Dr. Joel Feier, PGY2 and his faculty mentor, Dr. Mark Swanson of UC Irvine Head and Neck Surgery, presented two research posters this weekend at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium in Palm Springs, a nationally recognized conference focused on advancing care for patients with head and neck cancers. Their work highlights both clinical treatment considerations and broader public health trends in cancer prevention.

The first presentation showed that in a large, propensity-matched real-world cohort of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, systemic steroid exposure within 30 days of treatment initiation was associated with significantly worse overall survival. In matched analyses, 1-year and 2-year overall survival were both inferior among patients receiving peri-ICI steroids, with consistent findings across multiple landmark and sensitivity analyses. These data suggest peri-immunotherapy steroid use may blunt both early treatment response and longer-term immune surveillance, supporting careful consideration of steroid timing when clinically feasible.

The second presentation involved using nationally representative CDC National Immunization Survey (NIS) data from 2016–2023. HPV vaccination rates among U.S. adolescents increased from 53.5% in 2016 to a peak of 67.6% in 2021 before declining to 65.9% by 2023. Joinpoint regression—used to identify statistically significant changes in temporal trends—demonstrated an inflection point around 2020, marking a shift from steady pre-pandemic growth in vaccination uptake to plateau and early decline during the COVID-19 era. Lower uptake was associated with male sex, lower maternal education, and residence in more religious or Republican-leaning states. These findings highlight persistent disparities and the need for targeted outreach to improve HPV-related cancer prevention.

Publications for both research projects are currently pending.