Prominent US oncologist dies at 47 from cancer she spent her career fighting

A prominent cancer researcher at the University of Arizona has died at 47 from the very disease she devoted her career to curing.

According to NBC News and other outlets on Thursday (local time), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced on Tuesday that Rachna Shroff, a professor at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, had died "after a courageous battle with an aggressive cancer."

Shroff, an expert in pancreatic and biliary tract cancers, was diagnosed this year with advanced adenocarcinoma — a cancer that originates in glandular cells responsible for secretion.

She first noticed swollen lymph nodes in May and underwent testing that initially suggested lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, before the diagnosis was confirmed as adenocarcinoma. The cancer, believed to have originated in the stomach or intestines, had already spread throughout her body. There was no treatment available.

In an interview with NBC conducted shortly before her death, Shroff said it had been "a difficult journey." "I have spent my entire career trying to eradicate cancer — particularly pancreatic and liver cancer," she said.

Even while undergoing treatment, she continued attending major oncology conferences to share her clinical research findings and raise awareness about cancer.

In September, before her death, she established a fund called the "Defeat Cancer — Rachna Shroff Young Investigator Award" to support the next generation of researchers. The fund totaled $1.35 million.

The university said establishing the fund had been "one of her final wishes" as she faced a life-threatening illness. ASCO remembered her as someone who, "despite her own diagnosis, strived to be a ray of sunshine for others."

Shroff earned a biochemistry degree from Brown University and a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. She served as an associate professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2010 to 2018 before joining the University of Arizona that year to lead clinical research.

The university said she had left "an internationally recognized legacy in the field of biliary tract cancer," having focused on the rare and difficult-to-treat disease at a time when few therapies existed and none had received FDA approval. "Thanks to landmark clinical trials in which Dr. Shroff served as principal investigator, the field has been transformed dramatically today," the university said.