Patricio Polanco, M.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Patricio Polanco, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

He is gastrointestinal surgical oncologist with vast expertise in minimally invasive/robotic pancreas and liver surgery. Dr. Polanco serves as the Director of the Robotic Surgery Training Program at UT Southwestern as well as Co-Director for the Pancreatic Cancer Program and the Pancreatic Cancer Prevention Clinic. Dr. Polanco also leads the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies and HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy) program at UT Southwestern, NCI-Comprehensive Simmons Cancer Center.

A native of Peru, Dr. Polanco graduated as valedictorian of Universidad de San Martin de Porres Medical School. After completing his surgical training in Lima, Peru, he moved to the United States, where he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship and a general surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh. During his training, Dr. Polanco received several prestigious accolades, including the Alpha Omega Alpha-Honor Medical Society, the Charles C. Moore Teaching Award at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award. He later pursued a Complex Surgical Oncology Fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

A doubled board-certified surgeon by the American Board of Surgery (General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology), Dr. Polanco joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2014.

Dr. Polanco research interests includes health services research, disparities, and surgical outcomes in HPB malignancies and pancreatic cancer. He is also the site principal investigator for several clinical trials for pancreatic cancer. His research has been presented in national and international meetings and has published over 100 peer-reviewed article is several surgical and cancer journals.

Dr. Polanco has served in several committees and leadership positions of academic associations including the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, Society of Surgical Oncology, American College of Surgeons, among others. He also serves in the Pancreatic Cancer and the Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma expert panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Dr. Polanco's commitment to the advancement of medical knowledge extends globally, as he has trained and guided several international surgeons in establishing robotic surgery HPB programs. Furthermore, his extensive experience in medical mission trips to Central and South America highlights his dedication to providing healthcare access to underserved populations.

Dr. Polanco was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list for 2019 to 2023.

Education

Medical School: Universidad de San Martin de Porres (2000)
Internship: Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza (2001), General Surgery
Residency: Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara I. Essalud (2004), General Surgery
Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2007), Post Doctoral
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2012), Surgery
Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2014), Surgical Oncology

Publications

From the simulation lab to the operating room: simulation performance predicts intraoperative performance in robotic gastrojejunostomy: Abreu AA, Farah E, Kannan A, Garces-Palacios S, Castillo-Flores S, Rail B, Scott DJ, Sankaranarayanan G, Guzzetta A, Zeh HJ, Polanco PM Surgical endoscopy 2024 Oct 38 5967-5973
A molecular pathway for cancer cachexia-induced muscle atrophy revealed at single-nucleus resolution: Zhang Y, Dos Santos M, Huang H, Chen K, Iyengar P, Infante R, Polanco PM, Brekken RA, Cai C, Caijgas A, Cano Hernandez K, Xu L, Bassel-Duby R, Liu N, Olson EN Cell Reports 2024 Aug 43
Enhancing Readability of Online Patient-Facing Content: The Role of AI Chatbots in Improving Cancer Information Accessibility: Abreu AA, Murimwa GZ, Farah E, Stewart JW, Zhang L, Rodriguez J, Sweetenham JW, Zeh HJ, Wang SC, Polanco PM JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2024 Jun 22
The development of a deep learning model for automated segmentation of the robotic pancreaticojejunostomy: Al Abbas AI, Namazi B, Radi I, Alterio R, Abreu AA, Rail B, Polanco PM, Zeh HJ, Hogg ME, Zureikat AH, Sankaranarayanan G Surgical endoscopy 2024 May 38 2553-2561
Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer, Version 4.2024: Riely GJ, Wood DE, Ettinger DS, Aisner DL, Akerley W, Bauman JR, Bharat A, Bruno DS, Chang JY, Chirieac LR, DeCamp M, Desai AP, Dilling TJ, Dowell J, Durm GA, Gettinger S, Grotz TE, Gubens MA, Juloori A, Lackner RP, Lanuti M, Lin J, Loo BW, Lovly CM, Maldonado F, Massarelli E, Morgensztern D, Mullikin TC, Ng T, Owen D, Owen DH, Patel SP, Patil T, Polanco PM, Riess J, Shapiro TA, Singh AP, Stevenson J, Tam A, Tanvetyanon T, Yanagawa J, Yang SC, Yau E, Gregory KM, Hang L JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2024 May 22 249-274
ASO Visual Abstract: Delta Radiomic Features Predict Resection Margin Status and Overall Survival in Neoadjuvant-Treated Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Wang K, Karalis JD, Elamir A, Bifolco A, Wachsmann M, Capretti G, Spaggiari P, Enrico S, Balasubramanian K, Fatimah N, Pontecorvi G, Nebbia M, Yopp A, Kaza R, Pedrosa I, Zeh H, Polanco P, Zerbi A, Wang J, Aguilera T, Ligorio M Annals of Surgical Oncology 2024 Apr 31 2664-2665
Delta Radiomic Features Predict Resection Margin Status and Overall Survival in Neoadjuvant-Treated Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Wang K, Karalis JD, Elamir A, Bifolco A, Wachsmann M, Capretti G, Spaggiari P, Enrico S, Balasubramanian K, Fatimah N, Pontecorvi G, Nebbia M, Yopp A, Kaza R, Pedrosa I, Zeh H, Polanco P, Zerbi A, Wang J, Aguilera T, Ligorio M Annals of Surgical Oncology 2024 Apr 31 2608-2620
Minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy: A favorable approach for frail patients with pancreatic cancer: Farah E, Al Abbas A, Abreu AA, Cheng M, Yopp A, Wang S, Mansour J, Porembka M, Zeh HJ, Polanco PM Surgery (United States) 2024 Apr 175 1168-1175
Effect of Hospital Cancer Designation on use of Multimodal Therapy and Survival of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A State-Wide Analysis: Meier J, Murimwa G, Nehrubabu M, DiMartino L, Singal AG, Karagkounis G, Yopp A, Zeh HJ, Polanco PM Annals of Surgical Oncology 2024 Apr 31 2591-2597
Proficiency Levels and Validity Evidence for Scoring Metrics for a Virtual Reality and Inanimate Robotic Surgery Simulation Curriculum: Tellez JC, Radi I, Alterio RE, Nagaraj MB, Baker HB, Scott DJ, Zeh HJ, Polanco PM Journal of Surgical Education 2024 Apr 81 589-596

Honors & Awards

Eugene P Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine Award for the project Improving Access to Surgical Care for HepatoPancreatoBiliary Malignancies in North Texas
(2022)
Best CAPSTONE Project, LEAD Course UT Southwestern Medical Center: Implementation of Video Assessment of Surgical Proficiency to Improve Patients Outcomes
(2020)
New Investigator Award Grant, VA North Texas Health Care System
(2016)
Charles C. Moore Teaching Award, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
(2011)
Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching
(2010)
Induction to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Chapter
(2009)
Valedictorian Class of 2000, Universidad San Martin De Porres
(2000)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) (2014)
Association of Academic Surgeons (AAS) (2014)
Fellow American College of Surgeons (FACS) (2017)
Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) (2018)
Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) (2012)
Society of University Surgeons (2022)