Lily L. Lai, MD is a surgeon and clinical researcher specializing in gastrointestinal cancers, with a specific focus on colorectal cancer. She is skilled at minimally invasive surgical techniques directed at the management of gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Lai is dedicated to multidisciplinary cancer care and chairs the weekly multi-disciplinary Tumor Boards at City of Hope. In addition, she serves as the Community Liaison Physician and works closely with the City of Hope patient and family education department in developing programs directed at cancer screening and education in the community.
Since joining City of Hope in 2001, Dr. Lai has been integral to the development and expansion of the facility’s surgical clinical research. She is the principal investigator of the ACOSOG trials at City of Hope as well as a colorectal committee member of the NSABP. Dr. Lai is currently the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on a number of City of Hope clinical trials as well as multi-institutional cooperative group trials. She also oversees the development of the colorectal clinical database to assess outcomes and quality of care in these patients.
As an NIH K-12 mentored clinical scientist grant recipient, Dr. Lai is involved in research which explores mechanisms of carcinogenesis in colorectal cancer in cell-based systems as well as in animal models. Her research provides a better understanding of the processes involved in cancer development and may offer novel strategies in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Dr. Lai earned her medical degree from the University of California at San Diego. After completion of her internship and general surgical residency at the UCSD Medical Center, she sought additional training in surgical oncology at the City of Hope National Medical Center.
