Laser Therapies: Treatments for Cancer and Disease
Wednesday, April 11, 2:00-3:30, Ballroom A, University Hotel Minneapolis

Organizer: John Bischof, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota; Gal Shafirstein, DSc, Departments of Cell Stress Biology and Otolaryngology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute

"Clinical Use of Laser Thermal Ablation in the Prostate, Liver and Brain"
David A. Woodrum, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic

"KTP Laser Tissue Ablation: Development and Experimental Validation of a New Numerical Model"
John Bischof, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota

"Laser Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors"
Gal Shafirstein, DSc, Departments of Cell Stress Biology and Otolaryngology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute

"Photodynamic Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer"
Merrill Biel, MD, PhD, Medical Director Head and Neck Oncology, Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, Professor Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota

Session Abstract:

Lasers are used for a variety of treatments in tumors and diseases. This session will review the use of lasers alone for absorption heating (tumors) and true ablation (i.e. physical removal or benign prostatic hypertrophy). In addition, the use of lasers in combination with photoactive chemicals (photodynamic therapy) for head and neck tumors will be reviewed based on evolving clinical and translational data at Minnesota and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences.

Session Organizer Bio:

John Bischof, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
John Bischof is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Departments of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. He has degrees from the University of California and a post-doctoral fellowship from Harvard. He has been on the faculty at Minnesota since 1993. He has numerous publications, awards and patents for his work in bioheat and mass transfer.

Gal Shafirstein, DSc, Departments of Cell Stress Biology and Otolaryngology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Dr. Shafirstein is a materials scientist with twenty years expertise in laser treatments. For the past 10 years he directed translational and clinical research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His current research focus is laser and photodynamic therapy for head and neck tumors. Presently, he is a Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY.

Speaker Bios:

David A. Woodrum, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic
Clinical specialty is Interventional Oncology and MR interventions. PhD is in Cell Biology and Anatomy examining the role of heat shock proteins in intracellular signaling pathways. Clinical residency and fellowship were performed at Mayo Clinic Rochester with several additional months spent at Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins for more training in interventional MR techniques. 

Merrill Biel, MD, PhD, Medical Director Head and Neck Oncology, Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, Professor Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota
Merrill Biel, MD PhD is the Medical Director of Head and Neck Oncology at Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, Allina Health System and Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He is a graduate of University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago, completed his residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Minnesota where he also received a PhD degree in Radiation Biology and completed a Fellowship at Washington University Barnes Hospital in Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction. He directs ongoing research in the treatment of head and neck cancer including photodynamic therapy and has published over 70 peer reviewed journal articles and 8 book chapters.

Presentation Abstracts:

"Clinical Use of Laser Thermal Ablation in the Prostate, Liver and Brain"
MR guided laser thermal ablation performed in the prostate and liver for recurrent and metastatic tumors. MR guided laser thermal ablation performed in the brain for drug resistant seizures. A clinical approach to using laser ablation in new clinical areas.

"KTP Laser Tissue Ablation: Development and Experimental Validation of a New Numerical Model"
Authors: Hossam Elkhalil, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota; Taner Akkin, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota; John Pearce, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Texas; John Bischof, Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and Urologic Surgery, University of Minnesota
In order to achieve the goals of increased tissue removal volume (i.e. “ablation” in the engineering sense), and reduced lateral thermal damage during PVP Green light treatment of the prostate, a 2-D computational model for laser tissue ablation based on available parameters in the literature has been developed and compared to experiments.  

"Laser Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors"
Selective absorption is the premise underlying non invasive laser therapy. At select laser wavelengths the laser energy is absorbed by chromophores to generate heat and/or reactive species. The clinical response to laser therapy is highly dependent on the tumor type and laser settings. In this talk, we will discuss empirical and theoretical methods for selecting laser settings for the treatment of specific tumors. Results from clinical and preclinical studies will be presented to demonstrate the efficacy of these methods

"Photodynamic Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer"
Photodynamic therapy has been successfully used to treat various cancers of the head and neck. Four hundred sixty nine patients with neoplastic diseases of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx have been treated with PDT with follow-up to 250 months. Those patients with primary or recurrent carcinoma in situ and T1 carcinomas obtained a complete response after one PDT treatment and 88% remain free of disease. Intraoperative adjuvant PDT was used in 19 patients with recurrent head and neck cancers and only two developed local recurrences.