This $2,447,812 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393) supports research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focused on optimizing survivorship for patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).
The research aims to better understand and mitigate three key adverse sequelae that impact long-term OPC survivors: mandibular osteoradionecrosis, late radiation-associated dysphagia, and late lower cranial neuropathy. The project will leverage the existing MD Anderson Oropharynx (MDA-OPC) cohort, an extensive longitudinal dataset of over 1,750 OPC patients, to analyze patient-reported outcomes and objective measures related to these treatment-induced morbidities. The findings will inform strategies for earlier detection and targeted interventions to improve quality of life for this growing population of OPC survivors. A subaward to the University of Utah will support specific aspects of this research program.