UChicago Faculty Physicians who provide services at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial are not employees or agents of UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial.
Steven J. Chmura, MD, PhD, specializes in treating brain, breast and gastrointestinal cancers. An expert in radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), Dr. Chmura uses minimally invasive techniques to minimize tissue damage when diagnosing and treating cancers.
Dr. Chmura is also an expert in using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to treat gastrointestinal malignancies such as colon, anal and pancreatic cancers. Because the radiation is precisely shaped to avoid healthy tissue surrounding the treatment area, this technology allows physicians to target tumors with more powerful doses of radiation.
An active researcher, Dr. Chmura is the principal investigator at the University of Chicago for the Radiation Trials Oncology Group (RTOG). In this role, he is involved in national randomized studies and industry-sponsored studies. His basic science research explores improvements to current radiation approaches. For example, in collaboration with other University of Chicago researchers, Dr. Chmura is working on the development of a BH3 antagonist to increase the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy. This research earned him the 2005 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Young Investigator Award. Dr. Chmura is also investigating how to optimize the software used to deliver IMRT to maximize tumor cell killing.
Additionally, he was awarded the 2006 and 2008 American Association of Radiation Oncology Residents teaching Award. Dr. Chmura's teaching responsibilities include lecturing and clinical teaching of medical students and residents.
Dr. Chmura is also an expert in using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to treat gastrointestinal malignancies such as colon, anal and pancreatic cancers. Because the radiation is precisely shaped to avoid healthy tissue surrounding the treatment area, this technology allows physicians to target tumors with more powerful doses of radiation.
An active researcher, Dr. Chmura is the principal investigator at the University of Chicago for the Radiation Trials Oncology Group (RTOG). In this role, he is involved in national randomized studies and industry-sponsored studies. His basic science research explores improvements to current radiation approaches. For example, in collaboration with other University of Chicago researchers, Dr. Chmura is working on the development of a BH3 antagonist to increase the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy. This research earned him the 2005 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Young Investigator Award. Dr. Chmura is also investigating how to optimize the software used to deliver IMRT to maximize tumor cell killing.
Additionally, he was awarded the 2006 and 2008 American Association of Radiation Oncology Residents teaching Award. Dr. Chmura's teaching responsibilities include lecturing and clinical teaching of medical students and residents.
Areas of Expertise
- Breast Cancer
- Oligometastasis
- Clinical Trials
Board Certifications
- Radiation Oncology
Memberships & Medical Societies
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
- American Society for Radiation Oncology
Practicing Since
- 2004
Languages Spoken
- English
Medical Education
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Internship
- Weiss Memorial Hospital
Residency
- University of Chicago Medicine
Other Grad Education
- University of Chicago
News & Research
View Published Papers- Single vs Multi-fraction SRS Patients on Immunotherapy
- Concurrent or Sequential Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy in Patients With Metastatic Lung Cancer
- A Study of TAK-676 With Pembrolizumab After Radiation Therapy to Treat a Number of Cancers
- Phase I Study of RiMO-301 With Radiation in Advanced Tumors
- Testing if High Dose Radiation Only to the Sites of Brain Cancer Compared to Whole Brain Radiation That Avoids the Hippocampus is Better at Preventing Loss of Memory and Thinking Ability
- Regional Radiotherapy in Biomarker Low-Risk Node Positive and T3N0 Breast Cancer
- Durvalumab vs Placebo With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Early Stage Unresected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Patients / Osimertinib Following SBRT in Patients With Early Stage Unresected NSCLC Harboring an EGFR Mutation
- Safety of SBRT With Anti-PD1 and Anti-IL-8 for the Treatment of Multiple Metastases in Advanced Solid Tumors
- Pivotal, Randomized, Open-label Study of Optune® (Tumor Treating Fields) Concomitant With RT & TMZ for the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed GBM
- Testing the Addition of Whole Brain Radiotherapy Using a Technique That Avoids the Hippocampus to Stereotactic Radiosurgery in People With Cancer That Has Spread to the Brain and Come Back in Other Areas of the Brain After Earlier Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Frameless Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Intact Brain Metastases
- Testing the Addition of Radiation Therapy to Immunotherapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma
- Testing Whether Treating Breast Cancer Metastases With Surgery or High-Dose Radiation Improves Survival
- Standard or Comprehensive Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Previously Treated With Chemotherapy and Surgery
- Study of PD1 Blockade by Pembrolizumab With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Advanced Solid Tumors
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
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