"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Marco Mielcarek, MD, PhD

Provider

Marco Mielcarek, MD, PhD

Medical Director, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Fred Hutch
Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Medical Oncology

South Lake Union Clinic

Request an Appointment Print

“Research is the backbone for improving patient care.”

— Dr. Mielcarek

How do you care for patients?

I believe there are two key ingredients to providing excellent care. The first is tailoring treatment according to your needs and philosophy. An approach that is a good fit for someone else may not be ideal for you, and I never want to make assumptions about what you prefer. The second ingredient is incorporating up-to-date research so that you’re receiving the very best treatment that medicine has to offer, which can sometimes be clinical trials. Participating in trials helps us increase our understanding of diseases and achieve better cure rates.

What do you love about your job?

I arrived in Seattle in 1994 for a research fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. My plan was to stay for two years and then return to my home in Germany. As you can see, I’m still here. I learned a lot during my fellowship — it was a good collaboration — but I didn’t want the kind of career where I was restricted to the lab. I wanted the privilege of taking care of patients, too. So I decided to stay in the U.S. to pursue those two passions. At Fred Hutch, I get the best of both worlds — working closely with patients and conducting research to make treatment for blood cancers more tolerable.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Adult blood and marrow transplantation

I am a board-certified oncologist with more than 20 years of experience caring for patients who receive stem cell transplants for blood cancers. I also serve as medical director of Fred Hutch’s Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. My research is aimed at the prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) — a potentially dangerous complication that can develop post-transplant where immune system cells attack healthy tissues and organs. For example, one study I led found that patients with GVHD could be effectively treated with lower doses of prednisone (a steroid that can have negative side effects) than most physicians had been using. Currently, my colleagues and I are testing whether treating stem cell donors with statins (drugs widely used to lower cholesterol) can prevent GVHD in transplant recipients.

Diseases Treated

Graft Versus Host Disease

Languages

English
German

Education, experience and certifications

Medical Degree
Freie Universität Berlin

Residency
Freie Universität Berlin, Internal Medicine; University of Washington, Internal Medicine

Fellowship
University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Medical Oncology

Board Certification
Medical Oncology, 2003, 2013, American Board of Internal Medicine

Other
PhD, Freie Universität Berlin

Stories

All news

Innovative approaches to lymphoma: clinical trials including CAR T-cell therapy, transplant, bispecific antibodies, novel kinase and checkpoint inhibitors

Innovative approaches to lymphoma: clinical trials including CAR T-cell therapy, transplant, bispecific antibodies, novel kinase and checkpoint inhibitors July 17, 2020

Bone marrow transplant survival rates recognized nationally

Bone marrow transplant survival rates recognized nationally Fred Hutch BMT program at SCCA earns national recognition for 6th consecutive year December 18, 2018

3 big new leukemia research projects advance cutting-edge cell therapies, stem cell transplant

3 big new leukemia research projects advance cutting-edge cell therapies, stem cell transplant $20M renewal of 4-decade-long federal grant to Hutch scientists May 31, 2018

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Mielcarek

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Mielcarek's Publications

Your Care Team

At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.

Meet Other Providers

Insurance

Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.

More About Insurance