Vaia Florou
( out of 114 reviews )

Vaia Florou, MD, MS

Languages spoken: Modern Greek, English

  • Vaia Florou is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her clinical and research interests are focused on sarcomas and gastrointestinal malignancies, with an emphasis on immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Dr. Florou received her medical degree from the University of Patras in Patras, Greece. Prior to her clinical training, she was a research fellow at the University of Cologne in Germany, where she studied the B-cell receptor signaling in CLL. She then completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson/Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey with an additional year as Chief Medical Resident. She pursued a Hematology and Oncology fellowship at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida where she graduated from in 2019.

    She is involved in clinical trials aiming to improve immunotherapy efficacy in sarcomas and gastrointestinal malignancies. Her research has been presented at various national and international conferences including ASCO, AACR, SITC, ISTH and CTOS. She is also a member of several professional organizations like the American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society for Medical Oncology, Connective Tissue Oncology Society and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Medical Oncology)

    Patient Rating

    4.9 /5
    ( out of 114 reviews )

    The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

    The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety.
    Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    October 20, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Great, knowledgeable, and attentive. I'd recommend anyone see Dr. Florou.

    October 15, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    DR Florou Was very confident and serious about my circumstances.. she always got to the point and listened to my concerns, she put up with my dumb sense of humor, even though she didn't quite understand it.. she was very compassionate when i could not recover like i was expected to.. she was good to try to find ways to make my treatments better with out losing the effectiveness

    October 11, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Dr Florou knows her stuff! Always professional and never acts like she is too busy to listen

    October 10, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    She is always thorough and professional.

    October 10, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Very knowledgeable and caring.

    September 28, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Dr Florou is very thorough and experienced in explaining and counseling with us regarding our treatment options. We have confidence in her and are grateful to have her as our oncologist.

    September 28, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Loved Dr Florou!!!! Answered all our questions & concerns

    September 21, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Outstanding, every time. I'm lucky to be in her care.

    September 19, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    She is very thorough and is amazing

    See More Patient Comments

  • Vaia Florou is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her clinical and research interests are focused on sarcomas and gastrointestinal malignancies, with an emphasis on immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Dr. Florou received her medical degree from the University of Patras in Patras, Greece. Prior to her clinical training, she was a research fellow at the University of Cologne in Germany, where she studied the B-cell receptor signaling in CLL. She then completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson/Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey with an additional year as Chief Medical Resident. She pursued a Hematology and Oncology fellowship at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida where she graduated from in 2019.

    She is involved in clinical trials aiming to improve immunotherapy efficacy in sarcomas and gastrointestinal malignancies. Her research has been presented at various national and international conferences including ASCO, AACR, SITC, ISTH and CTOS. She is also a member of several professional organizations like the American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society for Medical Oncology, Connective Tissue Oncology Society and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Internal Medicine -Primary
    Academic Divisions Oncology
    Board Certification
    American Board of Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Medical Oncology)

    Education history

    Graduate Training Biomedical Informatics - University of Utah M.S.
    Hematology/Oncology - Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami Clinical Fellow
    Chief Resident Internal Medicine - Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Saint Peter’s University Hospital Chief Resident
    Strategic Healthcare Management Program - Rutgers University/Saint Peter’s University Hospital Mini-M.B.A.
    Residency Internal Medicine - Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Saint Peter’s University Hospital Resident
    Hematology/Oncology - University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine Research Fellow
    Professional Medical Medicine - University of Patras, Faculty of Medicine M.D.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Nevala-Plagemann C, Sama S, Ying J, Shen J, Haaland B, Florou V, Garrido-Laguna I (2022). A Real-World Comparison of Regorafenib and Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in the United States. J Natl Compr Canc Netw, 21(3), 257-264. (Read full article)
    2. Miotke L, Nevala-Plagemann C, Ying J, Florou V, Haaland B, Garrido-Laguna I (2022). Treatment outcomes in recurrent versus de novo metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a real world study. BMC Cancer, 22(1), 1054. (Read full article)
    3. Pauley K, Koptiuch C, Greenberg S, Kohlmann W, Jeter J, Colonna S, Werner T, Kinsey C, Gilcrease G, Weis J, Whisenant J, Florou V, Garrido-Laguna I (2022). Discrepancies between tumor genomic profiling and germline genetic testing. ESMO Open, 7(4), 100526. (Read full article)
    4. Kourouni I, Aesif SW, Tamarkin SW, Bolen M, Sivak E, Shaman Z, Tamaskar I, Florou V (2021). A 51-year-old man with chronic cough and left hilar prominence. Breathe (Sheff), 17(2), 210018. (Read full article)
    5. Azeem Khan M, Florou V, Swami U (2021). Immunotherapy and fatigue: what we know and what we don't know. Oncotarget, 12(8), 719-720. (Read full article)
    6. Florou V, Jarboe E, Deftereos G (2020). Intravenous Leiomyomatosis: A Rare Diagnosis With Aggressive Potential. JCO Oncol Pract, 17(4), 206-208. (Read full article)
    7. Naqash AR, Ricciuti B, Owen DH, Florou V et al (2020). Outcomes associated with immune-related adverse events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab: a pooled exploratory analysis from a global cohort. Cancer Immunol Immunother, s00262-020-02536-5(10.1007), 1177-1187.
    8. Naqash AR, Ricciuti B, Owen DH, Florou V, Toi Y, Cherry C, Hafiz M, De Giglio A, Muzaffar M, Patel SH, Sugawara S, Burkart J, Park W, Chiari R, Sugisaka J, Otterson GA, de Lima Lopes G, Walker PR (2020). Outcomes associated with immune-related adverse events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab: a pooled exploratory analysis from a global cohort. Cancer Immunol Immunother, 69(7), 1177-1187. (Read full article)
    9. Florou V, Rosenberg AE, Wieder E, Komanduri K V, Kolonias D, Uduman M, Castle JC, Buell JS, Trent JC, Wilky BA (2019). Angiosarcoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a case series of seven patients from a single institution. J Immunother Cancer.
    10. Chae YK, Viveiros P, Lopes G, Sukhadia B, Sheikh MM, Saravia D, Florou V, Sokol ES, Frampton GM, Chalmers ZR, Ali SM, Ross JS, Chang S, Wang S, Chiec L, Rahbari A, Mohindra N, Villaflor V, Shin SH, Oh M, Anker J, Park LC, Wang V, Chuang J, Park W (2019). Clinical and immunological implications of frameshift mutations in lung cancer. J Thorac Oncol, (10.1016).
    11. Wilky BA, Trucco MM, Subhawong TK, Florou V, Park W, Kwon D, Wieder ED, Kolonias D, Rosenberg AE, Kerr DA, Sfakianaki E, Foley M, Merchan JR, Komanduri KV, Trent JC (2019). Axitinib plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced sarcomas including alveolar soft-part sarcoma: a single-centre, single-arm, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol, (10.1016), 30153-6.
    12. Florou V, Ramdial JL, Trent JC (2018). Use of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients With GI Stromal Tumor Who Are Pregnant or Considering Pregnancy: Driver Mutations and Circulating Tumor DNA. J Clin Oncol, 36(25), 2659-60. (Read full article)
    13. Florou V, Ramdial J, Trent JC (2017). GIST in Pregnancy: The Role of Circulating Tumor DNA to Define the Assessment of Risk of Rapid Progression and Response to Imatinib. Am J Hematol Oncol, 13(11), 37-40.

    Review

    1. Florou V, Garrido-Laguna I (2022). Clinical Development of Anti-TIGIT Antibodies for Immunotherapy of Cancer. [Review]. Curr Oncol Rep, 24(9), 1107-1112. (Read full article)
    2. Florou V, Wilky BA (2022). Emerging mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance in sarcomas. [Review]. Cancer Drug Resist, 5(1), 199-213. (Read full article)
    3. Mittra A, Takebe N, Florou V, Chen AP, Naqash AR (2020). The emerging landscape of immune checkpoint inhibitor based clinical trials in adults with advanced rare tumors. [Review]. Hum Vaccin Immunother, 17(7), 1935-1939. (Read full article)
    4. Florou V, Wilky BA (2021). Current Management of Angiosarcoma: Recent Advances and Lessons From the Past. [Review]. Curr Treat Options Oncol, 22(7), 61. (Read full article)
    5. Florou V, Puri S, Garrido-Laguna I, Wilky BA (2020). Considerations for immunotherapy in patients with cancer and comorbid immune dysfunction. [Review]. Ann Transl Med, 9(12), 1035. (Read full article)
    6. Bindal P, Gray JE, Boyle TA, Florou V, Puri S (2020). Biomarkers of therapeutic response with immune checkpoint inhibitors. [Review]. Ann Transl Med, 9(12), 1040. (Read full article)
    7. Marron TU, Ryan AE, Reddy SM, Kaczanowska S, Younis RH, Thakkar D, Zhang J, Bartkowiak T, Howard R, Anderson KG, Olson D, Naqash AR, Patel RB, Sachdev E, Rodriguez-Ruiz ME, Sheffer M, Church S, Fuhrman C, Overacre-Delgoffe A, Nguyen R, Florou V, Thaxton JE, Aggen DH, Guerriero JL (2021). Considerations for treatment duration in responders to immune checkpoint inhibitors. [Review]. J Immunother Cancer, 9(3). (Read full article)
    8. Florou V, Trent JC, Wilky BA (2020). Precision medicine in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. [Review]. Discov Med, 28(155), 267-276. (Read full article)
    9. Florou V, Wilky BA (2018 Mar 8). Current and Future Directions for Angiosarcoma Therapy. [Review]. Curr Treat Options Oncol, 19(3), 14. (Read full article)
    10. Alavi SN, Florou V, Tinoco G, Trent JC, Wilky BA (2018). A precision medicine approach in sarcoma: identification of patients who may benefit from early use of pazopanib. [Review]. Discov Med, 25(137), 131-44. (Read full article)
    11. Florou V, Wilky BA, Trent JC (2017). Latest advances in adult gastrointestinal stromal tumors. [Review]. Future Oncol, 13(24), 2183-93. (Read full article)
    12. Warner K, Crispatzu G, Al-Ghaili N, Weit N, Florou V, You MJ, Newrzela S, Herling M (2013). Models for mature T-cell lymphomas--a critical appraisal of experimental systems and their contribution to current T-cell tumorigenic concepts. [Review]. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 88(3), 680-95. (Read full article)

    Book Chapter

    1. Florou V, Nascimento AG, Gulia A, de Lima Lopes Jr G (2018). Global Health Perspective in Sarcomas and Other Rare Cancers. In American Society of Clinical Oncology, Educational Book (38, pp. 916-24).

    Case Report

    1. Florou V, Nevala-Plagemann C, Whisenant J, Maeda P, Gilcrease GW, Garrido-Laguna I (2021). Clinical Activity of Selitrectinib in a Patient With Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland With Secondary Resistance to Entrectinib. J Natl Compr Canc Netw, 19(5), 478-482. (Read full article)
    2. Florou V, Nevala-Plagemann C, Barber KE, Mastroianni JN, Cavalieri CC, Garrido-Laguna I (2020). Treatment Rechallenge With Checkpoint Inhibition in Patients With Mismatch Repair-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer After Planned Treatment Interruption. JCO Precis Oncol, 4. (Read full article)
    3. Cioffi JH, Estes DJ, Florou V, Ardalan B (2017). Treatment of advanced colorectal cancer in a patient with cardiotoxic reactions to 5-fluorouracil and capecitabine using suboptimal doses.LID - bcr-2017-220952 [pii]LID - 10.1136/bcr-2017-220952 [doi]. BMJ Case Rep, 2017. (Read full article)

    Editorial

    1. Florou V, Garrido-Laguna I (2019). Cancer immunotherapy in the immunosuppressed patients and its relevance to clinical practice. J Immunother Precis Oncol 2:127. J Immunother Precis Oncol.