Project: HEADSpAcE: Translational studies of HEAD and neck cancer in South America and Europe

Short description: HEADSpAcE brings together a consortium of 15 partners with a long and successful collaboration in head and neck cancer (HNC). The main aims are to understand reasons for late diagnosis and to reduce the proportion of HNC that are diagnosed at a very late stage. It further aims to identify the most appropriate fashion for diagnosis of cancer caused by human papilloma virus, and to provide genomic evidence of strong predictors of prognosis that will have the potential to improve care and reduce treatment related morbidity.

HEADSpAcE  involves new prosepctive recruitment of HNC cases in 11 centers, including the University of Turin. The data are collected using a structured questionnaire on reasons for delay between time of first symptoms and diagnosis, lifestyle and risk factor information, clinical and pathology data, an extensive biological sample collection, and detailed follow-up information.