Søren M. Bentzen
Professor of Human Oncology, Director of Research and Education
600 Highland Avenue
K4/316 Clinical Science Center
Madison, WI 53792
Telephone: 608-265-8572
Fax: 608-263-9947
E-mail:
Joint appointments:
Professor of Medical Physics, UWSMPH
Professor of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, UWSMPH
Adjunct Professor of Radiobiology and Medical Physics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Varian Visiting Professor to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)
- Administrative Support provided by Mary Marshall
My research focuses on evidence based radiation oncology and the development of novel strategies for optimizing radiation therapy outcome through personalized prescriptions of the 4D dose distribution using molecular risk profiling and functional imaging, so-called theragnostic radiation oncology. Theragnostic radiation oncology is the theme for a NIH PO1 program project grant under development that I am coordinating. The aim is to provide the clinico-biological basis for rational prescription of non-uniform dose distributions in individual patients. The UW provides an exceptional environment for pursuing this research line, with strong functional and molecular imaging groups - expected to be further enhanced when the Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) comes on line.
Molecular risk profiling is directly linked with outcomes research, mainly based on data from clinical trials and we have pioneered the use of hierarchical clustering and competing risks analysis in this context. Most of our work so far, has been based on immunohistochemical markers or DNA gene expression arrays, but we are actively pursuing collaborations and seeking funding for expanding these approaches into proteomics and metabolomics together with the Biotech Center at UW.
My third major research area is bioeffect modeling and outcomes research. Bioeffect modeling includes the modeling of dose-response relationships, linear-quadratic time-dose-frationation models and NTCP/TCP models. I am also involved in the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of several randomized controlled trials and have a long-standing research interest in long-term side-effects, health-related quality of life and functional outcomes. Active research lines also include surrogate endpoint in clinical trials and normal tissue radiobiology. Much of this research is pursued with a large network of national and international collaborators.
- B.Sc. in Physics & Mathematics, University of Aarhus, Denmark, 1978.
- M.Sc. in Physics, University of Aarhus, Denmark, 1981.
- Ph.D. in Medical Physics, University of Aarhus, Denmark, 1986.
- D.Sc. (dr.med.) in Medicine/Clinical Radiobiology, University of Aarhus, Denmark, 1994.
- Postdoctoral scientist, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Biomathematics, 1987-1988
- Theragnostic radiation oncology
- Translational radiation oncology
- Side effects of therapy
- Clinical outcomes studies
- Evidence based oncology
- Iintegration of data from genomics, proteomics and functional imaging into novel strategies for radiation therapy
- Bio-effect modeling
- 2008 Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- 2007 Elis Berven Lecture, Swedish Society of Oncology
- 2006 Rolf Wideroe Award, Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- 2006 ESTRO-ICTR Translational Research Award, Int. Conf. on Translational Research and Pre-Clinical Strategies in Radio-Oncology, Lugano, Switzerland
- 2003 Acta Oncologica Lectureship, Norwegian Society for Oncology
- 2003 Gold Medal (The Klaas Breur Medal) of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO)
- 2003 Emmanuel van der Schueren Award Lecturer, European School of Oncology
- 2003 Institute of Cancer Research Distinguished Lecturer, Sutton
- 2001 Allen S. Lichter Lectureship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- 2001 Varian Lectureship, Harvard Medical School, Boston
- 1999 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists Annual Lecturer
- 1998 The Clinical Oncology Award, Danish Society for Oncology
- 1998 L.H.Gray Memorial Trust Lecture, Association for Radiation Research, UK
Membership of scientific societies: ASTRO, AACR, ESTRO
Positions and Employment (selected):
1981-1987: Medical Physicist / Research Fellow, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark
1987-1988: Visiting Scientist, Dept. of Biomathematics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
1988-1989: Senior Medical Physicist, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark
1990-1997: Senior Scientist / Associate Professor, University of Aarhus and Danish Cancer Society, Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology in Aarhus, Denmark
1998-2004: Head, Human Cancer Biology & Informatics, Gray Laboratory, Mt Vernon Hospital, Northwood, United Kingdom
2000-2005: Honorary Professor, Department of Oncology, University College London, United Kingdom
2004-2005: Visiting Professor of Human Oncology and of Medical Physics, UW Medical School, Madison, WI
2004-present: Director of Research and Education, Department of Human Oncology, UW Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, WI
2005-present: Professor of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
2005-present: Professor of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
2006-present: Member, Co-Leader of the Imaging and Radiation Science Program, University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, WI
2007-present: Adjunct Professor of Radiation Biology and Medical Physics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
2008-present: Varian Visiting Professor to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)
2008-present: Professor of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
Committee Memberships etc. (selected):
2007-present: Member, Previously-untreated Locally Advanced Disease Task Force of the Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
2008-present: Member, Translational Research Program Committee, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)
2005-present: Member of the Danish National Light-ion Therapy Steering Committee
2005-2008: Member, International Scientific Advisory Committee, Academic Clinical Oncology and Radiobiology Research Network, UK
2002-2005: Member, EORTC Translational Research Advisory Committee
2000-2004: Member of the Examining Board for the First Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Oncology, Royal College of Radiologists, London, UK
1999-2005: External Examiner in Therapeutic Radiography (Chairman of Examination Committee, 2002-2004), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
1998-2003: member of the Local Research Ethics Committee for West Hertfordshire National Health Service Trust, UK
1998-2002: Head of Information Technology, Gray Laboratory, Northwood UK.
1997-2002: Chairman of the ESTRO Radiobiology Committee
1993-1996: Board member, Danish Cancer Society
1990-1997: Member of the ESTRO Radiobiology Committee
+ numerous Trial Management Groups, Independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committees, Trial Steering Committees
Editorial activity:
2003-present: Editorial Board, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics
1991-present: Editorial Board, Radiotherapy & Oncology
1991-present: Editorial Board, International Journal of Radiation Biology
1998-present: Editorial Board, Acta Oncologica
2008-present: Editorial Board, Journal of Oncology
2007-present: Editorial Board, The Open Clinical Cancer Journal
2001-present: Editorial Board, Nowotwory, Journal of the Polish Society of Oncology
2004-2005: Associate Editor, British Journal of Radiology
+Ad hoc peer reviewer for 28 international journals
Selected publications (from a total of 301, abstracts not included):
- Buffa FM, Bentzen SM, Daley FM et al. Molecular marker profiles predict locoregional control of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a randomized trial of continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy. Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Jun 1;10(11):3745-3754.
- Bentzen SM. Theragnostic imaging for radiation oncology: dose-painting by numbers. Lancet Oncol. 2005 Feb;6(2):112-117.
- Bentzen SM, Atasoy BM, Daley FM et al. Epidermal growth factor receptor expression in pretreatment biopsies from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma as a predictive factor for a benefit from accelerated radiation therapy in a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol. 2005 Aug 20;23(24):5560-5567.
- Bentzen SM. Preventing or reducing late side effects of radiation therapy: radiobiology meets molecular pathology. Nature Reviews Cancer 2006 Sep 1; 6(9): 702-713.
- Bentzen SM, Harari PM, Bernier J. Exploitable mechanisms for combining drugs with radiation: concepts, achievements and future directions. Nature Clinical Practice Oncology 2007 Mar;4(3): 172-180.
- START Trialists' Group. The UK Standardisation of Breast Radiotherapy (START) Trial B of radiotherapy hypofractionation for treatment of early breast cancer: a randomised trial. Lancet 2008 Mar 29;371(9618):1098-107.
- Bentzen SM. From cellular to high-throughput predictive assays in radiation oncology: challenges and opportunities. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2008 Apr;18(2): 75-88
For a full listing of my publications indexed for MEDLINE see under Links above!