Charles H Cha, MD, FACS

Research Interests

Colorectal Surgery; Esophageal Neoplasms; Gastroenterology; Liver Neoplasms; Medical Oncology

Research Organizations

Surgery: Surgical Oncology

Faculty Research

Liver Cancer Program

Yale Cancer Center: Developmental Therapeutics | Liver Cancer Program

Office of Cooperative Research

Research Summary

Dr. Cha has established an active research laboratory studying the effects of angiogenesis on colorectal and liver malignancy using gene-silencing techniques to silence angiogenic factors leading to decreased tumor growth. He collaborates with a number of Yale researchers to use nanoparticle delivery systems to target tumor cells before they can grow larger than a few millimeters in size. His laboratory effort has resulted in support from a number of funding sources including the Hartford Foundation, American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Award, Ohse Foundation, and the VA Healthcare System Career Development Award. His clinical research interests include the determination of the diagnostic and therapeutic utility of angiogenic inhibitors for treatment of colorectal and liver cancers. In addition, he is involved in clinical outcomes research in surgery for liver, gastric, esophageal and colorectal malignancy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database as well as the Connecticut Tumor Registry. In his lab, Dr. Cha has mentored a number of medical students, surgical residents, fellows and postdoctoral students including Steve Ward, MD, Abby Mulkeen, MD, Peter Yoo, MD, Sharon Kiang, MD, and Wenli Gao, PhD., leading to over 20 publications and honors such as Best Resident Paper at the New England Surgical Society (Mulkeen), Ohse Foundation Award (Mulkeen, Yoo), Pfizer/ACS Travel Scholarship (Yoo), Best Case Presentation Connecticut Chapter, ACS (Yoo), NIH LRP Award (Yoo).

Extensive Research Description

Dr. Cha has established an active research laboratory studying the effects of angiogenesis on colorectal and liver malignancy using gene-silencing techniques to silence angiogenic factors leading to decreased tumor growth. He collaborates with a number of Yale researchers to use nanoparticle delivery systems to target tumor cells before they can grow larger than a few millimeters in size. His laboratory effort has resulted in support from a number of funding sources including the Hartford Foundation, American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Award, Ohse Foundation, and the VA Healthcare System Career Development Award. His clinical research interests include the determination of the diagnostic and therapeutic utility of angiogenic inhibitors for treatment of colorectal and liver cancers. In addition, he is involved in clinical outcomes research in surgery for liver, gastric, esophageal and colorectal malignancy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database as well as the Connecticut Tumor Registry. In his lab, Dr. Cha has mentored a number of medical students, surgical residents, fellows and postdoctoral students including Steve Ward, MD, Abby Mulkeen, MD, Peter Yoo, MD, Sharon Kiang, MD, and Wenli Gao, PhD., leading to over 20 publications and honors such as Best Resident Paper at the New England Surgical Society (Mulkeen), Ohse Foundation Award (Mulkeen, Yoo), Pfizer/ACS Travel Scholarship (Yoo), Best Case Presentation Connecticut Chapter, ACS (Yoo), NIH LRP Award (Yoo).

Selected Publications

• Surgical therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: formulating a rational approach

  Cha C, Surgical therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: formulating a rational approach. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2013 Jul;47:S30-6. PMID: 23751801

• . Automated Quantitative Analysis of Tissue Microarray of 443 Patients with Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Low Expression of Bcl-2 Predicts Poor Survival

  Nicholson, A., Guo, X., Sullivan, C., Cha, C. Automated Quantitative Analysis of Tissue Microarray of 443 Patients with Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Low Expression of Bcl-2 Predicts Poor Survival. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2014. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 25127509

• Hepatocellular carcinoma: A comprehensive overview of surgical therapy

  Fonseca AL, Cha CH. Hepatocellular carcinoma: A comprehensive overview of surgical therapy. J Surg Oncol. 2014. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 24894746

• HuR protein downregulation as an antitumor strategy Kiang, W., Gao, P., Yoo, J., Schmitz, E., Chu, E., Uchio, S. Kulkarni , C. Cha. HuR protein downregulation as an antitumor strategy. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Volume 207, Issue 3, Pages S96 - S96, 2008.
• Tissue Microarray Analysis of 560 Patients with Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: High Expression of HuR Predicts Poor Survival

  Yoo PS, Sullivan CA, Kiang S, Gao W, Uchio EM, Chung GG, Cha CH. Tissue Microarray Analysis of 560 Patients with Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: High Expression of HuR Predicts Poor Survival. Annals of Surgical Oncology ;16(1):200-7. 2009.

• Advances in Surgical Therapy for Esophageal Cancer Yeo, H, Shariff, A, Cha, C. Advances in Surgical Therapy for Esophageal Cancer. Emerging Cancer Therapeutics; 1:19-34, 2010
• Hepatocellular carcinoma

  Cha CH, Saif MW, Yamane BH, Weber SM. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Curr Probl Surg. 2010 Jan;47(1):6-8.

• Minimizing risk in colon and rectal surgery

  Kozol RA, Hyman N, Strong S, Whelan RL, Cha C, Longo WE. Minimizing risk in colon and rectal surgery. American Journal of Surgery, 2007, Nov;194(5):576-87.

• A novel in vitro model of lymphatic metastasis from colorectal cancer

  Yoo PS, Mulkeen A, Dardik A, Cha C. A novel in vitro model of lymphatic metastasis from colorectal cancer. Journal of Surgical Research, 2007, Nov;143(1):94-8.

• Venous identity is lost but arterial identity is not gained during vein graft adaptation.

  Kuda FA, Muto A, Maloney SP, Pimiento JM, Bergaya S, Fitzgerald TN, Westvik TS, Frattini JC, Breuer CK, Cha CH, Nishibe T, Tellides G, Sessa WC, Dardik A. Venous identity is lost but arterial identity is not gained during vein graft adaptation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2007 Jul;27(7):1562-71. Epub 2007 Apr 26.

• Liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer in the age of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and bevacizumab

  Yoo PS, Lopez-Soler RI, Longo WE, Cha CH. Liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer in the age of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and bevacizumab. Clinical Colorectal Cancer. 2006 Sep;6(3):202-7.

Full List of PubMed Publications

• Stein SM, James ES, Deng Y, Cong X, Kortmansky JS, Li J, Staugaard C, Indukala D, Boustani AM, Patel V, Cha CH, Salem RR, Chang B, Hochster HS, Lacy J: Final analysis of a phase II study of modified FOLFIRINOX in locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer. Br J Cancer. 2016 Mar 29. PMID: 27022826
• Hollander LL, Guo X, Salem RR, Cha CH: The novel tumor angiogenic factor, adrenomedullin-2, predicts survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. J Surg Res. 2015 Aug; 2015 Apr 20. PMID: 25982376
• Nicholson AD, Guo X, Sullivan CA, Cha CH: Automated quantitative analysis of tissue microarray of 443 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma: low expression of Bcl-2 predicts poor survival. J Am Coll Surg. 2014 Nov; 2014 Jul 16. PMID: 25127509
• Fonseca AL, Cha CH: Hepatocellular carcinoma: a comprehensive overview of surgical therapy. J Surg Oncol. 2014 Nov; 2014 Jun 4. PMID: 24894746
• Prieto PA, Cha CH: DKK1 as a serum biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr. 2013 Jun. PMID: 24570929
• Guo X, Schmitz JC, Kenney BC, Uchio EM, Kulkarni S, Cha CH: Intermedin is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and regulates cell proliferation and survival. Cancer Sci. 2012 Aug; 2012 Jul 11. PMID: 22625651
• Singh M, Singh G, Pandey A, Cha CH, Kulkarni S: Laparoscopic repair of iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia following radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatol Res. 2011 Nov. PMID: 22032681
• Cha CH, Saif MW, Yamane BH, Weber SM: Hepatocellular carcinoma: current management. Curr Probl Surg. 2010 Jan. PMID: 19963083
• Yoo PS, Sullivan CA, Kiang S, Gao W, Uchio EM, Chung GG, Cha CH: Tissue microarray analysis of 560 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma: high expression of HuR predicts poor survival. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Jan; 2008 Nov 14. PMID: 19009247
• Kudo FA, Muto A, Maloney SP, Pimiento JM, Bergaya S, Fitzgerald TN, Westvik TS, Frattini JC, Breuer CK, Cha CH, Nishibe T, Tellides G, Sessa WC, Dardik A: Venous identity is lost but arterial identity is not gained during vein graft adaptation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2007 Jul; 2007 Apr 26. PMID: 17463332
• Yoo PS, Lopez-Soler RI, Longo WE, Cha CH: Liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer in the age of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and bevacizumab. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2006 Sep. PMID: 17026789
• Yoo PS, Mulkeen AL, Frattini JC, Longo WE, Cha CH: Assessing risk factors for adverse outcomes in emergent colorectal surgery. Surg Oncol. 2006 Aug; 2006 Oct 30. PMID: 17074478

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