Stiefel MD Anderson OroPharynx cancer (MDA-OPC) cohort: a single-institution, prospective longitudinal outcomes study

Amy C. Moreno(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Ariana J Sahli(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Faye M. Johnson(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Xiaowen Sun(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Carly E. A. Barbon(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Waree Rinsurongkawong(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Wenye Song(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Flavie M Luciani(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Han Liang(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Jun Li(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Wei Liu(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), J Jack Lee(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Steven J. Frank(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Stephen Y. Lai(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Clifton D. Fuller(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Katherine A. Hutcheson(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
BMJ Open
November 1, 2025
10.1136/bmjopen-2025-106845
Cited by 2Open Access
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Abstract

PURPOSE: The MD Anderson Oropharynx Cancer (MDA-OPC) cohort is a unique single-institution, prospective longitudinal cancer cohort. The cohort aims to enhance the therapeutic index of OPC management by supporting data needs for independent investigators to conduct rigorous observational studies examining exposures and factors associated with acute and late toxicities, cancer progression, recurrence, new malignancies and quality of life in OPC survivors. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1811 patients with OPC with a minimum follow-up of 6 months have been consented to our prospective registry between 18 March 2015 and 29 December 2023. Clinical and treatment (Tx) data are available on all patients, including previously untreated patients (1443, 80%). Most previously untreated patients (97%) consented to longitudinal patient-reported outcomes and functional assessments for critical time points including pre-Tx, during-Tx and post-Tx at 3-6 months, 12 months, 18-24 months and annually up to 5 years. FINDINGS TO DATE: The median age for the MDA-OPC cohort is 66 years (range, 25-96) with the majority being male (89%), white (92%) and with human papillomavirus (HPV)/p16-associated OPC (88%) primarily located in the tongue base or tonsil (90%). For previously untreated patients, 79% were diagnosed with stage I/II disease, and nearly half underwent curative intent chemoradiation. Overall survival was significantly higher for HPV/p16-associated OPC at 1 year (98% vs 93%) and 5 years (83% vs 54%; p<0.0001) compared with HPV-negative disease. Longitudinal PRO and clinician-graded toxicity outcomes (eg, osteoradionecrosis, neuropathy, dysphagia) are summarised. FUTURE PLANS: Future work includes expansion of the MDA-OPC cohort and survivorship surveillance to 10 years under the recently funded OPC-SURVIVOR research programme (P01CA285249), which aims to identify non-invasive, clinic-ready biomarkers and examine novel phenotypes and mechanistically matched mitigation strategies for latent OPC sequelae. Additionally, we aim to expand our advanced data infrastructure by integrating large data streams from parallel clinical trials and imaging registries. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT01893307, NCT03145077.

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