Neurosurgery Commons^™

Advancing Cns Tumor Management: Novel Modalities In Surgery, Radiation, And Chemotherapy, Armin David Tavakkoli

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Most tumors affecting the brain and spine are managed through a combination of surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy; however, operative morbidity from invasive surgery, the narrow therapeutic window of conventional radiotherapy, and poor blood-brain barrier penetration of systemic agents are critical barriers that hinder long term tumor control. This thesis presents three complementary strategies to advance brain and spine tumor therapy. First, we investigate laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) in the treatment of spinal tumors with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression, replacing “separation surgery” with a minimally invasive, image-guided approach that maximizes tumor ablation while preserving neurologic function. Second, we …

Surgical Management Of A Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumor Causing Epidural Spinal Cord Compression And Transdural Intramedullary Invasion: Illustrative Case, Wesley Shoap, Kion Gregory, Jack A. Leoni, Gabriel C. Tender

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from local transdural invasion is an exceedingly rare event. Therefore, specific guidance on the timing, type, and extent of surgical intervention is lacking. OBSERVATIONS A 60-year-old male with a known pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor presented with 2 days of progressive lower extremity paraplegia rendering him nonambulatory. MRI demonstrated transpleural and paravertebral invasion by the mass with extension through the left T1–2 and T2–3 neural foramina causing significant epidural compression. There was also transdural invasion at T2 extending intramedullary to the C4 spinal level, with associated cord edema. He underwent posterior cervicothoracic laminectomy and fusion with transpedicular …

Advancing Novel Contrast Agents For Applications In Fluorescence-Guided Neurosurgery Using Fluorescence Cryotomography, Augustino Vittorio Scorzo

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) is an emerging surgical technique that aims to help surgeons identify tissue types to assist in surgical decision making - ideally providing “cut-by-color” guidance. A primary application for this approach is the identification of tumor tissue to achieve more accurate and complete tumor removal while simultaneously minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissue. The cornerstone of tumor visualization for FGS is the administration of fluorescent contrast agents, or in some cases metabolic precursors, designed to accumulate specifically in tumor tissue, and a wide range of agents that use different targeting mechanisms are currently under investigation. Although these …

Development And Validation Of A Clinical Risk Model For Postoperative Outcome In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Report Of The Rano Resect Group, Philipp Karschnia, Jacob S Young, Gilbert C Youssef, Antonio Dono, Levin Häni, Tommaso Sciortino, Francesco Bruno, Stephanie T Juenger, Nico Teske, Jorg Dietrich, Michael Weller, Michael A Vogelbaum, Martin Van Den Bent, Juergen Beck, Niklas Thon, Jasper K W Gerritsen, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Daniel P Cahill, Susan M Chang, Roberta Rudà, Lorenzo Bello, Oliver Schnell, Yoshua Esquenazi, Maximilian I Ruge, Stefan J Grau, Raymond Y Huang, Patrick Y Wen, Mitchel S Berger, Annette M Molinaro, Joerg-Christian Tonn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Following surgery, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma frequently enter clinical trials. Nuanced risk assessment is warranted to reduce imbalances between study arms. Here, we aimed (I) to analyze the interactive effects of residual tumor with clinical and molecular factors on outcome and (II) to define a postoperative risk assessment tool.

Methods: The response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) resect group retrospectively compiled an international, seven-center training cohort of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The combined associations of residual tumor with molecular or clinical factors and survival were analyzed, and recursive partitioning analysis was performed for risk modeling. The resulting model …

Accuracy Of Task-Based Electrocorticography Brain Mapping And Relationships With Postoperative Cognitive-Linguistic Changes Following Eloquent Glioma Resection, Kyle R. Noll, Israt Tasnim, Priscella Asman, Katherine Connelly, Chandra Swamy, Matthew Muir, Mathew Hall, Jeffrey Wefel, Sahil Bajaj, Giuseppe Pellizzer, Nuri F. Ince, Suji S. Prabhu

Cancer Survivorship Research Retreat

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 2025 Cancer Survivorship Research Retreat

Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis In A Young Patient With Colorectal Cancer: A Case Report, Zamanali Khakhar, Soraiya Manji, Rajiv Patel, Karishma Sharma, Sheila Waa, Sayed Karar

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) is a rare and fatal complication associated with various solid tumors and hematological malignancies. It presents significant diagnostic challenges due to its nonspecific symptoms and complex clinical course. This case report details the presentation, diagnosis, and implications of LMC in a 33-year-old male with a history of colorectal cancer (CRC) and hemicolectomy. The patient presented with nonspecific symptoms of headache and dizziness. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology revealed the presence of malignant cells, leading to the diagnosis of LMC secondary to CRC. The elusive and multifaceted nature of this condition highlights the necessity for increased clinical awareness and extensive …

Ras G-Domains Allosterically Contribute To The Recognition Of Lipid Headgroups And Acyl Chains, Neha Arora, Huanwen Mu, Hong Liang, Wenting Zhao, Yong Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mutant RAS are major contributors to cancer and signal primarily from nanoclusters on the plasma membrane (PM). Their C-terminal membrane anchors are main features of membrane association. However, the same RAS isoform bound to different guanine nucleotides spatially segregate. Different RAS nanoclusters all enrich a phospholipid, phosphatidylserine (PS). These findings suggest more complex membrane interactions. Our electron microscopy-spatial analysis shows that wild-types, G12V mutants, and membrane anchors of isoforms HRAS, KRAS4A, and KRAS4B prefer distinct PS species. Mechanistically, reorientation of KRAS4B G-domain exposes distinct residues, such as Arg 135 in orientation state 1 (OS1) and Arg 73/Arg 102 in OS2, …

Analysis Of Antibody Drug Conjugate On Cellular Senescent Human Glioblastoma, Ariel P. Walker, Renee Hirte, Cecile Riviere-Cazaux, Authur Warrington, Terry Burns

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive and malignant brain tumor known for its rapid progression and unfavorable prognosis. The standard treatment options primarily involve radiation and temozolomide, however recurrence is inevitable.

B7H3/CD276, an immunomodulatory transmembrane glycoprotein, demonstrates tumor-specific expression, with limited presence in normal healthy tissue, making it a promising and attractive treatment target in GBM. AbbV155 is an antibody drug conjugate that inhibits BCL-XL and specifically targets B7H3 (CD276) on GBM cells with the goal of selectively eliminating viable tumor cells.

Objectives: First, we sought to confirm the presence of B7H3/CD276 in our selected cell line via …

Experience With A Hybrid Recruitment Approach Of Patient-Facing Web Portal Screening And Subsequent Phone And Medical Record Review For A Neurosurgical Intervention Trial For Chronic Ischemic Stroke Disability (Pisces Iii), Brad J Kolls, Keith W Muir, Sean I Savitz, Lawrence R Wechsler, Julie G Pilitsis, Scott Rahimi, Richard L Beckman, Vincent Holmes, Peng R Chen, David S Albers, Daniel T Laskowitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Recruitment of participants is the greatest risk to completion of most clinical trials, with 20-40% of trials failing to reach the targeted enrollment. This is particularly true of trials of central nervous system (CNS) therapies such as intervention for chronic stroke. The PISCES III trial was an invasive trial of stereotactically guided intracerebral injection of CTX0E03, a fetal derived neural stem cell line, in patients with chronic disability due to ischemic stroke. We report on the experience using a novel hybrid recruitment approach of a patient-facing portal to self-identify and perform an initial screen for general trial eligibility (tier …

Translational Approaches To Address The Metastatic/Resistant (Mr) Phenotype Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Brain Metastases, Kent L. Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignant neoplasm shared in men and women worldwide, second only to the sexually dimorphic prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Overall, lung cancer was responsible for 12.5% of new cancer cases globally in the year 2022. Of these cases, 80-85% are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a highly genotypically diverse sub-type of lung cancer. Over the past three decades, extraordinary improvement in screening, smoking cessation, early diagnosis and targeted therapy have been made, improving NSCLC survival markedly. However, as patients are surviving their primary disease better, there is a temporal …

Genetic Loss Of Mir-205 Causes Increased Mammary Gland Development, Alessandra Cataldo, Douglas G Cheung, John P Hagan, Matteo Fassan, Sukhinder Sandhu-Deol, Carlo M Croce, Gianpiero Di Leva, Marilena V Iorio

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MiRNAs play crucial roles in a broad spectrum of biological processes, both physiological and pathological. Different reports implicate miR-205 in the control of breast stem cell properties. Differential miR-205 expression has been observed in different stages of mammary gland development and maturation. However, a functional role in this process has not been clearly demonstrated. We generated an miR-205 knockout in the FVB/N mouse strain, which is viable and characterized by enhanced mammary gland development. Indeed, mammary glands of miR-205

Women, Power, And Cancer: A Lancet Commission, Ophira Ginsburg, Verna Vanderpuye, Ann Marie Beddoe, Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy, Freddie Bray, Carlo Caduf, Narjust Florez, Ibtihal Fadhil, Nazik Hammad, Miriam Mutebi

General Surgery, East Africa

Women interact with cancer in complex ways, as healthy individuals participating in cancer prevention and screening activities, as individuals living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis, as caregivers for family members and friends, as patient advocates, as health workers and healthcare professionals, and as cancer researchers and policy makers. The topic of women and cancer spans broad terrain, beyond women’s cancers and the biomedical aspects of any type of cancer that women in all their diversities might experience. It is inclusive of the ways in which sex and gender influence exposures to cancer risk factors, interactions with the cancer health …

Unveiling The Potential Application Of Intraoperative Brain Smear For Brain Tumor Diagnosis In Low-Middle-Income Countries: A Comprehensive Systematic Review, Muhammad Shakir, Ahmed Altaf, Hawra Hussain, Syed Muhammad Aqeel Abidi, Zoey Petitt, Mahnoor Tariq, Ahmed Gilani, Syed Ather Enam

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Immediate intraoperative histopathological examination of tumor tissue is indispensable for a neurosurgeon to track surgical resection. A brain smear is a simple, rapid, and cost-effective technique, particularly important in the diagnosis of brain tumors. The study aims to determine the effectiveness of intraoperative brain smear in the diagnosis of brain tumors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), while also evaluating its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall accuracy.
Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The retrieved articles were independently screened by two reviewers. The …

Prognostic Evaluation Of Re-Resection For Recurrent Glioblastoma Using The Novel Rano Classification For Extent Of Resection: A Report Of The Rano Resect Group, Philipp Karschnia, Antonio Dono, Jacob S Young, Stephanie T Juenger, Nico Teske, Levin Häni, Tommaso Sciortino, Christine Y Mau, Francesco Bruno, Luis Nunez, Ramin A Morshed, Alexander F Haddad, Michael Weller, Martin Van Den Bent, Juergen Beck, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Annette M Molinaro, Nitin Tandon, Roberta Rudà, Michael A Vogelbaum, Lorenzo Bello, Oliver Schnell, Stefan J Grau, Susan M Chang, Mitchel S Berger, Yoshua Esquenazi, Joerg-Christian Tonn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The value of re-resection in recurrent glioblastoma remains controversial as a randomized trial that specifies intentional incomplete resection cannot be justified ethically. Here, we aimed to (1) explore the prognostic role of extent of re-resection using the previously proposed Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) classification (based upon residual contrast-enhancing (CE) and non-CE tumor), and to (2) define factors consolidating the surgical effects on outcome.

METHODS: The RANO resect group retrospectively compiled an 8-center cohort of patients with first recurrence from previously resected glioblastomas. The associations of re-resection and other clinical factors with outcome were analyzed. Propensity score-matched analyses were …

International Consensus Statement On Allergy And Rhinology: Sinonasal Tumors, Edward C. Kuan, Eric W. Wang, Nithin D. Adappa, Daniel M. Beswick, Nyall R. London, Shirley Y. Su, Marilene B. Wang, Waleed M. Abuzeid, Borislav Alexiev, Jeremiah A. Alt, Paolo Antognoni, Michelle Alonso-Basanta, Pete S. Batra, Mihir Bhayani, Diana Bell, Manuel Bernal-Sprekelsen, Christian S. Betz, Jean Yves Blay, Benjamin S. Bleier, Juliana Bonilla-Velez, Claudio Callejas, Ricardo L. Carrau, Roy R. Casiano, Paolo Castelnuovo, Rakesh K. Chandra, Vasileios Chatzinakis, Simon B. Chen, Alexander G. Chiu, Stephen C. Hernandez, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background; Sinonasal neoplasms, whether benign and malignant, pose a significant challenge to clinicians and represent a model area for multidisciplinary collaboration in order to optimize patient care. The International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology; Sinonasal Tumors (ICSNT) aims to summarize the best available evidence and presents 48 thematic and histopathology-based topics spanning the field. Methods; In accordance with prior International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology documents, ICSNT assigned each topic as an Evidence-Based Review with Recommendations, Evidence-Based Review, and Literature Review based on the level of evidence. An international group of multidisciplinary author teams were assembled for the …

Association Between Intraoperative Steroid And Postoperative Mortality In Patients Undergoing Craniotomy For Brain Tumor, Jialing He, Shuanghong He, Yu Zhang, Yixin Tian, Pengfei Hao, Tiangui Li, Yangchun Xiao, Liyuan Peng, Yuning Feng, Xin Cheng, Haidong Deng, Peng Wang, Weelic Chong, Yang Hai, Lvlin Chen, Chao You, Lu Jia, Dengkui Chen, Fang Fang

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of intraoperative steroids in various neurological surgeries to reduce cerebral edema and other adverse symptoms, there is sparse evidence in the literature for the optimal and safe usage of intraoperative steroid administration in patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors. We aimed to investigate the effects of intraoperative steroid administration on postoperative 30-day mortality in patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors.

METHODS: Adult patients who underwent craniotomy for brain tumors between January 2011 to January 2020 were included at West China Hospital, Sichuan University in this retrospective cohort study. Stratified analysis based on the type of …

An End-To-End In-Silico And In-Vitro Drug Repurposing Pipeline For Glioblastoma, Ko-Hong Lin, Jay-Jiguang Zhu, Judith A Smith, Yejin Kim, Xiaoqian Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Our study aims to address the challenges in drug development for glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer with poor prognosis. We propose a computational framework that utilizes machine learning-based propensity score matching to estimate counterfactual treatment effects and predict synergistic effects of drug combinations. Through our in-silico analysis, we identified promising drug candidates and drug combinations that warrant further investigation. To validate these computational findings, we conducted in-vitro experiments on two GBM cell lines, U87 and T98G. The experimental results demonstrated that some of the identified drugs and drug combinations indeed exhibit strong suppressive effects on GBM cell growth. Our …

Newly Diagnosed Papillary Craniopharyngioma With Braf V600e Mutation Treated With Single-Agent Selective Braf Inhibitor Dabrafenib: A Case Report, Mayank Rao, Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, Scott Shepard, Sigmund Hsu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We report a case of a patient with newly diagnosed, locally extensive and cystic, suprasellar papillary craniopharyngioma successfully treated with single-agent Dabrafenib. The patient was symptomatic with gait imbalance with falls, lethargic episodes, fatigue and incontinence. Diagnostic imaging demonstrated a cystic suprasellar tumor extending into the third ventricle causing obstructive hydrocephalus. The tumor was partially debulked, and bilateral shunts were placed. NGS sequencing demonstrated BRAF V600E mutation, and the patient was prescribed dual agent Dabrafenib and Trametinib. However, due to insurance denial for Trametinib, he only received single-agent Dabrafenib (150mg BID). The treatment resulted in a major response (over two …

Prognostic Validation Of A New Classification System For Extent Of Resection In Glioblastoma: A Report Of The Rano Resect Group, Philipp Karschnia, Jacob S Young, Antonio Dono, Levin Häni, Tommaso Sciortino, Francesco Bruno, Stephanie T Juenger, Nico Teske, Ramin A Morshed, Alexander F Haddad, Yalan Zhang, Sophia Stoecklein, Michael Weller, Michael A Vogelbaum, Juergen Beck, Nitin Tandon, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Annette M Molinaro, Roberta Rudà, Lorenzo Bello, Oliver Schnell, Yoshua Esquenazi, Maximilian I Ruge, Stefan J Grau, Mitchel S Berger, Susan M Chang, Martin Van Den Bent, Joerg-Christian Tonn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Terminology to describe extent of resection in glioblastoma is inconsistent across clinical trials. A surgical classification system was previously proposed based upon residual contrast-enhancing (CE) tumor. We aimed to (1) explore the prognostic utility of the classification system and (2) define how much removed non-CE tumor translates into a survival benefit.

METHODS: The international RANO resect group retrospectively searched previously compiled databases from 7 neuro-oncological centers in the USA and Europe for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma per WHO 2021 classification. Clinical and volumetric information from pre- and postoperative MRI were collected.

RESULTS: We collected 1,008 patients with newly …

Combining Physics-Based Models With Deep Learning Image Synthesis And Uncertainty In Intraoperative Cone-Beam Ct Of The Brain, Xiaoxuan Zhang, Alejandro Sisniega, Wojciech B Zbijewski, Junghoon Lee, Craig K Jones, Pengwei Wu, Runze Han, Ali Uneri, Prasad Vagdargi, Patrick A Helm, Mark Luciano, William S Anderson, Jeffrey H Siewerdsen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Image-guided neurosurgery requires high localization and registration accuracy to enable effective treatment and avoid complications. However, accurate neuronavigation based on preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) or computed tomography (CT) images is challenged by brain deformation occurring during the surgical intervention.

PURPOSE: To facilitate intraoperative visualization of brain tissues and deformable registration with preoperative images, a 3D deep learning (DL) reconstruction framework (termed DL-Recon) was proposed for improved intraoperative cone-beam CT (CBCT) image quality.

METHODS: The DL-Recon framework combines physics-based models with deep learning CT synthesis and leverages uncertainty information to promote robustness to unseen features. A 3D generative adversarial network …

Comparison Of Neurocognitive And Quality-Of-Life Outcomes In Pediatric Craniopharyngioma Patients Treated With Partial Resection And Radiotherapy Versus Gross-Total Resection Only, Guillermo Aldave, M Fatih Okcu, Murali Chintagumpala, Lucia Ruggieri, Charles G Minard, Fatema Malbari, Lisa E Mash, Arnold C Paulino, Susan Mcgovern, Uma Ramaswamy, William Whitehead, Lisa S Kahalley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The optimal management of pediatric craniopharyngioma patients remains controversial, shifting from radical resection (gross-total resection [GTR]) to a more conservative approach with partial resection/biopsy followed by radiotherapy (PR+RT). To the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have compared neurocognitive and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes between the two main treatments. In this study, the authors compared changes in intellectual, adaptive, and QOL scores in children treated for craniopharyngioma with GTR and those treated with PR+RT.

METHODS: Patients underwent annual neurocognitive and QOL evaluations for up to 10 years posttreatment, including the Full-Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Working …

Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (Tusc2): Discovery, Functions, And Cancer Therapy, Austin Arrigo, Angelina T Regua, Mariana K Najjar, Hui-Wen Lo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2) was first discovered as a potential tumor suppressor gene residing in the frequently deleted 3p21.3 chromosomal region. Since its discovery, TUSC2 has been found to play vital roles in normal immune function, and TUSC2 loss is associated with the development of autoimmune diseases as well as impaired responses within the innate immune system. TUSC2 also plays a vital role in regulating normal cellular mitochondrial calcium movement and homeostasis. Moreover, TUSC2 serves as an important factor in premature aging. In addition to TUSC2's normal cellular functions, TUSC2 has been studied as a tumor suppressor gene that …

Characterization Of Recurrence Patterns And Outcomes Of Medulloblastoma In Adults: The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center Experience, Timothy A Gregory, Maximilian Mastall, Heather Lin, Kenneth R Hess, Ying Yuan, Manuela Martin-Bejarano Garcia, Gregory N Fuller, Kristin D Alfaro, Maria K Gule-Monroe, Jason T Huse, Soumen Khatua, Ganesh Rao, David I Sandberg, Jeffrey S Wefel, Debra N Yeboa, Arnold C Paulino, Susan L Mcgovern, Wafik Zaky, Anita Mahajan, Dima Suki, Shiao-Pei Weathers, Rebecca A Harrison, John F De Groot, Vinay K Puduvalli, Marta Penas-Prado, Nazanin K Majd

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Medulloblastoma in adults is rare and treatment decisions are largely driven from pediatric literature. We sought to characterize recurrent medulloblastoma in adults.

METHODS: From a single-institution dataset of 200 adult patients diagnosed with medulloblastoma during 1978-2017, those with recurrence were analyzed for clinical features, treatment, and outcome.

RESULTS: Of the 200 patients, 82 (41%) with median age of 29 years (18-59) had recurrence after a median follow-up time of 8.4 years (95% CI = 7.1, 10.3). Of these, 30 (37%) were standard-risk, 31 (38%) were high-risk, and 21 (26%) had unknown-risk diseases at the time of initial diagnosis. Forty-eight …

The Brief Case: A New Feature In Journal Of Clinical Microbiology, Makayla M Bavis, Allison M Nicholas, Alexandria J Tobin, Sherri L Christian, Robert J Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The energy demand of breast cancers is in part met through the β-oxidation of exogenous fatty acids. Fatty acids may also be used to aid in cell signaling and toward the construction of new membranes for rapidly proliferating tumor cells. A significant quantity of fatty acids comes from the hydrolysis of lipoprotein triacylglycerols and phospholipids by lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The lipid obtained via LPL in the breast tumor microenvironment may thus promote breast tumor growth and development. In this hypothesis article, we introduce LPL, provide a meta-analysis of RNAseq data showing that LPL is associated with poor prognosis, and explain …

Phage Peptide Technology To Characterize Extracellular Vesicles In The Brain Tumors, Jadelynn Rudolf

Undergraduate Research Conference

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are lipid-bound containers derived from the endosomal membrane network or from the extracellular membrane of cells. They can carry proteins, lipids, miRNAs, and other molecules, and may be involved in intercellular communication via membrane-associated proteins. Glioblastomas (GBM) are aggressive cancers of the brain and spinal cord derived from astrocytes. Extracellular vesicles derived from glioblastomas can make their way through the blood brain barrier and find their way to different bodily fluids, and so could serve as biomarkers for this cancer. We have isolated phage-display peptides from a commercial library of random phage-displayed peptides that will bind glioblastoma …

Impact Of Timing To Initiate Adjuvant Therapy On Survival Of Elderly Glioblastoma Patients Using The Seer-Medicare And National Cancer Databases, Ping Zhu, Xianglin L Du, Lu-Yu Hwang, David Lairson, Ruosha Li, Yoshua Esquenazi, Jay-Jiguang Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The optimal time to initiate adjuvant therapy (AT) in elderly patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remains unclear. We investigated the impact of timing to start AT on overall survival (OS) using two national-scale datasets covering elderly GBM populations in the United States. A total of 3159 and 8161 eligible elderly GBM patients were derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked dataset (2004-2013) and the National Cancer Database (NCDB) (2004-2014), respectively. The intervals in days from the diagnosis to the initiation of AT were categorized based on two scenarios: Scenario I (quartiles), ≤ 15, 16-26, 27-37, and ≥ 38 …

Preoperative Tractography Algorithm For Safe Resection Of Tumors Located In The Descending Motor Pathways Zone, Edgar G Ordonez-Rubiano, Jason M Johnson, Nadin Abdalá-Vargas, Oscar F Zorro, Jorge H Marin-Munoz, Ricardo Álvarez-Tobián, Valeria Forlizzi, Carlos Castillo Rangel, Sabino Luzzi, Alvaro Campero, Javier G Patiño-Gómez, Matias Baldoncini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography facilitates maximal safe resection and optimizes planning to avoid injury during subcortical dissection along descending motor pathways (DMPs). We provide an affordable, safe, and timely algorithm for preoperative DTI motor reconstruction for gliomas adjacent to DMPs.

METHODS: Preoperative DTI reconstructions were extracted from a prospectively acquired registry of glioma resections adjacent to DMPs. The surgeries were performed over a 7-year period. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data were extracted from patients' electronic medical records.

RESULTS: Nineteen patients (12 male) underwent preoperative tractography between January 1, 2013, and May 31, 2020. The average age was 44.5 …

Dual Enhancement In The Radiosensitivity Of Prostate Cancer Through Nanoparticles And Chemotherapeutics, Nolan Jackson, Iona Hill, Abdulaziz Alhussan, Kyle Bromma, Jessica Morgan, Belal Abousaida, Yasmin Zahra, Yuri Mackeyev, Wayne Beckham, Steven Herchko, Sunil Krishnan, Devika Basnagge Chithrani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy (RT) is an essential component in the treatment regimens for many cancer patients. However, the dose escalation required to improve curative results is hindered due to the normal tissue toxicity that is induced. The introduction of radiosensitizers to RT treatment is an avenue that is currently being explored to overcome this issue. By introducing radiosensitizers into tumor sites, it is possible to preferentially enhance the local dose deposited. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are a potential candidate that have shown great promise in increasing the radiosensitivity of cancer cells through an enhancement in DNA damage. Furthermore, docetaxel (DTX) is a …

Radiolabeled Nanomaterial For Cancer Diagnostics And Therapeutics: Principles And Concepts, Muskan Goel, Yuri Mackeyev, Sunil Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the last three decades, radiopharmaceuticals have proven their effectiveness for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In parallel, the advances in nanotechnology have fueled a plethora of applications in biology and medicine. A convergence of these disciplines has emerged more recently with the advent of nanotechnology-aided radiopharmaceuticals. Capitalizing on the unique physical and functional properties of nanoparticles, radiolabeled nanomaterials or nano-radiopharmaceuticals have the potential to enhance imaging and therapy of human diseases. This article provides an overview of various radionuclides used in diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic applications, radionuclide production through different techniques, conventional radionuclide delivery systems, and advancements in the delivery …

Proton Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy For Thoracic Esophageal Cancer: Toxicity, Disease Control, And Survival Outcomes, Michael S Rutenberg, Bradford S Hoppe, Jason S Starr, Ziad Awad, Mathew Thomas, Christopher G Morris, Perry Johnson, Randal H Henderson, Jeremy C Jones, Bharatsinh Gharia, Steven Bowers, Herbert C Wolfsen, Sunil Krishnan, Stephen J Ko, Hani M Babiker, Romaine C Nichols

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: When treating esophageal cancer with radiation therapy, it is critical to limit the dose to surrounding structures, such as the lung and/or heart, as much as possible. Proton radiation therapy allows a reduced radiation dose to both the heart and lungs, potentially reducing the risk of cardiopulmonary toxicity. Here, we report disease control, survival, and toxicity outcomes among patients with esophageal cancer treated with proton radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy (chemoradiation therapy; CRT) with or without surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 17 patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma on a prospective registry between 2010 and 2021. Patients received proton …