Robert Maki, MD, PhD

I listen to my patients’ concerns and assure them that they have come to the right place for their sarcoma care. At MSK, the rare is the familiar. Our expert team of surgeons, pathologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists like me all specialize in sarcoma treatment. We understand that each patient’s sarcoma is unique and requires a personalized approach. Together, we create care plans that are based on the latest advances in sarcoma research.

For over 25 years, I have had many experiences in the field of cancer care. I helped develop the Sarcoma Medical Oncology Service at MSK. Most recently, I led the Sarcoma Medical Oncology program and Experimental Therapeutics team at the University of Pennsylvania before rejoining MSK in 2023. Along the way, I directed a pediatric hematology-oncology service, headed a group at the American Board of Internal Medicine to make sure oncologists remain up to date, and led and helped run many clinical trials.

I am interested in guiding the identification of new treatments for the many forms of sarcoma. These new treatments also provide new options for people with other types of cancer. I conduct clinical trials, as well as sarcoma translational research. This is a type of research that uses what we learn from the lab to find new ways to diagnose and treat cancer. I am also interested in finding new methods to test new drugs. We want to rapidly and effectively separate treatments that work well from those that do not.

To date, I have published extensively on new cancer medications. I have also written on Ewing sarcoma and similar cancers, angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, desmoid tumors, and many others. Publishing our research helps us share what we have learned with other people.

I am excited to take part in one of the most accomplished groups in sarcoma care and research in the world. I take great satisfaction in working with patients and colleagues both at MSK and from all over the world. Despite the rarity of these cancers, we can and will find even better ways to treat these diseases.