Robert G. Maki, MD, PhD

I am a medical oncologist who leads efforts at PennMedicine in finding new cancer drugs (developmental therapeutics), with specific expertise in the treatment of connective tissue tumors (sarcomas and related tumors). I have a quarter century of experience in oncology and even longer in sarcoma research.

Connective tissue tumors include cancers called sarcomas, as well as other aggressive tumors that are not cancer, such as desmoid tumors and giant cell tumors. In all, these tumors represent less than 1% of all cancers that happen in adults. I work with patients with these diagnoses to find the right treatment for these tumors (such as leiomyosarcoma, angiosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma and many others), no matter where they occur in the body.

In my research, I lead our group of experts to find new medications that will be useful for all cancer patients, and to figure out why those treatments work or not. I also work with a group of researchers to find new medicines useful for sarcoma patients. In both lines of work, I collaborate extensively with researchers at PennMedicine, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as groups of national and international experts in new drug discovery and sarcoma therapy. By doing this, I endeavor to insure that the best possible new options for treatment are available for cancer patients at PennMedicine.