Behnan Sahin, M.D.

Dr. Sahin is an Assistant Professor in the Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division.  He works primarily on the Medical Oncology Service and he is also a member of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Sahin received his M.D. degree in 1989 from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. He did his Internal Medicine residency training and Hematology subspecialty training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Dr. Sahin subsequently received his Medical Oncology subspecialty training at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Sahin has also spent extensive time as a post-doctoral fellow in basic/laboratory research at the University of Minnesota. He has been Board-certified in Hematology since 1996 and in Medical Oncology since 1997.  Dr. Sahin’s clinical interests include diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors especially breast cancer, lung cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies. His research interests focus on adult stem cells and particularly stem cells of the liver, and pancreas and the relationship between these cells and cancer stem cells. Dr. Sahin has also discovered a unique liver stem cell during his research at the Stem Cell Institute, which has been patented by the University of Minnesota.

Selected Publications

Sahin MB, Perman SM, Jenkins G, Clark SS. Perillyl alcohol selectively induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in Bcr/Abl-transformed myeloid cell lines.  Leukemia 1999; 13:1581-91.

Clark SS, Perman SM, Sahin MB, Jenkins G, Elegbede JA. Antileukemia activity of perillyl alcohol (POH): Uncoupling apoptosis from G0/G1 arrest suggests that the primary effect of POH on Bcr/Abl-transformed cells is to induce growth arrest.  Leukemia 2002; 16:213-22.