Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Resection And Reconstruction Of Ewing Sarcoma Of The Cuboid Utilizing Vascularized Fibular Autograft: A Case Report, Brandon Cunha, Alexandre Arkader

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Ewing Sarcoma (EWS) rarely presents in the bones of the foot, and particularly in the cuboid, making it an exceedingly rare occurrence. We present the case of a 7-year-old female diagnosed with EWS of the right cuboid, detailing the management and outcomes of this rare presentation. The patient, now almost 5 years post-initial local control, exhibits restored foot function, a normalized gait, and no evidence of disease recurrence. This case underscores the potential for preserving lower extremity function and improving postoperative quality of life in rare presentations of EWS through innovative reconstruction strategies.

Neoadjuvant Versus Adjuvant Therapy For Stage Iiib-Iiid Melanoma, Bhumik Patel, Sangnya Upadhyaya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The treatment landscape for advanced stage melanoma is rapidly evolving due to advancements in our understanding of melanoma biology and the emergence of novel therapies. This necessitates a comprehensive review to guide clinicians in adopting evidence based and patient centric approaches to treat stage IIIB-IIID melanoma. A literature review was conducted to synthesize current information on the most optimal treatment available. Data available from different clinical trials found that neoadjuvant therapy was a more effective treatment compared to adjuvant therapies alone. Furthermore, neoadjuvant therapy with combination therapy was more efficacious in producing a complete pathological response compared to monotherapy. A …

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Referrals In Cancer Patients, Bhumik Patel, Venkateswar Venkataraman, Deanna Janora, Jack Goldberg

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) can address functional limitations in various conditions, including cancer. Cancer rehabilitation aims to address functional impairments resulting from both the disease itself and its treatments, striving to optimize physical, social, psychological, and vocational functioning. Existing literature indicates that PM&R services significantly benefit cancer patients by improving their overall quality of life. Studies have found that optimal utilization of PM&R services can increase the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) in cancer patients. Current National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Cancer Society guidelines emphasize the importance of incorporating PM&R services into oncology care to enhance the function and …

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome And The Benefits Of Annual Comprehensive Screening: A Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Case, Alice He Bs, Wern Lynn Ng Md, Faith Seltun Do, Lay She Ng Md, Si Yuan Khor Md, Elham Nasrollahi Md, Chandi Garg Md, Rong Rong Ge Md

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Curcumin On Erα, P53, And P21 In The Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line, Samantha E. Pfiffner, Mia Morse, Erin Hallman, Kaylin Whittaker, Aisha Zanib, Sumi Dinda Ph.D.

Medical Student Research Symposium

Curcumin is a golden-yellow flavonoid compound derived from the turmeric plant root that has been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries. Curcumin has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and because of this, has been gaining traction in the field of cancer research. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, next to lung cancer. Because of the prevalence and mortality of breast cancer, possible therapeutics must be investigated. Due to the beneficial properties of curcumin and pervasiveness of breast cancer, we have …

Significance Of Targeting Rna Polymerase I In Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, Muhammad A. Bangash, Aun A. Bangash, Haider Ahsan, Sahir Alvi, Mudassier Ahmad, Alejandro Rincon, Samuel Owusu-Mireku, Bilal Hafeez

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) is a much-overlooked cancer with a mortality rate that has increased throughout recent years, as stated by the American Cancer Society [1]. In the United States alone, there are an estimated 8,000 adults being diagnosed with IHCC every year, with a five-year survival rate of 9% [2]. Chemotherapy options for the treatment of IHCC include systemic chemotherapy such as gemcitabine, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin. These medications carry a wide array of adverse factors that may warrant discontinuation due to the detriment to the well-being of the patient. Additionally, a broad field of therapy that may also be used, …

The Dual Delivery Of Y15 And Metformin In A Plga Scaffold For The Treatment Of Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer, Emily M. Jordan, Hannah Obregon, Arkene Levy, Sue Anne Chew

Research Symposium

Background: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality among women in the US. High mortality is linked to resistance to platinum compounds. Currently there is no treatment for platinum resistant ovarian cancer (OCpt). Platinum resistance shows increased activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Y15 is a FAK inhibitor and increases OCpt sensitivity to chemotherapy. Metformin induces apoptosis, has no increased cytotoxicity, and works synergistically with Y15 in OCpt cells. Biomaterial scaffolds deliver drugs locally, maximizing drug concentration and bioavailability while minimizing systemic toxicity. PLGA copolymer has excellent biocompatibility, versatility, and a tailorable degradation rate. The objective of …

Unlocking The Potential Of Kinase Targets In Cancer: Insights From Canceromicsnet, An Ai-Driven Approach To Drug Response Prediction In Cancer, Manali Singha, Limeng Pu, Gopal Srivastava, Xialong Ni, Brent A. Stanfield, Ifeanyi K. Uche, Paul J.F. Rider, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, J. Ramanujam, Michal Brylinski

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Deregulated protein kinases are crucial in promoting cancer cell proliferation and driving malignant cell signaling. Although these kinases are essential targets for cancer therapy due to their involvement in cell development and proliferation, only a small part of the human kinome has been targeted by drugs. A comprehensive scoring system is needed to evaluate and prioritize clinically relevant kinases. We recently developed CancerOmicsNet, an artificial intelligence model employing graph-based algorithms to predict the cancer cell response to treatment with kinase inhibitors. The performance of this approach has been evaluated in large-scale benchmarking calculations, followed by the experimental validation of selected …

Cancer Cell-Specific Cgas/Sting Signaling Pathway In The Era Of Advancing Cancer Cell Biology, Vijay Kumar, Caitlin Bauer, John H. Stewart

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) are critical to recognizing endogenous and exogenous threats to mount a protective proinflammatory innate immune response. PRRs may be located on the outer cell membrane, cytosol, and nucleus. The cGAS/STING signaling pathway is a cytosolic PRR system. Notably, cGAS is also present in the nucleus. The cGAS-mediated recognition of cytosolic dsDNA and its cleavage into cGAMP activates STING. Furthermore, STING activation through its downstream signaling triggers different interferon-stimulating genes (ISGs), initiating the release of type 1 interferons (IFNs) and NF-κB-mediated release of proinflammatory cytokines and molecules. Activating cGAS/STING generates type 1 IFN, which may prevent cellular transformation …

Targeting Cgas/Sting Signaling-Mediated Myeloid Immune Cell Dysfunction In Time, Vijay Kumar, Caitlin Bauer, John H. Stewart

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Myeloid immune cells (MICs) are potent innate immune cells serving as first responders to invading pathogens and internal changes to cellular homeostasis. Cancer is a stage of altered cellular homeostasis that can originate in response to different pathogens, chemical carcinogens, and internal genetic/epigenetic changes. MICs express several pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on their membranes, cytosol, and organelles, recognizing systemic, tissue, and organ-specific altered homeostasis. cGAS/STING signaling is a cytosolic PRR system for identifying cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in a sequence-independent but size-dependent manner. The longer the cytosolic dsDNA size, the stronger the cGAS/STING signaling activation with increased type 1 interferon …

The Effects Of Radiation On Cancer Stem Cells In Glioblastoma And Ovarian Cancer, Aaron Keniston

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are some of the most aggressive forms of cancer with poor patient survival. Despite successful cancer therapies, these malignancies have high recurrence rates which can be attributed to cancer stem cells (CSC) due to innate tumor initiating properties. In this study, we investigated the response of CSC populations to proton and photon radiation by quantification of core stem cell transcription factors Sox2 and Oct4. This was carried out utilizing a Sox2/Oct4 green fluorescent protein based reporter designated as SORE6-GFP measured by flow cytometry. We hypothesize that proton and photon irradiation …

Nutritional Management: Head And Neck Cancer, Christina Eagle

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

Nutritional management in head and neck cancer patients will help to promote treatment compliance and reduction of treatment-related co-morbidities.

Understanding Cancer Patients' Desire To Quit Tobacco Without Assistance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study, Tia Borger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Introduction: Unassisted attempts to quit tobacco are a well-established reason for quit failure. Nonetheless, many cancer patients prefer to make a quit attempt without using evidence-based tobacco treatment. This study aimed to understand the rationale that underlies cancer patients’ desire to quit tobacco without assistance and to track longitudinally the smoking cessation outcomes of patients with this preference. Method: In a mixed-methods, longitudinal study, 35 cancer patients who were current tobacco users and declined tobacco treatment because of the desire to quit on their own provided data via three questionnaires and 1-2 semi-structured interviews across 60 days. Participants were recruited …

Identification Of Novel Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Encoding For Polyketide/Nrps-Producing Chemotherapeutic Compounds From Marine-Derived Streptomyces Hygroscopicus From A Marine Sanctuary, Hannah Ruth Flaherty

Honors Theses and Capstones

Nearly one out of six deaths in 2020, around ten million people, were caused by cancer, making it a leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2022). This major public health issue, in addition to the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, provides a high demand for the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs to be used clinically to treat these conditions. The Streptomyces genus accounts to produce 39% of all microbial metabolites currently approved for human health, indicating its potential as an important species to study for antimicrobial and anticancer agents. The long linear genome of Streptomyces contains specialized sequences known as …

Nurse-Led Education On Oral Chemotherapy Medications, Carmen Lucia Glick Alonso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in the United States. Annually, around 264,000 breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women and 2,400 in men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of a woman in the United States being diagnosed with breast cancer in their life is around 13% (2022).

Context: Along with a cancer diagnosis comes the need to introduce patient education about new oral chemotherapy treatments. As a treatment team member, the oncology nurse plays a vital role in this …

Indwelling Pleural Catheterization Maximizes Functionality And Quality Of Life In Management Of Recurrent Malignant Pleural Effusions, Avinash Ramkissoon

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report using:

Davies HE, Mishra EK, Kahan BC, et al. Effect of an indwelling pleural catheter vs chest tube and talc pleurodesis for relieving dyspnea in patients with malignant pleural effusion: The TIME2 randomized controlled trial. J Am Med Assoc. 2012;307(22):2383-2389. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.5535

for the management of recurrent malignant pleural effusions in a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Human Papillomavirus 16 E2 Regulates Host Cell Pathways Important For Cancer Progression And Treatment Sensitivity Which May Contribute To Cancer Outcomes, Christian Fontan

Theses and Dissertations

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are causative agents in around 5% of all cancers, including cervical and oropharyngeal. A feature of HPV cancers is their better clinical outcome compared with non-HPV anatomical counterparts. In turn, the presence of E2 predicts a better clinical outcome in HPV-positive cancers; the reason(s) for the better outcome of E2-positive patients is not fully understood.

Previously, we demonstrated that HPV16 E2 regulates host gene transcription that is relevant to the HPV16 lifecycle in N/Tert-1 cells. One of the genes repressed by E2 and the entire HPV16 genome in N/Tert-1 cells is TWIST1. In these studies, we demonstrate …

Differentiating The Mechanistic Role And Chemotherapeutic Potential Of Src And Podoplanin In Oncogenic Transformation, Edward P. Retzbach

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

There were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2020, resulting in nearly 1000 deaths per hour [1]. Oral cancer exemplifies the difficulties of treating cancer patients. The first line for oral cancer treatment is surgery and radiation that can lead to patient disfigurement and decreased quality of life in cancer survivors [2-4]. Though there have been many developments in chemotherapy in the last 30 years, the 50% mortality rate associated with oral cancer has not changed [4, 5]. Longitudinal studies that track survival rates in oral cancer patients demonstrate a 3-fold reduction in patient deaths when patients …

Incidence Of Cancer And Stage At Diagnosis Among People With Recent-Onset Psychotic Disorders, Jared C. Wootten

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Evidence on cancer incidence in people with psychotic disorders, compared to the general population, is equivocal, although those with psychotic disorders so have more advanced stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis. The objective of this thesis was to compare cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis for people with psychotic disorders, relative to the general population. Our systematic review did not observe a significant difference in overall cancer incidence among people diagnosed with psychotic disorders (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.16), however people with psychotic disorders were more likely to be present with advanced stage cancer at …

Use Of Small Molecule Fanconi Anemia Pathway Inhibitors As Sensitizing Agents To Laromustine., Sam W. Marchant

Honors Theses

Laromustine is an experimental chemotherapeutic sulfonyl hydrazine prodrug shown in clinical trials to be effective against acute myeloid leukemia. The mechanism of action of laromustine involves interstrand crosslinking, via chloroethylation, and enzyme inhibition, caused by carbamoylation. The work described herein aims to investigate whether inhibition of the replication-dependent interstrand crosslink repair Fanconi Anemia pathway further sensitizes cells to laromustine. By measuring metabolic activity immediately after drug exposure, we find laromustine to be equally as cytotoxic towards Fanconi Anemia deficient and wild type cells. However, through clonogenic assays we show Fanconi Anemia mutations sensitize cells to laromustine’s anti-proliferative effect. Furthermore, we …

Community Health Interventions To Reduce The Burden Of Radon-Related Lung Cancer, Benjamin Weaver

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. One in seven homes in Vermont has elevated levels of radon, but most patients are unaware of radon as a risk factor for lung cancer or that radon testing and mitigation services are available to them. To promote increased testing and mitigation of radon we screened patients presenting to a Family Medicine practice in Vermont about whether they had had these services done in their home. We also developed a patient education resource for providers to give to patients who had more questions about radon …

Expanding The Capacity Of Rural Cancer Care With Teleoncology, Jason Semprini

Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy

Background: In the United States, 6 of the 25 leading causes of death stem from site-specific cancers, resulting in over 1.7 million deaths annually. Yet, this burden is not evenly distributed. While the incidence of cancer is significantly higher in urban areas, rural regions face higher rates of cancer mortality. Identifying the factors contributing rural cancer disparities can facilitate more effective and feasible policy solutions.’

Problem Definition: Rural Americans are geographically isolated from high-quality cancer services and face systemic barriers to NCI designated comprehensive cancer centers. Given this disparity, rural Americans have failed to fully realize the benefits of expanded …

How Can We Stop Cancer?, Joseph R. Current

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Cancer is a disease that humans have been struggling to combat for centuries. It originates from the accumulation of several mutations over the life of a cell that causes it to evade cell death and multiply rapidly. It can affect any tissue in the body and can spread to other parts of the body through metastasis. Cancer comes in numerous shapes and sizes with different levels of aggression, growth speeds, and health risks. Many treatments for cancer exist today, three of the most popular being surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, which can be used in combinations with other treatments to …

Data Analysis Of A National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes) To Identify The Relationship Between Obesity And Cancer, Reyhaneh A. Yazdi, Ramona Stone

Public Health Sciences Student Work

Introduction: Obesity and cancer independently are two important causes of death in the USA. A growing number of studies shows that these two chronic illnesses are related.

Objective: To examine the relationship of cancer and obesity using BMI and Waist Circumference (WC) as indicators using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset.

Method: NHANES (2013-2014) dataset was used to obtain information on BMI, Waist Circumference (WC), and cancer (presence or absence) among the participants. The prevalence of obesity and cancer was tested with Pearson λ^2 test and the relationship of these two with education (5 levels) was examined …

Genetic Relationships And Therapeutic Options For Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Hailie Shertzer

Senior Honors Theses

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of cancer among children and can be lethal to the adult population. Though 80% of patients with ALL reach complete remission after treatment, about 20% of those diagnosed fail to remain cancer-free. Genetic rearrangements are the hallmark of relapsed ALL, but the mechanism by which these rearrangements occur is still unclear. Recent research suggests these mutations may be detectable during initial diagnosis. If researchers are able to accurately assess the probability of relapse during diagnosis by analyzing the genome of the leukemic cells, the likelihood of administering effective therapy would increase. …

Rare Malignant Peritoneum Mesothelioma Masquerading With Respiratory Manifestation, Ravish Patel, Pratikkumar Vekaria, Devin Vaishnani, Johnnie Mao, Chandrika Raiyani, Marvin Vaishnani, Tejas Raiyani

Internal Medicine

Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the linings of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium. Pleural involvement is however most common. Malignant Peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a cancer developing in the lining of the peritoneum, which is extremely rare. Most MPM cases are caused by asbestos exposure. Common symptoms of MPM include abdominal distension, abdominal pain, swelling or tenderness and constipation or diarrhea, with most common being abdominal swelling. MPM is difficult to diagnose due to its vague, nonspecific symptoms.

Choking On Adenocarcinoma, Andre Sahakian Md, Rajesh Gulati Md

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Nivolumab Induced Myasthenia Gravis, Elizabeth Henderson Md, Imad Ikhawn Md, Dharti R. Patel Md, Monicka Felix

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Mediated Hypercalcemia As An Initial Presentation In A Patient With Undiagnosed B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma, Ranjit Banwait Md, Jawad Noor Md, Jing He Md, Xiaolong Liu Md, Liang Sun Md

Internal Medicine

In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma the findings of hypercalcemia as an initial presentation is extremely rare (<3% of cases). Here we report a 67 year-old man who presented with ST changes secondary to hypercalcemia in the setting of B-cell lymphoma.

The Role Of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 In The Metastasis Of Renal Cell Carcinoma, Jasper Lee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Over 30% of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) present with metastases, with median survival of 2 years. Kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) is a cell-surface glycoprotein expressed by >90% of RCC tumours. Preliminary data mined from The Cancer Genome Atlas RNA-sequencing database indicates that KIM-1 overexpression predicts overall survival in patients. Here we sought to determine if tumour KIM-1 plays a role in RCC cell extravasation and metastasis to the lungs. In vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis assays were performed to investigate the metastatic potential of KIM-1-expressing cells, and RNA-seq was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes between …