Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota
Dr. Andrea Espejo-Freire is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with sarcomas and other rare tumors. She earned her medical degree from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, followed by residency training in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Espejo-Freire has made key contributions to understanding the genomic biology of angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and other rare tumors, with a central focus on translating molecular insights into novel targeted therapies. Her primary research interests include studying the tumor microenvironment and developing strategies to overcome resistance to immunotherapy, particularly through genetically engineered cellular therapies tailored to specific sarcoma subtypes.
In addition, she has led clinical and translational studies assessing treatment responses in high-grade sarcomas, showing that PET response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a strong prognosticator of long-term outcomes. She has also demonstrated the efficacy and tolerability of liposomal doxorubicin in the management of desmoid tumors, offering patients an effective long-term therapy option that supports quality of life.
