UF Health Cancer Center researchers have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to build an artificial intelligence tool to predict patients’ oral and oropharyngeal cancer outcomes.
Each year, more than 12,000 people in the United States die from oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers. Despite modest improvements in five-year survival rates, significant gaps remain in timely diagnosis and access to high-quality treatment, particularly for those in rural areas.
The research team, led by Shama Karanth, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UF Department of Surgery, will use advanced AI methods to integrate clinical, demographic, and geospatial data. The team will use this data to develop risk scores that predict treatment and outcomes.
The team will use real-world electronic health record data from more than 4,000 adult patients treated with oral cancers at UF Health. Researchers will consider socioeconomic factors that are known to delay treatment and increase mortality.
The one-year project, funded through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, will build a foundation for patient-centered interventions that address social risk, aiming to enhance patient care.
“The award marks an important milestone in advancing AI-driven cancer prevention and control research at the UF Health Cancer Center,” said Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., associate director for population sciences at the UF Health Cancer Center.
Kate Hitchcock, M.D., Ph.D., interim co-chair of the UF Department of Radiation Oncology and senior leader for professor development at the Cancer Center, is a co-investigator on the project, bringing valuable clinical expertise to the multidisciplinary team.
