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San Diego’s oncology community is mourning the passing of Dr. Thomas Andre Shiftan, an oncologist and trailblazer in the region’s enduring focus on cancer research.
With Dr. Ivor Royston and Dr. Allan Goodman, Shiftan co-founded the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, an institution that made nationwide headlines in 1993 for its push to use an experimental gene therapy to treat the brain tumor of La Mesa resident Clemma Hewitt. Though there was some backlash at the time with the National Institutes of Health around claims that the treatment significantly reduced the size of the tumor, the approach proved prescient. Immunotherapy has long since revolutionized cancer treatment worldwide.
Royston, whose career has included co-founding IDEC Pharmaceuticals, was one of Shiftan’s best friends and a colleague for nearly 50 years. The connection centered around a belief that successful cancer programs must have a research component.
“Tom was a big believer in the need for better coordination between research and healthcare in oncology,” Royston said. “He was very instrumental in convincing the Sharp HealthCare board and the CEO of Sharp to back an affiliation with the cancer center to create that kind of connection.”
Sidney Kimmel, first called the San Diego Regional Cancer Center, merged with the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in 2009.
Shiftan, a husband, father, grandfather and supporter of the arts, passed away Dec. 1 of complications of Park...
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