# Identifying Molecular Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients with African Ancestry

> **NIH NIH R21** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2021 · $283,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 7th most common cancer worldwide and is observed
in the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx. With a 5-year survival rate of fifty percent, precision therapy advances
are desperately needed for HNSCC patients. Population-based studies have identified disparities between racial
groups in HNSCC treatment and survival, especially for patients with African ancestry. This disparity exists even
after controlling for social determinants of health and access to care. The younger incidence of HNSCC in black
patients compared to white patients suggests a biological component may be contributing. Genomic and
transcriptomic correlations for ancestry have been assessed across cancer and in individual cancer types.
However, most of these studies are limited in sample size for HNSCCs, define race based on self-reporting, and
have not considered HPV status or anatomical subtype. Because of this, a subset of targetable mutations or
pathways could be missing for non-caucasian populations. In the context of genomics research, more accurate
tools such as genomic methods must be used when defining and stratifying patients based on race.
Here, we will fill this gap in the field by characterizing the molecular features of HNSCC tumors specifically in
patients with African ancestry, as defined computationally (rather than by self-reporting). These analyses will
give us an unbiased estimate of the relation of ancestry/race and HNSCC molecular features. In addition to DNA
alterations, we will also identify transcriptomic changes associated with HNSCC. Pathway analysis of will
uncover tumor vulnerabilities in black patients which may be therapeutic targets. Our preliminary analysis
identified a higher frequency of MYC amplifications and increased MYC transcriptional activity in HNSCC tumors
of patients with African ancestry. In this proposal, we will also assess the utility of two novel MYC inhibitors as a
targeted therapy for HNSCC.
Taken together, our work will deepen the understanding of HNSCC in patients with African ancestry, with the
ultimate goal of developing personalized therapies and reducing health disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10286972
- **Project number:** 1R21DE031112-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Fatemeh Momen Heravi
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $283,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-07 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10286972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10286972, Identifying Molecular Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients with African Ancestry (1R21DE031112-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10286972. Licensed CC0.

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