Anu Thummala, MD is a medical oncologist and hematologist who focuses on the treatment of all cancer types with a special interest in breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and hematological malignancies. She is also on the frontlines of clinical research at Comprehensive, where she serves as principal and sub-investigator for many trials, including collaborations with US Oncology Research, UCLA, and Pharma Research.
In the broader Southern Nevada medical community, she currently serves as vice chair of the Department of Medicine at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center and is a board member for peer review and the nominating committee. At MountainView Hospital, she is chair of the cancer committee and an adjunct faculty member at UNLV School of Medicine. Dr. Thummala sits on Nevada State Cancer Coalition’s board of directors, is a board member of the Nevada Oncology Society, and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Clark County Medical Society.
Her prior leadership positions include serving as the past chair of Comprehensive’s pharmacy and therapeutics committee. She also chaired MountainView Hospital’s quality control committee.
Dr. Thummala has been recognized as Top Doctor by VEGAS INC Health Care Quarterly consistently for the last several years as well as a Medical Marvel by Nevada Business Magazine. Additionally, she was the recipient of the 2014 Athena Leadership Award through the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and inducted into the Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame in 2015. Among her other accolades, she has been named Preceptor of the Year by the University of Nevada School of Medicine, was among America’s Most Honored Professionals by The American Registry and received the Compassionate Doctor and Patients’ Choice awards from Vitals.com.
Throughout her career, she has published numerous studies, including ones that have addressed the treatment of hot flashes in women with breast cancer; a study on using preoperative ceftuzumab in rectal cancer patients; and a randomized phase 2 study of PD 0332991, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor, in combination with letrozole vs. letrozole alone for first-line treatment of ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. Her phase 2 study on metastatic triple negative breast cancer with G1T28 and Gemcitabine/Carboplatin was accepted for publication at ESMO Congress and Lancet.
Prior to joining Comprehensive in 2006, Dr. Thummala practiced in a single specialty group in Texas (Richardson Hospital Medical Center), where she served on the board and acted as the physician liaison appointed by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. She also served on the practice’s cancer committee and, separately, worked as a hospice director for Texas-based Harris Hospice.
Dr. Thummala is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and understands Tamil.
EDUCATION
Anu Thummala, MD, received her medical degree from Andhra University, India, where she received several academic awards and honors, and was awarded “the best outgoing student” and “best final year student” in her class. She attended the Mount Sinai-Elmhurst Hospital Residency program in New York, where she was the best resident for two consecutive years and also served as the chief resident in the department of medicine. She completed her fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the University of Rochester in New York. During her fellowship, she received the Amgen Fellowship Training Award, Empire State Grant and several cancer action grants for clinical and laboratory research.