Emory Faculty
Emory Faculty
Omer Kucuk, MD
Hematology, Medical Oncology
Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital
5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Erb Bldg, Fl 1, Atlanta, GA 30342Booking information not available
(404) 778-1900About
Omer Kucuk, MD brings to Emory an impressive track record of groundbreaking research in cancer prevention through nutritional components. He has been conducting clinical trials with lycopene and soy isoflavones in combination with standard therapy for prostate cancer since 1996. Nutrition and cancer therapy is Dr. Kucuk's primary research focus.
Carotenoids, isoflavones, zinc, selenium, and folic acid are among the cancer-preventing compounds found in vegetables and fruits, says Dr. Kucuk. Our current investigations focus on the effects of micronutrients and phytochemicals on biomarkers of cell growth, differentiation, inflammation and oxidative stress in a variety of cancers.
Dr. Kucuk conducted the first clinical trials with lycopene and soy isoflavones in prostate cancer and was the first to report the benefits of lycopene and soy isoflavones in the treatment of prostate cancer patients. He reported that lycopene and soy isoflavones have efficacy in patients with hormone-naïve as well as hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
He was the first to report the sensitization of prostate cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation therapy by soy isoflavones and the first to report that soy isoflavones prevent the adverse effects of radiation in prostate cancer patients.
These studies were done in collaboration with other investigators at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Future studies at Emory Winship Cancer Institute will continue to investigate the role of soy isoflavones and other nutritional compounds alone or in combination with chemotherapy and radiation in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Dr. Kucuk is conducting innovative clinical trials to investigate new approaches to prostate and bladder cancer therapy using combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and nutritional agents.
He has also been very active internationally with collaborative research projects and international conferences conducted with scientists in Turkey, Israel, Brazil, Canada, and Norway. He organized the First International Congress on Nutrition and Cancer in Antalya, Turkey in May 2008. He was also the first to report that dietary lycopene intake prevents kidney cancer in Eker rat, ovarian cancer in laying hen and leiomyoma in the Japanese quail in collaboration with veterinary researchers at Firat University, Elazig, Turkey.
Languages
- English
- Turkish
Emory Affiliation
- Emory Clinic - School of Medicine Faculty
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- Emory Healthcare Network
- Emory Physician Group Practice
Academic Title
- Professor
Academic Profile
Year Started Practicing
- 1981
Locations
Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital
5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Road
Erb Bldg, Fl 1
Atlanta,
GA
30342
Credentials
Education
- Fellowship: Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Hematology & Oncology, 1981
- Fellowship: St. Francis Hospital - Evanston, Hematology & Oncology, 1980
- Residency: St. Francis Hospital - Evanston, Internal Medicine, 1978
- Internship: St. Francis Hospital - Evanston, Internal Medicine, 1976
- Medical Education: Hacettepe University, MD, 1975
Board Certifications
- Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine, 1989
- Hematology, American Board of Internal Medicine, 1984
- Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 1978
Awards
- Atlanta Magazine "Top Doctors," 2015-2019
- Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) Science Award, 2018
- Cancer Researcher of the Year Award, Gateway for Cancer Research, 2016
- College Teaching Award, Wayne State University
- President's Achievement Award for Community Research, Karmanos Cancer Institute
- President's Achievement Award for Outstanding Service, Karmanos Cancer Institute
- Faculty Research Excellence Award, School of Medicine, Wayne State University
- Inaugural Director, Center for Integrative Health and Medicine, Emory University
Professional Memberships
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Urological Association
- Society of Basic Urological Research
- Society of Integrative Oncology
- Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health
