Monika Schmelz

Monika Schmelz, PhD, is the recent recipient of the 2013 SWOG Development Award, through their non-profit Hope Foundation, to support research that could have a major impact on cancer research. Dr. Schmelz, assistant professor of Pathology and member of Dr. Lisa Rimsza’s lymphoma research team in the Department of Pathology at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine, will pursue an innovative health and development research project, titled “Mechanisms for Immune Escape in Aggressive Lymphoma with Poor Survival.” The award will be used to support Dr. Schmelz’s ongoing research to study how tumor cells escape immunosurveillance, which is a hallmark of cancer, in aggressive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with poor survival rates. She will also look to determine how immunosurveillance can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

Prognostic Criteria For Squamous Cell Cancer Of The Skin. Source: The Journal Of Surgical Research
January 1st, 2009 PMID: 19375720 Monika Schmelz
BACKGROUND:<br />Non-well-differentiated cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas may display a more aggressive behavior. It is important to better define prognostic criteria for these tumors.<br /><br />METHODS:<br />This was a retrospective case-control analysis of a squamous cell carcinoma database. Patients with non-well-differentiated and well-differentiated tumors were matched based on site of tumor, age, and immunocompromised status. Comparisons included demographics, histology, immunohistochemical protein expressions (Ki-67, p53, E-cadherin, cyclin D1), and clinical outcomes.<br /><br />RESULTS:<br />Demographic features were similar between cases (n=30) and controls (n=30). Non-well-differentiated tumors were larger (1.8 cm versus 1.3 cm, P=0.08), deeper (0.81 cm versus 0.32 cm, P<0.0001), and had greater recurrence (P=0.003). Non-well-differentiated tumors showed increased proliferation rate, Ki-67 index (77% versus 61%, P=0.001); no significant difference in activity of p53, E-cadherin, and cyclin D1 between the two groups.<br /><br />CONCLUSIONS:<br />Tumor differentiation and depth are important pathologic and prognostic criteria for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry helps describe patterns of biomarker protein expression and may exemplify aggressive subtypes.<br /><br />
Displaying 1 of 1 publications more | all