Won-Tak Choi, MD, PhD

Won-Tak Choi, MD, PhD

Professor
Pathology
Division
Surgical Pathology
Specialty Areas
Gastrointestinal Pathology
Liver Pathology
Surgical Pathology

UCSF
Pathology, Box 0102
505 Parnassus Avenue, Room M-552
San Francisco, CA 94143
United States

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Hospital Affiliations
UCSF Parnassus Heights
Research and Clinical Interests

(1) Flow cytometric measurement of DNA content abnormalities in pre-invasive and invasive lesions in Barrett's esophagus, inflammatory bowel disease, stomach, small intestine, pancreaticobiliary tract, and liver; (2) liver transplant pathology; and (3) prognostic significance of the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) overexpression in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tumor progression and metastasis.

Selected Publications
  • Tsai JH, Rabinovitch PS, Huang D, Small T, Mattis AN, Kakar S, Choi WT. Association of Aneuploidy and Flat Dysplasia with Development of High-Grade Dysplasia or Colorectal Cancer in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterology. 2017. Dec;153(6):1492-1495.
  • Wen KW, Rabinovitch PS, Huang D, Mattis AN, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Use of DNA Flow Cytometry in the Diagnosis, Risk stratification, and Management of Gastric Epithelial Dysplasia. Mod Pathol. 2018. Oct;31(10):1578-1587.
  • Wen KW, Kim GE, Rabinovitch PS, Wang D, Mattis AN, Choi WT. Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Management of Ampullary Dysplasia by DNA Flow Cytometric Analysis of Paraffin-Embedded Tissue. Mod Pathol. 2019. Sep;32(9):1291-1302.
  • Lee H, Rabinovitch PS, Mattis AN, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Non-Conventional Dysplasia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is More Frequently Associated with Advanced Neoplasia and Aneuploidy than Conventional Dysplasia. Histopathology. 2021. May;78(6):814-830.
  • Bowman CJ, Zhang R, Balitzer D, Wang D, Rabinovitch PS, Kővári BP, Mattis AN, Kakar S, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Persistent or Recurrent Barrett’s Neoplasia After an Endoscopic Therapy Session is Associated with DNA Content Abnormality and Can be Detected by DNA Flow Cytometric Analysis of Paraffin-Embedded Tissue. Mod Pathol. 2021. Oct;34(10):1889-1900.
  • Zhang R, Rabinovitch PS, Mattis AN, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia in Mucosa Adjacent to Gastric Cancers is Rarely Associated with the Aneuploidy that is Characteristic of Gastric Dysplasia or Cancer. Am J Surg Pathol. 2021. Oct;45(10):1374-1381.
  • Mohammed N, Rabinovitch PS, Wang D, Kővári BP, Mattis AN, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Nonampullary Duodenal Adenomas in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Sporadic Patients Lack the DNA Content Abnormality that is Characteristic of the Adenoma-Carcinoma Sequence involved in the Development of Other Gastrointestinal Malignancies. Am J Surg Pathol. 2021. Dec;45(12):1694-1702.
  • Bahceci D, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Clinicopathologic Features of Undetected Dysplasia Found in Total Colectomy or Proctocolectomy Specimens of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Histopathology. 2022. Aug;81(2):183-191.
  • Nguyen ED, Wang D, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Increased Histologic Inflammation is an Independent Risk Factor for Non-Conventional Dysplasia in Ulcerative Colitis. Histopathology. 2022. Nov;81(5):644-652.
  • Zhang R, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Increased Risk of Non-Conventional and Invisible Dysplasias in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. J Crohns Colitis. 2022. Dec;16(12):1825-1834.
  • Akanuma N, Rabinovitch PS, Mattis AN, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Fundic Gland Polyps Lack DNA Content Abnormality Characteristic of Other Adenomatous Precursor Lesions in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Mod Pathol. 2023. Feb;36(5):100117.
  • Akarca FG, Yozu M, Alpert L, Kővári BP, Zhao L, Salomao M, Liao X, Westerhoff M, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Non-Conventional Dysplasia is Frequently Associated with Low-Grade Tubuloglandular and Mucinous Adenocarcinomas in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Histopathology. 2023. Aug;83(2):276-285.
  • Xiao A, Yozu M, Kővári BP, Yassan L, Liao X, Salomao M, Westerhoff M, Sejben A, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Nonconventional Dysplasia is Frequently Associated with Goblet Cell Deficient and Serrated Variants of Colonic Adenocarcinoma in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Am J Surg Pathol. 2024. June;48(6):691-698.
  • Bahceci D, Wang D, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. The Development of Serrated Epithelial Change in Ulcerative Colitis is Not Significantly Associated with Increased Histologic Inflammation. Am J Surg Pathol. 2024. June;48(6):719-725.
  • Bahceci D, Alpert L, Storozuk T, Liao X, Yozu M, Westerhoff M, Kővári BP, Lauwers GY, Choi WT. Dysplasia Detected in Patients with Serrated Epithelial Change is Frequently Associated with an Invisible or Flat Endoscopic Appearance, Nonconventional Dysplastic Features, and Advanced Neoplasia. Am J Surg Pathol. 2024. June; In press. PMID: 38907614.
  • Choi WT, Tsai JH, Rabinovitch PS, Small T, Huang D, Mattis AN, Kakar S. Diagnosis and Risk Stratification of Barrett's Dysplasia by Flow Cytometric DNA Analysis of Paraffin-Embedded Tissue. Gut. 2018. July;67(7):1229-1238.
  • Choi WT, Wen KW, Rabinovitch PS, Huang D, Mattis AN, Gill RM. DNA Content Analysis of Colorectal Serrated Lesions Detects an Aneuploid Subset of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Serrated Epithelial Change and Traditional Serrated Adenomas. Histopathology. 2018. Sep;73(3):464-472.
  • Choi WT, Yozu M, Miller GC, Shih AR, Kumarasinghe P, Misdraji J, Harpaz N, Lauwers GY. Nonconventional Dysplasia in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Carcinoma: A Multicenter Clinicopathologic Study. Mod Pathol. 2020. May;33(5):933-943.
  • Choi WT, Salomao M, Zhao L, Alpert L, Setia N, Liao X, Drage MG, Westerhoff M, Cheng J, Lauwers GY, Ko HM. Hypermucinous, Goblet Cell Deficient, and Crypt Cell Dysplasias in Inflammatory Bowel Disease are Often Associated with Flat/Invisible Endoscopic Appearance and Advanced Neoplasia on Follow-Up. J Crohns Colitis. 2022. Jan;16(1):98-108.
  • Choi WT, Lauwers GY, Montgomery EA. Utility of Ancillary Studies in the Diagnosis and Risk Assessment of Barrett’s Esophagus and Dysplasia. Mod Pathol. 2022. Aug;35(8):1000-1012.
  • Choi WT. Characteristics, Reporting, and Potential Clinical Significance of Nonconventional Dysplasia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Surg Pathol Clin. 2023. Dec;16(4):687-702.
  • Choi WT, Rabinovitch PS. DNA Flow Cytometry for Detection of Genomic Instability as a Cancer Precursor in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Methods Cell Biol. 2024. Mar;186:25-49.
Awards
  • 2011 - Young Investigator Award, 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
  • 2018 - Senior Author, Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society Abstract Award (Runner Up): "Indefinite for Dysplasia" in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Aneuploidy as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker of High-Grade Dysplasia or Colorectal Cancer
  • 2018 - Senior Author, F. Stephen Vogel Award for a Research Publication "Use of DNA Flow Cytometry in the Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Management of Gastric Epithelial Dysplasia" in Modern Pathology (2018) 31(10):1578-1587
  • 2021 - Senior Author, Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society Abstract Award (Runner Up): Persistent or Recurrent Barrett’s Neoplasia After Endoscopic Therapy is Associated with DNA Content Abnormality Detected by DNA Flow Cytometric Analysis of Paraffin-Embedded Tissue
  • 2022 - Senior Author, Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society Abstract Award (Runner Up): Undetected Dysplasia Found in Colectomy Specimens of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease is Often Associated with Non-Conventional Dysplastic Features, Flat/Invisible Gross Appearance, and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
  • 2022 - Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society Jack Yardley Investigator Award
  • 2023 - Senior Author, Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society Abstract Award (Runner Up): DNA Content Abnormality Frequently Develops in the Right/Proximal Colon in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease and is Highly Predictive of Subsequent Detection of Dysplasia
Additional Information