Tina Dalianis

Human papillomavirus (HPV) positive tonsil and heavy bassic cancer has increased since the 1970s. Fortunately, more than 80% of patients are cured with radiation therapy only, but today, like many other head / neck cancer cases, many are treated with chemotherapy and EGFR inhibitors. This leads to side effects that prevent return to normal life and work. We believe it is very worrying to over-treat patients where this is not needed. The 20% of those who are not cured with radiation therapy also do not have a better survival rate for more intensive treatment. These patients therefore need alternative treatment methods to those used today. We want to be able to identify the patients who can receive mild treatment, and for those who do not respond to treatment, characterize the tumors to be able to provide more targeted therapy. With so-called NGS sequencing, protein profiling and immunohistochemistry, we have identified markers for both good and bad treatment responses where some have been validated while others need more research. We have also recently found markers that show poor treatment responses that are already used in other tumor types as targets for targeted therapy. We want to investigate whether the same type of targeted therapy has the effect even for tonsill / tongue bass cans that have corresponding markers. With the markers we have developed so far (eg CD8 + T cells, HPV16 E2, mRNA and others) and by identifying additional markers, we expect to be able to identify more than 70% of the patients with HPV positive cancer who can have mild treatment with primarily radiation therapy. For those who do not respond to today's treatment, we want to be able to offer alternative treatments that target specific proteins (ex. FGFR3, VEGF-A and others) based on protein and mutation analyzes of the individual tumors. Our research will lead to increased survival and better quality of life during and after treatment.

I) Human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in cervical cancer and in 70% of all tonsill and heavy-bark cancers following an epidemic increase detected by us.We have also shown that HPV positive (HPV +) tonsil and tongue-base cancers respond better to regular radiation therapy compared to the corresponding HPV negative cancer and other major neck cancer (HHC) (80% and 40% 5-year survival, respectively). Modern treatment of HHC consists of chemotherapy and aggressive radiation therapy with increased side effects, which 80% of patients with HPV + tonsill and tongue-base cancers are unlikely to need at all. II) Since 2007, 10 new human polyoma viruses have been discovered, one of which is in skin cancer. They may be found in other tumors. I) We want to identify all patients with HPV + tonsil and tongue-base cancer that respond well to regular radiation therapy by combining HPV + status with more prognostic markers. We have some promising markers that identify 20% of the patients, but more are needed to be able to offer patients with HPV + cancer with specific biomarkers for good prognosis, mild treatment with fewer side effects than today's intensive treatment. We also want to investigate the possibility of finding a screening test for prevention. II) We want to test for the 10 newly discovered HPyV in cancer in humans where one suspects correlation between cancer and infection. I) By combining previously identified markers with new markers and understanding their mechanisms, we hope to identify almost all patients HPV + tonsil and tongue bass with good prognosis. In clinical trials, these patients would be able to receive less tailor-made treatment where side effects such as difficulty in swallowing, speaking and breathing are reduced and patients to a greater extent return to normal social life and working life. This will also lead to savings for society that can benefit other patients. II) If new HPyVs are associated with cancer, one can potentially vaccinate risk groups with vaccines against these diseases.

I) Human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in cervical cancer and in 70% of all tonsill and heavy-bark cancers following an epidemic increase detected by us.We have also shown that HPV positive (HPV +) tonsil and tongue-base cancers respond better to regular radiation therapy compared to the corresponding HPV negative cancer and other major neck cancer (HHC) (80% and 40% 5-year survival, respectively). Modern treatment of HHC consists of chemotherapy and aggressive radiation therapy with increased side effects, which 80% of patients with HPV + tonsill and tongue-base cancers are unlikely to need at all. II) Since 2007, 10 new human polyoma viruses have been discovered, one of which is in skin cancer. They may be found in other tumors. I) We want to identify all patients with HPV + tonsil and tongue-base cancer that respond well to regular radiation therapy by combining HPV + status with more prognostic markers. We have some promising markers that identify 20% of the patients, but more are needed to be able to offer patients with HPV + cancer with specific biomarkers for good prognosis, mild treatment with fewer side effects than today's intensive treatment. We also want to investigate the possibility of finding a screening test for prevention. II) We want to test for the 10 newly discovered HPyV in cancer in humans where one suspects correlation between cancer and infection. I) By combining previously identified markers with new markers and understanding their mechanisms, we hope to identify almost all patients HPV + tonsil and tongue bass with good prognosis. In clinical trials, these patients would be able to receive less tailor-made treatment where side effects such as difficulty in swallowing, speaking and breathing are reduced and patients to a greater extent return to normal social life and working life. This will also lead to savings for society that can benefit other patients. II) If new HPyVs are associated with cancer, one can potentially vaccinate risk groups with vaccines against these diseases.