Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Aggarwal is the Leslye Heisler Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Hematology-Oncology Division at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. She is an active member of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) where she serves as Physician Leader for the clinical research program for Airways Malignancies.

Dr. Aggarwal specializes in the management of patients with lung and head and neck cancer, with a specific and clinical research focus on the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches, and the discovery and application of biomarkers to guide therapy and monitor treatment. She serves as the local and national principle investigator for multiple clinical trials focusing on the development of “targeted” immunotherapeutic approaches including cellular therapy and CAR-T for solid tumors. Dr. Aggarwal has led the development of a DNA plasmid based HPV specific immunotherapy for HPV associated head and neck cancers. She is actively involved in evaluating the role of plasma-based NGS in management of patients with metastatic lung cancer.

She has extensive experience in the planning, design and execution of clinical trials, is an active member of ECOG, and has served as a national sub-study chair for SWOG-NCI’s LUNG-MAP. She has served on the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), ASCO Education Committee, NCI- Head and Neck Metastatic Task Force Steering Committee and ACC’s Data Safety and Monitoring Committee. Dr. Aggarwal’s ultimate goal as a clinical and translational investigator is to perform patient-centered, scientifically relevant novel immunotherapy clinical trials that will make a tangible impact and advance our understanding of immunotherapy in patients with Lung and Head and Neck Cancer.

Selected Publications

Marmarelis ME, Chiarle R, Ambrogio C, Aggarwal C: A LIBRETTO to orchestrate targeted therapy Nature Cancer 1 (11): 1038-1040,2020.

Parhar HS, Shimunov D, Newman JG, Cannady SB, Rajasekaran K, O' Malley BW Jr, Chalian AA, Rassekh CH, Cohen RB, Lin A, Lukens J, Swisher-McClure S, Bauml J, Aggarwal C, Weinstein GS, Brody RM: Oncologic Outcomes Following Transoral Robotic Surgery for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Carcinoma in Older Patients JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg : doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2020.3787. Online ahead of print,2020.

Sun L, Davis CW, Hwang WT, Jeffries S, Sulyok LF, Marmarelis ME, Singh AP, Berman AT, Feigenberg SJ, Levin W, Ciunci CA, Bauml JM, Cohen RB, Langer CJ, Aggarwal C: Outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases treated with pembrolizumab-based therapy Clinical Lung Cancer : 2020.

Aggarwal C, Rolfo CD, Oxnard GR, Gray JE, Sholl LM, Gandara DR: Strategies for the successful implementation of plasma-based NSCLC genotyping in clinical practice Nat Rev Clin Oncol : 2020.

Singh AP, Aggarwal C: Management of Lung Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reply to A. Greenberg et al JCO Oncology Practice : doi: 10.1200/OP.20.00627,2020.

Steffen McLouth LE, Zhao F, Owonikoko TK, Feliciano JL, Mohindra NA, Dahlberg SE, Wade JL 3rd, Srkalovic G, Lash BW, Leach JW, Leal TA, Aggarwal C, Cella D, Ramalingam SS, Wagner LI: Patient-reported tolerability of veliparib combined with cisplatin and etoposide for treatment of extensive stage small cell lung cancer: Neurotoxicity and adherence data from the ECOG ACRIN cancer research group E2511 phase II randomized trial Cancer Medicine : doi: 10.1002/cam4.3416. Online ahead of print,2020.

Aggarwal C, Thompson JC, Carpenter EL.: Plasma Tumor Mutation Burden and Response to Pembrolizumab-Response. Clinical Cancer Research 26 (13): 3492,2020.

Weinstein GS, Cohen R, Lin A, O'Malley BW Jr, Lukens J, Swisher-McClure S, Shanti RM, Newman JG, Parhar HS, Tasche K, Brody RM, Chalian A, Cannady S, Palmer JN, Adappa ND, Kohanski MA, Bauml J, Aggarwal C, Montone K, Livolsi V, Baloch ZW, Jalaly JB, Cooper K, Rajasekaran K, Loevner L, Rassekh C.: Penn Medicine Head and Neck Cancer Service Line COVID-19 Management Guidelines Head Neck 42 (7): 1507-1515,2020.

Singh AP, Berman AT, Marmarelis ME, Haas AR, Feigenberg SJ, Braun J, Ciunci CA, Bauml JM, Cohen RB, Kucharczuk JC, Shulman LN, Langer CJ, Aggarwal C.: Management of Lung Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic Journal of Clinical Oncology - Oncology Practice : doi: 10.1200/OP.20.00286.,2020.

Aggarwal C, Thompson JC, Chien AL, Quinn KJ, Hwang WT, Black TA, Yee SS, Christensen T, LaRiviere MJ, Silva BA, Banks KC, Nagy RJ, Helman E, Berman AT, Ciunci CA, Singh AP, Wasser JS, Bauml JM, Langer CJ, Cohen RB, Carpenter EL: Baseline plasma tumor mutation burden predicts response to pembrolizumab-based therapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Clinical Cancer Research : doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-3663,2020.

Academic Contact Information

Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
10-137, South Pavilion
3400 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-662-6318
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366