Tanya Dorff, M.D.
Medical Oncologist
4.9 (422 RATINGS)
Clinical Expertise
Prostate Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Penile Cancer
Research Area
Genitourinary Malignancies
Novel Immune-based Strategies For Prostate Cancer
Languages
Appointments
Section Chief, Genitourinary Disease Program
Professor, Department Of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research
Clinical Teams
Research Teams
Tanya Barauskas Dorff, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research and serves as section chief of the Genitourinary Disease Program at City of Hope. She is an internationally recognized leader in prostate cancer, and is renowned for her work in other genitourinary tumor types, including kidney, bladder and penile cancer.
Dr. Dorff graduated summa cum laude from University of Houston before attending the UCLA School of Medicine. There, she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honors society. She subsequently completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and finished subspecialty training in hematology and oncology at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center.
Dr. Dorff was on the faculty at USC for nearly 10 years, eventually amassing over 75 publications in top-tier journals, including Cancer, Lancet Oncology and Journal of Clinical Oncology. She has been invited to speak at multiple national and international meetings, and serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Prostate Cancer Guidelines Committee and the National Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Task Force.
Dr. Dorff’s research interests in prostate cancer are wide-ranging. In the area of clinical trials, she is heavily involved in the design and conduct of trials with immunotherapy and exploring treatment combinations. She has also worked on trials examining lifestyle (supplements, exercise) and treatment side effects (cognitive function). Recently she was awarded a Prostate Cancer Foundation/Pfizer grant to study talazoparib specifically in an ethnically diverse population, working together with Zijie (ZJ) Sun, M.D., Ph.D., and others.
Dr. Dorff leads City of Hope’s joint effort with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to develop novel immune-based strategies for prostate cancer. Specifically, she leads an effort to develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells – cells that are primed to target prostate cancer tissue. These strategies have been transformative in certain blood-based cancers. She is also engaging with TGen scientists Muhammad Murtaza, Ph.D., to investigate ctDNA as a biomarker, and Sarah Highlander, Ph.D., to study the role of the microbiome in earlier stage disease.
Dr. Dorff has assumed control of one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in genitourinary cancers, and treats patients with all types of genitourinary cancers, including testicular and penile cancer.
Dr. Dorff graduated summa cum laude from University of Houston before attending the UCLA School of Medicine. There, she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honors society. She subsequently completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and finished subspecialty training in hematology and oncology at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center.
Dr. Dorff was on the faculty at USC for nearly 10 years, eventually amassing over 75 publications in top-tier journals, including Cancer, Lancet Oncology and Journal of Clinical Oncology. She has been invited to speak at multiple national and international meetings, and serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Prostate Cancer Guidelines Committee and the National Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Task Force.
Dr. Dorff’s research interests in prostate cancer are wide-ranging. In the area of clinical trials, she is heavily involved in the design and conduct of trials with immunotherapy and exploring treatment combinations. She has also worked on trials examining lifestyle (supplements, exercise) and treatment side effects (cognitive function). Recently she was awarded a Prostate Cancer Foundation/Pfizer grant to study talazoparib specifically in an ethnically diverse population, working together with Zijie (ZJ) Sun, M.D., Ph.D., and others.
Dr. Dorff leads City of Hope’s joint effort with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to develop novel immune-based strategies for prostate cancer. Specifically, she leads an effort to develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells – cells that are primed to target prostate cancer tissue. These strategies have been transformative in certain blood-based cancers. She is also engaging with TGen scientists Muhammad Murtaza, Ph.D., to investigate ctDNA as a biomarker, and Sarah Highlander, Ph.D., to study the role of the microbiome in earlier stage disease.
Dr. Dorff has assumed control of one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in genitourinary cancers, and treats patients with all types of genitourinary cancers, including testicular and penile cancer.
2003-2013, Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
2006-present, Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine
2000, M.D., AOA, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
1995, B.S., Biology, summa cum laude, University of Houston – Honors College, Houston, TX
2003-2006, Hematology & Medical Oncology, LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
2001-2003, Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
2000-2001, Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
2023-present, Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2017-2023, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2017, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA
2008-2017, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA
2008-2017, Faculty, Department of Medicine, USC+LAC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
2006-2008, Faculty - Voluntary, Department of Medicine, USC+LAC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
2021, Top Women in Medicine
2021, Southern California Super Doctors
2019, Southern California Top Doctors
2019, Top Doctor, Oncology, Los Angeles Business Journal
2018, LA Business Journal Top Doctors
2018, Exceptional Women in Medicine Award
2017, Super Doctors, Los Angeles
2016, Mentorship Award – Required Scholarly Project – Keck School of Medicine of USC
2014, Faculty Teaching Award, Oncology Fellowship, Keck School of Medicine of USC
2012 and 2014, “Top Doctor” Pasadena Magazine
2010, AUA Western Section Best Poster – 3rd place
2010, Faculty Teaching Award
2005, Fellowship Teaching Award
2000, Alpha Omega Alpha, Medical Honors Society
2000, AMWA Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citation
2000, ACP/ASIM James R. Klinenberg Certificate of Merit
1992, National Merit Scholar
European Society for Medical Oncology
NRG Oncology
Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
2016-present, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
2015-present, Academic and Community Cancer Research United, (co-leader GU group)
2015-present, Kidney Cancer Association
2009-present, Southwest Oncology Group
2004-present, American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Dorff TB, Stein C, Kortylewski M, Posadas E, Synold T, Quinn D. Evaluating Changes in Immune Function and Bone Microenvironment During Radium-223 Treatment of Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Cancer Biother Radiopharm. 2020 May 5. doi: 10.1089/cbr.2019.3397. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32366119
- Ballas L, Wei O, Daneshmand S, Schuckman A, Djaladat H, Aron M, D' Souza A, Quinn D, Dorff TB. Chemoradiation for Management of Locally Recurrent or Residual Bladder Cancer: A Case Series and Review of the Literature Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2020 Aug;18(4):e473-e477. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2019.12.016. Epub 2020 Jan 7.Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2020. PMID: 32044240
- Kim DJ, Otap D, Ruel N, Gupta N, Khan N, Dorff TB. NCI-Clinical Trial Accrual in a Community Network Affiliated with a Designated Cancer Center. J Clin Med 2020 Jun 24;9(6):1970. doi: 10.3390/jcm9061970. PMID: 32599694 PMCID: PMC7355880
- Dorff T, Lyou Y, Stein C. Defining Value in Metastatic Prostate Cancer: What Is the Cost of Living Longer and Better? JCO Oncol Pract. 2020 Feb;16(2):53-54. doi: 10.1200/JOP.19.00632. Epub 2020 Jan 21. PMID: 32045557
- Dorff TB, Quinn DI, Pinski JK, Goldkorn A, Sadeghi S, Tsao-Wei D, Groshen S, Kuhn P, Gross ME. Randomized Phase II Trial of Abiraterone Alone or With Dasatinib in Men With Metastatic Castration resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC). Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2019 Aug;17(4):241-247.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2019.02.010. Epub 2019 Mar 19. PMID:31227432
- Dorff TB, Fanti S, Farolfi A, Reiter RE, Sadun TY, Sartor O. The Evolving Role of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-Based Diagnostics and Therapeutics in Prostate Cancer. Am Soc Clin Oncol EducBook. 2019 Jan;39:321-330. doi: 10.1200/EDBK_239187. Epub 2019 May 17. PMID: 31099673
- Dorff TB, Longmate J, Pal SK, Stadler W, Fishman M, Vaishampayan U, Rao A, Pinski J, Hu J, Quinn DI, Lara Jr PN. Bevacizumab alone or in combination with TRC105 for refractory metastatic renal cell cancer patients. Cancer 2017 Dec 1;123(23):4566-4573. doi: 10.1002/cncr.30942. Epub 2017 Aug 22. PMID: 28832978
- Dorff TB, Sweeney CJ.Chemotherapy for oligometastatic prostate cancer. Curr Opin Urol. 2017 Nov;27(6):553-558. doi: 10.1097/MOU.0000000000000446. PMID: 28817399
- Dorff TB, Ballas LK, Schuckman AK. Current Management Strategy for Penile Cancer and Future Directions. Curr Oncol Rep. 2017 Aug;19(8):54. doi: 10.1007/s11912-017-0615-4. PMID: 28664471
- Loh JM, Tran AL, Ji L, Groshen S, Daneshmand S, Schuckman A, Quinn DI, Dorff TB. Baseline Glomerular Filtration Rate and Cisplatin- Induced Renal Toxicity in Urothelial Cancer Patients. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2017 Sep6:S1558-7673(17)30271-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2017.08.016. Online ahead of print. PMID: 28958673
- Dorff TB, Schuckman AK, Schwartz R*, Rashad S, Bulbul A, Cai J, Pinski J, Ma Y, Danenberg K, Skinner E, Quinn DI. Epidermal growth factor receptor, Excision-repair cross-complementation group 1 protein, and thymidylate synthetase expression in penile cancer. Clin Genitourinary Cancer 2016; 14:450-6. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2016.01.013. Epub 2016 Feb 6. PMID: 26935231 PMCID: PMC7515776
- Dorff TB, Groshen S, Garcia A, Shah M, Tsao-Wei D, Pham H, Cheng C-W, Brandhorst S, Cohen P, Wei M, Longo V, Quinn DI. Safety and feasibility of fasting in combination with platinum based chemotherapy. BMC Cancer. 2016 Jun 10;16:360. doi: 10.1186/s12885-016-2370-6. PMID: 27282289 PMCID: PMC4901417
- Nussbaum N, George DJ, Abernethy AP, Dolan CM, Oestreicher N, Flanders S, Dorff TB. Patient experience in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: state of the science. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2016 Jun;19(2):111-21. doi: 10.1038/pcan.2015.42. Epub 2016 Feb 2. PMID: 26832363
- Dorff TB, Hu J, Quinn DI. Relapsed and refractory germ cell tumors: Finessing the rough end of a beautiful story. Urol Oncol. 2015 Aug;33(8):341-2. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2015.05.023. Epub 2015 Jun 18. PMID:26094170
- Dorff TB, Groshen S, Tsao-Wei D, Xiong S, Gross ME, Vogelzang N, Quinn DI, Pinski JK. A Phase II Trial of a Combination Herbal Supplement for Men with Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer. PCAN 2014; 17:359-65. PMID 25245366.
- Dorff TB, Wilkins C, Hepgur M, Quinn DI. Durable complete remission from castration-resistant prostate cancer with sipuleucel-T after estrogen withdrawal. Clin GU Cancer 2014; 12:e55-8. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2013.11.006. Epub 2013 Nov 14. PMID: 24331572
- Dorff TB, Tsao-Wei DD, Groshen S, Boswell W, Goldkorn A, Xiong S, Quinn DI, Pinski JK. Efficacy of oxaliplatin plus pemetrexed in chemotherapy-pretreated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Clin GU Cancer 2013; 11:416-22. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2013.07.011. Epub 2013 Oct 4. PMID: 24099865
- Dorff TB, Liu SV, Xiong S, Cai J, Hawes D, Pinski J. Ethnic differences in neuroendocrine expression in prostate cancer tissue. Anticancer Res. 2011 Nov;31(11):3897-901. PMI D: 22110216.
- Dorff TB, Goldman B, Pinski JK, Mack PC, Lara PN, Van Veldhuizen PJ, Quinn DI, Vogelzang NJ, Thompson IM, Hussain MHA. Clinical and Correlative Results of SWOG S0354: A Phase II Trial of CNTO328 (Siltuximab), a Monoclonal Antibody against Interleukin-6, in Chemotherap Pretreated Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2010; 16:3028. PUBMED ID 20484019.
- Dorff TB, Wei DT, Miranda G, Skinner DG, Stein JP, Quinn DI. Adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced urothelial carcinoma: an overview of the USC experience. World Journal of Urology 2009; 27:39-44. doi: 10.1007/s00345-008-0342-4. Epub 2008 Nov 20. PMID: 19020886
For a complete list of Dr. Dorff's publications, please visit this link here.
Ratings and reviews below are gathered from the Press Ganey Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG CAHPS) survey. CG CAHPS is a standardized survey that is used to measure a patient's experience in the physician office setting. Ratings are an average of all responses to questions about a provider's care, with 5 stars being the highest.
Ratings
4.9
Recommend this provider office
4.9
Provider explain in way you understand
4.9
Provider listen carefully to you
4.9
Show respect for what you say
4.8
Rate provider 0-10
4.8
Know important info medical history
4.8
Spend enough time with you
Reviews
02/07/23
All of the staff at COH are very thoughtful - Verified patient
02/07/23
Well it's a nice change to be included in my treatment option's, rather than being left in the dark. The decision as to what type of future surgery or treatment is for me to choose. Tough decision to make unfortunately. - Verified patient
01/11/23
You have 2 patients based on my recommendations - Verified patient
01/10/23
Dr. Dorff is excellent! I am very fortunate to have her as my doctor. - Verified patient
01/08/23
I really liked the treatment they gave me. - Verified patient