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My clinical expertise is in the treatment of head and neck cancers and gastrointestinal cancers. Additionally, I have specialized training in brachytherapy, which consists of placing radioactive sources within, or directly adjacent to a tumor, as a means of delivering highly targeted radiation. I have experience in head and neck, prostate, and gastrointestinal brachytherapy, as well as intra-operative radiotherapy. I have a particular clinical interest in the re-treatment of patients who have undergone a prior course of radiation, through the integration of highly targeted techniques such as proton therapy and brachytherapy. I believe strongly in the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, and work closely with my surgical and medical oncology colleagues to optimize patient outcomes.

Medical School: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship: Mount Sinai Medical Center

American Brachytherapy Society , National American College of Radiology, National American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), National American Society of Clinical Oncology, National

Hospital Privileges:

• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
• Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.

Description of Research Expertise:

My research focuses on the multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancers, in particular novel strategies to understand and mitigate the toxicities associated with head and neck radiotherapy. Additionally, I am interested in identifying subsets of patients with HPV+ cancer who may benefit from treatment de-intensification, and conversely, those with high-risk disease who may benefit from novel targeted therapy and/or immunotherapy.

Selected Publications:

Routman DM, Funk RK, Tangsriwong K, Lin A, Keeney MG, García JJ, Zarka MA, Lewis JT, Stoddard DG, Moore EJ, Day CN, Zhai Q, Price KA, Lukens JN, Swisher-McClure S, Weinstein GS, O'Malley BW Jr, Foote RL, Ma DJ: Relapse Rates With Surgery Alone in Human Papillomavirus-Related Intermediate- and High-Risk Group Oropharynx Squamous Cell Cancer: A Multi-Institutional Review Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys : 2017.

Hatten KM, O'Malley BW Jr, Bur AM, Patel MR, Rassekh CH, Newman JG, Cannady SB, Chalian AA, Hodnett BL, Lin A, Lukens JN, Cohen RB, Bauml JM, Montone KT, Livolsi VA, Weinstein GS: Transoral Robotic Surgery-Assisted Endoscopy With Primary Site Detection and Treatment in Occult Mucosal Primaries. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 143 (3): 267-273,2017.

Gamez M, Agarwal M, Hu KS, Lukens JN, Harrison LB: Hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy with concurrent radiosensitizing chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer using the QUAD-SHOT regimen Anticancer research : 2017.

Rwigema, Jean-Claude, Swisher-McClure, Samuel, Laan, HP van der, Lukens, John, Lin, Alexander, Langendijk, JA: Proton therapy improves toxicity for oropharyngeal cancer: an outcomes and predictive model-based approach ASTRO 2017 : 2017.

Orly M Coblens, Joshua Earl, Garth D. Ehrlich, Noam A Cohen, John N Lukens, Jason G Newman: Microbiomes and Mucositis During Head & Neck Radiotherapy The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting 2017 : 2017.

Mohammad Mousavian, Yasmin Mattar, Jakub Svoboda, Lauren Strelec, Peter Gabriel, John Lukens, John Plastaras: Characterization of Toxicities Associated with Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Lymphomas ASTRO 2017 Annual Meeting : 2017.

Jared Gershowitz, Abigail Doucette, John N Lukens, Samuel Swisher-McClure, Geoffrey Geiger, Alexander Lin: Pathologic Risk Factors Associated with Contralateral Neck Disease in Patients with Tonsil Cancer: Implications on Patient Selection for Unilateral Neck Radiotherapy ASTRO 2017 : 2017.

Brian C. Baumann, Jenny Wei, John P. Plastaras, John N. Lukens, Nevena Damjanov, Maarouf Hoteit, Christine Hsu, Matthew Levine, Jeffrey Mondschein, Gregory Nadolski, Kim Olthoff, Kim Reiss Binder, Mark Rosen, Evan Siegelman, James M. Metz, Edgar Ben-Josef: Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: High Rates of Local Control with Low Toxicity American Journal of Clinical Oncology : 2017.

Apinorasethkul O, Kirk M, Teo K, Swisher-McClure S, Lukens JN, Lin A: Pencil beam scanning proton therapy vs rotational arc radiation therapy: A treatment planning comparison for postoperative oropharyngeal cancer Med Dosim 42 (1): 7-11,2017.

Daniel M. Trifiletti, Andrew Smith, Nandita Mitra, Surbhi Grover, John N. Lukens, Roger B. Cohen, Paul Read, William M. Mendenhall, Alexander Lin, Samuel Swisher-McClure: Beyond Positive Margins and Extracapsular Extension: Evaluating the Utilization and Clinical Impact of Postoperative Chemoradiotherapy in Resected Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Journal of Clinical Oncology : 2017.