Christine M. Bestvina, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Associate Director for Clinical Operations for Thoracic Oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine. She specializes in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer, with expertise in immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and the integration of ablative radiotherapy. Dr. Bestvina also serves as the Assistant Program Leader for the Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center. She leads multiple investigator-initiated and cooperative-group clinical trials, including serving as National Principal Investigator of the A082002 trial evaluating immunotherapy with or without radiation for advanced PD-L1–negative NSCLC, and Principal Investigator of DARES, a Phase II trial studying durvalumab with ablative radiation in extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Dr. Bestvina is an active contributor to national and international leadership in thoracic oncology through her involvement in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a broad portfolio of invited lectures and media contributions. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and reviews focused on clinical trial innovation, mechanisms of treatment resistance, and biomarker-driven precision medicine, and she is consistently recognized among Chicago Magazine’s Top Doctors (2023–present). A committed educator and mentor, she has received multiple institutional teaching awards and is dedicated to advancing patient-centered research and improving outcomes for individuals with thoracic malignancies.
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
- Oncology Fellowship
2018
Duke Medical Center
Durham, MD
- Internal Medicine - Residency
2015
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
MD
2012
Management of Autoimmune Conditions Associated With Thymic Epithelial Tumors.
Management of Autoimmune Conditions Associated With Thymic Epithelial Tumors. J Thorac Oncol. 2026 Jan; 21(1):77-101.
PMID: 40983285
Clinical strategies for lung cancer management: Recommendations from the Bridging the Gaps Lung Cancer Consensus Conference 2024.
Clinical strategies for lung cancer management: Recommendations from the Bridging the Gaps Lung Cancer Consensus Conference 2024. Cancer. 2025 Sep 01; 131(17):e70060.
PMID: 40856114
Positioning amivantamab and lazertinib in the therapeutic sequence for EGFR-mutant NSCLC: insights from CHRYSALIS-2 cohort A.
Positioning amivantamab and lazertinib in the therapeutic sequence for EGFR-mutant NSCLC: insights from CHRYSALIS-2 cohort A. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2025 Aug 31; 14(8):2906-2911.
PMID: 40948857
Driving Best Practices Throughout the Treatment Journey for Patients with NSCLC with Actionable Alterations: A Podcast Discussion.
Driving Best Practices Throughout the Treatment Journey for Patients with NSCLC with Actionable Alterations: A Podcast Discussion. Adv Ther. 2025 Aug; 42(8):3591-3605.
PMID: 40402375
Quantum machine learning-based electrokinetic mining for the identification of nanoparticles and exosomes with minimal training data.
Quantum machine learning-based electrokinetic mining for the identification of nanoparticles and exosomes with minimal training data. Bioact Mater. 2025 Sep; 51:414-430.
PMID: 40496630
Rationale for Investigation of Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy Before Chemoradiation in Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Rationale for Investigation of Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy Before Chemoradiation in Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2025 Jun 20; 43(18):2039-2043.
PMID: 40146965
Immunotherapy in advanced, KRAS G12C-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer: current strategies and future directions.
Immunotherapy in advanced, KRAS G12C-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer: current strategies and future directions. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2025; 17:17588359251323985.
PMID: 40093982
The Role of GLP-1 Agonists in Mitigating Lorlatinib-Induced Metabolic Syndrome: Two Case Studies.
The Role of GLP-1 Agonists in Mitigating Lorlatinib-Induced Metabolic Syndrome: Two Case Studies. Clin Lung Cancer. 2025 Jul; 26(5):429-433.
PMID: 40157899
Adopting tomorrow's therapies today: a perspective review of adoptive cell therapy in lung cancer.
Adopting tomorrow's therapies today: a perspective review of adoptive cell therapy in lung cancer. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2025; 17:17588359251320280.
PMID: 40012708
Delays in phases of care from identification to treatment of suspicious lung nodules.
Delays in phases of care from identification to treatment of suspicious lung nodules. JTCVS Open. 2025 Apr; 24:451-471.
PMID: 40309697