Research Summary

Dr. Ronald Balassanian is a pathologist in the UCSF Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Biopsy Clinic at the Bakar Precision Cancer Medicine Building at Mission Bay. In his research, Dr. Balassanian studies minimally invasive diagnosis through FNA biopsy and investigates the use of molecular diagnostics to increase the value of FNA biopsy. He also studies breast cancer diagnosis through FNA biopsy and surgical pathology (analyzing samples removed during surgery). He is involved in the I-SPY research trials, which aim to hasten the availability of better, more personalized treatments. He also participates in the Athena Breast Health Network, a framework to allow doctors to learn from all 150,000 patients at UC medical centers and their affiliates rather than from only the patients they treat or those in clinical trials. In addition, he leads a research project called "Ask Your Pathologist," which has the goal of improving communication between pathologists and breast cancer patients.

Dr. Balassanian earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. At UCSF, he completed residency training in pathology and laboratory medicine, as well as fellowship training in surgical pathology and cytopathology.

Dr. Balassanian is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists. He is a member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Society of Cytopathology and Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology. He participates in the UCSF Global Cancer Program, contributing to teaching, implementation and research projects on breast FNA biopsy in Peru and Tanzania.

Education

University of Washington, Seattle, BS, 06/89, Cell Biology
University of Washington, Seattle, BA, 06/89, English Literature
University of Vermont, Burlington, College of Medicine, MD, 05/96, Surgery major
University of Vermont, Burlington, Pathology, Student fellow, 12/94, Pathology
New York University, New York, PGY1 Resident, 06/97, Pathology
University of California San Francisco, Resident, 06/98, Pathology
University of California San Francisco, Resident, 06/99, Pathology & Lab Med
University of California San Francisco, Fellow, 06/00, Surgical Pathology
University of California San Francisco, Fellow, 06/01, Cytopathology
University of California San Francisco, Chief Resident, 12/00, Pathology
University of California San Francisco, Resident, 06/02, Laboratory Medicine

Honors & Awards

  • 2022
    The Yolanda Oertel Interventional Cytopathologist Award, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology
  • 2022
    Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leadership Award for Faculty, Department of Pathology, UCSF
  • 2021
    Quality Improvement in Cytology Abstract Award, American Society of Cytopathology, 69th Annual Scientific Meeting
  • 2021
    Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Pathology, Residents and Fellows in Pathology, UCSF Department of Pathology
  • 2015
    Faculty Award of Excellence, Department of Pathology, UCSF
  • 2010
    Excellence in Teaching Award in Anatomic Pathology, Residents and Fellows in Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  • 2007
    Outstanding Teaching in Anatomic Pathology, Residents and Fellows in Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Selected Publications

  1. Khoury K, Meisel JL, Yau C, Rugo HS, Nanda R, Davidian M, Tsiatis B, Chien AJ, Wallace AM, Arora M, Rozenblit M, Hershman DL, Zimmer A, Clark AS, Beckwith H, Elias AD, Stringer-Reasor E, Boughey JC, Nangia C, Vaklavas C, Omene C, Albain KS, Kalinsky KM, Isaacs C, Tseng J, Roussos Torres ET, Thomas B, Thomas A, Sanford A, Balassanian R, Ewing C, Yeung K, Sauder C, Sanft T, Pusztai L, Trivedi MS, Outhaythip A, Li W, Onishi N, Asare AL, Beineke P, Norwood P, Brown-Swigart L, Hirst GL, Matthews JB, Moore B, Fraser Symmans W, Price E, Beedle C, Perlmutter J, Pohlmann P, Shatsky RA, DeMichele A, Yee D, van 't Veer LJ, Hylton NM, Esserman LJ. Datopotamab-deruxtecan in early-stage breast cancer: the sequential multiple assignment randomized I-SPY2.2 phase 2 trial. Nat Med. 2024 Dec; 30(12):3728-3736.  View on PubMed
  2. Tchou J, Gottipati S, Goldbach M, Baxter M, Venters S, Balassanian R, Vohra P, Gonzalves D, Ahmad Z, Nayak A, Boughey JC, Mukhtar RA, Chen YY. Change in Biomarker Profile After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy is Prognostic and Common Among Patients with HER2+ Breast Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Nov; 31(12):8093-8101.  View on PubMed
  3. Villar-Zarra K, Balassanian R, Vielh P. Unleash your potential: Inside interventional pathology. Cytopathology. 2024 Jul 09.  View on PubMed
  4. Huppert LA, Fisch S, Tsopurashvili E, Somepalle SS, Salans M, Vasudevan HN, Jo Chien A, Majure M, Rugo HS, Balassanian R, Boreta L, Melisko ME. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with metastatic breast cancer and leptomeningeal disease: a single center retrospective cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Aug; 206(3):625-636.  View on PubMed
  5. Chan GJ, Stohr BA, Osunkoya AO, Croom NA, Cho SJ, Balassanian R, Charu V, Bean GR, Chan E. Wilms Tumor: An Unexpected Diagnosis in Adult Patients. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2024 Jun 01; 148(6):722-727.  View on PubMed
  6. Yoon H, Chen CV, Krishnan V, Grochowski J, Iezza G, Vohra P, Balassanian R, Greenland NY. Utility and performance of cell blocks in cerebrospinal fluid cytology: Experience at two teaching hospitals. Cancer Cytopathol. 2024 Oct; 132(10):621-628.  View on PubMed
  7. Fitzhugh VA, Reynolds JP, Flanagan M, Balassanian R. Education and diversity in cytopathology: Past, present, and future. Diagn Cytopathol. 2024 Aug; 52(8):405-406.  View on PubMed
  8. Baskota S, Shaker N, Balassanian R, Vohra P. Cytopathology in the era of social media. Diagn Cytopathol. 2024 Aug; 52(8):448-459.  View on PubMed
  9. Gimenez C, Balassanian R, Banet N, Barkan G, DeRobbio K, Henderson-Jackson E, Jenkins E, Kilic A, Lai L, Lura T, Morgenstern N, Mito J, Reid MD, Rivera-Colon G, Stewart J, Lowe AC. Science, Medicine, and Cytology: an educational program of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the American Society of Cytopathology. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2024 Jul-Aug; 13(4):244-253.  View on PubMed
  10. Khorsandi N, Balassanian R, Vohra P. Fine needle aspiration biopsy in low- and middle-income countries. Diagn Cytopathol. 2024 Aug; 52(8):426-432.  View on PubMed
  11. Greenland NY, Khorsandi N, Peng Y, Balassanian R, Tabatabai ZL, Tiffany Shing TW, Vohra P. Utility and performance of cell blocks in urine cytology: Experience at three teaching hospitals. Cancer Cytopathol. 2023 10; 131(10):614-625.  View on PubMed
  12. Ly A, Balassanian R, Alperstein S, Donnelly A, McGrath C, Sohani AR, Stelow EB, Thrall MJ, Zhang ML, Pitman MB. One procedure-one report: the Re-Imagine Cytopathology Task Force position paper on small tissue biopsy triage in anatomic pathology. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2023 Nov-Dec; 12(6):395-406.  View on PubMed
  13. Fitzpatrick MJ, Sundaram V, Ly A, Abramson JS, Balassanian R, Cheung MC, Cook SL, Falchi L, Frank AK, Gupta S, Hasserjian RP, Lin O, Long SR, Menke JR, Mou E, Reed DR, Ruiz-Cordero R, Volaric AK, Wang L, Wen KW, Xie Y, Zadeh SL, Gratzinger D. Small volume biopsy diagnostic yield at initial diagnosis versus recurrence/transformation of follicular lymphoma: A retrospective Cyto-Heme Interinstitutional Collaborative study. Cancer Cytopathol. 2023 05; 131(5):279-288.  View on PubMed
  14. Volaric AK, Lin O, Balassanian R, Cook S, Falchi L, Fitzpatrick MJ, Frank AK, Gupta S, Hasserjian RP, Long S, Ly A, Menke JR, Mou E, Natkunam Y, Reed DR, Ruiz-Cordero R, Wang L, Wen KW, Xie Y, Zadeh SL, Gratzinger D, Cyto-Heme Institutional Collaborative (CHIC) Consortium. Diagnostic Discrepancies in Small-volume Biopsy for the Initial Diagnosis, Recurrence, and Transformation of Follicular Lymphoma: A Multi-Institutional Collaborative Study. Am J Surg Pathol. 2023 02 01; 47(2):212-217.  View on PubMed
  15. Osdoit M, Yau C, Symmans WF, Boughey JC, Ewing CA, Balassanian R, Chen YY, Krings G, Wallace AM, Zare S, Fadare O, Lancaster R, Wei S, Godellas CV, Tang P, Tuttle TM, Klein M, Sahoo S, Hieken TJ, Carter JM, Chen B, Ahrendt G, Tchou J, Feldman M, Tousimis E, Zeck J, Jaskowiak N, Sattar H, Naik AM, Lee MC, Rosa M, Khazai L, Rendi MH, Lang JE, Lu J, Tawfik O, Asare SM, Esserman LJ, Mukhtar RA. Association of Residual Ductal Carcinoma In Situ With Breast Cancer Recurrence in the Neoadjuvant I-SPY2 Trial. JAMA Surg. 2022 11 01; 157(11):1034-1041.  View on PubMed
  16. Kouanda A, Mclean R, Faggen A, Demissie E, Balassanian R, Kamal F, Avila P, Arain M, Dai SC, Munroe C. Telecytology versus in-room cytopathologist for EUS-guided FNA or fine-needle biopsy sampling of solid pancreatic lesions. Gastrointest Endosc. 2023 03; 97(3):466-471.  View on PubMed
  17. Vohra P, Khanafshar E, Balassanian R. Interventional cytology benefits patients undergoing thyroid FNA. Cancer Cytopathol. 2023 04; 131(4):214-216.  View on PubMed
  18. Marczyk M, Mrukwa A, Yau C, Wolf D, Chen YY, Balassanian R, Nanda R, Parker BA, Krings G, Sattar H, Zeck JC, Albain KS, Boughey JC, Liu MC, Elias AD, Clark AS, Venters SJ, Shad S, Basu A, Asare SM, Buxton M, Asare AL, Rugo HS, Perlmutter J, DeMichele AM, Yee D, Berry DA, Veer LV, Symmans WF, Esserman L, Pusztai L, I-SPY Consortium. Treatment Efficacy Score-continuous residual cancer burden-based metric to compare neoadjuvant chemotherapy efficacy between randomized trial arms in breast cancer trials. Ann Oncol. 2022 08; 33(8):814-823.  View on PubMed
  19. Sahoo S, Krings G, Chen YY, Carter JM, Chen B, Guo H, Hibshoosh H, Reisenbichler E, Fan F, Wei S, Khazai L, Balassanian R, Klein ME, Shad S, Venters SJ, Borowsky AD, Symmans WF, Ocal IT. Standardizing Pathologic Evaluation of Breast Carcinoma After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2022 05 01; 147(5):591-603.  View on PubMed
  20. Balassanian R, Vohra P. Limitations and opportunities for tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in breast FNA. Cancer Cytopathol. 2022 05; 130(5):328-329.  View on PubMed

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