Events Calendar

Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Seminar

Speaker: Jasmine Foo, Associate Professor, U. Minnesota

Talk Title: Field Cancerization in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract: High rates of local recurrence in tobacco-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are commonly attributed to unresected fields of precancerous tissue. Because they are not easily detectable at the time of surgery without additional biopsies, there is a need for noninvasive methods to predict the extent and dynamics of these fields. Here, we developed a spatial stochastic evolutionary model of tobacco-related HNSCC at the tissue level and calibrated the model using a Bayesian framework and population-level incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Our model predicted a strong dependence of the local field size on age at diagnosis. Similarly, the probability of harboring multiple, clinically unrelated fields at the time of diagnosis was found to increase substantially with patient age. This work highlights the importance of spatial structure in models of epithelial carcinogenesis and suggests that patient age at diagnosis may be a critical predictor of the size and multiplicity of precancerous lesions.

Host: Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Ashleen Knutsen