Bolin Song
BME PhD Defense Presentation

Date: 2024-11-01
Time: 2:30pm - 4pm
Location / Meeting Link: HSRB II N600; https://emory.zoom.us/j/3118728783

Committee Members:
Anant Madabhushi, PhD (Advisor); Nabil F Saba, MD; May D. Wang, PhD; Saurabh Sinha, PhD; Ahmet F. Coskun, PhD


Title: Computational Imaging-based Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers for Oropharyngeal Cancer

Abstract:
Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), the most common subtype of head and neck cancer, has seen a rise in incidence, largely due to persistent high-risk HPV infections, which lead to HPV+ OPSCC. HPV+ patients generally respond better to treatment and have lower rates of recurrence and metastasis compared to HPV- patients, highlighting the need for distinct biomarkers for risk stratification in these populations (aim 1). Treatments for early-stage HPV+ OPSCC typically include radiotherapy or chemoradiation; however, some patients may not benefit from chemotherapy and suffer from overtreatment-related toxicity. Identifying candidates for less intensive treatments could yield similar efficacy with improved quality of life (aim 2). The biological interactions between the primary tumor and metastatic cervical lymph nodes in p16+ OPSCC generate distinct imaging phenotypes that can be analyzed through deep learning to predict clinical outcomes (aim 3). Despite this, most research has focused on the primary tumor's prognostic value within a single imaging modality. The combined prognostic implications of both the primary tumor and lymph node involvement across multiscale imaging (e.g., radiology CT and pathology whole slide images) have been comparatively underexplored (aim 4).