Our Team
Kavita K. Mishra, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor
Department of Radiation Oncology
musician, world traveler, life-long learner
Dr. Kavita K. Mishra is an internationally renowned expert radiation oncologist focused on the treatment of uveal melanomas with proton beam radiotherapy as well as plaque brachytherapy. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology at Harvard University, followed by her medical degree at the UCSF School of Medicine. She then completed a masters degree at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Mishra finished her residency in radiation oncology at the UCSF Medical Center and thereafter joined the faculty at UCSF.
Dr. Mishra specializes in the use of proton beam radiation and plaque brachytherapy to treat malignant and benign conditions of the eye. Dr. Mishra believes in a multidisciplinary approach to ocular oncology care with the aim to provide the most efficacious and individualized therapy for her patients. She is active in the national and international ocular oncology community, is the Co-Chair of PTCOG Ocular (Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group) – the largest collection of proton beam ocular radiation therapy institutions, and has multiple significant research publications and oral presentations globally in her areas of expertise.
Her current research protocols are focused on the clinical outcomes of uveal melanoma patients, particularly with respect to tumor control, preservation of the eye, and quality of life issues. She believes in a unified, team-oriented approach to maintain excellent outcomes for patients undergoing modern proton beam, plaque therapy, and external beam radiation techniques for ocular malignancies.
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Education
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Professional Experience
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Awards & Honors
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ResearchGoogle scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=191AGmcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao UCSF Profiles: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/kavita.mishra#toc-id7
Significant Research Highlights:1. Mishra KK, Afshar A, Thariat J, Shih H, Scholey JE, Daftari IK, Kacperek A, Pica A, Hrbacek J, Dendale R, Mazal A, Heufelder J, Char DH, Sauerwein W, Weber D, Damato B, Practice considerations for proton beam radiotherapy of uveal melanoma during the COVID-19 pandemic: PTCOG Ocular experience. Advances in Radiation Oncology (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adro.2020.04.010. As Co-Chair of PTCOG Ocular, the largest group of proton ocular radiation therapy institutions, I led an international effort to produce a significant, practical, academic perspective from the largest proton ocular centers at a critical time during the COVID-19 pandemic – to proactively and effectively offer support to world institutions for proton ocular centers, staff, and patients. 2. Mishra KK, Quivey JM, Daftari IK, Cole T, Weinberg V, Phillips TL, Castro JR, Char DH. Long-term results of the UCSF-LBNL prospective randomized trial: Charged particle with helium versus Iodine-125 plaque therapy for choroidal and ciliary body melanoma. Int J Rad Onc Biol Phys 2015, June;92(2):376-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2015.01.029 The only randomized long-term study comparing radiation modalities in uveal melanoma therapy with over 12 years of follow-up, and confirms significant clinical benefit with charged particle therapy over plaque therapy for local tumor control. 3. Mukkamala L, Mishra KK, Daftari, IK, Moshiri A, Park, S. Phase I/II randomized study of proton beam with anti-VEGF for exudative age-related macular degeneration: Long-term results. Eye, Feb 13, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-020-0807-2 Our UCSF Ocular Program has been at the forefront of proton radiation medicine for various eye conditions, with a randomized trial examining the use of proton beam for macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision decline in the elderly. 4. Mishra KK*, Polishchuk AL*, Weinberg V, Daftari IK, Nguyen JM, Cole TB, Quivey JM, Phillips TL, Char DH. Temporal Evolution and Dose-Volume Histogram Predictors of Visual Acuity After Proton Beam Radiation Therapy of Uveal Melanoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 Sep 23. (* = co-first authors) PMID: 27838186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.09.019 Visual decline is a potential complication following any type of radiation therapy for uveal melanoma and we at the UCSF Proton Ocular Program have developed unique protocols to advance vision preservation using a dedicated, one of a kind, proton eye beam specialized for ocular patients. 5. Hrbacek J, Mishra KK, Kacperek A, Dendale R, Nauraye C, Auger M, Herault J, Daftari IK, Trofimov AV, Shih HA, Chen YL, Denker A, Heufelder J, Horwacik T, Swakon J, Hoehr C, Duzenli C, Pica A, Goudjil F, Mazal A, Thariat J, Weber DC. Practice Patterns Analysis of Ocular Proton Therapy Centers: The International OPTIC Survey. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 May 1; 95(1):336-43. PMID: 27084651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.01.040 We conducted the first worldwide multi-institutional ophthalmic proton therapy survey of the clinical and technical approach to further our international efforts on research and development for imaging and planning software upgrades, increased use of MRI, development of clinical protocols, systematic patient-centered trials, and developing guidelines for dedicated proton eye programs to ensure the highest level of care for our ocular patients. |