A new way to understand oral cancer risk
Official title: The REASON Score: An Epigenetic And Clinicopathologic Score to Predict Risk of Poor Survival in Early Stage Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients
Funded at Loma Linda University · NIH-11103260 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to create a better tool to help doctors understand the risk of early-stage oral cancer returning or getting worse, so patients can receive the most effective treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Loma Linda University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Loma Linda, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 11, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $727,669 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE031395-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11103260 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is focused on patients diagnosed with early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with advanced-stage oral cancer or other types of cancer may not directly benefit from this specific risk assessment tool.
What this research studies
Many people with early-stage oral cancer face uncertain outcomes, and current methods don't always predict who needs more aggressive treatment. This project is developing a special "REASON Score" that combines information from your tumor's biology with other clinical details. By using this score, doctors hope to identify patients at higher risk, allowing them to tailor treatments more precisely and improve chances of survival. This could mean fewer patients receive unnecessary harsh treatments, while those who truly need them get them sooner.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this tool could help doctors choose the best treatment plan for each patient with early-stage oral cancer, potentially improving survival rates and reducing side effects from overtreatment.
How similar studies have gone: The researchers have already developed an initial version of this risk score that showed strong predictive performance in earlier work.
Where this research is happening
-
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viet, Chi T. — Loma Linda University
- Study coordinator: Viet, Chi T.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Oral cancer recurrence predictor using tumor microbes and gene activity
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Reducing bacteria inside oral cancer tumors to boost immune response
In people with head and neck cancer, this study tests whether lowering bacteria in tumors can help the immune system fight the cancer better.
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REASON Score: an epigenetic and clinicopathologic approach to predict survival risk in early oral cancer
A new biomarker-based score using DNA methylation and clinicopathology to predict survival risk for people with early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.
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New vulnerability in oral cancer linked to p53 loss
A cancer research grant is exploring a surprising weakness in head and neck cancer to help people with HPV-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma.
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Mouth bacteria that may speed up oral cancer
This work looks at whether specific mouth bacteria help oral squamous cell carcinoma grow and spread in people who have or are at risk for oral cancer.
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Targeting a stress-specific function of a DNA replication protein to boost oral cancer therapy
A short, targeted NIH grant explores a new way to make existing treatments work better for oral cancer by attacking a special function of a DNA replication protein that cancer cells rely on.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.