Dr. John K. Erban, MD

Expert Publications

• Megestrol and tamoxifen in patients with advanced endometrial cancer: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study (E4882).
• Hormone replacement therapy after breast cancer: a systematic review and quantitative assessment of risk.
• Testing for factor V Leiden in patients with pulmonary or venous thromboembolism: a cost-effectiveness analysis.
• Survival impact of tamoxifen use for breast cancer risk reduction: projections from a patient-specific Markov model.
• Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Weekly clinicopathological exercises. Case 38-2002. A 54-year-old man with hypercalcemia, renal dysfunction, and an enlarged liver.
• Phase II study of interferon gamma in malignant carcinoid tumors (E9292): a trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.
• Phase II study of neoadjuvant docetaxel/ vinorelbine followed by surgery and adjuvant doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide in women with stage II/III breast cancer.
• Letrozole or tamoxifen in early breast cancer.
• On the toxicity of chemotherapy for breast cancer--the need for vigilance.
• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients with liver transplants for primary biliary cirrhosis: Three case reports and a review of the literature.
• Phase II study of neoadjuvant docetaxel, vinorelbine, and trastuzumab followed by surgery and adjuvant doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-overexpressing locally advanced breast cancer.
• A proposal for integrated efficacy-to-effectiveness (E2E) clinical trials.
• Secondary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in hematologic malignancies.
• Promoting High-Quality Cancer Care and Equity Through Disciplinary Diversity in Team Composition.
• Rapid Change in Mental Status in a Patient with Hypereosinophilia.

Clinical Trials

• Margetuximab Plus Chemotherapy vs Trastuzumab Plus Chemotherapy in the Treatment of HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

Media Releases

Get to know Hematologist-Oncologist Dr. John K. Erban, who serves patients in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hematologist-oncologist Dr. Erban is an internationally-renowned expert in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. He serves as the Clinical Director of the Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also heavily involved in the Cancer Center’s Clinical Science Research Program as the Associate Director for Clinical Research.

The Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center uses the most advanced technologies and techniques available to diagnose and treat all types of cancers. Preventative services include state-of-the-art genetic testing and risk-assessment counseling to help patients stay cancer-free throughout their lifetime. 

In the early days of his academic career, Dr. Erban obtained his medical degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine in 1981, where he is currently serving as a Professor. Furthering his education, he completed his training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts Medical Center.

A past president of the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncology, he previously served as Director of Clinical Programs & Co-Director of the Gillette Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

With over four decades of experience in his field, the doctor is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world.

A leader in developing and conducting groundbreaking clinical trials in breast cancer, Dr. Erban’s research focuses on clinical investigations of locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer. He has published numerous articles, book chapters, and abstracts. He has also served on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the American Journal of Clinical Oncology and Oncology, Index & Reviews. 

Hematology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. A hematologist-oncologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of blood diseases and cancers such as iron-deficiency anemia, hemophilia, sickle-cell disease, leukemia, and lymphoma. 

A meticulous doctor and a dedicated volunteer, Dr. Erban has been named “Top Doctor” by Boston Magazine (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020), “Top Cancer Doctors” by Newsweek (2015), as well as “Top Doctor” and in top 1% in the nation in his specialty by U.S. News & World Report (2012). 

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