Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Survey Of Physician Receptivity To Molecular Diagnostic Testing And Readiness To Act On Results For Early-Stage Colon Cancer Patients., Ronald E. Myers, Thomas Wolf, Phillip Shwae, Sarah E. Hegarty, Stephen C. Peiper, Scott A. Waldman

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We sought to assess physician interest in molecular prognosic testing for patients with early stage colon cancer, and identify factors associated with the likelihood of test adoption.

METHODS: We identified physicians who care for patients with early-stage (pN0) colon cancer patients, mailed them a survey, and analyzed survey responses to assess clinician receptivity to the use of a new molecular test (GUCY2C) that identifies patients at risk for recurrence, and clinician readiness to act on abnormal test results.

RESULTS: Of 104 eligible potential respondents, 41 completed and returned the survey. Among responding physicians, 56 % were receptive to using …

Skin Cancer: Be Kind To The Skin You Are In, Sara Beth Stevens

Student Brochures

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Mammogram And Pap Screenings Among Us Women, Sewuese Akuse, Koren Tate, Tiffany Addison, Tierra Drayton, Deborah Kanda, Kelly Sullivan

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The most common cancers among women are breast and cervical cancer. Although early detection of cancer has been shown to increase the likelihood of survival, many women are not screened for these cancers as often as practice guidelines recommend. The objective of this study was to examine the mammography and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screening practices among women within the United States, and to determine predictors of screening.

Methods: Data from the 2012 and 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used. The association between demographic predictors (age, marital status, education level, employment status, income, health insurance, and medical cost …

The Costs Of Cancer, Jamie Mosely

Honors Papers and Posters

This poster explores the relationship between more advanced cancer-fighting technologies and the increase in healthcare costs over the last several decades, and the socioeconomic impact this has for patients with less disposable income or no health insurance.

The Lived Experience Of Fathers With Advanced Cancer, Maria Mowassee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Historically, fathers have been neglected as a research population in the nursing and oncology literature. This was in relation to their role being viewed as a disciplinarian and breadwinner instead of a nurturer. Fast-forward to modern day society, their role has evolved into a more involved parent that is necessary for their child’s development and well-being. The literature has also evolved and in recent years, this population has been gaining recognition and it is of great importance to understand their role, perception, and concerns as it pertains to being involved fathers. Therefore, when considering fathers with advanced cancer when death …

Psychological Aspects Of Head And Neck Cancer, Katherine Rieke

Theses & Dissertations

Patients with head and neck cancer may be at increased risk for depression diagnosis when compared to other cancer sites, both before and after their cancer diagnosis. Behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers, including tobacco and alcohol use, may be indicative of depression before cancer diagnosis. Further, head and neck cancers and their treatments can cause serious morbidity among patients, including physical disfigurement and loss of function. Additionally, these cancers are often accompanied by social stigma, personal shame, and guilt. While there is a significant body of research examining depression in this cancer population, there are still several …

State Space Analysis Of Dominant Structures In Dynamic Social Systems, Jeremy B. Sato

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Many systems involving human relationships are modeled as dynamic systems, as diverse as urban population growth, diffusion of innovations, spread of viruses, and supply chain management. A fundamental assumption is that these systems contain variables which accumulate and deplete over time (people, innovation adoptions, infections, and orders), and whose dynamics are determined by societal rules and human decision making processes. These assumptions allow the system to be formally expressed by ordinary differential equations which are often nonlinear and contain multiple state variables and feedback loops. Analytical methods have been developed to identify the dominant feedback loops which primarily influence the …

Novel Ph-Sensitive Cyclic Peptides, Dhammika Weerakkody, Anna Moshnikova, Naglaa Salem El-Sayed, Ramona-Cosima Adochite, Gregory Slaybaugh, Jovana Golijanin, Rakesh Tiwari, Oleg A. Andreev, Keykavous Parang, Yana K. Reshetnyak

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A series of cyclic peptides containing a number of tryptophan (W) and glutamic acid (E) residues were synthesized and evaluated as pH-sensitive agents for targeting of acidic tissue and pH-dependent cytoplasmic delivery of molecules. Biophysical studies revealed the molecular mechanism of peptides action and localization within the lipid bilayer of the membrane at high and low pHs. The symmetric, c[(WE)4WC], and asymmetric, c[E4W5C], cyclic peptides translocated amanitin, a polar cargo molecule of similar size, across the lipid bilayer and induced cell death in a pH- and concentration-dependent manner. Fluorescently-labelled peptides were evaluated for targeting of acidic 4T1 mammary tumors in …

Case Study Of Persons With Cancer Participating In A Community-Based Exercise Program: An Exploration Of Meaning And Change, Barbara K. Haas, Melinda Hermanns, Christina Melin-Johansson

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, research supports the importance of incorporating exercise into the cancer care paradigm. While quantitative studies have substantiated the significant effects of exercise on physical functioning, the individual’s perspective of participating in an exercise program has rarely been considered. The purpose of this study was to explain the impact of a community based exercise program on the lives of persons with cancer and their caregivers. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, a single explanatory case study with multiple embedded units of analyses was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 10 individuals representing participants with cancer, their caregivers, and health care providers. …

Case Study Of Persons With Cancer Participating In A Community-Based Exercise Program: An Exploration Of Meaning And Change, Barbara K. Haas, Melinda Hermanns, Christina Melin-Johansson

The Qualitative Report

Increasingly, research supports the importance of incorporating exercise into the cancer care paradigm. While quantitative studies have substantiated the significant effects of exercise on physical functioning, the individual’s perspective of participating in an exercise program has rarely been considered. The purpose of this study was to explain the impact of a community based exercise program on the lives of persons with cancer and their caregivers. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, a single explanatory case study with multiple embedded units of analyses was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 10 individuals representing participants with cancer, their caregivers, and health care providers. …

Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hypoxia is a common motif among tumors, contributing to metastasis, angiogenesis, cellular epigenetic abnormality, and resistance to cancer therapy. Hypoxia also plays a pivotal role in oncological studies, where it can be used as a principal target for new anti-cancer therapeutic methods. Oxygen nanobubbles were designed in an effort to target the hypoxic tumor regions, thus interrupting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) regulatory pathway and inhibiting tumor progression. At less than 100nm, oxygen nanobubbles act as a vehicle for site-specific oxygen delivery, while also serving as an ultrasound contrast agent for advanced imaging purposes. Through in vitro and in vivo studies, …

Case Study Of Persons With Cancer Participating In A Community-Based Exercise Program: An Exploration Of Meaning And Change, Barbara K. Haas, Melinda Hermanns, Christina Melin-Johanson

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, research supports the importance of incorporating exercise into the cancer care paradigm. While quantitative studies have substantiated the significant effects of exercise on physical functioning, the individual’s perspective of participating in an exercise program has rarely been considered. The purpose of this study was to explain the impact of a community based exercise program on the lives of persons with cancer and their caregivers. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, a single explanatory case study with multiple embedded units of analyses was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 10 individuals representing participants with cancer, their caregivers, and health care providers. …

The Roles Of Nuclear Receptor Nr4a1 In Cancer Cell Proliferation And Skeletal Muscle Differentiation, Alexa Farmer

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Nuclear receptors (NRs) constitute a major class of drug targets in the treatment of various cancer types. NRs respond to cellular signals and become activated upon ligand binding to transcriptionally modulate expression of target genes. NR4A1 (Nur77) is a member of the NR4A family of nuclear receptors and displays an oncogenic profile in many cancer models. It is often upregulated in adult solid malignancies and is known to promote cell proliferation and survival. Knockdown studies of NR4A1 in cancer cell lines results in decreased cell growth and angiogenesis and increased apoptosis, suggesting NR4A1 is an oncogenic protein. Due to the …

Life Balance In Adult Healthy Siblings Of Individuals With Childhood Cancer., Yolanda Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Siblings of children who were diagnosed with cancer in childhood experience significant stress and psychological difficulties as a result of the cancer. Furthermore, the needs of siblings have often been overlooked in the cancer literature, prompting the need for more studies. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the life balance and social support outcomes of adults who grew up in the household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer. The study sample consisted of 120 adult healthy siblings who grew up in a household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer prior to age 19. Participants …

The Discovery Of A Novel, Ras-Mediated Nore1a/Pmliv Tumor Suppressor Complex., Jessica Mezzanotte Sharpe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ras is the most commonly activated oncogene in human cancer. Activated Ras drives cell growth and proliferation by activating multiple mitogenic signaling pathways. However, Ras also has the paradoxical ability to promote anti-growth, pro-apoptotic, and pro-senescent signaling. The signaling pathways of many of these biological effectors remain poorly defined. One group of proteins capable of promoting Ras-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest is the RASSF family of tumor suppressors. Novel Ras Effector 1A, or NORE1A, was the first member of this family discovered and is a bona fide tumor suppressor that is lost or inactivated in a number of different …

Investigating The Roles Of Δnp63 As A Suppressor Of Migration, Invasion, And Metastasis, Ramon E. Flores Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and disease in the world. Considerable resources are spent to study and understand cancer, with the hope of developing new treatments and eventually cures that will help millions of people. Efforts to understand cancer are hindered by its inherent complexity and instability. Nonetheless, understanding the basics of tumor development and progression are the key to focused on studying the role of ΔNp63 in cancer, a p53 family member known to be involved in epithelial development, microRNA biogenesis, and stem cell maintenance. Using the strength of in vivo mouse models, we found …

Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone) Supplementation And Its Benefits In Cardiovascular Disease, Osteoporosis, And Cancer, Grant S. Buchanan, Md, Thomas Melvin, Brandon Merritt, Charles Bishop, Md, Franklin D. Shuler, Md, Phd

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Vitamin K is known to play an essential role in the coagulation cascade; however, a growing body of research has found that a subtype of this vitamin, vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) may have a beneficial effect in osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of recent literature regarding menaquinone and its role in human health. This review discusses the physiology of menaquinone, its clinical benefits in cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer, and how it may interact with certain medications. The authors conclude that menaquinone supplementation has been shown to improve carboxylation …

Chemotherapy Induced Neutropenia And Increased Risk For Sepsis, Megan E. Moore-Weber

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Available treatment options for patients diagnosed with cancer include surgery, the administration of chemotherapeutic agents, radiation therapy, or a combination of these modalities. Chemotherapeutic agents utilized to treat cancer have a variety of potential side effects. One of the most common and well known side effects associated with the administration of chemotherapeutic agents is neutropenia. Neutropenia places oncology patients at an increased risk of contracting infections which may lead to a life threatening complication known as sepsis. Sepsis is an extremely dangerous oncologic emergency requiring prompt medical treatment. Failure to recognize symptoms associated with sepsis in the neutropenic patient and …

Design Of Nanoparticle-Based Carriers For Targeted Drug Delivery, Xiaojiao Yu, Ian Trase, Muqing Ren, Kayla Duval, Xing Guo, Zi Chen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nanoparticles have shown promise as both drug delivery vehicles and direct antitumor systems, but they must be properly designed in order to maximize efficacy. Computational modeling is often used both to design new nanoparticles and to better understand existing ones. Modeled processes include the release of drugs at the tumor site and the physical interaction between the nanoparticle and cancer cells. In this paper, we provide an overview of three different targeted drug delivery methods (passive targeting, active targeting, and physical targeting) and compare methods of action, advantages, limitations, and the current stages of research. For the most commonly used …

Evaluation Of The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Human Papillomavirus-Associated Disease, Anastacia Maria Griego

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted infectious agents. They are responsible for >99% of all cervical cancers as well as subsets of other anogenital cancers. HPVs are also the causative agents of a growing number of head and neck cancers. As such, they present a significant health problem both in the U.S. and developing countries. Much is still unknown regarding the factors underlying progression from HPV infection to cancer or maintenance of viral oncoprotein expression following oncogenic transformation. Previous studies reported significant interplay between the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) pathway and HPV oncoproteins. HPV oncoproteins E5, E6, …

Re-Contacting Cancer Genetic Counseling Patients: Expectations Of Patients And Physicians, Zoe Elizabeth Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

The landscape of cancer genetic counseling and testing is rapidly evolving. Genetic testing technology is improving, management guidelines are evolving, and genetic testing options are expanding. These frequent updates to the components of cancer genetics have increased the complexity of managing patient care over time. In particular, this raises questions on the duty to re-contact patients as new information becomes available. This study explored healthcare providers’ duty to re-contact through the interests and expectations of patients, including which circumstances warrant re-contacting, which healthcare provider is responsible for re-contacting the patient, and the preferred method of re-contacting. Physicians’ opinions on whether …

Cell Cycle Arrest By Tgfß1 Is Dependent On The Inhibition Of Cmg Helicase Assembly And Activation, Brook Samuel Nepon-Sixt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tumorigenesis is a multifaceted set of events consisting of the deregulation of several cell-autonomous and tissue microenvironmental processes that ultimately leads to the acquisition of malignant disease. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) and its family members are regulatory cytokines that function to ensure proper organismal development and the maintenance of homeostasis by controlling cellular differentiation, proliferation, adhesion, and survival, as well as by modulating components of the cellular microenvironment and immune system. The pleiotropic control by TGFß of these cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors is intimately linked to the prevention of tumor formation, the specifics of which are dependent on …

Female Chromosome X Mosaicism Is Age-Related And Preferentially Affects The Inactivated X Chromosome, Mitchell J. Machiela, Weiyin Zhou, Eric Karlins, Joshua N. Sampson, Neal D. Freedman, Qi Yang, Belynda Hicks, Casey Dagnall, Christopher Hautman, Kevin B. Jacobs, Christian C. Abnet, Melinda C. Aldrich, Christopher Amos, Laufey T. Amundadottir, Alan A. Arslan, Laura E. Beane-Freeman, Sonja I. Berndt, Amanda Black, William J. Blot, Cathryn H. Bock, Paige M. Bracci, Louise A. Brinton, H Bas Bueno-De-Mesquita, Laurie Burdett, Julie E. Buring, Mary A. Butler, Federico Canzian, Tania Carreon, Kari G. Chaffee, I-Shou Chang, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Chu Chen, Constance Chen, Kexin Chen, Charles C. Chung, Linda S. Cook, Marta Crous Bou, Michael Cullen, Faith G. Davis, Immaculata De Vivo, Ti Ding, Jennifer Doherty

Dartmouth Scholarship

To investigate large structural clonal mosaicism of chromosome X, we analysed the SNP microarray intensity data of 38,303 women from cancer genome-wide association studies (20,878 cases and 17,425 controls) and detected 124 mosaic X events 4 2 Mb in 97 (0.25%) women. Here we show rates for X-chromosome mosaicism are four times higher than mean autosomal rates; X mosaic events more often include the entire chromosome and participants with X events more likely harbour autosomal mosaic events. X mosaicism frequency increases with age (0.11% in 50-year olds; 0.45% in 75-year olds), as reported for Y and autosomes. Methylation array analyses …

Mechanism Of Action And Applications Of Interleukin 24 In Immunotherapy, Leah Persaud, Dayenny De Jesus, Oliver Brannigan, Maria Richiez-Paredes, Jeannette Huaman, Giselle Alvarado, Linda Riker, Gissete Mendez, Jordan Dejoie, Moira Sauane

Publications and Research

Interleukin 24 (IL-24) is an important pleiotropic immunoregulatory cytokine, whose gene is located in human chromosome 1q32-33. IL-24’s signaling pathways have diverse biological functions related to cell differentiation, proliferation, development, apoptosis, and inflammation, placing it at the center of an active area of research. IL-24 is well known for its apoptotic effect in cancer cells while having no such effect on normal cells. IL-24 can also be secreted by both immune and non-immune cells. Downstream effects of IL-24, after binding to the IL-20 receptor, can occur dependently or independently of the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway, which is classically involved in …

Partner Interfering Behaviors Affecting Cancer Quality Of Life, Ann L. Coker, Diane R. Follingstad, Lisandra S. Garcia, Heather M. Bush

Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Publications

Objective: Because partners are an important and unpaid resource in cancer care, understanding how destructive, controlling or interfering partner behaviors influence women's cancer care may be particularly relevant for health care providers seeking to provide cancer care and enhance recovery. Using a new measure of partner interfering behaviors in cancer care (PIB-C), we investigated whether women with a recent cancer diagnosis who additionally endorsed any PIB-C would report (a) more symptoms of depression and stress, and (b) lower Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G) and lower Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-SP) scale scores indicating poorer quality of …

Investigating The Use Of Chloroquine As Antineoplastic Therapy, Catherine E. Herron, Alexandra E. Mason

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Chloroquine (CQ) is an oral lysosomotropic agent routinely used as an anti-malarial drug (Espina & Liotta, 2013). In recent years, it has been discovered that CQ also possesses anticancer effects, potentially due to the drug’s inhibition of autophagy (Kimura, Takabatake, Takahashi, & Isaka, 2012). Autophagy is a normal cellular pathway that allows for the degradation of cytoplasmic contents. In cancer cells autophagy can also serve as a pro-survival pathway under stressful metabolic conditions, ultimately promoting the survival of malignant cells (Sui et al., 2013). Therefore, in recent years CQ has been speculated as a potential antineoplastic therapy. When administered in …

Esophageal Diagnosis Of A Malignant Aspergilloma, Muneer Al Zoby, Nancy Munn,, Yousef Shweihat

Internal Medicine

A 59-year-old male patient developed a new 4 cm × 6 cm cavitary left upper lung lesion over a 2 months period. The patient had a prior history of a surgically resected Stage IA non-small cell lung cancer in the right upper lobe 3 years prior. He was treated for possible infection with radiographic improvement on subsequent imaging. Further imaging after 3 months revealed an oval soft tissue density within the cavity with air crescent sign. Bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies showed an acute and chronic granulomatous inflammation. Aspergillus fumigatus was noted on culture and voriconazole was initiated. Subsequent imaging showed …

Rural Disparities In Cancer Care: A Review Of Its Implications And Possible Interventions, Raj Singh, Lynne J. Goebel Md

Internal Medicine

Cancer care has greatly improved in the last few decades, as evidenced by a 22% decline in the overall cancer-related death rate in the United States since 1991. However, the question presents itself whether rural residents, for whom the latest advancements are not as accessible, are also realizing these benefits as much as their urban counterparts. The aim of this study is to provide are view of the literature regarding the disparities in cancer care facing rural Appalachia and specifically West Virginia (WV) as well as possible solutions towards bridging this gap. We find that WV has a higher cancer …

Immune Modulating Functions By Soypeptide Lunasin In Cancer Immunotherapy, Chun-Yu Tung

Open Access Dissertations

Chemotherapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for most cancer patients. Despite its efficacy in eliminating cancer cells, a high percentage of chemotherapy patients eventually relapse or suffer progression of the disease. Immunosurveillance is capable of recognizing and eliminating continuously arising transformed mutant cells, and thus cancer immunotherapy is one of the emerging therapeutic strategies that harnesses the power of the immune system to eradicate chemotherapy-resistant cancerous cells. However, the adverse side effects of chemotherapy impede the therapeutic effects of immunotherapy. Our previous studies demonstrate that lymphoma patients are refractory to clinical immunotherapy because of chemotherapy-induced immune dysfunction. In addition, …

Novel Oncogenic Drivers In Pediatric Gliomagenesis, Alexander K. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs), with a two-year survival rate of less than 20%, are some of the most aggressive human cancers. This dissertation begins with our analysis of 127 pHGGs, including brainstem (BS) and non-brainstem (NBS) tumors, from 118 patients using next-generation sequencing technologies. Nearly one-third of BS-HGGs, also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs), harbored somatic heterozygous missense mutations in ACVR1, coding for a receptor serine-threonine kinase involved in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. These alterations led to gain-of-function as evidenced by increased phosphorylation of downstream targets in primary astrocytes and zebrafish embryo ventralization. Whole-genome sequencing and …