Dr. Alexander I. Spira's Credentials

Accepting New Patients

Yes, this doctor is accepting new patients

Biography

A graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Alex Spira earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He then went on to complete his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and he completed his medical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his training, Dr. Spira was granted many awards and honors, and he completed several specialized fellowship programs. Among these honors were the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship (1990-1997), Merck Corporation Scholarship (1995-1995), Pediatric AIDS Foundation Fellowship (1993-1995) and Harvard University Scholarship (1987-1990). Dr. Spira has also received his PhD from the New York University School of Arts and Sciences. As Director of the VCS Research Institute and the Phase I Trial Program, Dr. Spira is actively involved in advancing medicine and targeted treatment options for patients. Although his research interests are numerous, Dr. Spira particularly enjoys studying immunotherapy, personalized medicine, GI and thoracic cancers, and lung cancers. Dr. Spira also serves as the Medical Director for the Inova Thoracic Oncology Program and as Chair of the US Oncology Pathways Taskforce Committee for Lung Cancer. Dr. Spira is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the American Association of Cancer Research, the US Oncology Translational Oncology Program, the US Oncology Lung Cancer Program, and the International Society for the Advancement of Lung Cancer. Additionally, Dr. Spira is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and author of various publications. Throughout his career, Dr. Spira has received multiple honors, including Top Doctor in Northern Virginia Magazine and Washingtonian magazine for multiple years. In 2014, he received the prestigious Castle Connolly America's Top Doctor award. In his spare time, Dr. Spira enjoys spending time with his family, coaching children's sports, cycling, and cheering on his favorite New York sports teams.

Languages

• English

Education

• Harvard University (Grad. 1990)
• New York University School Of Medicine (Grad. 1997)

Other Specialties

• Oncologist / Hematologist

Areas of Expertise

• Oncology
• Sarcoma (bone And Soft Tissue Cancer)
• Lung Cancer, Thoracic Cancer, Blood Disorders
• Clinical Research

Awards & Recognitions

• Washingtonian Top Doctor 2016
• Washington Magazine Top Doctors 2020
• Northern Virginia Magazine Top Doctor 2019
• Northern Virginia Magazine Top Doctor 2015
• 2020 Northern Virginia Magazine Top Doctors
• 2019 Washingtonian magazine Top Doctors
• Washingtonian Top Doctor 2015
• Northern Virginia Magazine Top Doctor 2014
• Washingtonian Magazine Top Doctors 2017
• 2020 Virginia Living Top Doctors

Publications & Research

• Expert Insight: Adjuvant Therapy Fails for High-Risk Soft Tissue Sarcoma
• Datopotamab Deruxtecan Elicits Early Antitumor Activity in Relapsed/Refractory Metastatic NSCLC
• Multicenter Phase I Study of Erdafitinib (JNJ-42756493), Oral Pan-Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced or Refractory Solid Tumors.
• Reducing Uninformative IND Safety Reports: A List of Serious Adverse Events anticipated to Occur in Patients with Lung Cancer
• A review of canakinumab and its therapeutic potential for non-small cell lung cancer.
• Clinical trial design in the age of molecular profiling.
• A phase II study of eribulin mesylate (E7389) in patients with advanced, previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer.
• Detection of NRG1 Gene Fusions in Solid Tumors.
• Brigatinib Versus Crizotinib in Advanced ALK Inhibitor–Naive ALK-Positive Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Second Interim Analysis of the Phase III ALTA-1L Trial
• Brigatinib versus Crizotinib in ALK-Positive Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
• Randomized Phase II Trial of Erlotinib With and Without Entinostat in Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Who Progressed on Prior Chemotherapy
• Efficacy and Safety of Trabectedin or Dacarbazine for Metastatic Liposarcoma or Leiomyosarcoma After Failure of Conventional Chemotherapy: Results of a Phase III Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial
• START: A phase III study of L-BLP25 cancer immunotherapy for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.
• Atezolizumab versus docetaxel for patients with previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer (POPLAR): a multicentre, open-label, phase 2 randomised controlled trial
• Results of a phase II study of single-agent sunitinib in elderly non-small cell lung cancer patients
• Effect of Doxorubicin Plus Olaratumab vs Doxorubicin Plus Placebo on Survival in Patients With Advanced Soft Tissue SarcomasThe ANNOUNCE Randomized Clinical Trial
• Clinical outcome of single agent volasertib (BI 6727) as second-line treatment of patients (pts) with advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (UC).
• Cabozantinib in Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer: Results of a Phase II Randomized Discontinuation Trial
• Camidanlumab Tesirine, an Antibody-Drug Conjugate, in Relapsed/Refractory CD25-positive Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Phase I Study
• Datopotamab deruxtecan and Enhertu show promising early clinical activity in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer