Seza Ali Gulec, M.D.

Dr. Seza Ali Gulec is the founding Chief of Surgical Oncology and Endocrinology and Director of Surgical Research.

Dr. Gulec's areas of clinical expertise include treatment of thyroid and parathyroid diseases, carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors, melanoma, breast cancer, primary and metastatic liver cancers, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Gulec is an established researcher in surgical and nuclear oncology fields.

Dr. Gulec has authored landmark publications in lymphatic mapping, sentinel node biopsy, radioguided surgery, radionuclide therapy, and molecular imaging. Dr. Gulec is a Fellow of American College of Surgeons and member of Society of Surgical Oncology and Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Research Interests

His areas of expertise include the surgical treatment of thyroid and parathyroid diseases, carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors, melanoma, breast cancer, primary and metastatic liver cancers, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Gulec is an established researcher in surgical and nuclear oncology. He has authored landmark publications in lymphatic mapping, sentinel node biopsy, radioguided surgery, radionuclide therapy, and molecular imaging. The main focus of Dr. Gulec’s current research is molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy in solid tumors. His laboratory is actively involved in the development of novel PET imaging agents, and radioimmuno-, radiopeptide, and radiomicrosphere therapy strategies.

Education

Seza Gulec, M.D. received his medical education at Ankara University College of Medicine in Turkey (M.D., 1984). Dr. Gulec trained in surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. He subsequently trained in Surgical Oncology at John Wayne Cancer Institute (Santa Monica, CA). Dr. Gulec is also trained in Nuclear Medicine and Nuclear Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY). Dr. Gulec is the Chief of Surgical Oncology, and Director of Research in the Department of Surgery.

Selected recent publications

1. Gulec SA, Suthar R, Barot TC, Pennington K. The prognostic value of functional tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases undergoing (90)Y selective internal radiation therapy plus chemotherapy. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2011 Jul;38(7):1289-95. Epub 2011 Apr 2
2. Gulec SA, Cohen SJ, Pennington KL, Zuckier LS, Hauke RJ, Horne H, Wegener WA, Teoh N, Gold DV, Sharkey RM, Goldenberg DM. Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Carcinoma with 90Y-Clivatuzumab Tetraxetan: A Phase I Single-Dose Escalation Trial. Clin Cancer Res. 2011 Jun 15;17(12):4091-100. Epub 2011 Apr 28.
3. Gulec SA,  Sztejnberg Gonçalves-Carralves M, Mesoloras G, Jevremovic T, Siegel JA Hepatic Structural Dosimetry in Y-90 Microsphere Treatment J Nucl Med. 2010; 51(2): 301-10
4. Lee JH, Gulec SA, Kyshtoobayeva A, Sim MS, Morton DL. Biological Factors, Tumor Growth Kinetics, and Survival after Metastasectomy for Pulmonary Melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009;16(10):2834-9
5. Gulec SA, Selwyn R, Weiner R et al Nuclear Medicine Guidelines for Radiomicrosphere Therapy Using Y-90 microspheres in Patients with Primary and Metastatic Liver Cancer J Interventional Oncology 2009; 2: 26-39
6. Hindié E, Ugur O, Fuster D, O'Doherty M, Grassetto G, Ureña P, Kettle A, Gulec SA, Pons F, Rubello D; Parathyroid Task Group of the EANM. 2009 EANM parathyroid guidelines. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2009; 36(7):1201-16.
7. Kennedy AS, McNeillie P, Dezarn WA, Nutting C, Sangro B, Wertman D, Garafalo M, Liu D, Coldwell D, Savin M, Jakobs T, Rose S, Warner R, Carter D, Sapareto S, Nag S, Gulec S, Calkins A, Gates VL, Salem R Treatment Parameters and Outcome in 680 Treatments of Internal Radiation With Resin (90)Y-Microspheres for Unresectable Hepatic Tumors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2009; 74(5):1494-500
8. Gulec SA, Pennington K, Hall M, Fong Y Preoperative Y-90 Microsphere Selective Internal Radiation Treatment for Tumor Down-sizing and Future Liver Remnant Recruitment: A Novel Approach to Improve the Safety of Major Hepatic Resections W J Surg Oncol  World J Surg Oncol. 2009 Jan 8;7(1):6. [Epub ahead of print]
9. Gulec SA, Baum R.  Radio-guided Surgery in Neuroendocrine Tumors J SURG ONCOL. 2007 Aug 28;96(4):309-315
10. Gulec SA. PET-probe Guided Surgery. J SURG ONCOL. 2007 Aug 28;96(4):353-357
11. Dorn R, Kopp J, Wogt H, Heindenreich P, Carroll RG, Gulec, SA. Dosimetry- guided radioactive iodine treatment in patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer: Largest safe dose using a risk adapted approach. J NUC MED 2003 44: 451-456
12. Gulec SA, Gaffga CM, Anthony CT, Su JL, O’Leary PJ, Woltering EA. Anti-angiogenic treatment with somatostatin receptor-mediated in-situ radiation. THE AMERICAN SURGEON 2001 67(11): 1068-1071