Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Medical Image Feature Extraction And Selection Based On Inception V3 And Gini Index For Cervical Cancer Cells Identification, Rachida Assawab, Mounir Ouzir, Badreddine Benyacoub, Abderrahim Electrochemical Sensor For Tenofovir Allati, Ismail El Moudden

Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise (RISE) Faculty Publications

Background: Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with 604,000 new cases annually. Early detection through cytological screening is critical, but manual interpretation suffers from high false negative rates and requires expert pathologists often unavailable in resource-limited settings.

Methods: We developed a novel hybrid framework combining InceptionV3-based deep feature extraction with Gini Index feature selection for automated cervical cancer cell classification. Using the Herlev dataset (917 Pap smear images: 242 normal, 675 abnormal), we extracted 2048 deep features and applied systematic feature selection to identify optimal discriminative subsets. Comprehensive clustering analysis (K-means, K-medoid, Fuzzy clustering) validated …

Brief Pulses Of High-Level Fluid Shear Stress Enhance Metastatic Potential And Rapidly Alter The Metabolism Of Cancer Cells, Amanda N. Pope, Devon L. Moose, Guy O. Hudson, Hank R. Weresh, Marion R. Dykstra, Aabha Y. Joshi, Patrick Breheny, Eric B. Taylor, Michael D. Henry

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) face challenges to their survival, including mechanical and oxidative stresses that are different from cancer cells in solid primary and metastatic tumors. The impact of adaptations to the fluid microenvironment of the circulation on the outcome of the metastatic cascade is not well understood. Here, we find that cancer cells exposed to brief pulses of high-level fluid shear stress (FSS) exhibit enhanced invasiveness and anchorage-independent proliferation in vitro and enhanced metastatic colonization/tumor formation in vivo. Cancer cells exposed to FSS rapidly alter their metabolism in a manner that promotes survival by providing energy for cytoskeletal remodeling …

A Case Of Post-Transplantation Lymphoproliferative Disorder Following Kidney Transplantation, Punam Raval, John Odhiambo, Hanika Patel, Ahmed Sokwala

Internal Medicine, East Africa

This was a case of a 65-year-old gentleman known to have diabetes mellitus and hypertension since 2012 and post renal transplantation in 2016. He had also been treated for hepatitis C infection in the past. His regular medications included nebivolol 5 mg once a day, tacrolimus 4 mg twice a day, mycophenolate mofetil 500 mg twice a day, prednisolone 5 mg once a day, and insulin–novomix 14 units in the morning and 6 units at night. He presented to a tertiary teaching hospital in Kenya in October 2023 with abdominal pain, vomiting, and constipation on and off for 6 months, …

Investigating The Role Of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine For Cancer Symptom Management In Older Adults: A Rapid Review, Isabelle C. Karshner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Patients with cancer often experience symptoms related to disease, complications, and treatment. One potential method of alleviating these symptoms is traditional Chinese herbal medications (TCHM). This rapid review explores the role of traditional Chinese herbal medications in treating cancer-related symptoms in older adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this rapid review is to gain and provide a better understanding of the effects of TCHM on cancer-symptom management in the older adult population. This review explores the association between TCHM and effects on cancer symptoms in older adults, including interactions, toxicity, and signs/symptoms of TCHM use that may be useful information …

Photobiomodulation Mitigates The Inhibitory Effects Of Pirfenidone On Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts And Their Pro-Tumorigenic Properties: A Cause For Concern, Nima Rastegar-Pouyani, Alireza Nasirpour, Fatemeh Javani Jouni, Hossein Vazini, Ahmad Moshaii

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumor microenvironment highly contribute to cancer progression and poor prognosis. Recent findings introduce pirfenidone, a medication for pulmonary fibrosis, as a promising repurposed candidate for inhibiting CAFs. Moreover, photobiomodulation (PBM), or low-level laser therapy, has surfaced as a potential modality against cancer; however, its impact on CAFs is not thoroughly comprehended. The present study scrutinized the effects of PBM, pirfenidone, and PBM+pirfenidone on CAFs, and their consequent impact on cancer cells using the CAF-conditioned media. After treating CAFs with PBM at wavelengths 660 and 980 nm with/without PFD and then culturing cancer cells in the …

Implementation Of Tg-351 Reference Dosimetry For A 6 Mv Photon Beam In An Mr-Guided Radiotherapy System, Nicholas A. Castellano Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiation therapy to enable the visualization of anatomy in real time during treatment. The presence of a magnetic field in MRgRT affects charged particle radiation and detector responses, necessitating changes to traditional reference dosimetry procedures. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 351 (TG-351) provides a formalism for reference dosimetry in MRgRT. In this study, the TG 351 formalism is used to perform reference dosimetry for a 6 MV flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beam from a Viewray MRIdian MR-Linac radiation therapy system. Beam quality determination, …

Dietetic Guidance For Nutritional Management Of People With Phenylketonuria Receiving Sepiapterin, Anita Macdonald, Kirsten Ahring, Alexa Bledsoe, Hiroki Fujimoto, Sara Giorda, Christian Kogelmann, Jessica Kopesky, Laura Nagy, Sara O'Neill, Alex Pinto, Soraia Poloni, Paige Roberts, Annemiek M J Van Wegberg, Suzanne Hollander

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/objectives: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism. If untreated, elevated blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels lead to neurological and behavioral impairments. Phe levels can be managed through a lifelong Phe-restricted diet; however, this can be challenging to maintain. Sepiapterin is an adjunct therapy for PKU that has shown efficacy in reducing blood Phe levels in both tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)-responsive and BH4-non-responsive people with PKU in clinical trials. Practical guidance is needed for dietitians and other healthcare professionals supporting the dietary management of people with PKU who are initiating or receiving sepiapterin.

Methods: A group of international dietitians participated …

Evaluating Novel Targeted Combination Therapies For Gastrointestinal Cancers, Joseph A. Goode

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers remain among the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with therapeutic resistance continuing to limit the effectiveness of current treatments. Three complementary studies were conducted to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities and evaluate novel combination strategies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and colorectal cancer (CRC).  First, dual inhibition of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling was investigated in PDAC models. A combination of targeted drug treatments reduced viability, clonogenic survival, migration, and suppressed signaling pathways involved in translational control. This supported a functional interaction between FGFR4 and PI3K-mTOR co-activation in …

The Two-Step Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Is Associated With Excellent Engraftment, Improved Survival And Low Nonrelapse Mortality In Patients With Myelofibrosis, Xia Bi, Shaik Rashid, Joanne Filicko-O'Hara, Joseph Van Galen, William O'Hara, John L. Wagner, Dolores Grosso, Neal Flomenberg, Usama Gergis

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Myelofibrosis is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder primarily affecting older adults, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only curative treatment option. However, HSCT for myelofibrosis presents significant challenges, including high nonrelapse mortality (NRM) and an increased risk of graft failure. In this 20-year retrospective study, we evaluated outcomes for 32 myelofibrosis patients who underwent HSCT at our institution, with particular focus on a two-step transplant approach designed to optimize T-cell dosing by separating the lymphoid and myeloid graft components, with cyclophosphamide administered after the lymphoid infusion and before infusion of CD34-selected stem cells. Eighteen patients underwent transplantation using …

Simulation Training In Radiation Oncology, Michael C. Schell, Andrew W. Beavis, Derek W. Brown, Michael Milano, Michael O'Neill, Yan Yu, Daniel C. Pavord, Peter Dunscombe

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Simulation training can be used in the design of new processes or, more commonly, to train and re-train healthcare personnel in standard processes. Simulation training is one avenue to making radiation oncology a high reliability health care intervention. In this paper, we explore the relevance of simulation training to the provision of high-quality and safe radiation oncology practice against the background of simulation training conducted in high reliability industries. The use of simulation training in healthcare, as well as specific examples in radiation oncology, is reviewed. An outline of the steps for developing a simulation training program is provided. Simulation …

Variation In Lung Cancer Risk Distribution By Race Across Modified Plcom2012 Risk Models Among Lung Cancer Screening Participants, Haley M. Evans, Rebecca Landy, Christine S. Shusted, Brooke Ruane, Eboni Anderson, Teresa Giamboy, Mary Mcmullen, Gregory C. Kane, Hee-Soon Juon, Julie Barta

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Cancer Survivor Preferences For Breast Cancer Follow-Up Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment, Sameera Senanayake, Sanjeewa Kularatna, Fiona Crawford-Williams, David Brain, Michelle Allen, Ruvini M. Hettiarachchi, Nicolas H. Hart, Bogda Koczwara, Carolyn Ee, Raymond J. Chan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: To identify the key attributes of breast cancer follow-up care models preferred by cancer survivors in Australia. Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to elicit preferences for attributes of breast cancer follow-up care. Respondents were presented with two hypothetical scenarios, known as choice sets, and asked to select a preference. Respondents were individuals living in Australia who were diagnosed with breast cancer within the past five years prior to survey completion and were recruited through the Breast Cancer Network of Australia and other community or consumer networks. Latent class modelling (LCM) approach under a random utility framework …

Gwas Meta-Analysis Provides New Insights Into Uveal Melanoma Risk, Matthew D’Mellow, Huanwei Wang, Jane M. Palmer, Kari Hemminki, Colleen M. Cebulla, Aaron B. Beasley, Nikolaos E. Bechrakis, Antonia L. Pritchard, Karin W. Wadt, Peter A. Johansson, Lenha Mobuchon, Samantha Barlow, Kelly Brooks, Timothy Beckman, Catherine M. Olsen, Sunil K. Warrier, Lindsey Byrne, Helen Kalirai, Colette Mustard, Nathan Ingold, Asta Försti, Timothy Isaacs

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: The aim of this research is to identify germline genetic variants that predispose to uveal melanoma (UM) using data from nine studies involving 5839 individuals with UM (3853 novel) and 349,863 healthy controls. Methods: Five novel UM genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed and included for meta-analysis with four previously published UM GWAS. A fixed-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) meta-analysis was performed by combining data from these nine UM case-control cohorts. A follow-up transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) was conducted to identify candidate target genes at UM risk loci. Genetic correlations with melanoma-related phenotypes were measured to elucidate UM’s genetic architecture. …

Investigation Of A Global Mouse Methylome Atlas Reveals Subtype-Specific Copy Number Alterations In Pediatric Cancer Models., Melanie Schoof, Tuyu Zheng, Martin Sill, Roland Imle, Alessia Cais, Lea Altendorf, Alicia Fürst, Nina Hofmann, Kati Ernst, Dominik Vonficht, Kenneth Chun-Ho Chan, Tim Holland-Letz, Andreas Postlmayr, Ryo Shiraishi, Wanchen Wang, Alaide Morcavallo, Michael Spohn, Carolin Göbel, Judith Niesen, Levke-Sophie Peter, Franck Bourdeaut, Zhi-Yan Han, Yanxin Pei, Najiba Murad, Fredrik J. Swartling, Jessica Taylor, Monika Yadav, Garrett R. Gibson, Richard J. Gilbertson, Matthias Dottermusch, Rajanya Roy, Kornelius Kerl, Rainer Glass, Jiying Cheng, Martin A. Horstmann, Gerrit Wolters-Eisfeld, Haotian Zhao, Dominik Sturm, Viveka Nand Yadav, Louis Chesler, Simon Haas, William A. Weiss, Paul A. Northcott, Lena M. Kutscher, Ana Guerreiro Stucklin, Olivier Ayrault, Julia E. Neumann, Daisuke Kawauchi, David T W Jones, Kristian Pajtler, Ana Banito, Stefan M. Pfister, Ulrich Schüller, Marc Zuckermann

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Copy number alterations (CNAs) are hallmarks of cancer, yet investigation of their oncogenic role has been hindered by technical limitations and missing model systems. Here we generated a genome-wide DNA methylation and CNA atlas of 106 genetic mouse models across 31 pediatric tumor types, including 18 new models for pediatric glioma. We demonstrated their epigenetic resemblance to human disease counterparts and identified entity-specific patterns of immune infiltration. We discovered that mouse tumors harbor highly recurrent CNA signatures that occur distinctly based on the tumor subgroup and driving oncogene and showed that these CNAs share syntenic regions with the matching human …

Utilization Of Psa Testing For Prostate Cancer Screening Among Patients At A Resident-Run Outreach Clinic In Charleston, South Carolina, Usa From 2020-2025: A Retrospective Analysis, Matthew Eximond, Nick Mullins, Arpit Arora, Sirin Khajaviyan, Chris Fecek

South Atlantic Division GME Research Days 2026

No abstract provided.

Healthcare Provider Perspectives On A Clinical Decision Tool To Support Individualized Exercise Prescriptions And Discussions For Breast Cancer Survivors, Jinani Jayasekera, Oliver W. A. Wilson, Kaitlyn M. Wojcik, Eleanor M. Kerr, Rachelle Brick, David Berrigan, Jennifer Yeong-Shin Sheng, Takeo Fujii, Kathleen Thomas, Henri K. Parson, Padma Sheila Rajagopal, Richard L. Street Jr.

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: We evaluated healthcare providers' current knowledge, practices, and perspectives on a novel clinical decision tool (beta-version) to facilitate individualized exercise prescriptions and discussions in clinical settings.

Methods: We recruited healthcare providers who had treated or provided care to breast cancer survivors aged >= 35-years in the past 12 months. The participants were presented with a tool to provide individualized exercise recommendations considering women's individual, clinical, and contextual characteristics. Validated and reliable pre-existing instruments were used to survey providers' current knowledge, practices regarding exercise discussions, and perspectives on the beta-version (paper-draft) of the novel tool.

Results: The sample consisted of …

Transvascular Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspirations (Ebus-Tbna) To Confirm Urothelial Carcinoma Metastasis To The Pulmonary Artery, Kyle Admire, Stephen Gegick

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Tumours within the pulmonary arteries provide a diagnostic challenge due to their similar appearance to pulmonary emboli. Often, the decision to sample is multidisciplinary and the best approach to take is often unknown. Here we describe a case of urothelial carcinoma which metastasised to the mediastinum with evidence of tumour burden within the pulmonary artery. Sampling of this by endovascular and thoracoscopic means was unsuccessful; however, we were able to provide a diagnosis using direct visualization with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). This report is the first of a central pulmonary artery tumour caused by urothelial carcinoma biopsied by …

Antibody-Drug Conjugates Beyond Her2 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc): Mechanisms, Emerging Targets, And Future Directions, Ahmed Ismail, Akash Desai, George R. Simon, Yanis Boumber

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are a rapidly evolving class of oncology therapeutics that enable precise delivery of potent cytotoxic agents to tumor cells while minimizing systemic toxicity. While HER2-targeted ADCs such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in HER2-mutant, Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-Dxd) in EGFR-mutant, and telisotumumab vedotin (Teliso-V) in MET IHC 3+ expressing lung cancer have already established a clinical role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), multiple ADCs targeting alternative antigens, including additional TROP2 ADCs, HER3, MET, CEACAM5, B7-H3, Nectin-4, and others, are now in advanced clinical development. This review synthesizes the current evidence for non-HER2 ADCs in NSCLC, highlighting mechanisms of …

Enlarging Fingertip Nodule Mimicking A Pyogenic Granuloma In A Man In His 60'S, Avery H. Seward, Jocelyn H. Larocque, Stephen M. Hughes

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

[Case presentation] A man in his 60's with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and resected colon cancer in remission presented with a 4-month history of an enlarging nodule on the right fourth fingertip. The patient recalled having a splinter removed from the same site a few weeks prior to the development of the lesion. The lesion was initially diagnosed by an orthopaedist as a pyogenic granuloma (Figure 1a), and the patient was advised to apply table salt to the area several times daily. However, the lesion continued to enlarge over 3 months with occasional bleeding and mild tenderness. Physical examination …

An Analysis Of Heart Failure Among Cancer Patients In The United States Between 1999 And 2020, Abes A. Bautista Neughebauer, Deepak Talreja, Apostolos Gaitanidis

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Cancer and heart failure (HF) are highly prevalent in the population and can co-exist, due to shared risk factors and an aging population. The HF-related mortality burden in cancer patients across in the United States (US) remains poorly understood. The goal of this study is to evaluate the patterns of HF-related deaths among cancer patients in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER Multiple Cause of Death database between years 1999 and 2020. HF-related deaths were defined as death certificates listing HF as a contributing cause of …

Microfluidic Encapsulation Of Sorafenib-Loaded Zif-8 Nanoparticles In Ph-Responsive Alginate Microparticles For Oral Chemotherapy Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Mojdeh Mirshafiei, Zahra Mahmoudi, Mehdi Mehrpouya, Mahdi Mahmoudi, Masoud Rezaeian, Mona Navaei-Nigjeh, Zahra Katoli, Lobat Tayebi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Sorafenib is the current first-line oral therapy; however, its therapeutic efficacy is limited by poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, and gastrointestinal instability. This study aimed to develop a pH-responsive nano-in-microparticle delivery system using a single-step droplet-based microfluidic process to protect sorafenib in the gastric environment and achieve controlled release for enhanced oral chemotherapy. Sorafenib-loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles (SZ NPs) were synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), exhibiting a mean diameter of about 72 nm and …

The Effects Of Measurement Errors On Minimum Ablative Margins After Thermal Ablation Of Liver Tumors: A Simulation Study, Iwan Paolucci, Jessica Albuquerque, Noreen S Siddiqi, A Kyle Jones, Kristy K Brock, Bruno C Odisio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To develop a mathematical framework to estimate the in silico A0 threshold based on the technical specifications of a specific ablation confirmation software package for thermal ablation of liver tumors that can then be used to identify the impact of different sources of error.

Methods: To estimate in silico A0 thresholds, we developed a simulation framework incorporating technical parameters and biological effects. Technical parameters were segmentation error, registration error, and slice thickness, and biological effects were tissue shrinkage and microscopic satellite lesions; these parameters and effects were all modeled using statistical distributions. For each permutation of parameters, a logistic …

Dosimetric Effect Of Abdominal Compression In Online Adaptive Planning For Abdominal Cancers Treated With A 15 Tesla Magnetic Resonance-Guided Linear Accelerator, Moghadaseh Khaleghibizaki, Angela Sobremonte, Luis Perles, Surendra Prajapati, Ergys Subashi, Yao Ding, Kristy Brock, Roya Barati, Eugene Koay, Chad Tang, Jinzhong Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Compression belts (CBs) are sometimes used to reduce respiratory motion during stereotactic body radiotherapy of abdominal cancers with magnetic resonance (MR)-guided online adaptive planning. This study evaluated the dosimetric effects of overriding the relative electron density (ED) value of CBs in creating synthetic computed tomography (CT) scans for MR-guided adaptive planning. We evaluated plans for 12 patients with abdominal cancer and identified that ED values between 0.2 and 0.3 achieved the best approximation of CB ED in dose calculation. Our study presented an approach to estimate appropriate ED overrides for CBs in MR-guided online adaptive planning.

Association Between Three-Dimensional Margin Assessment And Local Tumor Control In Percutaneous Lung Cryoablation Of Colorectal Metastases, Frank Mohn, Koustav Pal, Caleb O'Connor, Iwan Paolucci, Austin Castelo, Kamran Ahrar, Steven Yevich, Joshua D Kuban, Bruno C Odisio, Alda Lui Tam, Rahul A Sheth, Kristy K Brock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose

To evaluate the association of two minimum ablation margin (MAM) estimation methods: manual three-dimensional segmentation and biomechanical deformable image registration (DIR) with local tumor progression-free survival (LTPFS) after percutaneous lung cryoablation of colorectal pulmonary metastases.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective single-institution study included patients who underwent percutaneous lung cryoablation between May 2012 and March 2023 (median follow-up, 3.6 years; range, 0.8–9.6 years). Manual three-dimensional MAM was calculated for all tumors, and DIR-based MAM was estimated in a subset with intraprocedural full-thorax imaging. Cox proportional hazards regression assessed associations between MAM and LTPFS. The primary outcome was 2-year LTPFS, with …

Ai-Powered Immune Cell Knowledge Graph (Ickg) With Granular Immune Contexts Enables Immune Program Interpretation, Shan He, Yukun Tan, Qing Ye, Matthew M Gubin, Merve Dede, Hind Rafei, Weiyi Peng, Katayoun Rezvani, Vakul Mohanty, Ken Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The widespread application of single-cell and spatial omics to models and patient samples has transformed immune cell profiling across physiological conditions. However, knowledge of immune cell states, functions, and gene regulation remains fragmented across publications, limiting our ability to synthesize insights and derive mechanistic understanding from the literature. To address this gap and facilitate literature integration, we constructed Immune Cell Knowledge Graphs (ICKGs)-four cell type-specific graphs derived from over 24,000 cancer immunotherapy-focused PubMed abstracts using large language models (LLMs) with "human verifiable" validation. Unlike conventional databases, which provide context-agnostic pathways, ICKGs capture directed, literature-supported relationships among genes, pathways and immune …

Outcomes Of Patients With Melanoma Brain Metastases Treated With Ipilimumab And Nivolumab With Or Without Upfront Comprehensive Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Troy J Kleber, Denái R Milton, Subhiksha Srinivasan, Bikash Panthi, Warren Floyd, Eric A Goethe, Michael A Davies, Hussein A Tawbi, Isabella C Glitza Oliva, Diana Kaya, Jing Li, Todd A Swanson, Subha Perni, Martin C Tom, Chenyang Wang, Sujit Prabhu, Jeffrey S Weinberg, Ian E Mccutcheon, Caroline Chung, Sherise D Ferguson, Thomas H Beckham

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The efficacy of ipilimumab and nivolumab (ipi/nivo) for melanoma brain metastases (MBMs) has been previously reported, leading to uncertainty regarding the optimal role of comprehensive stereotactic radiosurgery (cSRS). We therefore conducted a single-institution retrospective study to compare outcomes of upfront versus deferred cSRS for MBM treated with ipi/nivo.

Methods: We identified patients who started ipi/nivo for newly diagnosed MBMs between 2018 and 2023, with or without upfront cSRS. Patients with >15 MBMs, leptomeningeal disease, or whole-brain radiotherapy at baseline were excluded. Outcomes were compared using multivariable regression and reported as adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% CIs.

Results: Of …

Reply To: Late Nonrelapse Mortality: A Hidden Risk In Triplet Therapy For Idh-Mutated Aml?, Jennifer Marvin-Peek, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Test-Retest Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Reproducibility In Head And Neck Cancer Using A 15-T Mr-Linac, Brigid A Mcdonald, Dina El-Habashy, Renjie He, Sam Mulder, Sarah Mirbahaeddin, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Sara Ahmed, Yao Ding, Jihong Wang, Stephen Y Lai, Alex Dresner, John Christodouleas, Clifton D Fuller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose

To evaluate the reproducibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a 1.5-T MR-linac (MRI-guided linear accelerator) system.

Materials and Methods

In this retrospective study, conducted between February 2021 and January 2024, patients with HNSCC lesions underwent echo-planar imaging diffusion-weighted MRI on a 1.5-T MR-linac system at two time points before the start of radiation therapy. Mean and median ADC values and volumes were measured for each lesion. Absolute and percent reproducibility coefficients (RCs) were calculated. Linear regression analyses and F tests were performed to determine whether the lesion volume or …

Perspective: Radiotherapy And Body Composition: Unmet Needs In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Alexia J Murphy-Alford, Aaron J Grossberg, Vickie E Baracos, Maha Barbar, Judy Bauer, Jonathan P Bennett, Elena Fidarova, Clifton D Fuller, Anastassia Löser, Amy C Moreno, Anurima Patra, Deepa Puttaswamy, David I Rosenthal, Judy Schoeman, Yavuz Anacak

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Radiotherapy plays a vital role in cancer treatment, yet its effects on patients' nutritional status can precipitate muscle loss, with significant implications for treatment tolerance and outcomes. Evidence from high-income countries increasingly links radiation-induced muscle loss to adverse clinical outcomes. In contrast, low- and middle-income countries face a stark evidence gap, despite the heightened vulnerability of cancer patients in these settings due to delayed diagnosis, limited access to care, and high rates of co-morbidities. This paper highlights the critical gaps in nutritional care for radiotherapy patients in low- and middle-income countries.

Metastasis-Directed Radiotherapy For Oligometastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Of The Bladder And Upper Tract, Patrick Carriere, Omar Alhalabi, Jianjun Gao, Amishi Shah, Sangeeta Goswami, Matthew Campbell, Ruitao Lin, Lauren Mayo, Osama Mohamad, Karen Hoffman, Henry Mok, Charmaigne Lozano, Ashish Kamat, Neema Navai, Kelly Bree, Byron Lee, Charles Guo, Michael Rooney, Chad Tang, Seungtaek Choi, Comron Hassanzadeh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) for oligometastatic cancer is utilized for genitourinary malignancies including prostate and kidney cancers. Clinical research on MDT for urothelial carcinoma (UC) remains sparse, especially as systemic therapy advances have improved outcomes.

Objective: We investigated the role of MDT, specifically radiotherapy, for patients with oligometastatic bladder or upper-tract UC.

Methods: Data were collated on patients with metastatic UC with 5 or fewer metastatic sites undergoing MDT with ablative radiotherapy with or without preceding systemic therapy during January 2016 to July 2024. Endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards analysis was conducted to …