HPV-associated Survival and Rurality in Surgically-Managed Head and Neck Cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the seventh most prevalent cancer worldwide, with incidence growing due to a rise in HPV-associated disease. While rurality has been associated with decreased survival in cancer patients1,2, few studies have been conducted on the impact of rurality on survival in SCCHN, and no studies have segmented the analysis by HPV-status. The aim of this study is to characterize the impact of rural-urban status on disease-specific survival (DSS) across HPV-positive versus HPV-negative SCCHN patients explore how surgical management might impact this relationship.