Dylan M. Zylla, MD, MS
Medical Director, Cancer Research Center at HealthPartners/Park Nicollet
About

Affiliations:
 • Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, Department of Hematology and Oncology
 • Investigator, Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium
 • Member, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology

Joined the Institute: 2012

Education and training: MD, University of Minnesota Medical School; internal medicine residency and fellowship in hematology/oncology University of Minnesota; chief residency, University of Minnesota (VA Hospital); master’s in clinical research, University of Minnesota.

Overview/research interests: Dr. Zylla is a hematologist/oncologist working to answer key questions in clinical oncology and improve pain and symptom management among patients with cancer. He integrates research into his clinical practice with protected research time and access to an institution with a strong reputation in quantitative, qualitative and clinical research. He as a site principal investigator on multiple industry-sponsored oncology clinical trials. His projects focus on cancer pain, the mu-opioid receptor, and novel ways to treat pain.  He was a key member of the Minnesota Community Measurement’s work group that developed quality measures for cancer symptom control using patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and he collaborates with national leaders on integrating electronic PROs into cancer care.

Since 2016, Dr. Zylla has spearheaded large-scale efforts to address how cannabis impacts the lives of patients with cancer. He led the Cannabis in Cancer (CanCan) study which randomized patients with metastatic cancers to receive early vs delayed cannabis to treat symptoms. In 2018, he published a survey of medical oncology professionals in Minnesota and demonstrated most clinicians support cannabis use for their patients. In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health, he analyzed surveys of over 1,000 patients with cancer, certified in the state’s cannabis program since 2015. They found that those patients experienced significant clinical improvement in a variety of symptoms and reported few serious adverse events.

Recently completed projects:
 • A randomized trial of cannabis in patients with stage IV cancers to assess dose requirements, impact on pain and opioid use, and overall patient satisfaction.
 • Impact of pain, opioids, and the mu-opioid receptor on progression and survival in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV pancreatic cancer. This project developed a novel immunohistochemical assay to determine the level of a mu-opioid receptor on a cancer cell.

Projects in development include:
 • Cannabis registry on experience using cannabis, including over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD)
 • Topical cannabis/CBD creams for pain
 • Impact of medical cannabis for patients with newly diagnosed, stage IV pancreas cancer
 • Cannabis as an anti-cancer agent
 • Mu-opioid receptor expansion project
 • Improving assessment and management of hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes and cancer

Affiliation
positions
  • Investigator, Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium, Cancer Research Center 2012 -
  • Publications While At HealthPartners
    selected publications
    Journal Article
  • Data quality in a survey of registered medical cannabis users with cancer: nonresponse and measurement error
    Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs. 2024
  • Perceptions, prevalence, and patterns of cannabis use among cancer patients treated at 12 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers
    Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs. 2024
  • Effect of electronic symptom monitoring on patient-reported outcomes among patients with metastatic cancer: a randomized clinical trial
    JAMA. 2022
  • Holy smokes! Developing a cannabis clinic for patients with cancer
    Oncol Issues. 2022
  • Orteronel for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a multicenter, randomized, open-label phase III trial (SWOG-1216)
    Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2022
  • A randomized trial of medical cannabis in patients with stage IV cancers to assess feasibility, dose requirements, impact on pain and opioid use, safety, and overall patient satisfaction
    Supportive Care in Cancer. 2021
  • Collection of electronic patient-reported symptoms in patients with advanced cancer using Epic MyChart surveys
    Supportive Care in Cancer. 2020
  • Impact of pain, opioids, and the mu-opioid receptor on progression and survival in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV pancreatic cancer
    American Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2020
  • Multisite, randomized trial of early integrated palliative and oncology care in patients with advanced lung and gastrointestinal cancer: Alliance A221303
    Journal of Palliative Medicine. 2020
  • Performance measures based on how adults with cancer feel and function: stakeholder recommendations and feasibility testing in six cancer centers
    JCO Oncol Pract. 2020
  • Impact of diabetes and hyperglycemia on health care utilization, infection risk, and survival in patients with cancer receiving glucocorticoids with chemotherapy
    Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications. 2019
  • Impact of medical cannabis on patient-reported symptoms for patients with cancer enrolled in Minnesota's Medical Cannabis Program
    Journal of Oncology Practice. 2019
  • Atezolizumab for first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC
    New England Journal of Medicine. 2018
  • Impact of opioid use on health care utilization and survival in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV malignancies
    Supportive Care in Cancer. 2018
  • Oncology clinicians and the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: a survey on medical cannabis practice patterns, barriers to enrollment, and educational needs
    Cannabis and cannabinoid research. 2018
  • Establishment of personalized pain goals in oncology patients to improve care and decrease costs
    Journal of Oncology Practice. 2017
  • Association of opioid requirement and cancer pain with survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer
    British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2014
  • Opioid requirement, opioid receptor expression, and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced prostate cancer
    Cancer. 2013
  • Research
    keywords
  • oncology research
    cancer

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  • Dylan M. Zylla, MD, MS
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