“We look forward to the continued contributions of Dr. Figlin and Dr. Hendifar,” said Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, executive vice president, chief physician executive and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai. “We are confident their talent and leadership will continue to spur the growth and vision of Cedars-Sinai Cancer as one of the nation’s leading destinations for cancer care, research and education.”

As associate dean, Figlin, formerly interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, will serve as a senior adviser and institutional leader. Drawing on his experience, he will guide the advancement of strategic and clinical cancer priorities across Cedars-Sinai Health System and assist with key physician and leadership recruitment efforts and national outreach.

“I look forward to building on the work we have done to promote research excellence that translates into leading-edge therapies for cancer patients,” Figlin said. “To support such work, strategic direction is key.”

Under Figlin’s leadership as interim director, Cedars-Sinai Cancer increased clinical volumes, expanded access to clinical trials and advanced the integration of cancer services across health system hospitals. He was instrumental in establishing the Investigator Initiated Trials Program in Cedars-Sinai Cancer and offering oversight for the Investigator Initiated Trials Incubator.

Through his work in clinical trials, Figlin shifted the treatment landscape for renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer. His pioneering work in immunotherapy testing proved that the immune system could eradicate kidney cancer and achieve long-term survival. He has also been a principal investigator on pivotal trials of targeted therapies that block enzymes responsible for driving cancer cells to multiply, and in trials establishing combination therapies as a preferred first-line treatment.

Figlin is the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology and a professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He formerly served as chair and associate director of the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research as well as associate director for Clinical Research at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also held an endowed chair in urologic oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

A member of multiple national professional organizations, Figlin has also published more than 430 peer-reviewed articles in major medical journals and authored and edited multiple textbooks on kidney cancer.

He currently serves as the editor of Oncology News Central and the Kidney Cancer Journal.

As interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, Hendifar will continue building the academic cancer program based on excellence in clinical care, research and teaching. He will deepen the integration of cancer services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Network and health system affiliates.

“I look forward to supporting the physicians, scientists and clinical care specialists who make up Cedars-Sinai Cancer,” Hendifar said. “By continuing to advance scientific discovery, precision medicine and patient-centered and community-informed approaches, we can redefine cancer care.”

Hendifar brings extensive clinical, research and management experience to this interim leadership role.

He has been a principal investigator on Phase III clinical trials and published in the highest-impact journals, including a Phase III study in The New England Journal of Medicine in May about an experimental treatment that nearly doubled survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Hendifar has led key studies on integrating artificial intelligence into pancreatic cancer care, and he is a principal investigator on multiple trials focusing on novel therapeutic strategies and targeting cancer wasting syndrome.

He currently serves as a professor of Medicine, medical director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office and medical director of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Disease Research Group at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer institute.

Hendifar began his career at Cedars-Sinai in 2012, was a founding director of the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program and has served on several Cedars-Sinai committees, including those for the Internal Review Board, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, and Medical Oncology/Cancer Center leadership, as well as the Medical Executive Committee. 

In addition to his medical and research accomplishments, Hendifar has executive managerial experience as chief medical officer for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and holds a master’s degree in health systems management from Tulane University, where he earned his medical degree. He has served as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Neuroendocrine Tumor Task Force and on the steering committee for the Precision Promise Consortium.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

Widely known as a pioneer in robot-assisted colorectal surgery, Pigazzi performed the world’s first robot-assisted tumor removal for rectal cancer more than 20 years ago. He has continued to advance the colorectal surgery field with his expertise in robot-assisted, laparoscopic and open surgical techniques to treat complex colorectal conditions such as recurrent and metastatic colorectal cancer.

Pigazzi brings to Cedars-Sinai a rich history of surgical leadership. Most recently, Pigazzi was division director of Colorectal Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He also was executive director for Surgical Services, vice chair of Clinical Network, and professor in the Department of Surgery at City of Hope Orange County.

In his new role at Cedars-Sinai, Pigazzi will concentrate on developing the academic colorectal practice, opening novel clinical trials and advancing translational research.

“Cedars-Sinai’s new Faculty Division of Colorectal Surgery will continue to build best-in-class, patient-centered care by staying on the forefront of the latest surgical techniques, clinical trials and clinical practices,” said Cristina Ferrone, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. “Under Dr. Pigazzi’s esteemed leadership, we will also enrich our training programs as we develop the colorectal surgical leaders of tomorrow.”

In addition to his clinical practice, Pigazzi is involved in many significant research initiatives, including a translational research effort investigating the role dietary sugars play in the development of colorectal cancer. His extensive publication record includes more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and 16 book chapters. 

“Dr. Pigazzi’s innovative clinical work and research discovery for colorectal cancer aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing leading-edge expertise and care for our Cedars-Sinai Cancer patients,” said Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer.  

Pigazzi earned both his medical and doctoral degrees at Boston University School of Medicine. He then completed his general surgery residency at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College, followed by advanced fellowship training in minimally invasive surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and in colorectal surgery at the University of California, Irvine.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring my passion to this leadership role in the Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai,” Pigazzi said. “I look forward to growing the division to be the best in the region in terms of clinical, research and academic excellence.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Taking the Fear Out of Colon Cancer Screening

Robert Figlin, MD, interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, sat down with the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom to answer common questions about the disease and options for patients.

What does it mean to have stage 4 prostate cancer?

All cancers are diagnosed by stage. Stage 4 is when the disease has spread from the primary area or organ—in this case, the prostate gland—to other areas. The most common place that prostate cancer spreads is to the bone, although it can spread to other organs such as the lungs, lymph nodes or liver.

How is prostate cancer treated?

The standard of care for prostate cancer, by and large, when newly diagnosed, is to turn off the stimulation of the prostate cancer cell by blocking androgens, including testosterone, either where they are made or where they act with the cancer to cause cancer to grow. So, androgen suppression through treatments that reduce testosterone levels is the treatment of choice, primarily for hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Having said that, recent evidence suggests that you can add chemotherapy to hormone treatment for men with prostate cancer that improves both their progression-free survival and their overall survival.

What is the expected prognosis for a patient with stage 4 prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer, when metastatic, whether it's aggressive or nonaggressive, is not currently a curable disease. So, what we can expect is that control of the cancer should be easily obtained using hormone ablation. This will certainly improve what's called progression-free survival, meaning that it'll slow the growth of the cancer to other areas, it will prolong survival, but it will not be curative.

What are the screening recommendations for prostate cancer?

The standard screening recommendation for men is a digital rectal examination and a PSA blood test on an annual basis. The PSA test measures a hormone called prostate-specific antigen, which may indicate prostate cancer when found at high levels. But currently, it's not recommended that men beyond the age of 70 have routine screenings, because in population studies, there's been no evidence that screening elderly men improves overall survival. Having said that, that should still be a discussion between the physician and the patient to see whether screening is appropriate.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.