Thomas Merchant, DO, PhD

Thomas E. Merchant, DO, PhD

Member, St. Jude Faculty
Division Chief, Radiation Oncology

Departments

Radiological Sciences

Divisions

Radiation Oncology

Contact Information

Thomas Merchant, DO, PhD
Radiological Sciences
Radiation Oncology
MS 220, Room I-3131
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
Email: thomas.merchant@stjude.org
Phone: (901) 595-3604
FAX: (901) 595-3113

Education

BS - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
DO - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
PhD - University of Utrecht, The Netherlands


Research Interests

I am currently Chief of Radiation Oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee where I have practiced since 1996. Prior to my appointment at St. Jude, I was an attending physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York. I was originally trained as a nuclear engineer at the University of Michigan. After completing my engineering degree, and prior to attending medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, I worked in the area of radiation protection and safety for the French Atomic Energy Commission in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France. After medical school, I was a Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands at the University of Utrecht where I received my Ph.D., cum laude, in experimental pathology. I interned at the Chicago Osteopathic Hospital and performed my residency at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. As a part of my formal medical and residency training, I spent time at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston and Curie Institute in Paris. In the latter part of my residency training, I was awarded a fellowship and spent time at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy and Children’s Hospital Boston.

The subject of my research has been the application of advanced radiotherapy methods in the treatment of children with cancer. My focus has been in pediatric neuro-oncology where I have designed new treatments for children with brain tumors and modeled radiation-related CNS effects. The broad long-term goal of my research has been to increase the cure rates for the most common brain tumors and reduce or eliminate the side effects of radiation therapy. My work in the area of conformal radiation therapy for pediatric CNS tumors has provided the basis for the dose, volume and normal tissue tolerance guidelines used in most of the national cooperative group brain tumor trials for children with medulloblastoma, ependymoma, low-grade glioma and craniopharyngioma. In 2009, my work has been highlighted in a number of oncology journals including Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics.

In the Children’s Oncology Group, I currently serve as the Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Discipline and Vice-chairman of the CNS Disease Committee. I have been the Principal Investigator for the most recent national ependymoma study. My current efforts include leading the development of new guidelines to implement and research the role of intensity-modulated radiation therapy and proton beam therapy in the treatment of children with all types of brain and solid tumors. To that end, I recently completed a sabbatical at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland where I studied proton spot scanning. My goal is to lead the effort to develop institutional and collaborative protocols for St. Jude patients to receive proton beam therapy at established protons centers.


Selected Publications

Merchant TE. Proton Beam Therapy in Pediatric Oncology. Cancer J 15(4):298-305, 2009.

Pai Panandiker AS, McGregor LM, Krasin MJ, Wu S, Xiong X, Merchant TE. Loco-regional Tumor Progression after Radiation Therapy Influences Overall Survival in Pediatric Patients with Neuroblastoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Aug 11, 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Krasin MJ, Davioff AM, Xiong X, Wu S, Hua CH, Navid F, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Rao B, Hoth KA, Neel MD, Merchant TE, Kun LE, Spunt SL. Preliminary Results from a Prospective Study using Limited Margin Radiotherapy in Pediatric High Grade Non-Rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcoma. J Clin Oncol Jul 20, 2009. [Epub ahead of print] NIHMS133810

Merchant TE, Kun LE, Wu S, Xiong X, Sanford RA, Boop FA. A Phase II trial of conformal radiation therapy for pediatric low-grade glioma. J Clin Oncol 27(22):3598-3604, Jul 6, 2009 [Epub ahead of print]

Merchant TE, Conklin HM, Wu S, Lustig RH, Xiong X. Late effects of conformal radiation therapy for pediatric patients with low-grade glioma: prospective evaluation of cognitive, endocrine and hearing deficits. J Clin Oncol Jul 6, 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Sanford R, Merchant TE, Zwienenberg-Lee M, Kun LE, Boop FA. Advances in surgical techniques for resection of childhood cerebellopontine angle ependymomas are key to survival. Child Nerv Sys May 30, 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Wilson C, Gaber MW, Sabek OM, Zawaski JA, Merchant TE. Radiation-induced astrogliosis and blood-brain barrier damage can be abrogated using anti-TNF treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Jul 1;74(3):934-941, 2009.

Merchant TE, Chitti RM, Li C, Xiong X, Sanford RA, Khan RB. Factors associated with neurological recovery of brainstem function following post-operative conformal radiation therapy in infratentorial ependymoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys May 21, 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Merchant TE. Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy for ependymoma. Childs Nerv Syst Apr 17, 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Morris BE, Li C, Khan RB, Sanford RA, Boop F, Pinlac R, Xiong X, Merchant TE. Evolution of neurological impairment in pediatric infratentorial ependymoma patients. J Neurooncol Mar 29, 2009. [Epub ahead of print] NIHMS105709

Merchant TE, Li C, Xiong X, Kun LE, Boop FA, Sanford RA. Conformal radiation therapy for pediatric ependymoma. Lancet Oncol 10(3):258-266, 2009.

Dolson E, Conklin H, Li C, Xiong X, Merchant TE. Predicting behavioral problems in craniopharyngioma survivors after conformal radiation. Pediatr Blood Cancer 52(7):860-864, 2009. PMCID: PMC2727936

Broniscer A, Baker SJ, Stewart CF, Merchant TE, Laningham FH, Schaiquevich P,3 Kocak M, Morris EB, Endersby R, Ellison DW, Gajjar A. Phase I and pharmacokinetic studies of Erlotinib administered concurrently with radiotherapy for children, adolescents, and young adults with high-grade glioma. Clin Cancer Res 15(2):701-707, 2009. PMCID: PMC2629527

Merchant TE, Li C, Xiong X, Gaber, MW. Cytokine And Growth Factor Responses After Radiation Therapy For Localized Ependymoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 74(1):159-167, 2009. Epub 2008 Nov 18, 2008. NIHMS111701

Chintagumpala M, Hassall T, Palmer S, Ashley D, Wallace D, Kasow K, Merchant TE, Krasin MJ, Dauser R, Boop F, Krance R, Woo S, Cheuk R, Lau C, Gilbertson R, Gajjar A. A pilot study of risk adapted radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with supratentorial PNET. Neuro Oncol 11(1):33-40, 2009. Epub Sep 16, 2008. PMCID: PMC2718957

Rodriguez-Galindo C, Wilson MW, Chantada G, Fu L, Qaddoumi I, Antoneli C, Leal-Leal C, Sharma T, Barnoya M, Epelman S, Pizzarello L, Kane JR, Barfield R, Merchant TE, Robinson LL, Murphree AL, Chevex-Barrios P, Dyer MA, O’Brien J, Ribeiro RC, Hungerford J, Helveston EM, Haik BG, Wilimas J. Retinoblastoma: one world, one vision. Pediatrics 122(3):e763-770, 2008. Review.

Conklin HM, Li C, Xiong X, Ogg RJ, Merchant TE. Predicting change in academic abilities after conformal radiation therapy for localized ependymoma. J Clin Oncol 26(24):3965-3970, 2008. PMCID: PMC2654312

Fouladi M, Chintagumpala M, Ashley D, Kellie S, Gururangan S, Hassall T, Gronewold L, Stewart C, Wallace D, Broniscer A, Hale G, Kasow K, Merchant T, Morris B, Krasin M, Kun L, Boyett J, Gajjar A. Amifostine protects against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in children with average-risk medulloblastoma. J Clin Oncol 26(22):3749-3755, 2008. PMCID: PMC2504739

Merchant TE, Boop FA, Kun LE, Sanford RA. A retrospective study of surgery and re-irradiation for recurrent ependymoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 71(1):87-97, 2008.

Hua C, Bass JK, Khan RB, Kun LE, Merchant TE. Hearing loss after radiotherapy for pediatric brain tumors: effect of cochlea dose. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 72(3):892-899, 2008.

Laughton SJ, Merchant TE, Sklar CA, Fouladi M, Broniscer A, Morris EB, Sanders RP, Kun LE, Krasin MJ, Shelso J, Xiong Z, Wallace D, Gajjar A. Endocrine outcomes for children with embryonal brain tumors following risk-adapted cranio-spinal and conformal primary site irradiation and high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell rescue on the SJMB-96 trial. J Clin Oncol 26(7):1112-1118, 2008.

Merchant TE, Hua CH, Shukla H, Ying X, Nill S, Oelfke U. Proton versus photon radiotherapy for common pediatric brain tumors: Comparison of models of dose characteristics and their relationship to cognitive function. Pediatr Blood Cancer 51(1):110-117, 2008. Epub Feb. 27, 2008.

Hua C, Gray JM, Merchant TE, Kun LE, Krasin MJ Treatment Planning and Delivery of External Beam Radiotherapy for Pediatric Sarcoma: The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Experience. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 70(5):1598-1606, 2008. Epub Jan 30, 2008.

Sanders RP, Onar A, Boyett JM, Broniscer A, Morris EB, Qaddoumi I, Armstrong GT, Boop FA, Sanford RA, Kun LE, Merchant TE, Gajjar A. M1 Medulloblastoma: high risk at any age. J Neurooncol Aug 15, 2008 [Epub ahead of print] PMCID: PMC2597631

Hartley KA, Li C, Laningham FH, Krasin MJ, Xiong X, Merchant TE. Vertebral body growth after craniospinal irradiation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 70(5):1343-1349, 2008. Epub Dec 28, 2007.

Merchant TE, Kun LE, Krasin MJ, Wallace D, Chintagumpala M, Woo S, Ashley DM, Sexton M, Kellie SJ, Ahern V, Gajjar A. A multi-institution prospective trial of reduced-dose craniospinal irradiation (23.4 Gy) followed by conformal posterior fossa (36 Gy) and primary site irradiation (55.8 Gy) and dose-intensive chemotherapy for average-risk medulloblastoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 70(3):782-787, 2008. Epub Sep 24, 2007. PMCID: PMC2716663


Last update: August 2009

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