
Karen D Wright, MD, MS
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Karen D Wright, MD, MS
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
EDUCATIONAL TITLES
HCC PROGRAM AFFILIATION
- Power PC, Liu KX, Chi SN, Wright KD, Marcus KJ, Haas-Kogan DA, Ioakeim-Ioannidou M, Sethi R, Elhalawani H, Ebb D, Yock TI, MacDonald SM, Yeo KK. Treatment Approach for Metastatic Intracranial Germinoma: A Multi-Institutional Experience. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2025; 72:e31628. PubMed
- Rameh V, Ziaei A, Vajapeyam S, Chen N, London WB, Wright K, Poussaint TY. Post-radiation MR imaging features in Molecular and Mutational Analyses in Pontine Pediatric Diffuse Midline Gliomas. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2025. PubMed
- Lim-Fat MJ, Cotter JA, Touat M, Vogelzang J, Sousa C, Pisano W, Geduldig J, Bhave V, Driver J, Kao PC, McGovern A, Ma C, Margol AS, Cole K, Smith A, Goldman S, Kaneva K, Truong AL, Nazemi KJ, Wood MD, Wright KD, London WB, Warren KE, Wen PY, Bi WL, Alexandrescu S, Reardon DA, Ligon KL, Yeo KK. A comparative analysis of IDH-mutant glioma in pediatric, young adult, and older adult patients. 2024. PubMed
- Forrest SJ, Gupta H, Ward A, Li YY, Doan D, Al-Ibraheemi A, Alexandrescu S, Bandopadhayay P, Shusterman S, Mullen EA, Collins NB, Chi SN, Wright KD, Kumari P, Mazor T, Ligon KL, Shivdasani P, Manam M, MacConaill LE, Ceca E, Benich SN, London WB, Schilsky RL, Bruinooge SS, Guidry Auvil JM, Cerami E, Rollins BJ, Meyerson ML, Lindeman NI, Johnson BE, Cherniak AD, Church AJ, Janeway KA. Molecular profiling of 888 pediatric tumors informs future precision trials and data-sharing initiatives in pediatric cancer. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5837. PubMed
- Griesinger AM, Calzadilla AJ, Grimaldo E, Donson AM, Amani V, Pierce AM, Steiner J, Kargar S, Serkova NJ, Bertrand KC, Wright KD, Vibhakar R, Hankinson T, Handler M, Lindsay HB, Foreman NK, Dorris K. Development of chromosome 1q+ specific treatment for highest risk pediatric posterior fossa ependymoma. Clin Cancer Res 2024. PubMed
- Yeo KK, Macrae CB, Gampel B, Ahrendsen JT, Lidov H, Wright KD, Chi S, Fehnel K, Baird L, Clymer J, Aldape K, Alexandrescu S. Clinical utility of DNA methylation profiling for choroid plexus tumors. 2024; 6:vdae097. PubMed
- Cacciotti C, Wright KD. Advances in Treatment of Diffuse Midline Gliomas. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023. PubMed
- Chiang J, Bagchi A, Li X, Dhanda SK, Huang J, Pinto SN, Sioson E, Dalton J, Tatevossian RG, Jia S, Partap S, Fisher PG, Bowers DC, Hassall T, Lu C, Zaldivar-Peraza A, Wright KD, Broniscer A, Qaddoumi I, Upadhyaya SA, Vinitsky A, Sabin ND, Orr BA, Klimo P, Boop FA, Ashford JM, Conklin HM, Onar-Thomas A, Zhou X, Ellison DW, Gajjar A, Robinson GW. High-grade glioma in infants and young children is histologically, molecularly, and clinically diverse-Results from the SJYC07 trial and institutional experience. 2023. PubMed
- Blandin AF, Giglio R, Graham MS, Garcia G, Malinowski S, Woods JK, Ramkissoon S, Ramkissoon L, Dubois F, Schoolcraft K, Tsai J, Wang D, Jones R, Vogelzang J, Pelton K, Becker S, Watkinson F, Sinai C, Cohen EF, Booker MA, Tolstorukov MY, Haemels V, Goumnerova L, Wright K, Kieran M, Fehnel K, Reardon D, Tauziède-Espariat A, Lulla R, Carcamo B, Chaleff S, Charest A, De Smet F, Ligon AH, Dubuc A, Pages M, Varlet P, Wen PY, Alexander BM, Chi S, Alexandrescu S, Kittler R, Bachoo R, Bandopadhayay P, Beroukhim R, Ligon KL. ALK amplification and rearrangements are recurrent targetable events in congenital and adult glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2023. PubMed
- Liu APY, Dhanda SK, Lin T, Sioson E, Vasilyeva A, Gudenas B, Tatevossian RG, Jia S, Neale G, Bowers DC, Hassall T, Partap S, Crawford JR, Chintagumpala M, Bouffet E, McCowage G, Broniscer A, Qaddoumi I, Armstrong G, Wright KD, Upadhyaya SA, Vinitsky A, Tinkle CL, Lucas J, Chiang J, Indelicato DJ, Sanders R, Klimo P, Boop FA, Merchant TE, Ellison DW, Northcott PA, Orr BA, Zhou X, Onar-Thomas A, Gajjar A, Robinson GW. Molecular classification and outcome of children with rare CNS embryonal tumors: results from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital including the multi-center SJYC07 and SJMB03 clinical trials. Acta Neuropathol 2022. PubMed
- Dubois FPB, Shapira O, Greenwald NF, Zack T, Wala J, Tsai JW, Crane A, Baguette A, Hadjadj D, Harutyunyan AS, Kumar KH, Blattner-Johnson M, Vogelzang J, Sousa C, Kang KS, Sinai C, Wang DK, Khadka P, Lewis K, Nguyen L, Malkin H, Ho P, O'Rourke R, Zhang S, Gold R, Deng D, Serrano J, Snuderl M, Jones C, Wright KD, Chi SN, Grill J, Kleinman CL, Goumnerova LC, Jabado N, Jones DTW, Kieran MW, Ligon KL, Beroukhim R, Bandopadhayay P. Structural variants shape driver combinations and outcomes in pediatric high-grade glioma. 2022. PubMed
- Yeo KK, Alexandrescu S, Cotter JA, Vogelzang J, Bhave V, Li MM, Ji J, Benhamida JK, Rosenblum MK, Bale TA, Bouvier N, Kaneva K, Rosenberg T, Lim Fat MJ, Ghosh H, Martinez M, Aguilera D, Smith A, Goldman S, Diamond EL, Gavrilovic I, MacDonald TJ, Wood MD, Nazemi KJ, Truong AL, Cluster A, Ligon KL, Cole K, Bi WL, Margol AS, Karajannis MA, Wright KD. Multi-institutional study of the frequency, genomic landscape and outcome of IDH-mutant glioma in paediatrics. 2022. PubMed
- Rosenberg T, Yeo KK, Mauguen A, Alexandrescu S, Prabhu SP, Tsai JW, Malinowski S, Joshirao M, Parikh K, Farouk Sait S, Rosenblum MK, Benhamida JK, Michaiel G, Tran HN, Dahiya S, Kachurak K, Friedman GK, Krystal JI, Huang MA, Margol AS, Wright KD, Aguilera D, MacDonald TJ, Chi SN, Karajannis MA. Upfront Molecular Targeted Therapy for the Treatment of BRAF-Mutant Pediatric High-Grade Glioma. 2022. PubMed
- Pagès M, Rotem D, Gydush G, Reed S, Rhoades J, Ha G, Lo C, Fleharty M, Duran M, Jones R, Becker S, Haller M, Sinai CE, Goumnerova L, Golub TR, Love JC, Ligon KL, Wright K, Adalsteinsson VA, Beroukhim R, Bandopadhayay P. Liquid biopsy detection of genomic alterations in pediatric brain tumors from cell-free DNA in peripheral blood, CSF, and urine. 2022. PubMed
- Lindsay HB, Massimino M, Avula S, Stivaros S, Grundy R, Metrock K, Bhatia A, Fernández-Teijeiro A, Chiapparini L, Bennett J, Wright K, Hoffman LM, Smith A, Pajtler KW, Poussaint TY, Warren KE, Foreman NK, Mirsky DM. Response assessment in paediatric intracranial ependymoma: recommendations from the Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (RAPNO) working group. Lancet Oncol. 2022; 23:e393-e401. PubMed
- Tsai JW, Manoharan N, Alexandrescu S, Zimmerman MA, Scully J, Chordas C, Clymer J, Wright KD, Filbin M, Ullrich NJ, Marcus KJ, Haas-Kogan D, Chi SN, Bandopadhayay P, Yeo KK. Outcomes after first relapse of childhood intracranial ependymoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021. PubMed
- Wright KD, Yao X, London WB, Kao PC, Gore L, Hunger S, Geyer R, Cohen KJ, Allen JC, Katzenstein HM, Smith A, Boklan J, Nazemi K, Trippett T, Karajannis M, Herzog C, Destefano J, Direnzo J, Pietrantonio J, Greenspan L, Cassidy D, Schissel D, Perentesis J, Basu M, Mizuno T, Vinks AA, Prabhu SP, Chi SN, Kieran MW. A POETIC Phase II study of continuous oral everolimus in recurrent, radiographically progressive pediatric low-grade glioma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021; 68:e28787. PubMed
- Hadzipasic M, Karsten MB, Olson H, Rodan L, Lidov H, Prabhu SP, Wright K, Fehnel KP. Medulloblastoma in the setting of megalencephaly polymicrogyria polydactyly hydrocephalus. Am J Med Genet A 2021; 185:1614-1618. PubMed
- Lin B, Kesserwan C, Quinn EA, Einhaus SL, Wright KD, Azzato EM, Orr BA, Upadhyaya SA. Anaplastic Astrocytoma in a Child With Coffin-Siris Syndrome and a Germline SMARCE1 Mutation: A Case Report. J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. 2020; 42:e177-e180. PubMed
- Ahrendsen JT, Filbin MG, Chi SN, Manley PE, Wright KD, Bandopadhayay P, Clymer JR, Yeo KK, Kieran MW, Jones R, Lidov HG, Ligon KL, Alexandrescu S. Increasing value of autopsies in patients with brain tumors in the molecular era. J. Neurooncol. 2019. PubMed
- Bitterman DS, MacDonald SM, Yock TI, Tarbell NJ, Wright KD, Chi SN, Marcus KJ, Haas-Kogan DA. Revisiting the Role of Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma. J Clin Oncol 2019. PubMed
- Song H, Zhong CS, Kieran MW, Chi SN, Wright KD, Huang JT. Cutaneous reactions to targeted therapies in children with CNS tumors: A cross-sectional study. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019. PubMed
- Gupta N, Goumnerova LC, Manley P, Chi SN, Neuberg D, Puligandla M, Fangusaro J, Goldman S, Tomita T, Alden T, DiPatri A, Rubin JB, Gauvain K, Limbrick D, Leonard J, Geyer JR, Leary S, Browd S, Wang Z, Sood S, Bendel A, Nagib M, Gardner S, Karajannis MA, Harter D, Ayyanar K, Gump W, Bowers DC, Weprin B, MacDonald TJ, Aguilera D, Brahma B, Robison NJ, Kiehna E, Krieger M, Sandler E, Aldana P, Khatib Z, Ragheb J, Bhatia S, Mueller S, Banerjee A, Bredlau AL, Gururangan S, Fuchs H, Cohen KJ, Jallo G, Dorris K, Handler M, Comito M, Dias M, Nazemi K, Baird L, Murray J, Lindeman N, Hornick JL, Malkin H, Sinai C, Greenspan L, Wright KD, Prados M, Bandopadhayay P, Ligon KL, Kieran MW. Prospective Feasibility and Safety Assessment of Surgical Biopsy for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. 2018. PubMed
- Nimmervoll BV, Boulos N, Bianski B, Dapper J, DeCuypere M, Shelat A, Terranova S, Terhune HE, Gajjar A, Patel YT, Freeman BB, Onar-Thomas A, Stewart CF, Roussel MF, Guy RK, Merchant TE, Calabrese C, Wright KD, Gilbertson RJ. Establishing a Preclinical Multidisciplinary Board for Brain Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 24:1654-1666. PubMed
- Robinson GW, Kaste SC, Chemaitilly W, Bowers DC, Laughton S, Smith A, Gottardo NG, Partap S, Bendel A, Wright KD, Orr BA, Warner WC, Onar-Thomas A, Gajjar A. Irreversible growth plate fusions in children with medulloblastoma treated with a targeted hedgehog pathway inhibitor. 2017; 8:69295-69302. PubMed
- Jones DTW, Kieran MW, Bouffet E, Alexandrescu S, Bandopadhayay P, Bornhorst M, Ellison D, Fangusaro J, Fisher MI, Foreman N, Fouladi M, Hargrave D, Hawkins C, Jabado N, Massimino M, Mueller S, Perilongo G, Schouten-van Meeteren AYN, Tabori U, Warren K, Waanders AJ, Walker D, Weiss W, Witt O, Wright K, Zhu Y, Bowers DC, Pfister SM, Packer RJ. Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas: Next Biologically Driven Steps. 2017. PubMed
- Marinoff AE, Ma C, Guo D, Snuderl M, Wright KD, Manley PE, Al-Sayegh H, Sinai CE, Ullrich NJ, Marcus K, Haas-Kogan D, Goumnerova L, London WB, Kieran MW, Chi SN, Fangusaro J, Bandopadhayay P. Rethinking childhood ependymoma: a retrospective, multi-center analysis reveals poor long-term overall survival. J. Neurooncol. 2017. PubMed
- Ramkissoon SH, Bandopadhayay P, Hwang J, Ramkissoon LA, Greenwald NF, Schumacher SE, O'Rourke R, Pinches N, Ho P, Malkin H, Sinai C, Filbin M, Plant A, Bi WL, Chang MS, Yang E, Wright KD, Manley PE, Ducar M, Alexandrescu S, Lidov H, Delalle I, Goumnerova LC, Church AJ, Janeway KA, Harris MH, MacConaill LE, Folkerth RD, Lindeman NI, Stiles CD, Kieran MW, Ligon AH, Santagata S, Dubuc AM, Chi SN, Beroukhim R, Ligon KL. Clinical targeted exome-based sequencing in combination with genome-wide copy number profiling: precision medicine analysis of 203 pediatric brain tumors. 2017. PubMed
- Pajtler KW, Mack SC, Ramaswamy V, Smith CA, Witt H, Smith A, Hansford JR, von Hoff K, Wright KD, Hwang E, Frappaz D, Kanemura Y, Massimino M, Faure-Conter C, Modena P, Tabori U, Warren KE, Holland EC, Ichimura K, Giangaspero F, Castel D, von Deimling A, Kool M, Dirks PB, Grundy RG, Foreman NK, Gajjar A, Korshunov A, Finlay J, Gilbertson RJ, Ellison DW, Aldape KD, Merchant TE, Bouffet E, Pfister SM, Taylor MD. The current consensus on the clinical management of intracranial ependymoma and its distinct molecular variants. Acta Neuropathol 2017; 133:5-12. PubMed
- Morfouace M, Nimmervoll B, Boulos N, Patel YT, Shelat A, Freeman BB, Robinson GW, Wright K, Gajjar A, Stewart CF, Gilbertson RJ, Roussel MF. Preclinical studies of 5-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine and tetrahydrouridine in pediatric brain tumors. J. Neurooncol. 2016; 126:225-34. PubMed
- Gupta K, Klimo P, Wright KD. A 2-Year-Old Girl with Dysmetria and Ataxia. Brain Pathol 2016; 26:126-7. PubMed
- Lucas JT, Wright KD. Vismodegib and Physeal Closure in a Pediatric Patient. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2016; 63:2058. PubMed
- Wright KD, Daryani VM, Turner DC, Onar-Thomas A, Boulos N, Orr BA, Gilbertson RJ, Stewart CF, Gajjar A. Phase I study of 5-fluorouracil in children and young adults with recurrent ependymoma. 2015; 17:1620-7. PubMed
- Mohankumar KM, Currle DS, White E, Boulos N, Dapper J, Eden C, Nimmervoll B, Thiruvenkatam R, Connelly M, Kranenburg TA, Neale G, Olsen S, Wang YD, Finkelstein D, Wright K, Gupta K, Ellison DW, Thomas AO, Gilbertson RJ. An in vivo screen identifies ependymoma oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. Nat Genet 2015; 47:878-87. PubMed
- Wright KD, Sabin ND, Cheuk D, McNall-Knapp R, Shurtleff SA, Gajjar A, Broniscer A. Incidental diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015; 62:1081-3. PubMed
- Wright KD, Stewart CF. Response to: comment on "Delayed methotrexate excretion in infants and young children with primary central nervous system tumors and postoperative fluid collections". Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2015; 75:877-8. PubMed
- Wendt S, Wright K, Furman WL. Response: should initial investigations for neoplastic causes of precocious puberty include serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein? Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015; 62:546. PubMed
- Wright KD, Panetta JC, Onar-Thomas A, Reddick WE, Patay Z, Qaddoumi I, Broniscer A, Robinson G, Boop FA, Klimo P, Ward D, Gajjar A, Stewart CF. Delayed methotrexate excretion in infants and young children with primary central nervous system tumors and postoperative fluid collections. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2015; 75:27-35. PubMed
- DeWire M, Green DM, Sklar CA, Merchant TE, Wallace D, Lin T, Vern-Gross T, Kun LE, Krasin MJ, Boyett JM, Wright KD, Wetmore C, Broniscer A, Gajjar A. Pubertal development and primary ovarian insufficiency in female survivors of embryonal brain tumors following risk-adapted craniospinal irradiation and adjuvant chemotherapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015; 62:329-334. PubMed
- Palmer SL, Leigh L, Ellison SC, Onar-Thomas A, Wu S, Qaddoumi I, Armstrong GT, Wright K, Wetmore C, Broniscer A, Gajjar A. Feasibility and efficacy of a computer-based intervention aimed at preventing reading decoding deficits among children undergoing active treatment for medulloblastoma: results of a randomized trial. J Pediatr Psychol 2014; 39:450-8. PubMed
- Wendt S, Shelso J, Wright K, Furman W. Neoplastic causes of abnormal puberty. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014; 61:664-71. PubMed
- Wright KD, Onciu MM, Coustan-Smith E, Campana D, Raimondi SC, Inaba H, Ribeiro R, Pui CH, Sandlund JT. Successful treatment of pediatric plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumors with a contemporary regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013; 60:E38-41. PubMed
- Wright KD, Gajjar A. Current treatment options for pediatric and adult patients with ependymoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2012; 13:465-77. PubMed
- Perko R, Harreld JH, Helton KJ, Sabin ND, Haidar CE, Wright KD. What goes around comes around? Wernicke encephalopathy and the nationwide shortage of intravenous multivitamins revisited. J Clin Oncol 2012; 30:e318-20. PubMed
- Wright KD, von der Embse K, Coleman J, Patay Z, Ellison DW, Gajjar A. Isochromosome 17q, MYC amplification and large cell/anaplastic phenotype in a case of medullomyoblastoma with extracranial metastases. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 59:561-4. PubMed
- Palmer SL, Glass JO, Li Y, Ogg R, Qaddoumi I, Armstrong GT, Wright K, Wetmore C, Broniscer A, Gajjar A, Reddick WE. White matter integrity is associated with cognitive processing in patients treated for a posterior fossa brain tumor. 2012; 14:1185-93. PubMed
- Murphy ES, Merchant TE, Wu S, Xiong X, Lukose R, Wright KD, Qaddoumi I, Armstrong GT, Broniscer A, Gajjar A. Necrosis after craniospinal irradiation: results from a prospective series of children with central nervous system embryonal tumors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2012; 83:e655-60. PubMed
- Godfraind C, Kaczmarska JM, Kocak M, Dalton J, Wright KD, Sanford RA, Boop FA, Gajjar A, Merchant TE, Ellison DW. Distinct disease-risk groups in pediatric supratentorial and posterior fossa ependymomas. Acta Neuropathol 2012; 124:247-57. PubMed
- Qaddoumi I, Sane M, Li S, Kocak M, Pai-Panandiker A, Harreld J, Klimo P, Wright K, Broniscer A, Gajjar A. Diagnostic utility and correlation of tumor markers in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of children with intracranial germ cell tumors. 2012; 28:1017-24. PubMed
- Pai Panandiker AS, Merchant TE, Beltran C, Wu S, Sharma S, Boop FA, Jenkins JJ, Helton KJ, Wright KD, Broniscer A, Kun LE, Gajjar A. Sequencing of local therapy affects the pattern of treatment failure and survival in children with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors of the central nervous system. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2012; 82:1756-63. PubMed
- Atkinson JM, Shelat AA, Carcaboso AM, Kranenburg TA, Arnold LA, Boulos N, Wright K, Johnson RA, Poppleton H, Mohankumar KM, Féau C, Phoenix T, Gibson P, Zhu L, Tong Y, Eden C, Ellison DW, Priebe W, Koul D, Yung WK, Gajjar A, Stewart CF, Guy RK, Gilbertson RJ. An integrated in vitro and in vivo high-throughput screen identifies treatment leads for ependymoma. Cancer Cell 2011; 20:384-99. PubMed
- Van Poppel M, Klimo P, Dewire M, Sanford RA, Boop F, Broniscer A, Wright K, Gajjar AJ. Resection of infantile brain tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: the St. Jude experience. J Neurosurg Pediatrics 2011; 8:251-6. PubMed
- Pounds S, Gao CL, Johnson RA, Wright KD, Poppleton H, Finkelstein D, Leary SE, Gilbertson RJ. A procedure to statistically evaluate agreement of differential expression for cross-species genomics. Bioinformatics 2011; 27:2098-103. PubMed
- Wright KD, Qaddoumi I, Patay Z, Gajjar A, Wilson MW, Rodriguez-Galindo C. Successful treatment of early detected trilateral retinoblastoma using standard infant brain tumor therapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010; 55:570-2. PubMed
- Johnson RA, Wright KD, Poppleton H, Mohankumar KM, Finkelstein D, Pounds SB, Rand V, Leary SE, White E, Eden C, Hogg T, Northcott P, Mack S, Neale G, Wang YD, Coyle B, Atkinson J, DeWire M, Kranenburg TA, Gillespie Y, Allen JC, Merchant T, Boop FA, Sanford RA, Gajjar A, Ellison DW, Taylor MD, Grundy RG, Gilbertson RJ. Cross-species genomics matches driver mutations and cell compartments to model ependymoma. Nature 2010; 466:632-6. PubMed
- Wright KD, Gilbertson RJ. To infinium, and beyond! Cancer Cell 2010; 17:419-20. PubMed
- Wright KD, Gajjar A. New chemotherapy strategies and biological agents in the treatment of childhood ependymoma. 2009; 25:1275-82. PubMed
- Wright KD, Green DM, Daw NC. Late effects of treatment for wilms tumor. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2009; 26:407-13. PubMed
- Johnson R, Wright KD, Gilbertson RJ. Molecular profiling of pediatric brain tumors: insight into biology and treatment. Curr Oncol Rep 2009; 11:68-72. PubMed
- Plotinsky RN, Talbot EA, Kellenberg JE, Reef SE, Buseman SK, Wright KD, Modlin JF. Congenital rubella syndrome in a child born to Liberian refugees: clinical and public health perspectives. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2007; 46:349-55. PubMed


