Ralph Abi Hachem, MD and Bradley Goldstein, MD, PhD awarded grant to study mechanisms involved in growth of rare skull base cancer
Two Duke University surgeons in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Bradley Goldstein, MD, and Ralph Abi Hachem, MD,
have been awarded a $20,000 grant from the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) to develop an esthesioneuroblastoma culture model.
A rare, difficult-to-treat cancer, esthesioneuroblastoma affects the upper part of the nasal cavity and the olfactory nerve. Patients typically undergo surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as part of their treatment plan.
Dr. Goldstein and Dr. Abi Hachem’s research is aimed at developing techniques to understand how the growth of these tumors is regulated. This work is necessary to develop new treatments to improve outcomes of patients with esthesioneuroblastoma.
The research combines Dr. Goldstein's expertise in basic research approaches studying olfaction with the capabilities of Duke’s Skull Base Center, led by Dr. Abi Hachem.
“Developing a cancer cell line is a key step towards being able to help identify targeted therapies that can improve survival and outcomes in patients with esthesioneuroblastoma,” Dr. Abi Hachem said. Because this is a rare tumor, no cell culture models are currently available, limiting the ability to perform mechanistic studies.
The researchers have already made significant progress in this area. A graduate student in the Goldstein lab, Jack Finlay, recently won a research prize for presenting a bioinformatic analysis of olfactory tumors at the annual meeting of the Triological Society.
Other faculty involved in this work are David Jang, MD, with the Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Ali Zomorodi, MD, with the Department of Neurosurgery.
The Duke skull base center expedites patient access to our services. The skull base nurse navigator contacts patients within 48 hours to schedule a comprehensive evaluation, which includes head and neck surgery, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, imaging review, and/or pathology review.