DF/HCC Program Affiliation

Cancer Epidemiology
Head and Neck Cancer

Research Abstract

Research Focus:

1) Molecular epidemiology of oral & pharyngeal cancer. We specifically search for markers
of susceptibility or gene-environment interactions at the IGF system and have identified a polymorphism with a significant direct effect that we study in more detail.

2) Health services research, timing of diagnosis, and issues of disparities and access to care for individuals with oral or pharyngeal cancer.

2) Oral complications and adverse effects of chemotherapy. Our team currently studies the risk of osteonecrosis (ONJ) in patients receiving bisphosphonates within Partners and across multiple other institutions.

Publications

• Zavras AI, Zhu S.Bisphosphonates are associated with increased risk for jaw surgery in medical claims data: is it osteonecrosis?.J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2006 Jun;64(6):917-23.
  16713806
• Maserejian NN, Joshipura KJ, Rosner BA, Giovannucci E, Zavras AI.Prospective study of alcohol consumption and risk of oral premalignant lesions in men.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006 Apr;15(4):774-81.
  16614123
• Zavras AI, Pitiphat W, Wu T, Cartsos V, Lam A, Douglass CW, Diehl SR.Insulin-like growth factor II receptor gene-167 genotype increases the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma in humans.Cancer Res 2003 Jan 15;63(2):296-7.
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• Petridou E, Zavras AI, Lefatzis D, Dessypris N, Laskaris G, Dokianakis G, Segas J, Douglas CW, Diehl SR, Trichopoulos D.The role of diet and specific micronutrients in the etiology of oral carcinoma.Cancer 2002 Jun 1;94(11):2981-8.
  12115387
• Pitiphat W, Diehl SR, Laskaris G, Cartsos V, Douglass CW, Zavras AI.Factors associated with delay in the diagnosis of oral cancer.J Dent Res 2002 Mar;81(3):192-7.
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