
Michael Joseph Cavnar MD
Surgical Oncology (Other than Breast)
Physician
800 Rose StLexington, KY 40536
Fax+1 859-323-6840
Overview of Dr. Cavnar
I am a board-certified general surgeon and surgical oncologist. I started at the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology in July 2017. I have expertise in treatment liver, biliary, pancreas, and upper GI malignancies, as well as intraabdominal sarcoma. My research interests include translational studies of immune and targeted therapy in colorectal liver metastases and in gastrointestinal stromal tumor. I am also interested in developing and running clinical trials of optimal strategies in neoadjuvant treatment of pancreas cancer.
Education & Training
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterFellowship, Complex General Surgical Oncology, 2015 - 2017
NYU Grossman School of MedicineResidency, Surgery, 2007 - 2015
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and SurgeonsClass of 2007
Certifications & Licensure
KY State Medical License 2017 - 2027
NY State Medical License 2008 - 2018
American Board of Surgery Surgery
American Board of Surgery Complex General Surgical Oncology
Awards, Honors, & Recognition
- Clinical Teaching Award University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 2017-2018
- Chairman’s Award for Clinical Research Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2015-2017
- NYU Department of Surgery Research Award New York University School of Medicine, 2015
Publications & Presentations
PubMed
- Case Report: Prolonged response to cabozantinib and pembrolizumab in treatment-refractory metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Anna M Reagan, Hannah G McDonald, Jaewon Kang, Hoda Saghaeiannejad Esfahani, Caroline G Wright
Frontiers in Oncology. 2026-01-01 - Toward Safer Floxuridine Dosing in an Era of Resurgent Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Chemotherapy.Anna M Reagan, Reema A Patel, C Scott Ellis, Michael J Cavnar
Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2025-12-01 - 1 citationsTherapeutic applications of a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting chemokine receptor CCR9 in pancreatic cancer.Hannah G McDonald, Anna M Reagan, Charles J Bailey, Mei Gao, Muqiang Gao
Molecular Oncology. 2025-10-01
Press Mentions
Markey Hits 10,000 Patient Milestone in Cancer NetworkApril 22nd, 2025
Markey Patient, Culinary Author Enjoying Life "One Bite at a Time"December 7th, 2019
'I’m Just Grateful to Be Here' – Markey Patient Perseveres Against Rare DiseaseMarch 2nd, 2020
Research History
- Surgical Oncology Research Training Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterBasic science lab fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Ronald DeMatteo, studying tumor immunology and targeted therapy in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)2009 - 2012
Professional Memberships
- Member
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