Dr. Francisco Robert-Vizcarrondo

Get to Know Dr. Francisco Robert-Vizcarrondo

Before retirement, Robert-Vizcarrondo was part of the Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine and the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center for several decades, playing a major role in the Experimental Therapeutics division.

The O’Neal Cancer Center is the only one in the state with a National Cancer Institute designation. It has become well known for its early-detection initiatives and cutting-edge research.

There currently are more than 200 active clinical trials at the O’Neal Center, where 400 physician/scientists see 5,000 new cancer patients annually.

Robert-Vizcarrondo has also served for almost 30 years as chief of the Hematology/Oncology Section at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Birmingham.

Researching New Cancer Drugs

Much of Robert-Vizcarrondo’s research focus has involved non-small cell lung cancer and drug development for early phases of various cancers. He is known for advancing the treatment of thoracic malignancies such as lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma.

For example, he co-authored a pilot study of zoledronic acid for previously treated patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma. The 2017 study proved no significant toxicity from the drug and modest clinical activity.

In 2019, he published a study at the UAB Medical Center detailing the synergy between the drugs nintedanib and bevacizumab when used on patients with advanced solid tumors.

In 2021, Robert-Vizcarrondo published findings from multiple research studies, including a phase I trial of SGN-2FF in patients with advanced solid tumors, veliparib and nivolumab with chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer, and a phase II study of durvalumab for patients with stage IV or recurrent squamous cell lung cancer.

Education, Affiliations and Recognition

Robert-Vizcarrondo received his degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, where he also completed an internship and a residency. He earned a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital in 1976.

He has been part of the American Association for Cancer Research since 2000. His other professional affiliations include the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Robert-Vizcarrondo is certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. He has received a “Top Doctors in America” and “Top Doctors in Cancer” designation several times from Castle Connolly.