Arizona Cancer Researcher Dies at 47 of Disease She Dedicated Career to Curing

Rachna Shroff, a cancer researcher at the University of Arizona, has died at 47 from the illness she devoted her career to fighting. Shroff, known for her work on pancreatic and bile duct cancers, died after a battle with an aggressive cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology announced. She was a mother to son Sachin, 13, and daughter Simran, 17. Earlier this year, Shroff was diagnosed with terminal adenocarcinoma, a cancer that begins in the glands and the lining of organs. NBC News reported that after a swollen lymph node was examined in May, doctors first suspected lymphoma, a blood cancer, but testing showed the disease had spread. At the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Shroff served as associate director of clinical investigations. She was nearing her 20th wedding anniversary with her husband, Dr. Puneet Shroff, when she died. In the time before her death, she marked several personal milestones, including accompanying her daughter on college visits and watching her son play baseball. She also established a Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award in her name, which has drawn more than $1.35 million to support efforts to find a cure. The University of Arizona described that effort as one of her final wishes. Shroff, who wrote more than 80 publications, told NBC that her battle with cancer was a “journey.” She said, “I’ve spent my entire life trying to eradicate cancer, primarily pancreatic cancer but also liver cancers.” Even as she faced her own diagnosis, she held to her motto: “If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.” ASCO said that despite her illness, Dr. Shroff dedicated her time to trying to “be the sunshine” for others. Shroff’s interest in cancer research began in the 1990s, when she won the Osler Fellowship Award in 1993 and was given a work experience chance in the University of Arizona Cancer Center laboratory. She later attended Brown University, the Ivy League school in Providence, and earned a biochemistry degree in 2000. In 2004, she received a doctorate in medicine from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. From 2010 to 2018, she was an associate professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She joined the University of Arizona in 2018 and had been Associate Director of Clinical Research since May 2022. The university said, “At the Cancer Center, she built a high-performing gastrointestinal oncology program and, through her expansion of clinical trials in Southern Arizona, worked to ensure patients could access the latest scientific advances.” It added that her “most cherished roles were those of wife, mother, and friend.” Shroff also took part in ASCO panels on gastrointestinal cancers. Tributes to her have been posted on the Conquer webpage.