Nancy U. Lin, MD

Medical Oncology

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Contact Information

Office Phone Number

617-632-3800

Fax

617-632-1930

Appointments

617-632-2175

Biography

Nancy U. Lin, MD

Dr. Lin received her bachelors degrees from Stanford University, followed by an MD from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and went on to complete fellowships in medical oncology and hematology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since 2005, she has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Lin serves as associate chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber. She is the founder and director of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Program and the Program for Patients with Breast Cancer Brain Metastases. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in the care of patients with all stages of breast cancer. A Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lin’s research focuses on developing more effective therapies for patients with metastatic breast cancer, including patients with brain metastases or leptomeningeal disease (cancer that has spread to the brain or spinal fluid). She has led multiple clinical trials which have led to new treatment options for patients with metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Lin is also an active translational science researcher, and directs the Breast Oncology Cohorts and Biorepository Program at Dana-Farber. She is a multi-PI of the NCI SPORE grant in Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Her research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Conquer Cancer, Susan G. Komen, and V Foundation.

Dr. Lin is a current Komen scholar, and the recipient of the George Canellos Award for Excellence in Clinical Investigation and Clinical Care, a Team Science Award from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists.

Researcher

Physician

Associate Chief, Division of Breast Oncology, Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers

Director, Metastatic Breast Cancer Program

Director, Program for Patients with Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Medical Director, Breast Oncology Translational Hub

Director, Breast Oncology Cohorts and Biorepository Program

Senior Physician

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Centers/Programs

Breast Oncology

Clinical Interests

Brain and leptomeningeal metastases, HER2+ breast cancer, Metastatic breast cancer

Diseases Treated

Breast Cancer

Board Certification

Hematology, 2005
Internal Medicine, 2002
Medical Oncology, 2015

Fellowship

Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, Hematology/Oncology

Residency

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Internal Medicine

Medical School

Harvard Medical School

Recent Awards

George Canellos Award for Excellence in Clinical Investigation and Clinical Care, 2011
University of Padua Award for Advances in Breast Cancer, 2016
Team Science Award, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 2019
Distinguished Researcher Award, Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists, 2023

Research

View Dr. Lin’s Research

In recent years, treatments for people with breast cancer have dramatically improved. This has led to higher cure rates for patients with early-stage breast cancer, and longer survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer. However, there is still much progress left to be made. Dr. Lin’s research focuses on closing the gaps in breast cancer treatments, specifically, 1) Developing new therapies for patients with metastatic breast cancer, 2) Finding effective therapies for patients whose cancer has spread to the brain or spinal fluid, 3) Understanding why cancers become resistant to certain treatments and how to overcome that resistance, 4) Working together with laboratory-based researchers to identify new technologies and new treatments to prioritize for clinical trials. Dr. Lin has led or been integrally involved in clinical trials that have resulted in new treatment options for patients with metastatic breast cancer, including those with brain metastases, such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (TDXd, Enhertu), tucatinib, neratinib, and trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1, Kadcyla) based combinations. As a multi-Principal Investigator of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center SPORE grant in breast cancer, she works to pull together clinical researchers and lab-based researchers to work collaboratively on high-impact projects to advance our understanding of breast cancer and develop clinical trials that come out of cutting-edge science. Dr. Lin mentors numerous trainees and early career faculty on a range of research projects, from research into blood-based tests such as circulating tumor DNA, to “big data” project involving real world data, to potentially paradigm-changing projects in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and ER-positive metastatic breast cancer. Finally, she directs the EMBRACE metastatic breast cancer program, which includes a robust clinical program to support patients in specialized testing, clinical trial matching, and patient education, as well as a research arm, with the goal to learn from our patients and their unique experiences.