Don W. Shaffer, MD, FACP has provided cancer care in the northwest Georgia mountain communities and Marietta since 1994 after serving the country in the U.S. Army in Berlin, Germany, Georgia and the state of Washington.
At Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers, P.C. (NGOC), Dr. Shaffer is actively involved in cancer research and clinical trials to find a cancer cure and provide his patients with the most advanced cancer treatment available in Georgia. He has been an active member of Christian Medical Society since 1979 and serves on the board for the Atlanta Area chapter. He enjoys mentoring medical students and traveling on short-term medical mission trips throughout the year.
“One of the awesome privileges of caring for people with cancer is that I’m quickly given permission to get to the core of my patients’ lives because their lives may be at stake. The ability to be a part of people’s lives through this life-altering process is one of the greatest things I do as a cancer doctor.”
Dr. Shaffer delivers patient-centered cancer care to NGOC’s Marietta Cancer Center and Jasper Cancer Center.
| Personal Data | Birthplace: Fort Meade, MD |
| Undergraduate Education | BS, Microbiology (summa cum laude), 1978 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL |
| Medical Education | Doctor of Medicine University of Miami School of Medicine Miami, FL 1978 – 1982 |
| Postdoctoral Training | INTERNSHIP AND RESIDENCY Internal Medicine Madigan Army Medical Center Tacoma, WA July 1982 – June 1985 FELLOWSHIP Hematology & Medical Oncology Brooke Army Medical Center Fort Sam Houston, TX July 1989 – June 1992 |
| Board Certification | American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine, 1985 American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, 1991, 2001, 2011 American Board of Internal Medicine, Hematology, 1992, 2002, 2012 |
| Medical Licensure | State of Georgia, 1992 (Active) |
| Academic Appointments | Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Hematology Oncology, Medical College of Georgia 1993 – 1994 Commissioned, USAR, May 1978 Promotion to Captain, June 1982 Promotion to Major, June 1988 Promotion to Lt. Colonel, June 1994 ETS, September 1994 |
| Professional Societies | Member, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), 2010 - Present Member, American College of Physicians, 1982 – Present Fellow, American College of Physicians, 1993 - Present Member, Cobb County Medical Society, 1997 – Present Member, Medical Association of Georgia, 1995 – Present Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology, 1993 - Present Member, Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology, 1999 - Present Member, American Medical Association, 1995 – Present Member, Southwest Oncology Group, 1993 - Present Member, Christian Medical Society, 1979 – Present Member, Berlin Int’l Medical Society, 1985 – 1989 Instructor, American Heart Association, 1985 – 1997 Affiliate Faculty, American Heart Association, 1989 – 1997 Member, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, 1994 – 1997 |
| Publications | Shaffer DW, Ching DE, Bindra A, Pearson, CE: Establishing a Self Perpetuating American Heart Association/ Advanced Cardiac Life Support Program in West Germany. Milit Med 156:231-232, 1991. Shaffer DW, Walker K, Weiss G: Malignant Melanoma in a Hispanic Male with Nevus of Ota. Dermatology 185:146-150, 1992. Joseph RE, Enghardt MH, Doering DL, Brown BF, Shaffer DW, Raval H: Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Vagina. Cancer 70:784-789, 1992. Shaffer DW, Burris HA, O’Rourke TJ: Testicular Relapse in Adult Acute Myelogenous Leukemia; Case report and literature review. Cancer 70:1541-1544, 1992. Wall JG, Burris HA, Von Hoff D, Rodriquez G, Kneuper-Hall R, Shaffer DW, O’Rourke TJ, Brown T, Hausheer F, Weiss G, Clark G, McVea S, Brown J, Johnson R, Friedman C, Smith B, Mann W, Kuhn J: A Phase I Clinical and Pharmacokinetic Study of the Topoisomerase I Inhibitor Topotecan (SK&F 104864) Given as an Intravenous Bolus every Twenty-One Days. Anti-Cancer Drugs 3:337-345, 1992. Shaffer DW, Smith LS, Burris HA, Clark GM, Eckardt JR, Fields SM, Weiss GR, Rinaldi DA, Bowen KJ, Kuhn JG, Von Hoff DD: A Randomized Phase I Trial of Chronic Oral Etoposide With or Without rGM-CSF in Patients With Advanced Malignancies. Cancer Research 53:5929-5933, 1993. Cooper G, Shaffer DW, Raval HB: Aspiration Biopsy of Multiple Myeloma In a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma. Diag Cytopath 9:551-4, 1993. Burris H, Irvin R, Kuhn J, Kalter S, Smith L, Shaffer DW, Fields S, Weiss G, Eckardt J, Rodriguez G, Rinaldi D, Wall J, Vreeland F, Bayssas M, LeBail N, VonHoff D: A Phase I Clinical Trial of Taxotere Given as Either a 2-hour or as a 6-hour Intravenous Infusion. J Clin Oncol 11:950-958, 1993. Fields S, Burris H, Smith L, Ravdin P, Kalter S, Shaffer DW, Bowen K, Rodriguez G, Hardy J, Bigley J, Hohneker J, VonHoff D: A Phase I Trial of Chronic Oral Navelbine. Clinical Cancer Research. Submitted. Weiss GR, Shaffer DW, DeMoor C, Rianldi DA, Rodriguez GI, Eckardt JR, Stephens C, Von Hoff DD: A randomized phase I study of oral etoposide with or without granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. Anticancer Drugs 7:402-409, 1996. Burris HA, Dieras VC, Tunca M, Earhart R, Eckart JR, Rodriguez GI, Shaffer DW, Fields SM, Campbell E, Schaaf L, Kasunic D, VonHoff DD: Phase I Study with the DNA Sequence-Specific Agent Adozelesin. Anticancer Drugs 8:533-596, 1997. Hainsworth JD, Burris HA, Erland JB, Baker M, Scullin DC Jr, Shaffer DW, Greco FA: A phase II trial of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network. Combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and vinorelbine in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory small cell lung cancer. Cancer Invest. 21: 193-9, 2003. Meluch AA, Greco FA, Gray JR, Thomas M, Sutton VM, Davis JL, Shaffer DW, Yost K, Rinaldi DA, Hainsworth JD. Preoperative therapy with concurrent Paclitaxel/ Carboplatin/ Infusional 5-FU and radiation therapy in Locoregional Esophageal Cancer: Final results of Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network Phase II Trial. Cancer J 9:251-260, 2003. Greco FA, Rodriguez GI, Shaffer DW, Hermann R, Litchy S, Yardley DA, Burris HA, Morrissey LH, Erland JB, Hainsworth JD: Carcinoma of Unknown primary site: Sequential treatment with Paclitaxel/ Carboplatin/ Etoposide and Gemcitabine/ Irinotecan: A Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network Phase II trial. ASCO 2004. Submitted. Hainsworth JD, Litchy S, Shaffer DW, Lackey VL, Grimaldi M, Greco FA: Maximizing Therapeutic Benefit of Rituximab: Maintenance Therapy Versus Re-Treatment at Progression in Patients with Indolent Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - A Randomized Phase II Trial of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network. Journal of Clinical Oncology 23:1088-1095, 2005. Tiede A, Tait RC, Shaffer DW, Baudo F, Boneu B, Dempfle CE, Horellou MH, Klamroth R, Lazarchick J, Mumford AD, Schulman S, Shiach C, Bonfiglio LJ, Frieling JT, Conard J, von Depka M. Antithrombin alfa in hereditary antithrombin deficient patients: A phase 3 study of prophylactic intravenous administration in high risk situations. Thromb Haemost. 99(3); 616-622, 2008. Hainsworth JD, Gray JR, Litchy S, Bearden JD, Shaffer DW, Houston GA, Greco FA. A phase II trial of preoperative concurrent radiation therapy and weekly paclitaxel/carboplatin for patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Clinical Lung Cancer 6(1):33-42, 2004 Abstracts: In addition, Dr. Shaffer has (28) twenty-eight abstracts presented at various national meetings; full CV upon request. |
| Major Research Interests | Clinical Trials (Oncology & Hematology) |