# Early Oropharyngeal cancer and screening in Gay and Bisexual Men

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2022 · $200,000

## Abstract

Abstract
This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as “NOT-CA-
22-057”. High-risk HPV (hrHPV) is a major transmissible cause of cancers of the anus and oropharynx in
sexual minority men (SMM). Prevalence of hrHPV in SMM in Tanzania, East Africa, a LMIC, is high and
probably epidemic in its largest metropolitan area, Dar es Salaam. We propose to replicate our study to invite
and train Tanzanian SMM to take “selfies” of the oropharynx at sufficiently high resolution to observe potential
early lesions that may be malignant. These “selfies” are rated by an expert on oropharyngeal cancer for
sufficient clarity to detect early lesions. A group of 100 SMM will be recruited by both Internet and RDS seeds
to participate in the study, and also offered a full course of hrHPV vaccination. An initial questionnaire on
knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices will be completed on Internet and participants trained at a local NGO
to take oral “selfies” which are uploaded to a firewalled Internet site for an ENT specialist to assess clarity.
After enrollment, two further visits will be scheduled at 2 and 6 months for vaccination shots, and to assess
retention for a future cohort study. Data on knowledge, attitudes, sexual risk practices, acceptability and
feasibility of screening for oropharyngeal cancer, and hrHPV vaccination, in this population and setting will be
assessed.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10627224
- **Project number:** 3R01CA253244-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL W ROSS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $200,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10627224

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10627224, Early Oropharyngeal cancer and screening in Gay and Bisexual Men (3R01CA253244-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10627224. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*