A researcher and a practicing physician, Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., is also chief of pediatric hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplantation, and director of the Children and Adolescent Cancer and Blood Diseases Center at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. His work focuses on cancer genetics, tumor immunology, transplantation biology, stem cell biology, and regenerative medicine.
Education
- B.A., University of Wisconsin
- M.D., University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
- Chief Resident, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
- Residency, Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Harbor General Hospital
- Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University
Areas of Expertise
- Malignant and Non-Malignant Hematology
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
- Lymphoma and Leukemia
- Cell Biology
- Basic, Clinical, and Translational Research
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
- Pediatric Cancer
Research
Dr. Cairo has more than 475 peer reviewed publications, more than 1,300 national and international abstract presentations, more than 50 book chapters and edited two textbooks. He is an international leader in the biology and treatment of childhood and adolescent lymphomas and leukemias, stem cell transplantation, developmental therapeutics, experimental hematopoiesis and immunology and stem cell biology and regenerative therapy. Dr. Cairo was a pioneer in the use of cord blood stem cells for treating pediatric malignant and non-malignant disease, the use of cord blood stem cells for potential regenerative therapy and stem cell transplantation for sickle cell disease.
Publications
- Hochberg J, Oesterheld J, Gardenswartz A, et. al. "Mitoxantrone in combination with clofarabine (MITCL) in children, adolescents and young adults with relapsed/refractory acute leukaemia: final results of a phase I/II trial." EClinicalMedicine, 83(), (2025) 103211. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103211
- Xavier AC, Liao Y, Cairo MS, et. al. "Persistent Epstein-Barr virus viremia in NK-/T-cell lymphoma: bad boys for life!" Haematologica, (), (2025) . doi: 10.3324/haematol.2025.287922
- Liao Y, Cairo MS. "CAR-NK's balancing act: when scFv affinity is not too tight, not too loose… but just right?" Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 13(5), (2025) . doi: 10.1136/jitc-2025-012139
- LeHanka AM, Kebede AM, Amirmokhtari N, et. al. "Differences in Observed Outcomes and Toxicities for Adolescent and Young Adult Patients With Aggressive Mature B-Cell Lymphomas Treated at an Adult Versus Pediatric Cancer Center." Pediatric blood & cancer, 72(6), (2025) e31664. doi: 10.1002/pbc.31664
- Chu Y, Tian M, Saini U, et. al. "Combinatorial immunotherapy with anti-ROR1 CAR NK cells and an IL-21 secreting oncolytic virus against neuroblastoma." Molecular therapy. Oncology, 33(1), (2024) 200927. doi: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200927
- Anderson-Crannage M, Hirani R, Pan J, et. al. "Knockout of IL-1R1 Reduced Inflammation and Improved Survival in a Mouse Model of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa." The Journal of investigative dermatology, 145(7), (2025) 1813-1816. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2025.01.010
- Xavier AC, Hochberg J, Cairo MS, et. al. "Targeted immunotherapy in the treatment of childhood and adolescent classic Hodgkin lymphoma." Clinical advances in hematology & oncology : H&O, 22(10), (2024) 520-530.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Society of Pediatric Research (SPR)
- American Pediatrics Society (APS)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Eastern Society for Pediatric Research (ESPR)
- American Society of Hematology (ASH)
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
- American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT)
- American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
- International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH)
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO)
- Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC)
- Coalition of Geriatric Services (COG)
