This Application is submitted in response to PA-09-238 """"""""Exfoliated Cells and Circulating DNA in Cancer Detection and Diagnosis"""""""" under the R21 funding mechanism. The work proposed in this application is aimed at developing automatic screening methods for oral and nasopharyngeal cancer, based on Spectral Cytopathology (SCP) which is a new diagnostic method based on a spectroscopic measurement of individual cells coupled to computer-based analysis. Proof-of-principle for detecting abnormal cells from the oral cavity via SCP was achieved, and identification of abnormal cells was found to be possible even before morphological changes occur in the cells. This proposal emphasizes the clinical significance of oral cancer screening by spectral methods;furthermore, it will extend the study to other parts of the head-and-neck (H&N) region, and collect datasets of sufficient size to attract other funding mechanisms to take this research to a commercial product. Oral and H&N cancer screening was selected for a target because such screening is not being carried out at this point, although cancers of the oral cavity are a major health problem, with a mean 5- year survival rate less than that of cancers which are more in the public's view, such Hodgkin's lymphoma, testicular cancer, or malignant melanoma. As in all epithelial cancers, early detection and treatment will increase the survival rate from H&N cancers, which presently are detected often after they have penetrated deeply into the surrounding tissue, or have formed metastases. SCP-based oral and H&N cancer screening can be carried out as easily as cervical cancer screening, and will reduce the complications and mortality from this disease.
Cancers of the oral cavity and the head-and-neck (H&N) region are very dangerous, with a 5-year survival rate of only a little over 50 %. This is partially due to the fact that they are asymptomatic, and consequently, often are detected too late for complete cure. Furthermore, these tumours have high rates of recurrences, for reasons that are not fully understood. Thus, routine screening for these diseases during dental examinations will allow an earlier treatment regiment, and will decrease to morbidity drastically. Routine cytological screening for cervical cancer has similarly reduced the morbidity since it was first introduced in the late 1940's. The work proposed here will utilize a methodology known as Spectral Cytopathology (SCP), established by the PI, to assess its efficacy in a clinical setting established with Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Dentistry. The proposed work will refine the methodology for the application of SCP to H&N cancers, including those of the oral cavity, and produce sufficiently large datasets to initiate pre- clinical and clinical trials.
| Diem, Max; Miljkovi?, Miloš; Bird, Benjamin et al. (2016) Cancer screening via infrared spectral cytopathology (SCP): results for the upper respiratory and digestive tracts. Analyst 141:416-28 |
| Townsend, Douglas; Miljkovi?, Miloš; Bird, Benjamin et al. (2015) Infrared micro-spectroscopy for cyto-pathological classification of esophageal cells. Analyst 140:2215-23 |
| Mazur, Antonella I; Monahan, Jennifer L; Miljkovic, Milos et al. (2013) Vibrational spectroscopic changes of B-lymphocytes upon activation. J Biophotonics 6:101-9 |
| Miljkovic, Milos; Bird, Benjamin; Lenau, Kathleen et al. (2013) Spectral cytopathology: new aspects of data collection, manipulation and confounding effects. Analyst 138:3975-82 |
| Mazur, Antonella I; Marcsisin, Ellen J; Bird, Benjamin et al. (2012) Evaluating different fixation protocols for spectral cytopathology, part 2: cultured cells. Anal Chem 84:8265-71 |
| Mazur, Antonella I; Marcsisin, Ellen J; Bird, Benjamin et al. (2012) Evaluating different fixation protocols for spectral cytopathology, part 1. Anal Chem 84:1259-66 |
| Papamarkakis, Kostas; Bird, Benjamin; Schubert, Jennifer M et al. (2010) Cytopathology by optical methods: spectral cytopathology of the oral mucosa. Lab Invest 90:589-98 |
| Schubert, Jennifer M; Bird, Benjamin; Papamarkakis, Kostas et al. (2010) Spectral cytopathology of cervical samples: detecting cellular abnormalities in cytologically normal cells. Lab Invest 90:1068-77 |
| Schubert, Jennifer M; Mazur, Antonella I; Bird, Benjamin et al. (2010) Single point vs. mapping approach for spectral cytopathology (SCP). J Biophotonics 3:588-96 |
