Stephanie K. Carlson, M.D.

Stephanie K. Carlson, M.D., has clinical research interests in computed tomography (CT), CT fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures and abdominal imaging.

In addition to her clinical research, Dr. Carlson also has a laboratory in the Department of Molecular Medicine where she performs preclinical research studies that focus on molecular imaging and image-guided gene and virotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Carlson has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award) and the Mayo Clinic Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Pancreatic Cancer, among other sources.

Focus areas

• Image-guided viral therapy for pancreatic cancer. The overall goal of this research is to address the barriers to intratumoral delivery and spread of oncolytic viruses in fibrotic, hypovascular pancreatic tumors using quantitative molecular imaging and image-guided delivery techniques.
• Early detection of pancreatic cancer. The overall goal of this research is to study the genetic alterations and differences between pancreatic cancer and the normal pancreas and to develop targeted molecular imaging probes to detect these changes at an early stage of pancreatic cancer development.

Significance to patient care

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., and its incidence is increasing. The hope is that the development of early pancreatic cancer detection techniques and novel, alternative therapeutic strategies will improve the dismal prognosis for patients suffering from this devastating disease.