Ann Thor, MD

Professional Titles

• Chair of Pathology
• Chair

Recognitions

• President, Association of Pathology Chairs (2012)
  
• Chair, Women in Cancer Research (2010)
  

Publications

• Deng X-S 1, Wang S, Deng A, Liu B, Edgerton SM, Lind SE, Wahdan-Alaswad R, Thor AD. Metformin targets Stat3 to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in triple negative breast cancers. Cell Cycle, Vol 11:2 Jan 15. 2012 PMID 22189713.
• Lara JF, Thor AD, Dressler LG, Broadwater G, Bleiweiss J, Edgerton S, Goldstein LJ, Marino S, Ingle JN, Henderson IC, Norton L, Winer EP, Hudis CA, Ellis MJ, Berry DA, Hayes DF. P53 expression in node positive breast cancer patients: results from the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9344 trial (159905), 2011 Clinical Cancer Research 17:5170-8 ID: 21693655
• B Liu, Z Fan, S Edgerton, X H Yang, S Lind, and A Thor Potent anti-proliferative effects of metformin on trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cells via inhibition of erbB2/IGF-1 receptor interactions. Cell Cycle 10:17, 1-8, 2011 ID 21862872
• Rimm D, Nielsen, Jewell S, Rohrer DC, Broadwater G, Waldman F, Mitchell K, Singh, B, Tsongalis G, Frankel WL, Magliocco AM, Lara JF, Hsi ED, Bleiweiss IJ, Badve S, Chen B, Ravdin PM, Schilsky RL, Thor A, Berry DA. CALGB Pathology Committee guidelines for tissue microarray construction representing multi-center prospective clinical trial tissues, J Clin Oncol, 29:2282-90, 2011 UI: 21519016
• Wang S, Huang J, Lyu H, Cai B, Yang X, Li F, Tan J, Edgerton SM, Thor AD, Lee CK, Liu B. Therapeutic targeting of erbB3 with MM-121/SAR256212 enhances antitumor activity of paclitaxel against erbB2-overexpressing breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2013 Oct 29;15(5):R101. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24168763
• Wahdan-Alaswad R, Fan Z, Edgerton SM, Liu B, Deng XS, Arnadottir SS, Richer JK, Anderson SM, Thor AD. Glucose promotes breast cancer aggression and reduces metformin efficacy. Cell Cycle. 2013 Dec 15;12(24):3759-69. PubMed PMID: 24107633
• Schneider BP, Gray RJ, Radovich M, Shen F, Vance G, Li L, Jiang G, Miller KD, Gralow JR, Dickler MN, Cobleigh MA, Perez EA, Shenkier TN, Vang Nielsen K, Müller S, Thor A, Sledge GW Jr, Sparano JA, Davidson NE, Badve SS. Prognostic and predictive value of tumor vascular endothelial growth factor gene amplification in metastatic breast cancer treated with paclitaxel with and without bevacizumab; results from ECOG 2100 trial. Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Mar 1;19(5):1281-9. PubMed PMID: 23340303
• Howell LP, Lyons ML, Thor A, Dandar V. Sex Differences in Workplace Satisfaction and Engagement of Academic Pathologists: Opportunities to Enhance Faculty Diversity. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014 Dec 15. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25506812
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Cochrane DR, Spoelstra NS, Howe EN, Edgerton SM, Anderson SM, Thor AD, Richer JK. Metformin-induced killing of triple-negative breast cancer cells is mediated by reduction in fatty acid synthase via miRNA-193b. Horm Cancer. 2014 Dec;5(6):374-89. PubMed PMID: 25213330
• Jindal S, Gao D, Bell P, Albrektsen G, Edgerton SM, Ambrosone CB, Thor AD, Borges VF, Schedin P. Postpartum breast involution reveals regression of secretory lobules mediated by tissue-remodeling. Breast Cancer Res. 2014 Mar 28;16(2):R31. PubMed PMID: 24678808
• Cochrane DR, Bernales S, Jacobsen BM, Cittelly DM, Howe EN, D'Amato NC, Spoelstra NS, Edgerton SM, Jean A, Guerrero J, Gómez F, Medicherla S, Alfaro IE, McCullagh E, Jedlicka P, Torkko KC, Thor AD, Elias AD, Protter AA, Richer JK. Role of the androgen receptor in breast cancer and preclinical analysis of enzalutamide. Breast Cancer Res. 2014 Jan 22;16(1):R7. PubMed PMID: 24451109
• Zhu P, Davis M, Blackwelder AJ, Bachman N, Liu B, Edgerton S, Williams LL, Thor AD, Yang X. Metformin selectively targets tumor-initiating cells in ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancer models. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014 Feb;7(2):199-210. PubMed PMID: 24322659
• Pilot trial of paclitaxel-trastuzumab adjuvant therapy for early stage breast cancer: a trial of the ECOG-ACRIN cancer research group (E2198). Schneider BP, O'Neill A, Shen F, Sledge GW, Thor AD, Kahanic SP, Zander PJ, Davidson NE. Br J Cancer. 2015 Dec 22;113(12):1651-7. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2015.405. Epub 2015 Dec 1. PMID:26625004
• Increased erbB3 promotes erbB2/neu-driven mammary tumor proliferation and co-targeting of erbB2/erbB3 receptors exhibits potent inhibitory effects on breast cancer cells. Lyu H, Huang J, Edgerton SM, Thor AD, He Z, Liu B. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2015 Jun 1;8(6):6143-56. eCollection 2015. PMID:26261492
• Sex Differences in Workplace Satisfaction and Engagement of Academic Pathologists: Opportunities to Enhance Faculty Diversity. Howell LP, Lyons ML, Thor A, Dandar V. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2015 Jul;139(7):936-42. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2014-0312-EP. Epub 2014 Dec 15. PMID:25506812
• The erbB3- and IGF-1 receptor-initiated signaling pathways exhibit distinct effects on lapatinib sensitivity against trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cells. Lyu H, Yang XH, Edgerton SM, Thor AD, Wu X, He Z, Liu B. Oncotarget. 2016 Jan 19;7(3):2921-35. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.6404. PMID:26621843
• Wellberg EA, Kabos P, Gillen AE, Jacobsen BM, Brechbuhl HM, Johnson SJ, Rudolph MC, Edgerton SM, Thor AD, Anderson SM, Elias A, Zhou XK, Iyengar NM, Morrow M, Falcone DJ, El-Hely O, Dannenberg AJ, Sartorius CA, MacLean PS. FGFR1 underlies obesity-associated progression of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer after estrogen deprivation. JCI Insight. 2018 Jul 25;3(14). [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30046001
• Giles ED, Jindal S, Wellberg EA, Schedin T, Anderson SM, Thor AD, Edwards DP, MacLean PS, Schedin P. Metformin inhibits stromal aromatase expression and tumor progression in a rodent model of postmenopausal breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2018 Jun 14;20(1):50. PubMed PMID: 29898754
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Edgerton SM, Salem HS, Thor AD. Metformin Targets Glucose Metabolism in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. J Oncol Transl Res. 2018;4(1). PubMed PMID: 29780974
• Lee H, Saini N, Howard EW, Parris AB, Ma Z, Zhao Q, Zhao M, Liu B, Edgerton SM, Thor AD, Yang X. Ganetespib targets multiple levels of the receptor tyrosine kinase signaling cascade and preferentially inhibits ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Sci Rep. 2018 May 1;8(1):6829. PubMed PMID: 29717218
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Edgerton SM, Salem HS, Thor AD. Metformin targets cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, GM1 lipid raft stabilization, EGFR signaling and proliferation in triple negative breast cancers. Can Therapy Oncol Int J 9:555765 2018
• Thor A. The host cancer interface: Obesity and diabetes promote cancer development and may reduce treatment efficacy.In.Casual Interferences: Facilitating Health Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty.
• Canfield GS, Reingold S, Thor AD, Depledge L, Pecen PE, DeSanto K, Chastain DB, Franco-Paredes C, Castillo-Mancilla JR, Henao-Martinez A. AIDS-Related Cryptococus Neoformans choroiditis: Case report and review of the literature. Occular Immunology and Inflammation
• Wahdan-Alaswad R, Liu B, Thor AD. Targeted Lapatinib Anti-HER2/ErbB2 Therapy Resistance in Breast Cancer: Opportunities to Overcome a Difficult Problem Cancer Drug Resistance, In Press
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS and Thor AD. Metformin activity against breast cancer: mechanistic differences by molecular subtype and metabolic conditions. InTech Open Book Chapter Metformin. Feb 12, 2020. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.91183.
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Liu B, Thor AD. Targeted Lapatinib Anti-HER2/ErbB2 Therapy Resistance in Breast Cancer: Opportunities to Overcome a Difficult Problem. Cancer Drug Resistance. 2020; 3:179-198. DOI:10.20517/cdr.2019.92.
• Kar A, Koto K, Walker D, Trudeau T, Edgerton S, Thor A, Gutierrez-Hartmann A. ETS transcription factor ESE-1/Elf3 is an independent prognostic factor of survival in HR+ HER2+ breast cancer patients. In press Br Cancer Res Treat
• Liu S, Polsdofer EV, Zhou L, Ruan S, Lyu H, Hou D, Liu H, Thor AD, He Z, Liu B. Metformin-induced TRAIL upregulation promotes apoptosis in triple negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer cells. In Press, Cancers
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Edgerton SM, Salem H, Kimg HM, Tan AC, Finlay-Schultz J, Wellberg EA, Sartorius CA, Jacobsen BM, Haugen BR, Liu B, Thor AD. Exogenous Thyroid Hormone is Associated with Shortened Survival and Upregulation of High Risk Gene Expression Profiles in Steroid Receptor Positive Breast Cancers Clin Cancer Res. 27:585–97, 2021, doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-2647. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33097494.
• Liu S, Polsdofer EV, Zhou L, Ruan S, Lyu H, Hou D, Liu H, Thor AD, He Z, Liu B. Upregulation of endogenous TRAIL-elicited apoptosis is essential for metformin-mediated antitumor activity against TNBC and NSCLC. Mol Ther Oncolytics. 2021 Jun 25;21:303-314. PubMed PMID: 34141868
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Edgerton SM, Salem H, Kim HM, Tan AC, Finlay-Schultz J, Wellberg EA, Sartorius CA, Jacobsen BM, Haugen BR, Liu B, Thor AD. Exogenous Thyroid Hormone Is Associated with Shortened Survival and Upregulation of High-Risk Gene Expression Profiles in Steroid Receptor-Positive Breast Cancers. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Jan 15;27(2):585-597. PubMed PMID: 33097494
• Wahdan-Alaswad R and Thor AD. Metformin activity against breast cancer: mechanistic differences by molecular subtype and metabolic conditions. Intertech Open. In press.
• Wellberg EA, Corleto KA, Checkley LA, Jindal S, Johnson G, Higgins JA, Obeid S, Anderson SM, Thor AD, Schedine PJ, MacLean PS, Giles ED. Preventing ovariectomy-induced weight gain decreases tumor burden in rodent models of obesity and postmenopausal breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research. 24:42, 2022
• Wahdan-Alaswad RS, Edgerton SM, Kim HM, Tan AC, Haugen BR, Liu B, Thor AD. Thyroid hormone enhances estrogen-mediated proliferation and cell cycle regulatory pathways in steroid receptor-positive breast Cancer. Cell Cycle. 2023 Sep 18;:1-20. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37723865
• Lyu H, Shen F, Ruan S, Tan C, Zhou J, Thor AD, Liu B. HER3 functions as an effective therapeutic target in triple negative breast cancer to potentiate the antitumor activity of gefitinib and paclitaxel. Cancer Cell Int. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):204. PubMed PMID: 37716943
• Lipscomb MF, Joste NE, Markwood M, Bailey DN, Hansel DE, Jorda M, Leonard DGB, Powell D, Rojiani AM, Shin SJ, Thor A. Gender differences in appointments to pathology department interim chair positions and subsequent advancement to permanent chair positions. Acad Pathol. 2023 Apr-Jun;10(2):100082. PubMed PMID: 37168284

Professional Memberships

• American Association for Cancer Research, Inc., Member
• American Association of Investigative Pathologists, Member
• The American Society of Breast Disease, Member
• College of American Pathologists, Member
• International Academy of Pathology, Member

Practice Locations

• University of Colorado Hospital

Specialty Information

• Anatomic and Clinical, Board Certification (1987)
• Cytopathology, Board Certification (1989)
• Pathology, Board Certification
• Anatomic, Board Certification

• Cancers - Cancer Pathology
• Cancers - Breast Cancer
• Cancers