Due to the site of the cancer, head and neck cancer (HNCa) survivors face unique challenges and serious health care issues akin to chronic disease as a result of their diagnosis and treatment; yet, the long-term needs of HNCa survivors are not well understood. More needs to be done to address the complications that emerge from cancer survivorship. The goal of our research is to address the long-term medical consequences of HNCa treatment. For the first time, a unique database will be created by linking the cancer registry data for almost 10,000 British Columbian HNCa survivors to their clinical and long-term health records in order to determine the differences and severity of late health problems. By exploring long-term co-morbidities of treatment, identifying risks for developing late effects, inequalities in follow-up care and disparities in access to care, we will achieve a better understanding of the medical consequences of HNCa patient treatment and address how to optimize long-term patient outcomes through a specialized, evidence- and risk-based approach for oncologists, family doctors, and HNCa survivors.
Head and neck cancer survivorship
BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner of BC Cancer, which includes BC Cancer Research. Together with our donors, we are changing cancer outcomes for British Columbians by funding innovative research and personalized treatment and care.