UNC News Services
Treatment for head and neck cancer is particularly aggressive, affecting speech, swallowing, breathing and communication. A grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to UNC will fund research on the experiences of head and neck cancer survivors, so that health professionals can effectively manage the impact of treatment
The three-year, $246,760 grant was awarded to Dr. Andy Olshan, professor and chair of epidemiology in the UNC School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study. Olshan is also a research professor in the School of Medicine’s department of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery and program leader for cancer epidemiology in the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.
Because quality-of-life outcomes are especially critical for head and neck cancer (oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal) patients and their caregivers, more research is needed on the experiences of survivors, especially among black patients, Olshan said. The study will examine the influence of social, clinical, access to care and behavioral factors on quality of life. Blacks have a higher incidence and worse survival 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.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, is a nonprofit organization located in Austin, Texas.