University wins $5 million grant to study head and neck cancer

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $5.3 million grant to the University of Florida College of Dentistry to fund a new research center aimed at reducing disparities in head and neck cancer survival in low-income minority men, according to a university press release.

Each year in the U.S., more than 11,000 people die because of head and neck cancers and 34,000 new cases are diagnosed. It is the 10th leading cause of death among African-American men, who suffer twice the mortality of white men. In Florida, African Americans are diagnosed at a younger age and more advanced disease stage compared with whites, according to the college.

The new multidisciplinary center involves faculty from several colleges, incorporating techniques of participatory research involving community members at all steps, from study design to dissemination of findings. It will be located at the College of Dentistry in Gainesville, and programs will extend to satellite clinics and rural locations throughout the state.