Mihai Merzianu MD
Mihai Merzianu
MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Anatomic Pathology; Clinical Pathology
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, Hematopathology Fellow July 2004-June 2005, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (2005)
- MD, Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy (2005)
- Fellowship, Oncologic Pathology Fellow, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY (2004)
- Residency, Resident - Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center/Beth Israel Medical Center New York, NY (2003)
- BA, Baccalaureate, Mathematics-Physics, Fratii Buzesti College, Craiova, Romania (1987)
Employment:
- Director of Surgical Pathology, Pathology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY (2021-present)
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Pathology, Dept. of Pathology & Anatomical Sciences, SMBS SUNY at Buffalo (2006-present)
- Professor of Oncology, Pathology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (2022-present)
Awards and Honors:
- Mentored Leon Barnes Awardee (Dr. Simpal Gill, UB Pathology resident) Best Head & Neck poster presentation at United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) (2013)
- Edith Sprout Teaching Award (2012)
- Neville Colman Outstanding Resident Award (2003)
Research Expertise:
- Head and Neck Pathology Hematopathology
Journal Articles:
- Bolookat ER, Rich LJ, Vincent-Chong VK, DeJohn CR, Merzianu M, Hershberger PA, Singh AK, Seshadri M. (2023) Noninvasive Monitoring of Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Vascular Injury. Journal of dental research (Apr), 102(4): 412-421. doi:10.1177/00220345221138533
- Surendran S, Aboelkheir U, Tu AA, Magner WJ, Sigurdson SL, Merzianu M, Hicks WL, Suresh A, Kirkwood KL, Kuriakose MA. (2022) T-Cell Infiltration and Immune Checkpoint Expression Increase in Oral Cavity Premalignant and Malignant Disorders. Biomedicines (Jul), 10(8). doi:10.3390/biomedicines10081840
- Liu Z, Seshadri M, Gupta V, Papanicolau-Sengos A, Merzianu M. (2021) INI1-Deficient Thyroid Carcinoma is an Aggressive Disease with Epithelioid and Rhabdoid Phenotype. A Case Report, Survey of INI1 Expression in Thyroid Lesions and Literature Review. Head and neck pathology (Dec), 15(4): 1246-1252. doi:10.1007/s12105-021-01338-0
- Folaron M, Merzianu M, Duvvuri U, Ferris RL, Seshadri M. (2019) Profiling the Stromal and Vascular Heterogeneity in Patient-derived Xenograft Models of Head and Neck Cancer: Impact on Therapeutic Response. Cancers (Jul), 11(7). doi:10.3390/cancers11070951
- Accetta JL, Helm MM, Wirth P, Merzianu M. (2018) IgG4 expression in cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation and localized amyloid deposition: A useful clue to cutaneous origin. JAAD case reports (Oct), 4(9): 883-886. doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2018.06.015
- Merzianu M, Groman A, Hutson A, Cotta C, Brynes RK, Orazi A, Reddy V, Teruya-Feldstein J, Amre R, Balasubramanian M, Brandao G, Cherian S, Courville E, Czuchlewski D, Fan G, Grier D, Hoehn D, Inamdar KV, Juskevicius R, Kaur P, Lazarchick J, Lewis MR, Miles RR, Myers JB, Nasr MR, Qureishi HN, Olteanu H, Robu VG, Salaru G, Vajpayee N, Vos J, Zhang L, Zhang S, Aye L, Brega E, Coad JE, Grantham J, Ivelja S, McKenna R, Sultan K, Wilding G, Hutchison R, Peterson L, Cheney RT. (2018) Trends in Bone Marrow Sampling and Core Biopsy Specimen Adequacy in the United States and Canada: A Multicenter Study. American journal of clinical pathology (Oct), 150(5): 393-405. doi:10.1093/ajcp/aqy066
- Dickson BC, Antonescu CR, Argyris PP, Bilodeau EA, Bullock MJ, Freedman PD, Gnepp DR, Jordan RC, Koutlas IG, Lee CH, Leong I, Merzianu M, Purgina BM, Thompson LDR, Wehrli B, Wright JM, Swanson D, Zhang L, Bishop JA. (2018) Ectomesenchymal Chondromyxoid Tumor: A Neoplasm Characterized by Recurrent RREB1-MKL2 Fusions. The American journal of surgical pathology (Oct), 42(10): 1297-1305. doi:10.1097/PAS.0000000000001096
- Vincent-Chong VK, DeJong H, Rich LJ, Patti A, Merzianu M, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. (2018) Impact of Age on Disease Progression and Microenvironment in Oral Cancer. Journal of dental research (Oct), 97(11): 1268-1276. doi:10.1177/0022034518775736
- Alshagroud R, Alharbi H, Caplash J, Merzianu M, Aguirre A. (2018) Lip mass. J Am Dent Assoc (May).
- Surendran S, Siddappa G, Mohan A, Hicks W, Jayaprakash V, Mimikos C, Mahri M, Almarzouki F, Morrell K, Ravi R, Govindan S, Sushma CN, Raghavan N, Birur P, Ilayaraja J, Merzianu M, Reid M, Suresh A, Kuriakose MA. (2017) Cancer stem cell and its niche in malignant progression of oral potentially malignant disorders. Oral oncology (Dec), 75: 140-147. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2017.11.003
- Prabhu AV, Sturgis CD, Lai C, Maxwell JH, Merzianu M, Hernandez-Prera JC, Purgina B, Thompson LDR, Tuluc M, Yang X, Seethala RR, Ferris RL, Chiosea SI. (2017) Improving margin revision: Characterization of tumor bed margins in early oral tongue cancer. Oral oncology (Dec), 75: 184-188. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2017.10.013
- Platek AJ, Jayaprakash V, Merzianu M, Platek ME, Cohan DM, Hicks WL, Marimuthu SP, Winslow TB, Gupta V, Arshad H, Kuriakose MA, Dibaj S, Marshall JR, Reid ME, Warren GW, Singh AK. (2016) Smoking cessation is associated with improved survival in oropharynx cancer treated by chemoradiation. Laryngoscope (Dec), 126(12): 2733-2738.
- Arrossi AV, Merzianu M, Farver C, Yuan C, Wang SH, Nakashima MO, Cotta CV. (2016) Nodular pulmonary light chain deposition disease: an entity associated with Sjögren syndrome or marginal zone lymphoma. Journal of clinical pathology (Jun), 69(6): 490-6.
- Shafirstein G, Rigual NR, Arshad H, Cooper MT, Bellnier DA, Wilding G, Tan W, Merzianu M, Henderson BW. (2016) Photodynamic therapy with 3-(1'-hexyloxyethyl) pyropheophorbide-a for early-stage cancer of the larynx: Phase Ib study. Head & neck (Apr), 38 Suppl 1(Suppl 1): E377-83. doi:10.1002/hed.24003
- Rohrbach DJ, Rigual N, Arshad H, Tracy EC, Cooper MT, Shafirstein G, Wilding G, Merzianu M, Baumann H, Henderson BW, Sunar U. (2016) Intraoperative optical assessment of photodynamic therapy response of superficial oral squamous cell carcinoma. Journal of biomedical optics (Jan), 21(1): 18002. doi:10.1117/1.JBO.21.1.018002
- Wei L, Liu S, Conroy J, Wang J, Papanicolau-Sengos A, Glenn ST, Murakami M, Liu L, Hu Q, Conroy J, Miles KM, Nowak DE, Liu B, Qin M, Bshara W, Omilian AR, Head K, Bianchi M, Burgher B, Darlak C, Kane J, Merzianu M, Cheney R, Fabiano A, Salerno K, Talati C, Khushalani NI, Trump DL, Johnson CS, Morrison CD. (2015) Whole-genome sequencing of a malignant granular cell tumor with metabolic response to pazopanib. Cold Spring Harbor molecular case studies (Oct), 1(1): a000380. doi:10.1101/mcs.a000380
- Bothwell KD, Shaurova T, Merzianu M, Suresh A, Kuriakose MA, Johnson CS, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. (2015) Impact of Short-term 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the Chemopreventive Efficacy of Erlotinib against Oral Cancer. Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Sep), 8(9): 765-76. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-14-0454
- Pokuri VK, Merzianu M, Gandhi S, Baqai J, Loree TR, Bhat S. (2015) Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma. J Natl Compr Canc Netw (Feb), 13(2): 128-132.
- Subik MK, Herr M, Hutchison RE, Kelly J, Tyler W, Merzianu M, Burack WR. (2014) A highly curable lymphoma occurs preferentially in the proximal tibia of young patients. Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc (Nov), 27(11): 1430-1437. doi:10.1038/modpathol.2014.51
- Jayaprakash V, Merzianu M, Warren GW, Arshad H, Hicks WL, Rigual NR, Sullivan MA, Seshadri M, Marshall JR, Cohan DM, Zhao Y, Singh AK. (2014) Survival rates and prognostic factors for infiltrating salivary duct carcinoma: Analysis of 228 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Head Neck (May), 36(5): 694-701.
- Rigual N, Shafirstein G, Cooper MT, Baumann H, Bellnier DA, Sunar U, Tracy EC, Rohrbach DJ, Wilding G, Tan W, Sullivan M, Merzianu M, Henderson BW. (2013) Photodynamic therapy with 3-(1'-hexyloxyethyl) pyropheophorbide a for cancer of the oral cavity. Clin Cancer Res (Dec), 19(23): 6605-6613.
- Folaron M, Kalmuk J, Lockwood J, Frangou C, Vokes J, Turowski SG, Merzianu M, Rigual NR, Sullivan-Nasca M, Kuriakose MA, Hicks WL, Singh AK, Seshadri M. (2013) Vascular priming enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy against head and neck cancer. Oral Oncol (Sep), 49(9): 893-902.
- Stoler DL, Smaldino PJ, Darbary HK, Sullivan MA, Popat SR, Hicks WL, Merzianu M, Gaile DP, Anderson GR, Loree TR. (2013) Human papillomavirus and tobacco use in tongue base cancers. Ear Nose Throat J (Aug), 92(8): 372-380.
- Merzianu M, Wallace PK. (2012) Case study interpretation--Portland: Case 4. Acute leukemia of ambiguous lineage, unclassifiable. Cytometry. Part B, Clinical cytometry (May), 82(3): 186-91.
- Minca EC, Popat SR, Chadha MK, Merzianu M. (2012) Small lymphocytic lymphoma obscuring microscopic tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma: an unknown occurrence with a known primary. Head and neck pathology (Mar), 6(1): 125-9. doi:10.1007/s12105-010-0228-9
- Merzianu M. (2012) Case study interpretation-Portland: Case 4. Cytometry B Clin Cytom (Jan), 82: 186-191.
- Jayaprakash V, Reid M, Hatton E, Merzianu M, Rigual N, Marshall J, Gill S, Frustino J, Wilding G, Loree T, Popat S, Sullivan M. (2011) Human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 in epithelial dysplasia of oral cavity and oropharynx: a meta-analysis, 1985-2010. Oral oncology (Nov), 47(11): 1048-54. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2011.07.009
- Platek ME, Merzianu M, Mashtare TL, Popat SR, Rigual NR, Warren GW, Singh AK. (2011) Improved survival following surgery and radiation therapy for olfactory neuroblastoma: analysis of the SEER database. Radiat Oncol (Apr), 6: 41-41.
- Ali L, Cheney R, Merzianu M. (2011) Subclinical chronic lymphocytic leukemia with atypical cutaneous presentation. Journal of cutaneous pathology (Feb), 38(2): 236-40.
- Platek ME, Merzianu M, Mashtare TL, Popat SR, Rigual NR, Warren GW, Singh Ak. (2011) Subclinical chronic lymphocytic leukemia with unusual cutaneous. Radiation Oncology (Jan), 25(6:41)
- Jayaprakash V, Reid M, Hatton E, Merzianu M, Rigual N, Marshall J, Gill S, Frustino J, Wilding G, Loree T, Popat S, Sullivan M. (2010) Human Papillomavirus Type 16/18 in Squamous Dysplasia of Oral Cavity and Oropharynx. A Meta-analysis (Jan), 2011(47): 1048-1054.
- Seshadri M, Merzianu M, Tang H, Rigual NR, Sullivan M, Loree TR, Popat SR, Repasky EA, Hylander BL. (2009) Establishment and characterization of patient tumor-derived head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenografts. Cancer biology & therapy (Dec), 8(23): 2275-83. doi:10.4161/cbt.8.23.10137
- Jayaprakash V, Sullivan M, Merzianu M, Rigual NR, Loree TR, Popat SR, Moysich KB, Ramananda S, Johnson T, Marshall JR, Hutson AD, Mang TS, Wilson BC, Gill SR, Frustino J, Bogaards A, Reid ME. (2009) Autofluorescence-guided surveillance for oral cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) (Nov), 2(11): 966-974.
- Tezal M, Sullivan MA, Hyland A, Marshall JR, Stoler D, Reid ME, Loree TR, Rigual NR, Merzianu M, Hauck L, Lillis C, Wactawski-Wende J, Scannapieco FA. (2009) Chronic periodontitis and the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev (Sep), 18(9): 2406-2412.
- Rigual NR, Cheney RT, Iwenofu OH, Li Q, Loree TR, Popat SR, Merzianu M. (2007) Idiosyncrasies of scalp melanoma. Laryngoscope (Aug), 117(8): 1354-1358.
- Solomon LW, Merzianu M, Sullivan M, Rigual NR, Solomon L. (2007) Necrotizing sialometaplasia associated with bulimia: case report and literature review. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod (Feb), 103(2): 39-42.
- Merzianu M, Jiang L, Lin P, Wang X, Weber DM, Vadhan-Raj S, Nguyen MH, Medeiros LJ, Bueso-Ramos CE. (2006) Nuclear BCL-10 expression is common in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia and does not correlate with p65 NF-kappaB activation. Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc (Jul), 19(7): 891-8.
- Merzianu M, Medeiros LJ, Cortes J, Yin C, Lin P, Jones D, Glassman A, Kantarjian H, Huh Y. (2005) inv(16)(p13q22) in chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast phase: a clinicopathologic, cytogenetic, and molecular study of five cases. American journal of clinical pathology (Nov), 124(5): 807-14.
- Merzianu M, Gorelick SM, Paje V, Kotler DP, Sian C. (2005) Gastric toxoplasmosis as the presentation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine (Apr), 129(4): e87-90.
Books and Book Chapters:
- (2017)
Abstracts:
- Nagrale V, Wong J, Balakrishna J, Merzianu M. (2024) Pseudoglandular histiocytic proliferation with myelofibrosis and bone marrow necrosis: a rare mimicker of two neoplasms in a benign disease. Poster presentation to EAHP/SH 2024 workshop, Dubrovnik, Croatia. EAHP/SH 2024 workshop, Dubrovnik, Croatia. (Sep) Poster
- Dove E, R Merzianu M. (2024) Incidental, Clinically Silent Early Kaposi Sarcoma Involving an Isolated Lymph Node in an Immunocompetent Patient. Presentation at EAHP/SH 2024 workshop, Dubrovnik, Croatia. (Sep), (EAHP2024-LYWS 385)
- Young A, Merzianu M. (2024) Solitary Extracutaneous Juvenile Xanthogranuloma of Submandibular Gland Associated with Pancytopenia: First Description of an Unusual Presentation with Molecular Characterization. Poster presentation at CAP annual meeting. (May) Poster
- Guo L, Merzianu M. (2024) Fulminant EBV-associated infection with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Platform presentation at SH-EA4HP Workshop, Cincinnati, OH, 2025. (Jan) Oral
Professional Memberships:
- United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology
- North American Society of Head and Neck Pathology
- Western New York Society of Pathologists
- Society for Hematopathology
Presentations:
- "Lymphomas Under 26: What’s New?" Eighteenth Annual Hematology/Hematopathology Symposium. Waterloo, NY. May 2025 (2024)
- "Acute Leukemia, Unclassifiable" 26th International Clinical Cytometry Society Meeting. Portland, OR 2011
- "Oral carcinogenesis-the pathologist perspective" Invited presentation, Department of Pathology, Mayo clinic, Rochester, MN (virtual). 08/06/2021
- "Oral Preneoplastic Lesions" Oral Cancer: Early Detection, Management and Rehabilitation. Partners in Practice Symposium Series (RPCI, Columbia University and Johns Hopkins). Buffalo, NY 2014
- "Sentinel lymph node biopsy v neck dissection." Grand Rounds Presentation at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Pathology. Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India May 2017
- "T/NK Lymphoma, Nasal Type" Seventh Annual Hematology/Hematopathology Symposium. Johnson City, NY 2012
Service Activities:
- ; Adhoc reviewer: Modern Pathology, Head and Neck Pathology, Laryngoscope, Endocrine Practice, Head and Neck, Human Pathology (2024–2025)