Lance Armstrong Foundation Funds Head, Neck Cancer Research

Posted on June 5, 2007

Survivors of head and neck cancer not only endure the disease, they must endure the treatment as well. The aggressive healing process causes patients to have difficulty speaking, swallowing, breathing and communicating, which in turn affects their social, family and work roles. A new three-year grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation will allow UNC to research the experiences of head and neck cancer survivors so health professionals can effectively manage the impact of treatment on a patient’s life.

The $246,760 grant was awarded to Dr. Andy Olshan, professor and chair of epidemiology in the UNC School of Public Health. Olshan, the principal investigator of the study, also is a research professor in the School of Medicine’s department of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, as well as program leader for cancer epidemiology in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Olshan believes more research is needed on the experiences of survivors, especially among black patients. Black people have a higher incidence rate of head and neck cancer and a worse survival rate than other groups.

“Given the paucity of data and studies on quality of life among African-American head and neck cancer survivors, we expect this study to yield valuable new data,” Olshan said.

Quality of life outcomes are especially critical for head and neck cancer (oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal) patients and their caregivers. The study will examine the influence of social, clinical, access to care, and behavioral factors on quality of life.

Olshan and his colleagues will analyze data collected for the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study (CHANCE), the largest epidemiologic study of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in the U.S. More importantly, it is the first study to include a substantial number of black patients. The National Cancer Institute is funding the ongoing study, in which patient information will be collected one year and three years after diagnosis.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation was founded in 1997 by champion cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

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