University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Radiation Oncology James P. Wilmot Cancer Center MedicineHighest
Information For:
Radiation Oncology
Departmental Programs

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The Department of Radiation Oncology is divided into five major divisions:

Clinical Radiation Oncology: Faculty Resources/Services
Radiation Oncology Research Overview
Clinical Investigative Radiation Oncology
     Cancer Therapeutic Control Division
Radiation Biology
Radiation Physics
Education

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Treatment: Clinical Radiation Oncology

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The delivery of clinical radiation therapy is the major concern of this division. In the year 2001, the Department of Radiation Oncology performed over 40,000 radiation treatment procedures. At Strong Health Facilities, approximately 1800 new patients are consulted each year, of whom 85% are accepted for treatment. This allows for approximately 1500 new patients annually in addition to ongoing treatments and patient recurrences, all of which translates into a work-load of approximately 160 patients daily. In order to treat the many varied cancers and non-malignant diseases, innovative approaches to treatment have been carefully introduced, such as total body irradiation, prophylactic hip irradiation to prevent heterotropic bone formation, high dose rate brachytherapy, and stereotactic radiation therapy.

Clinical radiation oncology encompasses faculty practicing at radiation oncology facilities in two major hospitals in the city, Sands Cancer Center, and a freestanding center on the Park Ridge Hospital campus. The respective physicians hold appointments at the University of Rochester and many have been members of our faculty in their formative years. This engenders a cohesiveness that enables us to conduct clinical studies, both retrospective and prospective, within the JWCC and in national cooperative groups.

Faculty

The Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology is Paul Okunieff, MD, who is the Philip Rubin Professor of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Okunieff directs all radiation oncology treatment services and research, and is responsible for formalizing the policy and procedures of the DRO. There are seven major services. Each service includes direct patient management and consultation to other disciplines and referring physicians along with the integration of in-patient and out-patient treatment care.

Paul Okunieff, M.D., Department Chair (Orange Service)

Dr. Okunieff is responsible for introducing and developing new innovative techniques, and supervising the Orange Service, which includes high dose brachytherapy, 3D treatment planning, and stereotactic radiosurgery. His major research interest is the role that growth factors and cytokines play in ameliorating or promoting radiation toxicity. Dr. Okunieff also directs the RTOG Office at the University of Rochester with five affiliated hospitals around the country, and is the Radiation Oncology Chair of the South West Oncology Group (SWOG). He also directs the Center for Biophysical Assessment and Risk Management Following Radiation Center (CBARMFI) which is responsible for developing agents for use in case of a bioterrorist attack or a radiation accident.

Ralph Brasacchio, M.D., Assistant Professor (Green Service)

Dr. Brasacchio is responsible for genitourinary radiation oncology patients. He is also Director of the Radiation Oncology Residency Program.

Yuhchyau Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Professor (White service)

Dr. Chen is responsible for radiation treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, head and neck tumors, upper esophageal cancer, and cervical cancer. She is also on the lung committee of the national cooperative groups RTOG and SWOG.

Louis Constine, M.D., Vice Chairman, Professor (Blue Service)

Dr. Constine is responsible for pediatric, hematologic (Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia), and musculoskeletal radiation oncology patients, as well as those undergoing bone marrow transplantation (and requiring total body irradiation). He is an active member of and has designed protocols for COG.

Alan Katz, M.D., Medical Director, Associate Professor (Yellow Service)

Dr. Katz treats gastrointestinal and breast patients and is a member of both the GI and Breast multidisciplinary clinics.

Marilyn Ling, M.D., Associate Professor (Red Service)

Dr. Ling is responsible for gynecological and breast cancer patients. She is a member of the multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic.

Michael Milano, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Purple Service)

Dr. Milano oversees patients with CNS tumors as well as brain, head, neck, and lung cancers. He has a research interest in extracranial radiosurgery and is a clinical leader in our electron paramagnetic resonance biodosimetry project.

Colin Poulter, MD, Professor Emeritus

Dr. Poulter specializes in prostate and gynecological cancers. He has served in various directorial and consultant positions within the URCC and other local health organizations.

Philip Rubin, MD, Professor Emeritus

Dr. Rubin has enjoyed a 50 year tenure as a radiologist at the University of Rochester. He has published extensively in clinical oncology and has received prestigious domestic and international recognition for his research. Dr. Rubin also began the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics which has become one of the most significant scholarly works in our field.

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Highland, Park Ridge, and Sands Clinical Faculty

Joy Anderson, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Anderson is responsible for the evaluation and management of head and neck, breast, and gynecologic cancer patients at Highland Hospital. She is also the residency instructor for gynecological malignancies.

Bingren Liu, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Liu is a skilled clinical radiation oncologist who operates primarily at the Highland and Park Ridge offices. His clinical interests include prostate cancer, brachytherapy, and implementation of advanced technologies. He has been instrumental in commissioning our IMRT and CT based treatment planning, and is currently pioneering our efforts to go paperless.

Muammer Tasbas, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Tasbas specializes in the treatment of colorectal tumors at Highland Hospital and practices general radiation oncology at Sands Cancer Center.

Hong Zhang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Dr. Zhang specializes in breast and non-small cell lung cancers. Also having a background in neurosciences, she has published about influences on neural tissue and tumor development. She is a principal investigator in a breast cancer related extracranial radiosurgery protocol opening at SWOG and also directs clinical services at the Park Ridge office.

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Clinical Services/Resources


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The University of Rochester Department of Radiation Oncology offers treatment through the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, NY), Sands Cancer Center (Canandaigua, NY), Highland Hospital (Rochester, NY), and the Cancer Center at Park Ridge within Unity Hospital (Greece, NY).
A new $50-60 million, 163,000-square-foot, four-story building openned for patients on May 19, 2008. The goal of integrating the departments of Radiation Oncology and Hematology/Medical Oncology, translational research and data management under one roof, offering the opportunity to recruit 15 additional clinicians and scientists to expand research will come to fruition. The new building doubles the space for clinical and translational research, and consolidates and integrates cancer operations. The number of procedures performed and the number of patients treated has steadily increased in the DRO within the last eight years.
The DRO utilizes the JWCC general ambulatory facility for consultations and follow-ups. Joint clinics and conferences have been organized with divisions of the Departments of Medicine (including Hematology for bone marrow transplantation), Pediatrics, Surgery, and Surgical subspecialties (Urology, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology, Orthopedic, Thoracic, and Gynecology). In addition there are frequent conferences with departments of Radiology, Pathology and Nuclear Medicine (bone metastases and thyroid malignancies). Both triage and new patient decision-making occurs on an interdisciplinary basis, as does follow-up and selected treatment.


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# Patients treated582670727753 752832854904945959

Ongoing Procedures:

In order to treat the many varied cancers and non-malignant disease, innovative approaches to treatment include:

·Total Body Irradiation
This technique entails the delivery of potentially lethal doses of radiation in conjunction with chemotherapy to eradicate disseminated cancers and suppress the immune system; hematopoetic stem cell rescue, usually in the form of bone marrow, must follow. This is particularly effective in treating leukemia and lymphomas, and is an investigational tool in solid tumors in adults such as breast cancer and pediatric cancers (neuroblastoma, Ewing?s sarcoma). Radiation dose, fractionation, and shielding techniques are all variables that influence efficacy and toxicity. Other investigations relating to bone marrow transplantation include assessment of the efficacy of ?boost? irradiation to sites of previous or persistent cancer, and analysis of the morbidity that follows various preparative regimens.

· High Dose Rate Brachytherapy
This methodology allows for the precise delivery of radiation therapy from internally placed sources (brachytherapy). High doses are accurately shaped and delivered to tumor volumes in extremely short periods of time, allowing this to be an outpatient procedure. This is particularly effective in lung cancer, gynecologic tumors, sarcomas, and in head and neck cancers. Placement of catheters into the operative bed at the time of surgery makes this techniques particularly valuable when the neoplasm is incompletely resected as in the thorax and for soft tissue sarcomas.

· Stereotactic Radiosurgery
SRS is a modality that precisely isolates an intracranial lesion and enables the delivery of a concentrated dose to the tumor or target while maintaining a low dose to the surrounding normal tissues. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as stereotactic angiography, are used to characterize the shape and extent of the lesion. The dose is delivered with an modified linear accelerator which produces a tightly collimated beam of x-rays. The overall uncertainty of this procedure and position is 2.5-3.7 mm as opposed to 7-10 mm for normal radiation oncology techniques. An extension of this is the delivery of multiple stereotactic doses to a single patient, termed stereotactic radiotherapy.

· Prostate Seed Implants
In this procedure, tiny pellets containing radioactive isotopes, such as Iodine-125 seeds, are implanted in the prostate, and they release low-dose radiation for approximately one year. The procedure does not require a surgical incision, but rather, using a TRUS imaging guided needle, the seeds are positioned so that radiation is distributed throughout the prostate gland. This treatment has a higher 5 year disease-free survival rate than prostatectomies and external beam radiation therapy to the prostate.

· External beam radiation treatment (EBRT):
EBRT utilizes a linear accelerator to deliver radiation to the area inside the body affected by cancer.

· Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT):
IMRT allows for the customization of treatment by varying the amount of radiation dosage received by the affected area so that the tumor receives the maximum while surrounding normal tissues receive the minimum. IMRT first became available in the DRO in 2002, and since then its use has proved a favorable treatment option.

· Prophylactic Hip Irradiation
This treatment for non-malignant disease is generally used in conjunction with hip replacement surgery. Patients undergo low-dose radiation therapy 48 hours prior/post surgery to prevent the growth of heterotropic bone fragments, which would otherwise inhibit joint movement.


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Major Resources

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Our equipment includes three state-of-the-art Varian linear accelerators with photon energies ranging from 6 to 16 MV and a wide range of electron energies from 6-20 MeV, including the Novalis shaped beam radiosurgery unit, a Ximatron, treatment planning computers. A 2-D CT-based treatment planning system (XL Plan-PC) enhances treatment planning and dosimetry. We also have a Varian 3-D planning system (Eclipse), on SOMA vision, (image fusion and correlation) and on Brain Lab?s Novalis system (image fusion, IMRT and radiosurgery). The Eclipse planning system is capable of calculating dose distributions from non-coplanar beams and arbitrary geometries. In addition, the Department possesses all the necessary equipment for traditional after-loading intracavitary and interstitial therapy, permanent interstitial applications, and intravenous or intracavitary radiopharmaceutical installations. There is a CT scanner in the Department for treatment planning, and we have an active prostate seed brachytherapy service.


Our facility at the affiliated Highland Hospital is the focus for the gynecologic-oncology services at the University of Rochester. In addition to two linear accelerators, a simulator and a Nucletron High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy unit, which is an automated remote afterloading device for provision of brachytherapy on an outpatient basis. Highland Hospital has facilities for intra-operative radiation therapy, stereotactic central nervous system implantation, and endocavitary treatment of rectal cancers.

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Radiation Oncology Research Activities

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Research Efforts

The basic working relationship between scientists and clinicians that has evolved in the Department of Radiation Oncology has become the translational research model of the James P Wilmot Cancer Center (JPWCC) at the University of Rochester. The interactions between these investigators have led to the clinical investigation of laboratory-derived ideas. Such concepts are tested in small, high quality controlled pilot studies to determine if they should be mounted in larger clinical trials of the national cooperative groups.

It can be said that the development and conduct of pilot studies at the institutional level is the backbone of national cooperative group trials. Throughout the past several years, we have developed the resources, facilities, and support personnel to conduct Phase I and II feasibility studies while searching for efficient and effective treatment schedules and combinations. The important feature of our work has been the establishment of a mechanism for developing studies that we believe represent the leading edge in radiation oncology research.

The research programs constitute the major investigative activities of the Department of Radiation Oncology and rely heavily on the laboratory to model and simulate clinical and pathophysiological effects of radiation on human malignant disease and normal tissues. All research programs are discussed at weekly conferences allowing for a continuing exchange of ideas for protocol development. The major strength of the research programs is the ability of the basic and clinical scientific faculty to interact in a synergistic fashion.



The intellectual integration of faculty into a coherent, yet individualized, scientific research program is realized by our carefully selected set of scientific themes: cellular and molecular mechanisms and diagnostics, chemo-prevention and intervention, the monitoring of late effects and their prevention, biologic response modifiers, and psychosocial interventions. There has also been some specialization in systems or organs where we have a degree of expertise (lung, brain, bone, and bone marrow), although these are not exclusive.

The clinical division of the Department of Radiation Oncology encompasses investigative programs related to humans in which radiation therapy is used, including clinical trials in national cooperative groups (SWOG, RTOG and COG) and unique JPWCC Phase I/II clinical trials. The Department of Radiation Oncology has played a leading role in the protocol design activities of the RTOG and SWOG and in the development of clinical trials in a variety of tumor sites, including lung cancer in localized stages, GI malignancies, head and neck cancers, Hodgkin?s Disease, non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma, pediatric neoplasms and gynecologic cancers.

An integral component of many of our clinical protocols are radiation oncology-based laboratory techniques, including cell elutriation and cell-sorting techniques, identification of hypoxic fractions, and various tumor assays designed to predict radiation effectiveness and responsiveness. The current thrust of a new group of Department of Radiation Oncology clinical trials is to study the role of cytokines as correlates or indicators of late toxicity in patients undergoing radiation treatment to the lung or the brain.
Protocols focusing on therapy-induced normal tissue damage have also emerged as an area of interest, particularly with regard to neuroendocrine, pulmonary, bone marrow and CNS systems. LENT - Late Effects of Normal Tissue National Conference sponsored by the NCI to redesign late effects scoring and scales was co-chaired by Philip Rubin MD and Louis S. Constine MD and the results were published in late 1995. Second malignant tumors are a major new focus, along with chemoprevention and clinical trials using intermediate oncologic markers as endpoints.

Trials are conducted in cooperation with such national groups as the South West Oncology Group (SWOG), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and the Children?s Oncology Group (COG). The Department of Radiation Oncology has played a leading role in the protocol design of the RTOG and COG. Unique Cancer Center trials are also conducted by this division.

While the department has a broad range of modalities and disciplines involved in productive science, all these groups interact and most of the research revolves around either our normal tissue toxicity or oligometastasis research efforts. Interaction between scientists is maximized through annual or more frequent retreats, external advisory committees, international meetings, visits by international scientists (often on sabbaticals), as well as multidisciplinary weekly and biweekly data meetings, journal clubs, and leadership meetings. Most research grants include multidisciplinary interaction that typically inspires excellent research leading to a very high rate of successful grant applications. Perhaps the greatest evidence of interaction is our intellectual property acquisitions. We have designed, synthesized, acquired and completed FDA IND trials, on a number of agents. Patents on new agents include small molecular DNA repair modifiers, protein growth factors, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Similarly, we have conceived, researched, implemented and clinically tested a number of new technologies, some of which are also patented. Awards for translational research are given annually in honor of Dr. Casarett, an early pioneer in translation radiobiological research in normal tissue toxicity.

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Clinical Investigative Radiation Oncology
Radiation Oncology Research, Clinical Research, Therapeutic Control

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Radiation Oncology Research

This clinical division of the DRO encompasses investigative programs related to humans in which radiation therapy is used. They are responsible for unique JWCC Phase I/II clinical trials as well as trials conducted in cooperation with national groups such as the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and Children?s Oncology Group (COG). The DRO has played a leading role in protocol design activities and in the development of clinical trials in a variety of tumor sites including lung cancer in localized stages, GI malignancies, head and neck cancers, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, pediatric neoplasms and gynecologic cancers.

In addition to the Department of Radiation Oncology Project Officer there are Clinical Research Associates responsible for the development of studies, registration/randomization of patients, management of the patient data, dissemination of information regarding studies and maintenance of the patient database for the DRO. They also assist the faculty by providing data analysis, research, and editing for scientific papers and presentations.

Clinical Research Staff:
  • Ann Muhs, CCRC?Senior Health Project Coordinator
  • Laura Brumbaugh, BA
  • Cindy Gu, MD, CCRC
  • Christine Huggins, PhD
  • Amy Huser, MA (ABT)
  • Heike Kross, PhD
  • Susan Connor Proe, MS, CCRC
  • Therese Smudzin, CCRC

Cooperative Group Involvement
The Department of Radiation Oncology works closely with other departments within the Medical Center to further cancer treatment and research. However, we also work on a wider geographical basis. Listed below are the major cooperative groups in which we participate and the faculty members active in each:

(RTOG) - The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group is a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials cooperative group with almost 30 years of experience in running clinical trials. It is comprised of 250 of the major research institutions and is the primary cooperative group conducting clinical trials in Radiation Oncology in the U.S. and Canada. Paul Okunieff, MD is Principal Investigator to the RTOG for the University of Rochester. He is active as the National Chairman of the Tumor Biology Committee. A strong affiliate program exists with several of our former residents and faculty members. These include Sandra McDonald, MD, The Genesee Hospital; Henry Keys, MD and Vernon King, MD, Albany (NY) Medical Center; Thomas Noell, MD, Romagosa Radiation Oncology Center, Lafayette, LA; and Paul Anthony, MD, St. Joseph's Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM. In addition to these centers, four other institutions affiliate with us to participate in RTOG trials. This group is responsible for 70 patients being entered on RTOG studies annually.

(SWOG) - The Southwest Oncology Group is one of the largest of the National Cancer Institute-supported cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in North America. The SWOG network consists of almost 4,000 of the nation's leading physicians at 283 institutions throughout the United States and Canada. Since its inception in 1956, SWOG has helped more than 150,000 patients enrolled in clinical trials. In the last 13 years, SWOG research has led to the FDA issuance of new drug approvals for 10 cancer therapies.
  • Steering Committee: Paul Okunieff, MD
  • Radiation Oncology Committee: Paul Okunieff, MD (chair)
  • GYN Committee: Yuhchyau Chen, MD, PhD
(COG) - The Children's Oncology Group is the result of the recent mergers of four cancer cooperative groups -- the Children's Cancer Group (CCG), the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG), the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group (IRSG) and the National Wilms' Tumor Study Group (NWTSG). It is a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials cooperative group devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. Louis Constine, MD has been active in the Radiation Oncology Committee and on the core committees for Hodgkin's disease, bone marrow transplantation, and late effects. He co-developed protocols in these various areas, including a recent protocol for children with advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease.

Novel Research Programs

Radiation-Induced Toxicity
IR toxicity is largely caused by two interacting mechanisms: the loss of proliferating cells (depopulation) and the chronic inflammation. These two processes exacerbate each other and cause aberrant healing processes, leading to fibrovascular (FV) changes, ischemia, and organ dysfunction. IR triggered depopulation is due to a combination of apoptosis, necrosis, and senescence. Most IR-induced apoptosis occurs within hours and is difficult to mitigate in an urgent situation. Necrosis can occur later, after a few cell cycles. Senescence is a complicated process that might be mitigated at a time long after irradiation by altering the cytokine microenvironment. FV is sometimes considered irreversible, but several recent studies have shown that to beuntrue. FV occurs months or years after exposure and is a chronic process allowing for mitigation at many time points. Likewise, in the case of chronic environmental IR exposure, wherein depopulation injury from IR is less prominent, progressive FV toxicity is likely to become of great concern. Conveniently, the IR-induced inflammation, like other acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, can be prevented with expected benefit. The response of individuals who have received a similar IR dose can be quite variable. While the mechanism of the IR sensitive phenotype is not fully understood, evidence suggests that it is associated with individual?s baseline immunologic susceptibility. This susceptibility in humans is predominantly acquired (like autoimmune phenomenon) but can also be genetic.

Radiation-Induced Inflammation
The IR inflammation can also be greatly influenced by pre-existing diseases, such as a variety of autoimmune disorders or collagen vascular diseases including Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, dermatomyositis, and others. These acquired syndromes are of high risk. There are also many reports of hypersensitivity among patients with less well-defined and lower grade inflammatory disorders. The cause of this has never been satisfactorily addressed. There are many other diseases that cause fibrovascular inflammatory conditions that are acquired naturally with age or by environmental exposure. These include microvessel disease, diabetes, chemical exposures, ischemic wounds, and others. While the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood, we and others have identified IM (cytokines, chemokines, and postaglandins, etc) that are involved. Several inflammatory molecules (IM) are believed to be of importance in the progression of IR toxicity. IM are not dosimeters, rather they are modifiers of toxicity seen at any given dose of IR. The list of molecules known to be correlated with IR toxicity is large. We have produced preliminary data regarding two IM signal pathways (IL-1 and TGFß) that we believe will prove to be sentinel.

Early and Late Effects of Radiation Exposure A body of studies, including ours, clearly demonstrates that the sublethal or local IR toxicity can be divided into two stages, early and late toxicity. For example, in man the early (sometimes mislabeled acute) IR toxicity in lung or skin is manifested as pneumonitis or dermatitis, which occurs 6-12 weeks or at 2-4 weeks after IR insult, respectively. The early toxicity is largely reversible and subsides after a few weeks. Late toxicity occurs weeks, months or years after early toxicity and can progress with time. In some individuals it can be devastating. Late FV has historically been considered inevitable and irreversible, caused by slow depopulation of slowly dividing cells. This hypothesis, however, is only weakly supported by decades of studies. While there may be some cell loss over the years set up by the initial IR insult, the majority of FV damage is an active inflammatory process that involves fibroblast proliferation, collagen replacement, vascular damage, and inflammatory destruction of parenchymal tissue. Preventing the progressive replacement of parenchymal tissues is therefore possible, and reduction of the chronic inflammatory processes will allow for beneficial healing of damaged organs. Indeed restoration of the normal cytokine microenvironment could even prevent some terminal differentiation of progenitor cells.

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Cancer Therapeutic Control Division

The side effects of cancer treatment can at times be so severe as to interfere with and derail treatment programs. This unit works to develop treatments that counter the negative side effects of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The development of remedies for these effects of cancer treatment is central to not only the full and successful treatment of cancer, but also the patient's quality of life.

Through research, the CTC division combats patient fatigue, nausea, emesis, depression and other psychosocial effects. They also examine how complementary and alternative medicine can help alleviate the physical and mental effects of standard cancer treatments. Meditation, massage therapy, yoga, and Tai Chi are some examples of potentially calming and relaxing activities that may help patients better cope with their illnesses.

Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP)
This division is the national Community Clinical Oncology Project (CCOP) Research Base Center and it facilitates the development, enrollment, conduct, quality assurance, monitoring, and evaluation of clinical trials designed to combat the side effects of cancer treatment. Research and treatment centers from all of the country report their study findings to us.


Faculty

Gary R. Morrow, Ph.D., Professor

Dr. Morrow is a trained clinical psychologist and medical statistician. He oversees all Behavioral Medicine Unit trials, and is the Director of our cancer center's CCOP research base.

Jennifer Carroll, MD, MPH , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Carroll holds dual appointments in Family Medicine and Radiation Oncology. She has studied and presented about cancer screening and treatment for women and for refugee populations around the globe.

Tom Darling, PhD , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Darling is an expert in cardiology and exercise physiology, is working with Dr. Karen Mustian on exercise studies involving cancer patients.

Colmar Figueroa-Moseley, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Figueroa-Moseley conducts research on the social determinants of health disparities in minority and disadvantaged groups in cancer as it relates to cancer control and prevention.

Pascal Jean-Pierre, PhD, Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Jean-Pierre is a clinical psychologist whose research interests include the psychological diagnosis in and health assessment of cancer patients from various cultural backgrounds.

Michelle Janelsins, PhD, Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Janelsins works in the Behavioral Medicine unit with research interests in how cancer and its treatment may cause cognitive difficulties.

Sadhna Kohli, PhD, MPH , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Kohli oversees and researches cancer patients who demonstrate frequent and/or severe cognitive impairment as a result of their treatments.

Sadhna Kohli, PhD, MPH , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Kohli oversees and researches cancer patients who demonstrate frequent and/or severe cognitive impairment as a result of their treatments.

Karen Mustian, PhD , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Mustian is an expert in exercise and sport psychology/physiology and researches the effects of cancer treatment on fatigue and performance.

Luke Peppone, PhD , Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Peppone's research in colorectal cancer association with smoking has led to more recent epidemiological studies in nutritional intervention and chemoprevention of cancer.

Jason Purnell, PhD , Research Associate Professor

Dr. Purnell's research interests include finding ways to reduce health disparities through cancer prevention in African-Americans.

Joseph A. Roscoe, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor

Dr. Roscoe is responsible for the design and analysis of research studies concerned with the therapeutic side effects of cancer treatment and patient quality of life.

Elizabeth Ryan, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Ryan's expertise is in Molecular Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, and she studies how environmental effects on cells might influence cancer. Past work includes research in forestry and serving as a birds of prey educator.

Julie Ryan, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Ryan holds dual appointments in Radiation Oncology and Dermatology. With expertise in Cellular and Molecular Pathology, her research interests have included the Epstein-Barr virus and its role in cancer.

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Radiation Biology Division

Faculty, Mission, Resources, Research

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This division is devoted to study of the basic principles of the interaction of radiation and biology systems. Applications to clinical radiation therapy are developed by selection of animal models and correlative in vitro and in vivo systems for predicting the value of combining radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic modalities, radiosensitizers and radioprotectors to overcome therapeutic resistance.

Faculty

Peter Keng, Ph.D., Director

Dr. Keng oversees all research projects through the Radiation Biology Division. His own research focuses on the genetics and risks in regard to cell and organ injury as a result of radiation.

Bruce Fenton, Ph.D. , Professor

Dr. Fenton is trained in chemical engineering and bioengineering and specializes in micro-vascular physiology, oxygen transport and theoretical models of hemodynamic function.

Huixiang Li, PhD, Research Associate Professor

Dr. Li is assisting Dr. Yuhchyau Chen with research for the U19 grant Project 4 ?Quantitative Assays of Bone Marrow Genotoxicity.?

Jacqueline P. Williams, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor

Dr. Williams has participated in a number of research areas including clinically-related oncologic studies, tumor blood flow studies, long-term carcinogenic studies, and pharmacologic and toxicological projects.

Shanmin Yang, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Yang is currently working on projects in nanomedicine for cancer research, and in discovering new agents for mitigating inflammatory media to utilize in cases ranging from arthritis relief to a dirty bomb detonation.

Hengshan Zhang, MD, PhD, Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Zhang?s expertise is in the neurosciences as well as toxicology. His research includes oncological biohazards in the workplace.

Lurong Zhang, MD, PhD, Research Professor

Dr. Zhang's research interests include anti-tumor therapy, anti-inflammation agents, and mechanism of radiation toxicity.


Radiation Biology Staff:

  • Brian Beauchamp
  • Eric Hernady, M.S.
  • Dongping Hu, M.D.
  • Melissa Levitt
  • Weimin Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Joan Morrow
  • Scott Paoni, M.S.
  • Wang Wei, M.D.
  • Jianhua Xu, M.D., Ph.D.

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Mission


The major aim of this division is the development of biological in vivo/in vitro models to simulate clinical problems and to provide a scientific basis for clinical protocol design. The interaction between the basic scientist and the clinician is an essential component. It is this process, begun among the radiation oncology and radiation biology faculty, that lead to the development of interface studies and is best expressed in the goals of our CERRIS grant. The human tumor model, more than the murine or rodent cancer, is the focus for exploring new combinations of radiation therapy and chemotherapy and biologic response modifiers such as interferon. The identification of mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, particularly in exploring hypoxia but also in analyzing subsets of cells in existing populations and their microenvironment, is being performed. Predictive assays of tumor cell proliferation and normal tissue injury is an ongoing effort. The study of late pathophysiologic effects in a variety of tissues/organs includes the lung, bone marrow, central nervous system, and hypothalmic-pituitary axis. Many of these concepts have been translated into radiation oncology protocols, as previously described. Our weekly research meetings concentrate on a variety of different topics. Encouragement from and the participation of younger faculty, fellows, residents and selected faculty from other departments has given a multidisciplinary character to our research efforts.

Space and Major Equipment

Renovated space in the Jennings Research Laboratory (the former Radiation Oncology Department) as well as laboratory space on the third and fourth floors of the former Cancer Center constitutes the laboratory space used for the Radiation Biology Division projects. All radiation disciplines are represented--clinical radiation oncology, radiation biology, and radiation physics. The radiation services available there include a cobalt-60 and cesium-137 unit, which are shared resources of the JWCC as well as the DRO.

Animal research is conducted in facilities maintained by the University of Rochester Vivarium. The Vivarium occupies 37,000 square feet of space devoted to housing, treatment rooms, and special care facilities for animals including surgery, radiology, and research diet preparation.

Current Research

The Center for Biophysical Assessment and Risk Management Following Irradiation (CBARMFI)


The Center for Biophysical Assessment and Risk Management Following Irradiation exists to bring together the knowledge, technologies, and effort of a multidisciplinary, international team of scientific personnel in order to develop medical countermeasures to radiological terrorism. The Center housed at the University of Rochester is one of 8 NIH/NIAID funded centers throughout the United States.

Our CMCR is focused on the development of medical countermeasures to assess, diagnose, and treat those exposed to radiation by developing (1) methods for rapid, high throughput assessment or measurement of radiation exposure through both bioassays and instruments, and (2) agents for mitigation and treatment of radiation effects with an emphasis on early and late side effects in non-hematopoietic tissues. Given both the urgent need to develop and validate medical countermeasures to seemingly imminent radiological and nuclear threats, and the dearth of available assessment tools or therapies, our short-term Center goal has been to develop and validate a number of therapeutic agents and radiation exposure assessment devices as quickly as possible, at least to the point of usefulness and availability for an emergency situation. Such a requirement is driven by the need for emergency/disaster response teams to be able to rapidly identify those who are contaminated with radioactive material and reassure those who are not, assess the extent/dose of radiation exposure, and administer appropriate treatment. Our expectation is to accelerate the development of our dosimeters and discriminators (methods of screening for radiation exposure which do not measure dose) as well as 2 or 3 of our most promising therapeutic agents that can be offered to victims (and rescue workers) to mitigate early and/or late non-hematopoietic effects.

The Center includes 4 Cores and 5 Scientific Projects, two of which are located at affiliated Universities (Project 5-University of Toronto under Dr. Richard P. Hill, and Project 3-Dartmouth Medical School under Dr. Harold Swartz).