Thomas J. Ow, M.D., M.S.
- Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery
- Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
Area of research
- Head and Neck Cancer Biology; Molecular and genetic biomarkers in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Biology and Management of Head and Neck Skin Cancer; Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Outcomes.
Phone
Location
- Montefiore Medical Center Medical Arts Pavilion 3400 Bainbridge Avenue MMC-MAP 3304 Bronx, NY 10467
Research Profiles
Professional Interests
Overview
Dr. Ow is a Head and Neck Surgeon and Translational Researcher at Montefiore Medical Center-Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He specializes in the surgical treatment of tumors in the head and neck region, including those that occur in the mouth, throat, larynx, neck, sinuses, salivary glands, and thyroid gland. He also specializes in the surgical treatment of skin cancers that occur on the scalp, face, and neck.
Dr. Ow’s research is focused on the translation of genetic and molecular determinants in head and neck squamous cell cancer into clinically useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Specifically, Dr. Ow is studying factors that contribute to radiation and chemotherapy resistance in this disease, as well as genomic alterations acquired during the process of locoregional recurrence, lymph node spread, and distant metastasis. As a translational scientist, Dr. Ow is involved in active projects studying laboratory models of HNSCC, research utilizing patient's tumors, as well as clinical research - both retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials. The ultimate goal of this work is to identify novel ways to improve the survival and functional outcomes among patients with HNSCC.
Institutional, Regional, and National Roles
Selected Publications
For a full publication list, please navigate to:
Selected publications:
Ow TJ, Mehta V, Kim S, Vakil M, Friedmann P, In H. Evaluation of Survival and Postoperative Radiation Among Patients with Advanced Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Apr;29(4):2582-2591. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-11158-9. Epub 2022 Jan 23. PMID: 35067791; PMCID: PMC8940671.
Ow TJ, Fulcher CD, Thomas C, Broin PÓ, López A, Reyna DE, Smith RV, Sarta C, Prystowsky MB, Schlecht NF, Schiff BA, Rosenblatt G, Belbin TJ, Harris TM, Childs GC, Kawachi N, Guha C, Gavathiotis E. Optimal targeting of BCL-family proteins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma requires inhibition of both BCL-xL and MCL-1. Oncotarget. 2019 Jan 11;10(4):494-510. PMID: 30728900; PMCID: PMC6355180.
Bresler A, Mehta V, Schiff BA, Smith RV, Khader S, Ramos-Rivera G, Lin J, Libutti SK, Laird AM, Ow TJ. Comparison of Bethesda cytopathology classification to surgical pathology across racial-ethnic groups. Head Neck. 2019 Jul;41(7):2340-2345. PMID: 30793405
Hochfelder CG, McGinn AP, Mehta V, Castellucci E, Kabarriti R, Ow TJ. Treatment sequence and survival in locoregionally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer: A surveillance, epidemiology, and end results-based study. Laryngoscope. 2019 Dec 10. PMID: 31821572
Ow TJ, Thomas C, Fulcher CD, Chen J, López A, Reyna DE, Prystowsky MB, Smith RV, Schiff BA, Rosenblatt G, Belbin TJ, Harris TM, Childs GC, Kawachi N, Schlecht NF, Gavathiotis E. Apoptosis signaling molecules as treatment targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2020 Jan 2. doi: 10.1002/lary.28441. PMID: 31894587
Alli BY, Burk RD, Fatahzadeh M, Grossberg RM, Smith RV, Ow TJ, Wiltz M, Polanco J, Rousseau MC, Nicolau B, Schlecht NF. HIV modifies the effect of tobacco smoking on oral human papillomavirus infection. J Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 25. PMID: 32211783
Ow TJ, Thomas C, Fulcher CD, Chen J, López A, Reyna DE, Prystowsky MB, Smith RV, Schiff BA, Rosenblatt G, Belbin TJ, Harris TM, Childs GC, Kawachi N, Schlecht NF, Gavathiotis E. In Response to Regarding: Apoptosis Signaling Molecules as Treatment Targets in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2020 Aug;130(8):E458-E459. PMID: 32421206
Thal AG, Schiff BA, Ahmed Y, Cao A, Mo A, Mehta V, Smith RV, Cohen HW, Ow TJ. Tracheotomy in a High-Volume Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluating the Surgeon's Risk. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Mar;164(3):522-527. PMID: 32870117
Paoluzzi L, Ow TJ. Safe Administration of Cemiplimab to a Kidney Transplant Patient with Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Scalp. Curr Oncol. 2021 Jan 19;28(1):574-580. PMID: 33477979
Gadsden NJ, Fulcher CD, Li D, Shrivastava N, Thomas C, Segall JE, Prystowsky MB, Schlecht NF, Gavathiotis E, Ow TJ. Palbociclib Renders Human Papilloma Virus-Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Vulnerable to the Senolytic Agent Navitoclax. Mol Cancer Res. 2021 May;19(5):862-873 2021. PMID: 33495400
Hochfelder CG, Mehta V, Kabarriti R, McGinn AP, Castellucci E, Ow TJ. Survival analysis of patients with advanced hypopharyngeal cancer comparing patients who received primary surgery to those who received chemoradiation: An analysis of the NCDB. Oral Oncol. 2021 Aug 18;121:105470. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2021.105470. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34418696.
Ow TJ, Spector-Bagdady K, Cowan E, Shuman AG. Broad Consent for Head and Neck Cancer Research. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018 May;158(5):835-838. PMID: 29529925.
Ow TJ, Wang HR, McLellan B, Ciocon D, Amin B, Goldenberg D, Schmalbach CE; Education Committee of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). AHNS series - Do you know your guidelines? Diagnosis and management of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck. 2016 Nov;38(11):1589-1595. PMID: 27653232.
Fulcher CD, Haigentz M Jr, Ow TJ. AHNS Series: Do you know your guidelines? Principles of treatment for locally advanced or unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. ; Education Committee of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). Head Neck. 2017 Nov 24. PMID: 29171929
Ow TJ, Grethlein SJ, Schmalbach CE; Education Committee of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). Do you know your guidelines? Diagnosis and management of cutaneous head and neck melanoma. Head Neck. 2018 May;40(5):875-885. Epub 2018 Feb 27. PMID: 29485688
McMullen CP, Ow TJ. The Role of Systemic Therapy in Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2021 Apr;54(2):343-355. PMID: 33583597
Ow TJ, Sandulache VC, Skinner HD, Myers JN. Integration of cancer genomics with treatment selection: from the genome to predictive biomarkers. Cancer. 2013 Nov 15;119(22):3914-28. PMID: 24037788 PMCID: PMC3930628.
Grant Funding:
10/18/2021 – 9/30/2023 Price Family Foundation (PI: Ow)
Pilot Projects to Develop Experimental Cancer Therapeutics for Underrepresented Populations
The Role NRF2 signaling and Oxidative Stress Response in Cisplatin Resistance Among African Americans with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma”
This application is focused on signaling pathways related to cisplatin resistance between different racial-ethnic groups, with studies focused on chemotherapeutic agents that may be specifically effective for underrepresented minority patients.