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Dr. Kristin Rojas Receives Grant to Investigate the Role Opioids May Play in Breast Cancer

Dr. Rojas poses in white coat, smiling at the camera.

Dr. Kristin Rojas has received a $375,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Early-Stage Surgeon Scientist Program to study how perioperative opioids may influence breast cancer progression through the gut microbiome.

Building on previous research by Dr. Sabita Roy, which links opioids to gut microbiome disruption and systemic inflammation, Dr. Rojas aims to explore whether these changes adversely affect hormone-sensitive breast cancer. The study leverages a unique patient division—those receiving more vs. fewer surgical opioids—to examine potential effects on cancer outcomes.

With additional training support and collaboration with Dr. Roy and Dr. Nipun Merchant, Dr. Rojas hopes this project will provide crucial data to inform future NIH grants and lead to interventions preventing opioid-induced cancer risks.

news.med.miami.edu/how-opioids-influence-breast-cancer/

March 13, 2025 by
Research

SSO Podcast – Opioid-sparing breast cancer surgery

Speaking of SurgOnc® is a podcast brought to you by the Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO) and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO).

The series is hosted by ASO Deputy Editor Dr. Frederick L. (Rick) Greene, who will expand upon ideas from articles published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

Episode 27 of Speaking of SurgOnc, Rick Greene, MD interviews me, to discuss the implementation of an opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia protocol for lumpectomy patients for pain management without a routine opioid prescription. The science behind our discussion can be found in my article “Opioid-Sparing Multimodal Analgesia Protocol for Lumpectomy Patients Results in Superior Postoperative Pain Control.”

Click here to listen to the Podcast Episode

November 9, 2021 by
Research

Dr. Rojas receives grant funding for research studying the impact of opioids on the gut microbiome

Excerpt from the article:

The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation and National Medical Fellowships have selected Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Kristin E. Rojas, M.D., F.A.C.S. for its inaugural Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program, which includes a two-year $240,000 grant for her research “Effects of Perioperative Opioids on Gut Microbiome Composition in Breast Cancer Patients.”

The Clinical Trials Career Development Program recognizes community-oriented clinical researchers for their outstanding professional achievements and promise. Dr. Rojas, assistant professor of surgical oncology in the Dewitt Daughtry Department of Surgery and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, is among a distinguished group of physicians and one of six surgeons selected for the Foundation’s initiative to strengthen partnerships between clinical investigators and communities, increase the diversity of patients enrolled in clinical trials, and enhance the development of therapeutics for all populations.

Click here to read the full article at INVENTUM (University of Miami Research, Education and Medical News)

https://physician-news.umiamihealth.org/bristol-myers-squibb-foundation-selects-and-funds-sylvester-researcher-for-its-diversity-in-clinical-trials-career-development-program/

November 2, 2021 by