Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer/Oral Oncology Program

Rajesh V. Lalla, D.D.S., Ph.D., C.C.R.P.

Dr. Lalla is a dentist-scientist who conducts clinical research on a variety of oral mucosal disorders, including mucositis secondary to cancer treatment, recurrent aphthous stomatitis (canker sores) and oral candidiasis (thrush). His research is funded by the federal government (through the National Institutes of Health), the American Cancer Society, the Donaghue Foundation and industry. In addition to research, Dr. Lalla is also involved in clinical and classroom teaching of dental students. He serves on several institutional committees including the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which oversees conduct of clinical research, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the General Clinical Research Center, and the Strategic Planning Committee of the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Lalla is active in various professional organizations. He serves as the co-chair of the Mucositis Study Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and the International Society for Oral Oncology. Dr. Lalla has written a number of book chapters and scientific articles, many of them dealing with oral complications in cancer patients. He is asked to review articles written by others for several journals. Dr. Lalla also serves as a consultant on issues dealing with clinical trial design and outcomes.

Appointments

• Assistant Professor, Section of Oral Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
• Attending Staff, Department of Dentistry, John Dempsey Hospital

Specialty

• Oral Medicine

Education
D.D.S., University of Bombay, India

Residency
Oral Medicine and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center

Postdoctoral Fellowship Training
Clinical Research, University of Connecticut Health Center. Received designation of “Certified Clinical Research Professional” from the Society of Clinical Research Associates.

Affiliation

• Department of Dentistry, John Dempsey Hospital

Honors and Awards

• Best Scientific Paper: National level award at Indian Dental Association Student Conference, 1994.
• Graduate Fellowship: University of Connecticut, 1995-1999.
• Lester Burket Memorial Award: National level award from the American Academy of Oral Medicine, 1999.
• Travel Fellowship: to attend conference on Mucosal Injury in Cancer Patients, 2000.
• Edward H. Hatton Award: First Place, Senior Category. National level research award from the American Association of Dental Research (AADR), 2001. Selected to represent the AADR at the international level competition.
• Best Poster: 17th International Symposium of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer/ International Society for Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO), 2005.
• Young Investigator Award: 17th International Symposium of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer/ International Society for Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO), 2005.
• P.J. Robinson Award for Junior Faculty: Awarded in recognition of significant scholarly research and teaching accomplishments, 2006.

Selected Publications

Book Chapters
Lalla RV, Peterson DE, Brennan MT and Schubert MM; Oral Toxicity. In The Chemotherapy Sourcebook, 4th edition, edited by Michael C. Perry, MD. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD, 2007.

Peterson DE and Lalla RV. Mucositis in Patients Receiving Cancer Therapy. In Cancer Supportive Care: Advances in Therapeutic Strategies. 1st Edition, edited by G. Lyman and J. Crawford. Informa Healthcare, New York, NY, 2008.

Lalla RV and Peterson DE. Oral Symptoms. In Palliative Medicine. 1st edition, Edited by Declan Walsh, MD. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, 2008.

Articles in Scientific Journals
S. Sonis et al for the Mucositis Study Group (includes R Lalla) ; Validation of a New Scoring System for Assessment of Clinical Trials Research of Oral Mucositis Induced by Radiation or Chemotherapy. Cancer, 85(10): 2103-2113, 1999.

Raber-Durlacher JE, Barasch A, Peterson DE, Lalla RV, Schubert M, Fibbe WE. Oral Complications And Management Considerations In Patients Treated With High-Dose Cancer Chemotherapy. Supportive Cancer Therapy. 1(4):219-229, 2004.

Lalla RV and Peterson DE. Oral Mucositis (Invited Review). Dental Clinics of North America, 49(1):167-184, 2005.

Lalla RV. Velafermin (Invited Review). Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs, 6(11): 1179-1185, 2005. Also published in the online Investigational Drugs Database.

Lalla RV, Schubert MM, Bensadoun RJ, Keefe D. Anti-inflammatory agents in the management of alimentary mucositis. Supportive Care in Cancer, 14(6):558-565, 2006.

Bensadoun RJ, Schubert MM, Lalla RV, Keefe D. Amifostine in the management of radiation-induced and chemo-induced mucositis. Supportive Care in Cancer. 14(6): 566-572, 2006.

Lalla RV and Peterson DE. Treatment of Mucositis - Including New Medications (Invited Review). The Cancer Journal. 12(5): 348-354, 2006.

Aframian DA, Lalla RV, Peterson DE. Management of dental patients taking common hemostasis-altering medications. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2007 Mar;103 Suppl:S45.e1-11.

Keefe DM et al; Mucositis Study Section (includes Lalla RV). Updated clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of mucositis. Cancer. 2007 Mar 1;109(5):820-31.

Lalla RV, Sonis ST, Peterson DE. Management of Oral Mucositis in Patients Who Have Cancer (Invited Review). Dent Clin North Am. 2008 Jan;52(1):61-77.

View more publications, see Pubmed listing.

Clinical Interests
Dr. Lalla’s clinical practice is exclusively limited to prevention and management of the oral complications of cancer therapy.

Research Interests

Clinical Research

• Oral soft tissue disease, including mucositis secondary to cancer therapy, recurrent aphthous stomatitis and oral candidiasis.
• Role of oral microorganisms in causing systemic infections, in cancer patients with central venous catheters and in patients with hemodialysis access devices.