely AM, Lafaro KJ, Li D, Kessler J, Chang S, Ituarte PHG, Lee B, Singh G. Lymphovascular Invasion Predicts Lymph Node Involvement in Small Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. Neuroendocrinology. 2020;110(5):384-392. doi: 10.1159/000502581. Epub 2019 Aug 9. PMID: 31401633.
• Hashim YM, Lin TL, Wang A, Dhillon NK, Veatch JM, Barmparas G, Singh G, Ley EJ. Quantifying the Volume of Fluid Resuscitation Required to Normalize Lactate in Septic Patients. International Journal of Surgery. 27 (2020) 162-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijso.2020.11.013
• Kessler J, Singh G, Ituarte PHG, Allen R, Chang S, Li D. A Comparison of Liver Directed Therapy and Systemic Therapy for the Treatment of Liver Metastases in Patients with Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors: Analysis of the California Cancer Registry. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2020 Dec 21:S1051-0443(20)30882-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2020.10.019. PMID: 33358144
• Thornblade LW, Warner S, Melstrom L, Singh G, Fong Y, Raoof M. Association of Race/ Ethnicity with Overall Survival among Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastasis. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9): e2016019. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16019
• Melstrom LG, Warner SG, Wong P, Sun V, Raoof M, Singh G, Chavin K, Adam R, Fong Y, Hugh T. Management of Disappearing Colorectal Liver Metastases: An International Survey. HPB (Oxford). 2020 Oct 31:S1365-182X(20)31191-6. doi: 10.1016/j.hpb.2020.10.005. PMID: 33144051
• Wong P, White M, Tozzi F, Warner S, Woo Y, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom L. Hypophosphatemia: Implications Post-Pancreatectomy. Am Surg. 2020 Sep 13:3134820949517. doi: 10.1177/0003134820949517. PMID: 32924538
• Raoof M, Jutric Z, Haye S, Ituarte P, Arkzhao M, Singh G, Melstrom L, Warner S, Clary B, Fong Y. Systematic Failure to Operate on Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases in California. Cancer Medicine. 2020; 9(17): 6256-6267. https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.3316
• Kandimalla R, Tomihara H, Banwait JK , Yamamura K, Singh G, Hideo B, Goel A. A 15-Gene Immune, Stromal, and Proliferation Gene Signature that Significantly Associates with Poor Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Clinical Cancer Research; Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Mar 31. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-4044. PMID: 32234757
• Lafaro K, Blakely A, Lee B, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom L. Prognostic Impact of Tumor Location in Resected Gallbladder Cancer: A National Cohort Analysis. J Surg Oncol. 2020;1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.26107. PMID: 32652555
• Howe JR, Merchant NB, Conrad C, Keutgen XM, Hallet J, Drebin JA, Minter RM, Lairmore TC, Tseng JF, Zeh HJ, Libutti SK, Singh G, Lee JE, Hope TA, Kim MK, Menda Y, Halfdanarson TR, Chan JA, Pommier RF. The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society Consensus Paper on the Surgical Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. Pancreas. 2020 Jan; 49(1):1-33. PMID: 31856076; PMCID: PMC7029300.
• Stewart CL, Wong P, Selby L, Warner SG, Raoof M, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom LG. Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy and the cost of conversion. J Surg Oncol. 2020 Mar; 121(4):670-675. PMID: 31967336.
• Sun V, Fong A, Melstrom L, Warner S, Raoof M, Singh G, Fong Y. Patient-Centered Care in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis: Quality of Life and Postoperative Functional Recovery. Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr. 2020 (accepted in press)
• De Andrade J, Blakely AM, Nguyen AH, Ituarte PHG, Warner SG, Melstrom LG, Lee B, Singh G. Neuroendocrine Tumors of Meckel’s Diverticula: Rare but Fare Well. Am Surg. 2019 Oct 1; 85 (10):1125-1128. PMID: 31657307
• Lewis A, Raoof M, Ituarte PHG, Williams J, Melstrom L, Li D, Lee B, Singh G. Resection of the Primary Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor Improves Survival with or without Liver Treatment. Ann Surg. 2019 Dec; 270(6):1131-1137. PMID: 29746336
• Lafaro KJ, Raz DJ, Kim JY, Hite S, Ruel N, Varatkar G, Erhunmwunsee L, Melstrom L, Lee B, Singh G, Fong Y, Sun V. Pilot Study of a Telehealth Perioperative Physical Activity Intervention for Older Adults with Cancer and their Caregivers. Support Care Cancer. 2020 Aug;28(8):3867-3876. PMID: 31845007
• Konstantinidis IT, Ituarte P, Woo Y, Warner SG, Melstrom K, Kim J, Singh G, Lee B, Fong Y, Melstrom LG. Trends and outcomes of robotic surgery for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers in the USA: maintaining perioperative and oncologic safety. Surg Endosc. 2019 Dec 9. doi: 10.1007/s00464-019-07284-x. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31820161

Abstracts Presented

• Lennon KM, Maddox AL, Saftics A, Brehove M, Wakefield DL, Das S, Keuren-Jensen KV, Singh G, Jovanovic-Talisman T. Advancing extracellular vesicle characterization with quantitative single molecule localization microscopy. (Won Best Paper Award) Annual meeting of the American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles. Nov 2020
• Li D, Imbesi G,Yen L, Kim H, Sun C-L, Allen R,Sedrak M, Singh G. Cross-sectional study assessing the feasibility of using NET VITALS communication tool among patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Young Investigators Award Session at NANETS’ 2020 (Oral). NANETS, Montreal, 10.2020. Virtual Presentation (COVID 2020)
• Thornblade L, Melstrom LG, Warner, SG, Ituarte P, Chang S, Li D, Fong Y, Singh G. Survival After Resection Of Poorly Differentiated Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Association Of Nodal Involvement And Survival. NANETS, Montreal, 10.2020. Virtual Presentation (COVID 2020)
• Thornblade L, Warner SG, Melstrom L, Ituarte P, Fong Y, Singh G. Survival After Resection of Non-Disseminated yet Poorly Differentiated Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium. Boston, MA, March, 2020.
• Stewart CL, Wong P, Warner S, Raoof M, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom L. Robotic Minor Hepatectomy: Optimizing Outcomes and Cost of Care. Americas Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association. Miami Beach, FL. March, 2020.
• Choong K, O’Leary, M, Ituarte P, Warner S, Melstrom L, Fong Y, Singh G. Distal pancreatectomy vs. pancreaticoduodenectomy vs. total pancreatectomy for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors – same organ, different outcomes. Pancreas Club Annual Meeting, Chicago, May 2020.
• Choong K, O’Leary, M, Ituarte P, Warner S, Melstrom L, Fong Y, Singh G. Results of total pancreatectomy for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors – unfolding the risks and long term survival using the National Cancer Database. Pancreas Club Annual Meeting, Chicago, May 2020. (Accepted; Virtual Meeting, now cancelled)
• Warner S, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom L. Chemotherapy response rates have markedly improved leading to the occurrence of “disappearing” colorectal liver metastases (dCRLM). IHPBA (Postponed). Melbourne, Australia. 9/2020
• Lennon KM, Maddox AL, Wakefield DL, Cisneros M, Brehove MS, Singh G, Jovanovic-Talisman T. Advancing extracellular vesicle characterization with quantitative single molecule localization microscopy. Accepted to International Society for Extracellular Vesicles, Philadelphia, PA, May, 2020. (Podium).
• Li D, Imbesi G, Yen L, Kim HY, Sun CL, Allen R, Sedrak M, Singh G. Cross-sectional study assessing the feasibility of using NET VITALS communication tool among patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Accepted to ENETs; European Neuroendocrine Society. Barcelona, Spain. Mar, 2020.
• De Andrade J, Blakely A, Nguyen A, Ituarte P, Lee B, Singh G. Differing Characteristics between NETs of Meckel's Diverticula & the Ileum. Plenary presentation. (Podium) Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Santa Barbara, CA, Jan 2019.
• Blakely AM, Raoof M, Ituarte PHG, Singh G, Lee B. Lymphovascular Invasion Predicts Lymph Node Involvement in Small (≤2 cm) Appendiceal Neuroendocrine Tumors. (Podium) Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Santa Barbara, CA, Jan 2019.
• Blakely AM, Lafaro KJ, Kessler J, Li D, Chang S, Ituarte PHG, Lee B, Singh G. Lymphovascular Invasion Predicts Lymph Node Positivity in Small Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. (Podium) Pacific Coast Surgical Association- 90th Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, Feb, 2019.
• Blakely AM, Wong P, Chu P, Warner SG, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom LG. Intra-Operative Bile Spillage as a Prognostic Factor for Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma. (Podium) Academic Surgical Congress, Houston, TX, February 5, 2019.
• Stewart CL, Dumita S, Nota C, Ituarte P, Melstrom L, Woo Y, Singh G, Fong Y, Nathan H, Warner S. Hospital Factors Strongly Influence Robotic Use in General Surgery. (Podium) Academic Surgical Congress, Houston, TX, February 6, 2019.
• Blakely AM, Eng OS, Ituarte PHG, Singh G, Raoof M, Lee B. Timing of Peritoneal Dissemination of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Does Not Affect Survival. (Podium) Regional Cancer Therapies 14th International Symposium, Phoenix, AZ, February 16, 2019.
• Lafaro K, Blakely AM, Kessler J, Li D, Ituarte PHG, Lee B, Singh G. Resection of primary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with concomitant liver resection: reasonable and safe. AHPBA, Miami Beach, FL, March, 2019.
• Lafaro Lee B, Singh G. Total Pancreatectomy with Splenectomy: Feasible and Safe. (Video). AHPBA, Miami Beach, FL, March, 2019.
• Raoof M, Lafaro K, Ituarte P, Lee B, Warner SG, Melstrom LG, Singh G, Fong Y. Survival Impact of Biologics in the Management of Resected Colorectal Liver Metastases. (Podium) AHPBA, Miami, March 2019;
• Stewart CL, Wong P, Raoof M, Warner SG, Singh G, Fong Y, Melstrom LG. Minimally Invasive Distal Pancreatectomy – Accepting the Cost of Conversion. (Podium) AHPBA, Miami Beach, FL, March, 2019

Book Chapter and Books

• Lewis A, Schoellhammer H, Singh G. The Modified Appleby Procedure for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Body/Tail Cancer: How I Do It. Book: Surgery for Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer- Principles and Practice. Editor: Mallika Tewari. Springer Nature. ISBN: 978-981-10-7463-9. Release Date: July 29, 2018.
• Editors: Fong Y, Kauffmann RM, Marcinkowski E, Singh G, Schoellhammer H. Surgical Emergencies in the Cancer Patient. 2016, 2017. 9783319440255 (online) 9783319440231 (print)
• Schoellhammer HF, Fong Y, Singh G. Extrahepatic Bile Duct Tumors. Book: Blumgart’s Surgery for the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas, 6th Edition. Editor: William Jarnagin. Elsevier, Saunders. Hardcover ISBN: 9780323340625; eBook ISBN: 9780323340878
• Schoellhammer HF, Fong Y, Singh G. Extrahepatic Bile Duct Tumors. Book: Blumgart’s Surgery for the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas, 6th Edition. Editor: William Jarnagin. Elsevier, Saunders. Hardcover ISBN: 9780323340625; eBook ISBN: 9780323340878
• Jabbour N, Ram S, Singh G. Solid Organ Transplantation. Book: Perioperative Transfusion Medicine 2nd Edition. Editors Spiess/Spence/Shander, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006, (ISBN 0781737559).
• Jabbour N, Young R, Ram S, Selby R, Genyk Y, Singh G. Feasibility of Transfusion-Free Medicine and Surgery in Clinical Practice. Boo: Transfusion Free Medicine and Surgery Editor: Nicholas Jabbour. Blackwell Publishing, London, 2005, (ISBN 1405121599).
• Singh G, Rajvanshi P, Gupta S. Orthotopic Liver Transplantation. Book: The Liver in Biology and Disease. Editor. Bittar EE, Elsevier Sciences, Amsterdam, 2004, 525-42. (ISBN 0-7623-1123-1).