Eva Szabo

Eva Szabo, MD is Chief of the Lung and Upper Aerodigestive Cancer Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH. She is the leading NCI scientist overseeing chemoprevention research for lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers — two of the most lethal and challenging cancer prevention targets. Dr. Szabo's scientific career has centered on retinoid and rexinoid biology, elucidating how retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) pathways govern bronchial epithelial differentiation, and how their disruption promotes carcinogenesis in the context of tobacco exposure. She played a central scientific role in analyzing lessons from the landmark CARET trial — which unexpectedly found that beta-carotene supplementation increased lung cancer risk in heavy smokers — contributing to fundamental insights about the dangers of antioxidant supplementation in carcinogen-exposed tissues. Building on this cautionary experience, Dr. Szabo has guided the NCI's pivot toward molecularly targeted retinoids and rexinoids with more favorable risk-benefit profiles. She has also led the development of bronchial epithelial biomarkers — including field cancerization signatures, epigenetic markers, and sputum cytomorphology — that identify high-risk individuals and measure chemopreventive response. Her group has designed and overseen several window-of-opportunity presurgical trials in high-risk lung populations.