Innovating surgery for oral squamous cell carcinoma with targeted fluorescent and magnetic tracers

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterised by its locally aggressive nature and its high propensity to metastasise to regional lymph nodes (LN)s. It is well-established that margin status and the presence of LN metastases are two of the most important factors affecting prognosis. While patient and tumour factors cannot be changed after presentation, margin control during primary tumour resection and staging of the clinically occult neck are two components of treatment that are within the control of the head and neck surgeon. Despite this, positive margin rates have not improved over the last three decades and staging of the clinically negative neck continues to rely on elective neck dissection (END), which results in overtreatment of up to 75% of patients. Molecular imaging, with tracers designed to target specific tissue and tumour ligands, is a growing field that has significant potential to improve outcomes for patients with OSCC. This thesis evaluates how two different tracer technologies could be used to aid either margin assessment during resection of the primary tumour, and/or staging of the clinically negative neck with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The tracers studied within this thesis are Panitumumab-IRDye800CW, an EGFR-targeting fluorophore used for fluorescence molecular imaging, and FerroTrace, a superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) that has been engineered with mannose end targets for macrophage-specific binding to aid SLNB.

Author dc:creator

• Krishnan, Sabapathy Giridhar Suren

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Foreman, Andrew
• Theirry, Benjamin

• Flourecent imaging
• Superparamagnetic nanoparticles
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy
• Oral cancer

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2440/135953

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.adelaide.edu.au:2440/135953