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Together with XJ Wang, MD, PhD, and a team of multidisciplinary faculty, Dr. Antonio Jimeno has secured the prestigious and highly competitive SPORE Grant for Head and Neck Cancer from the National Cancer Institute.   Dr. Jimeno cannot stress enough that this grant is the quintessential team award and was made possible by the relentless support of the Division of Medical Oncology, the University of Colorado Cancer Center, and many others including those that blazed this trail.   This includes lung cancers Dr. Paul Bunn, who has one of the most successful and longest running SPOREs in the United States, and Dr. Madeleine Kane who started her work on a SPORE about 25 years ago.  It is the hope of Dr. Jimeno that this SPORE grant will lead to better treatments for patients, and the opportunity for other research teams in their pursuit of team science grants.

"Drs. Jimeno and Wang, along with other leaders, have been working to build our research team in head and neck cancer for more than a decade now and the SPORE designation will only help to solidify our strengths and reputation in this important area" says Dr. Richard Schulick, Director of the CU Cancer Center.  

Head and neck cancer in particular has seen a 70% increase in the United States over the past decade with many patients younger than ever.  The increase can be attributed to a shift in tobacco use, from cigarettes to chewing tobacco and cigars, as well as a rise in cases linked to HPV.   The SPORE will directly impact cancer patient populations in real time by enabling access to and initiation of clinical trials that otherwise would not occur.