Sant P. Chawla, M.D., is director of the Cancer Center of Southern California in Santa Monica, California, a comprehensive cancer treatment and clinical research facility. Sant P. Chawla, M.D. holds medical licensures in both Texas and California, and he is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He is a pioneering physician whose work in sarcoma oncology has brought him several accolades and recognition as one of the world’s leading authorities in medical treatment and clinical research for bone and soft-tissue sarcomas and sarcoma therapy. Dr. Chawla heads the Sarcoma Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA where he leads clinical cancer research efforts and conducted groundbreaking clinical research in pancreatic carcinoma, gynecologic tumors, breast cancer, glioblastoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, lung cancer and gastrointestinal tumors.

Dr. Chawla serves on the clinical faculty of numerous prestigious cancer centers, including UCLA, USC, John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Hospital; he has been an adjunct associate professor at Stanford University and is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; and he is a medical oncologist at Cedars Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over his 30 years of medical and clinical research experience, Dr. Chawla’s research has been a foundation for further breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

Dr. Chawla’s pioneering work in cancer research began in the 1980s when he contributed to breakthroughs in the treatment of young patients with osteosarcoma. He innovated limb-saving treatment for these young patients where amputation was previously the only option. Since that time, he has conducted over 60 clinical trials for cancer drugs now approved by the FDA and EMA, including carboplatin, trabectedin (Yondalis), pazopanib, eribulin, aprepitant and denosumab. Most recently, the Center completed a breakthrough Phase II trial for Aldoxorubicin (second line for soft tissue sarcomas). The groundbreaking research reported that patients treated with Aldoxorubicin had significantly increased progression-free and overall survival rates without any observed cardiotoxicity – unlike standard anthracyclines or doxorubicin.

Dr. Chawla received his medical degree and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. From there, he went on to the Auckland Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand to begin his specialty training in medical oncology. He also completed his fellowship in medical oncology in New Zealand, at the Fellow Royal Australasian College of Physicians (F.R.A.C.P.). Recognized for his outstanding academic accomplishments, he was invited to continue his fellowship in oncology at the prestigious M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of the University of Texas. In the last 60 years, M.D. Anderson has built an international reputation of excellence in cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention. M.D. Anderson is the top-ranked cancer hospital in the United States, making numerous and extraordinary research-based contributions that have benefited people everywhere. In this way, M.D. Anderson has established itself as the leader in innovative cancer therapy, and it is here that Dr. Chawla learned and enhanced his own understanding of the disease, preparing him for a pioneering career in the treatment of sarcomas.