American Head & Neck Society

Advancing Education, Research, and Quality of Care for the Head and Neck oncology patient.

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William Spanos – Sioux Falls South Dakota

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William Spanos

AMG ENT\Head and Neck Surgery, University of South Dakota Department of Surgery

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1417 South Cliff Avenue
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57105
United States
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My academic and medical training background includes a strong track record of cancer focused research.  My laboratory focuses on the interaction between the immune system and the cancer cells in human papillomavirus driven head and neck cancers.  I also have an active medical practice caring for and treating head and neck cancer patients.  The failure of treatment in some patients and the morbidity associated with treatment motivate me to search for an improved molecular understanding of head and neck cancer through research.  Current treatment for recurrent metastatic head and neck cancer is limited in efficacy with significant side effects.  My recent research is focused on the interaction of the cancer cell, in the context of chemotherapy treatment, with the immune system and surrounding extracellular environment.  I hope to find ways to augment and modulate that interaction to improve response to treatment and to find less toxic therapy options.  Clinical research is also an important component of my role and I am principal investigator on several trials.  My overall goal is to improve the treatment for head and neck cancer patients to limit morbidity and increase efficacy and I see research and clinical trials as the main way to make progress over the next five years.

Thyroid Cancer Collaborative Registry

Understanding Head and Neck Cancer Tissue Repository

Checkmate 358 (BMS)

Merck 689

NCCORP Sponsored Trials (ECOG 0232, RTOG 9507, HN003, HN004)

Landeen KC, Spanos WC, Gromer L. Topical superoxide dismutase in posttreatment fibrosis in patients with head and neck cancer. Head Neck. 2018 May 13. doi: 10.1002/hed.25119. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29756397.

Assam JH, Spanos WC. Oral Cavity Reconstruction Outcomes Using a Porcine Urinary Bladder Matrix: A Retrospective Case Series. Wounds. 2018 May;30(5):131-137. PubMed PMID: 29847304.

Assam JH, Spanos WC. Treatment of Peritonsillar Abscess in Immunosuppressed Patients. S D Med. 2017 Jul;70(7):314-316. PubMed PMID: 28806028.

Vermeer DW, Coppock JD, Zeng E, Lee KM, Spanos WC, Onken MD, Uppaluri R, Lee JH, Vermeer PD. Metastatic model of HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma demonstrates heterogeneity in tumor metastasis. Oncotarget. 2016 Apr 26;7(17):24194-207. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.8254. PubMed PMID: 27013584; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5029694.

Coppock JD, Vermeer PD, Vermeer DW, Lee KM, Miskimins WK, Spanos WC, Lee JH. mTOR inhibition as an adjuvant therapy in a metastatic model of HPV+ HNSCC. Oncotarget. 2016 Apr 26;7(17):24228-41. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.8286. PubMed PMID: 27015118; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5029697.
de la Garza G, Militsakh O, Panwar A, Galloway TL, Jorgensen JB, Ledgerwood LG, Kaiser K, Kitzerow C, Shnayder Y, Neumann CA, Khariwala SS, Chad Spanos W, Pagedar NA. Obesity and perioperative complications in head and neck free tissue reconstruction. Head Neck. 2016 Apr;38 Suppl 1:E1188-91. doi: 10.1002/hed.24189. Epub 2015 Aug 13. PubMed PMID: 26268587; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4894301.
Assam JH, Powell S, Spanos WC. Unresectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the forehead with MLH1 mutation showing dramatic response to Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Inhibitor Therapy. Clin Skin Cancer. 2016 Jan;1(1):26-29. doi: 10.1016/j.clsc.2016.11.001. Epub 2016 Nov 23. PubMed PMID: 29333502; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5766284.
Terrell A, Gardner P, Spanos WC, Allard B, Barth R, Bhatia V, Lee J. Clinical Outcomes of a Team Approach to Thyroidectomy. S D Med. 2015 Dec;68(12):539-41. PubMed PMID: 26793931.
Smith RB, Evasovich M, Girod DA, Jorgensen JB, Lydiatt WM, Pagedar NA, Spanos WC. Ultrasound for localization in primary hyperparathyroidism. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Sep;149(3):366-71. doi: 10.1177/0194599813491063. Epub 2013 Jun 7. PubMed PMID: 23748916.
Vermeer DW, Spanos WC, Vermeer PD, Bruns AM, Lee KM, Lee JH. Radiation-induced loss of cell surface CD47 enhances immune-mediated clearance of human papillomavirus-positive cancer. Int J Cancer. 2013 Jul;133(1):120-9. doi: 10.1002/ijc.28015. Epub 2013 Feb 12. PubMed PMID: 23292955; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3972896.
Miller RA, Spanos WC, Jassim AD. Pathology quiz case 2. Folliculitis keloidalis nuchae. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Apr;139(4):425-6. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2013.140a. PubMed PMID: 23599087.
Wieking BG, Vermeer DW, Spanos WC, Lee KM, Vermeer P, Lee WT, Xu Y, Gabitzsch ES, Balcaitis S, Balint JP Jr, Jones FR, Lee JH. A non-oncogenic HPV 16 E6/E7 vaccine enhances treatment of HPV expressing tumors. Cancer Gene Ther. 2012 Oct;19(10):667-74. doi: 10.1038/cgt.2012.55. Epub 2012 Aug 24. PubMed PMID: 22918471; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3571619.
Spanos WC, Nowicki P, Lee DW, Hoover A, Hostager B, Gupta A, Anderson ME, Lee JH. Immune response during therapy with cisplatin or radiation for human papillomavirus-related head and neck cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009 Nov;135(11):1137-46. doi: 10.1001/archoto.2009.159. PubMed PMID: 19917928.
Spanos WC, Brookes JT, Smith MC, Burkhart HM, Bell EF, Smith RJ. Unilateral vocal fold paralysis in premature infants after ligation of patent ductus arteriosus: vascular clip versus suture ligature. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2009 Oct;118(10):750-3. PubMed PMID: 19894404.
Spanos WC, Hoover A, Harris GF, Wu S, Strand GL, Anderson ME, Klingelhutz AJ, Hendriks W, Bossler AD, Lee JH. The PDZ binding motif of human papillomavirus type 16 E6 induces PTPN13 loss, which allows anchorage-independent growth and synergizes with ras for invasive growth. J Virol. 2008 Mar;82(5):2493-500. Epub 2007 Dec 26. PubMed PMID: 18160445; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2258903.
Spanos WC, Geiger J, Anderson ME, Harris GF, Bossler AD, Smith RB, Klingelhutz AJ, Lee JH. Deletion of the PDZ motif of HPV16 E6 preventing immortalization and anchorage-independent growth in human tonsil epithelial cells. Head Neck. 2008 Feb;30(2):139-47. PubMed PMID: 17657785; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2600880.
Hoover AC, Spanos WC, Harris GF, Anderson ME, Klingelhutz AJ, Lee JH. The role of human papillomavirus 16 E6 in anchorage-independent and invasive growth of mouse tonsil epithelium. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007 May;133(5):495-502. PubMed PMID: 17515506; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2917346.
Spanos WC, El-Deiry M, Lee JH. Cidofovir incorporation into human keratinocytes with episomal HPV 16 results in nonselective cytotoxicity. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2005 Nov;114(11):840-6. PubMed PMID: 16363057.
Tuazon PT, Spanos WC, Gump EL, Monnig CA, Traugh JA. Determinants for substrate phosphorylation by p21-activated protein kinase (gamma-PAK). Biochemistry. 1997 Dec 23;36(51):16059-64. PubMed PMID: 9405039.