Clinician Investigator, Cancer Research
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

My main research interests are optimizing the quality and efficiency of palliative radiation therapy treatments and understanding and preventing symptoms and toxicities associated with advanced cancers and their treatments. My group's prospective studies commonly involve collecting patient-reported outcomes using validated questionnaires and screening tools. Ultimately we aim to better characterize, quantify, understand and predict symptoms and treatment-induced toxicities experienced by patients with gastrointestinal and metastatic cancers. This will allow for personalized approaches to symptom management and prevention that will integrate with anti-cancer treatment plans. 

Dr. Kristopher Dennis MD FRCPC PhD is an associate professor in the Division of Radiation Oncology at the University of Ottawa, a clinician scientist through the Ontario Association of Radiation Oncologists, and a radiation oncologist in the Radiation Medicine Program at The Ottawa Hospital where he leads the Gastrointestinal and Palliative Radiotherapy disease site groups. Dr. Dennis is Chair of the Supportive Care Committee of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology and Chair of the Canadian Palliative Radiation Oncology Group.

Dexamethasone in the prophylaxis of radiation-induced pain flare after palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases: a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.
Chow E, Meyer RM, Ding K, Nabid A, Chabot P, Wong P, Ahmed S, Kuk J, Dar AR, Mahmud A, Fairchild A, Wilson CF, Wu JS, Dennis K, Brundage M, DeAngelis C, Wong RK.
Lancet Oncol. 2015 Nov;16(15):1463-72. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00199-0. Epub 2015 Oct 18.
PMID: 26489389

Rapid access palliative radiation therapy programs: an efficient model of care.
Dennis K, Linden K, Balboni T, Chow E.
Future Oncol. 2015;11(17):2417-26. doi: 10.2217/FON.15.153. Epub 2015 Aug 13.
PMID: 26271002

Nausea and vomiting induced by gastrointestinal radiation therapy: current status and future directions.
Dennis K, Poon M, Chow E.
Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2015 Jun;9(2):182-8. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000130. Review.
PMID: 25872120

Single fraction conventional external beam radiation therapy for bone metastases: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.
Dennis K, Makhani L, Zeng L, Lam H, Chow E.
Radiother Oncol. 2013 Jan;106(1):5-14. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2012.12.009. Epub 2013 Jan 13. Review.
PMID: 23321492 Free Article

International patterns of practice in the management of radiation therapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Dennis K, Zhang L, Lutz S, van Baardwijk A, van der Linden Y, Holt T, Arnalot PF, Lagrange JL, Maranzano E, Liu R, Wong KH, Wong LC, Vassiliou V, Corn BW, De Angelis C, Holden L, Wong CS, Chow E.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Sep 1;84(1):e49-60. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2012.02.031. Epub 2012 Jun 15.
PMID: 22704982

Update on the systematic review of palliative radiotherapy trials for bone metastases.
Chow E, Zeng L, Salvo N, Dennis K, Tsao M, Lutz S.
Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2012 Mar;24(2):112-24. doi: 10.1016/j.clon.2011.11.004. Epub 2011 Nov 29. Review.
PMID: 22130630

Cancer; Colorectal cancer; First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health; Gastric cancer; Liver cancer; Pain; Pancreatic cancer

Behaviour; Biomarkers; Biomarkers; Clinical research; Clinical trials; Cohort studies; Health professional behaviour change; Health services research; Palliative care; Pragmatic trials; Qualitative methods; Quality Improvement; Systematic reviews