Katherine G. Tarlock, MD

Katherine G. Tarlock, MD

Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Leukemia and Lymphoma Program, High-Risk Leukemia Program, Apheresis

On staff since September 2014

Academic Title: Assistant Professor

"I am dedicated to advancing our understanding of leukemia and being able to offer every child and family the best care available. I love being involved in clinical and translational research as I believe that improved understanding the biology of cancers is essential to developing new and better therapies for patients and will result in more children and young adults being cured. The privilege of caring for patients and families during challenging medical diagnoses is one of the aspects that drew me to the field of pediatric hematology/oncology and continues to be one of the best parts of my job."

  • Dr. Tarlock is a clinician at Seattle Children’s Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and holds a Research Affiliate at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Tarlock is an active member of Myeloid Disease Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). She is also an active member of the New Agents Committee. She was the chair of one COG trial for children with relapsed/refractory AML and has another trial in development. Dr. Tarlock is active in research efforts in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with a focus on development of novel therapies. She is also active in efforts for pediatric global oncology including serving on the Plenum Committee of the Children’s International Consortium on Acute Leukemia, Vice-Chair for Health Volunteers Overseas, and serves as an associate faculty member at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, Uganda.

    • Jana Anchorage, AK 01.19.21

      Dr. Tarlock is an incredible doctor and I credit her for saving my son’s life. He arrived at Seattle Children’s in critical condition at three weeks old after doctors in Alaska told us they could not do anything for him. He is now 13 months old and 4.5 months post bone marrow transplant. Dr. Tarlock was the first doctor we met on our son’s long journey to treat his leukemia and she gave us the first plan for his treatment but equally as important, she gave us hope. Thank you, Dr. Tarlock!

    • Arthi Seattle WA 01.13.20

      Dr. Tarlock is the best doctor I have met so far in the 18 years I have lived in Seattle. She is highly knowledgeable, very smart, very responsible, trustworthy and also a very caring person. She gave the best treatment to my son suffering from Leukemia at every stage of his treatment. I will be ever grateful to her for saving his life and giving our family a new beginning.

    • Alison Bellevue, WA 07.26.17

      A wonderful provider! She took care of our 4 year old son when he was very ill on the Hem/Onc floor. We really loved her approach to treating kids. We greatly appreciated her knowledge, care, and compassion.

    Recommend Dr. Katherine G. Tarlock
  • Award Name Award Description Awarded By Award Date
    Young Investigator, Myeloid Disease Committee Children's Oncology Group 2015
    Alberta Corkery Fellowship Travel Award
    American Society of Hematology Abstract Achievement Award
    Outstanding Pediatric Resident Award Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
    Outstanding Presentation Award Seattle Children's Hospital Fellow Research Day
    Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
    Pediatric Clerkship Award Chicago Medical School

  • Other Publications

    • Pikman Y, Tasian SK, Sulis ML, Stevenson K, Blonquist TM, Apsel Winger B, Cooper TM, Pauly M, Maloney KW, Burke MJ, Brown PA, Gossai N, McNeer JL, Shukla NN, Cole PD, Kahn JM, Chen J, Barth MJ, Magee JA, Gennarini L, Adhav AA, Clinton CM, Ocasio-Martinez N, Gotti G, Li Y, Lin S, Imamovic A, Tognon CE, Patel T, Faust HL, Contreras CF, Cremer A, Cortopassi WA, Garrido Ruiz D, Jacobson MP, Dharia NV, Su A, Robichaud AL, Saur Conway A, Tarlock K, Stieglitz E, Place AE, Puissant A, Hunger SP, Kim AS, Lindeman NI, Gore L, Janeway KA, Silverman LB, Tyner JW, Harris MH, Loh ML, Stegmaier K
      Matched Targeted Therapy for Pediatric Patients with Relapsed, Refractory or High-risk Leukemias: A Report from the LEAP Consortium.
      33563661 Cancer discovery, 2021 Feb. 9
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo T, Wang YC, Gerbing RB, Ries RE, Hylkema T, Smith JL, Maxson JE, Meshinchi S
      Prognostic impact of CSF3R mutations in favorable risk childhood acute myeloid leukemia.
      32187354 Blood, 2020 April 30 : 135(18)1603-1606 PMCID:PMC7193184
    • Gardner RA, Ceppi F, Rivers J, Annesley C, Summers C, Taraseviciute A, Gust J, Leger KJ, Tarlock K, Cooper TM, Finney OC, Brakke H, Li DH, Park JR, Jensen MC
      Preemptive mitigation of CD19 CAR T-cell cytokine release syndrome without attenuation of antileukemic efficacy.
      31697826 Blood, 2019 Dec. 12 : 134(24)2149-2158 PMCID:PMC6908832
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo TA, Wang YC, Gerbing RB, Ries R, Loken MR, Pardo L, Hylkema T, Joaquin J, Sarukkai L, Raimondi SC, Hirsch B, Sung L, Aplenc R, Bernstein I, Gamis AS, Meshinchi S, Pollard JA
      Functional Properties of KIT Mutations Are Associated with Differential Clinical Outcomes and Response to Targeted Therapeutics in CBF Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
      31182436 Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2019 Aug. 15 : 25(16)5038-5048 PMCID:PMC6754181
    • McNeil MJ, Parisi MT, Hijiya N, Meshinchi S, Cooper T, Tarlock K
      Clinical and Radiographic Response of Extramedullary Leukemia in Patients Treated With Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin.
      29734213 Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology, 2019 April : 41(3)e174-e176
    • Gillette TB, Cabrera MT, Tarlock K, Murphy CE, Chisholm KM, Stacey AW
      Rapidly Progressive, Isolated Subretinal Leukemic Relapse: A Case Report.
      30643765 Ocular oncology and pathology, 2018 June : 4(4)220-224 PMCID:PMC6322080
    • Hashmi SK, Lee SJ, Savani BN, Burns L, Wingard JR, Perales MA, Palmer J, Chow E, Meyer E, Marks D, Mohty M, Inamoto Y, Rodriguez C, Nagler A, Sauter C, Komanduri KV, Pidala J, Hamadani M, Johnston L, Shah N, Shaughnessy P, Hamilton BK, Majhail N, Kharfan-Dabaja MA, Schriber J, DeFilipp Z, Tarlock KG, Fanning S, Curtin P, Rizzo JD, Carpenter PA
      ASBMT Practice Guidelines Committee Survey on Long-Term Follow-Up Clinics for Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Survivors.
      29608957 Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2018 June : 24(6)1119-1124
    • Tarlock K, Zhong S, He Y, Ries R, Severson E, Bailey M, Morley S, Balasubramanian S, Erlich R, Lipson D, Otto GA, Vergillo JA, Kolb EA, Ross JS, Mughal T, Stephens PJ, Miller V, Meshinchi S, He J
      Distinct age-associated molecular profiles in acute myeloid leukemia defined by comprehensive clinical genomic profiling.
      29899868 Oncotarget, 2018 May 29 : 9(41)26417-26430 PMCID:PMC5995178
    • Ketterl TG, Wu D, Fromm JR, Soma L, Dahlberg AE, Wood BL, Tarlock K
      Donor derived T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia after cord blood transplant for pediatric T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia.
      29269802 Bone marrow transplantation, 2018 March : 53(3)352-355 PMCID:PMC5936635
    • Degnin M, Agarwal A, Tarlock K, Meshinchi S, Druker BJ, Tognon CE
      Novel Method Enabling the Use of Cryopreserved Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells in Functional Drug Screens.
      28906323 Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology, 2017 Oct. : 39(7)e359-e366 PMCID:PMC5613078
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo TA, Loken MR, Gerbing RB, Ries RE, Aplenc R, Sung L, Raimondi SC, Hirsch BA, Kahwash SB, McKenney A, Kolb EA, Gamis AS, Meshinchi S
      Disease Characteristics and Prognostic Implications of Cell-Surface FLT3 Receptor (CD135) Expression in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.
      28108543 Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2017 July 15 : 23(14)3649-3656 PMCID:PMC5511553
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo TA, Gerbing RB, Raimondi SC, Hirsch BA, Sung L, Pollard JA, Aplenc R, Loken MR, Gamis AS, Meshinchi S
      Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin Reduces Relapse Risk in FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.
      26644412 Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2016 April 15 : 22(8)1951-7 PMCID:PMC4834220
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo TA, Gerbing RB, Raimondi SC, Hirsch BA, Sung L, Pollard JA, Aplenc R, Loken MR, Gamis AS, Meshinchi S
      Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin Reduces Relapse Risk in FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.
      26644412 Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2016 April 15 : 22(8)1951-7 PMCID:PMC4834220
    • Tarlock K, Alonzo TA, Gerbing RB, Raimondi SC, Hirsch BA, Sung L, Pollard JA, Aplenc R, Loken MR, Gamis AS, Meshinchi S
      Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin Reduces Relapse Risk in FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.
      26644412 Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2015 Dec. 7
    • Tarlock K, Chang B, Cooper T, Gross T, Gupta S, Neudorf S, Adlard K, Ho PA, McGoldrick S, Watt T, Templeman T, Sisler I, Garee A, Thomson B, Woolfrey A, Estey E, Meshinchi S, Pollard JA
      Sorafenib treatment following hematopoietic stem cell transplant in pediatric FLT3/ITD acute myeloid leukemia.
      25662999 Pediatric blood and cancer, 2015 June : 62(6)1048-54

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  • Presentations Title Event Location Date
    Complications of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Uganda Cancer Institute Oncology Grand Rounds Kampala, Uganda June 2020
    Somatic bZip Mutations of CEBPA are Associated with Favorable Outcome Regardless of Presence as Single vs. Double Mutation. 61st ASH Annual Meeting San Diego, CA 2020
    Distinct Co-Occurring Mutational Profiles in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Confers Prognostic Significance in Children and Young Adults with FLT3/ITD Mutations. 60th ASH Annual Meeting San Diego, CA 2019
    Functional Properties of Exon 17 KIT Mutations in Pediatric CBF AML Predict for Inferior Outcome and Enhanced Response to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group 59th ASH Annual Meeting Atlanta, GA Dec. 2017
    Validation of Mesothelin as a Therapeutic Target in Childhood AML Integrated Translational Science Center Symposium, Children’s Oncology Group, Invited Speaker Atlanta, GA Sept. 2017
    Genomic Discovery Efforts Guiding Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia Hematology/Oncology Adult & Pediatric Grand Rounds, Oregon Health Sciences University Portland, OR May 2017
    Biology of FLT3 Think Tank on Integrating New Molecular Targets in Acute Leukemia and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Dallas, TX Jan. 2017
    Comprehensive Clinical Genomic Profiling Defines Age-Associated Molecular Targets in Pediatric and Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia 58th ASH Annual Meeting Sand Diego, CA Dec. 2016
    Discovery and Functional Validation of Novel Pediatric Specific FLT3 Activating Mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results from the COG/NCI TARGET Initiative 57th ASH Annual Meeting Orlando, FL Dec. 2015
  • Grant Title Grantor Amount Award Date
    Development of Leukemia Sequencing efforts at the Uganda Cancer Institute Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Jan. 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2021
    Pilot Study of a Flow Cytometric Based Ex Vivo Drug Screening Assay to Identify Individualized Therapeutic Profiles in Pediatric Patients with High Risk Leukemias, Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders Seattle Children's Hospital Dec. 15, 2018 - Dec. 15, 2021
    Mesothelin-directed Immunotherapeutic Targeting in Childhood AML St. Baldrick’s Foundation July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2021
    Targeting Novel Pediatric-Specific FLT3 Mutations Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation Feb. 1, 2016 - Jan. 31, 2018
    Validation of Mesothelin as a Therapeutic Target in Childhood AML Childrens Oncology Group, Integrated Translational Science Center, Hematology Jan. 1, 2016 - June 1, 2016
    Novel Therapeutic Strategy Identification in Relapsed FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Young Investigator Award Dec. 31, 2015 - Dec. 31, 2017
    Pathway Directed Treatment for Refractory AML Sts Baldricks Foundation, St's Baldrick's Consortium Grant July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
    Identification of Resistance Mechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistant FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, ALSF Young Investigator Award July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2016
    Biology and Prognostic Implications of FLT3 Mutations in AML National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, R01 CA 114563, Sept. 20, 2012 - July 31, 2017

Overview

Board Certification(s)

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Medical/Professional School

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science - Chicago Medical School, North Chicago

Residency

Pediatrics, Stanford University Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto

Fellowship

Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle

Clinical Interests

Pediatric leukemias and lymphomas, high risk leukemias, targeted therapies, global health in Pediatric hematology/oncology

Research Description

My research is focused on the identification of genomic lesions in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that affects how they respond to current therapies. In addition, I am focused on the identification novel therapeutic targets and novel therapies, including immunotherapies, for children for whom current therapies are inadequate.  I am actively engaged in the development of early phase clinical trials to evaluate targeted therapies in children with AML. I also believe that children all over the world should have equal opportunity to the best care. I am actively engaged in several research efforts in improving care for children with leukemia in resource limited settings. This research includes the development of a protocol for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for use in low- and middle-income countries as well as research to understand the biology of children and adults with ALL and AML in sub Saharan Africa.