Dr. Tomifumi Onishi

Dr. Tomifumi Onishi has made significant contributions to the medical research field over the course of his career. Having published studies as a professional, Dr. Onishi offers insight into advancing the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer. In a recent publication titled “Future Directions of Bone-Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer,” Dr. Onishi directs the attention of physicians to a common occurrence in patients with breast cancer, that of bone metastasis.

By contributing to knowledge of bone-targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients, Dr. Onishi addresses an issue that affects 65 to 75 percent of all patients who suffer from the illness. While successful on many fronts, current treatment options such as the administration of bisphosphonates, do not fully inhibit complications related to bone metastasis.

Therefore, Dr. Onishi introduces new therapy and future treatment options presently under investigation. Included in Dr. Tomifumi Onishi’s paper are tools to predict and monitor treatment response for breast cancer with bone metastasis, along with considerations, such as cost effectiveness, to take into account when pursuing bone-targeted therapy. As Dr. Tomifumi Onishi addresses the need to develop better bone treatment options for cancer patients, particularly metastatic breast cancer patients, denosumab, a monoclonal antibody used to treat osteoporosis, is recommended as a viable alternative to bisphosphonates in reducing skeletal related events.

Dr. Tomifumi Onishi looks forward to research on the role that agents such as Src kinase inhibitors, among others, may play in future bone-targeted therapy. He hopes to establish personalized treatment options that will direct each individual patient to the best possible outcome. Dr. Tomifumi Onishi completed an MD at the Yokohama City University School of Medicine in Japan. Following graduation, he began an internal medicine residency at Teine Keijinkai Hospital in Sapporo, Japan. Returning to the United States, Dr. Onishi completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian and Shadyside. Following his medical training, he worked in internal medicine as a hospitalist at Christus Hospital-St. Elizabeth in Beaumont, Texas.