Head and Neck Cancer Screening Clinic Starts Off with a Bang

Sebastian Guadarrama-Sistos Vazquez, MD, CIR, enjoys challenges. He recently relocated to New York City with his wife and child, where his wife will be completing her residency. In the past few months, Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos has completed a Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives Certificate (LINE) at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University, accepted a job at Houston Methodist as a research coordinator, is considering pursuing a Master of Public Health, and in between those major events,, he found time to organize a two-day head and neck cancer screening. Head and neck cancer is something the public doesn’t hear much about. Tobacco, alcohol and human papillomavirus (HPV) are the leading causes, and if a person doesn’t drink or smoke and has had the same sexual partner for many years, it’s not a concern, says Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos. However, the cancer is expected to increase by 30%, says Alan Shattuck, PA-C, who helped Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos plan the clinic and helped screen patients. The reason? The increase in HPV cases. “HPV cancer is still a rare cancer for the general population, but it does still happen. When it does happen, it affects all our senses, including our face. It's a very impactful cancer. This is another reason why it's so important to catch it early,” says Laura Kim, MD, who was instrumental in helping promote the screening. The cancer typically presents as lesions in the mouth, so a referral from a dentist to a primary care physician (PCP) is often the first step in a patient’s journey.

The screening clinic was part of Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos’ research for his LINE certification. He needed an advisor, so he approached Nadia Mohyuddin, MD, FACS, who became his mentor. What he envisioned was on a small scale, but Dr. Mohyuddin encouraged him to go big. “She said, ‘If we're going to do this, we're going to do this well. Let's aim throughout the campus,’” said Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos. Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos got to work. He reached out to nurse navigators in the Ron and Dr. Mary Neal Cancer Center. He connected with the pulmonology, transplant and plastic surgery departments, and he connected with Susan Miller, MD, and the Family Medicine Residency Department. Shattuck reached out to the Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC) community, enlisting their help in spreading the word. “It turned out to be way more than I could have even imagined or dreamed of, which was amazing,” Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos said. “It was a wonderful opportunity to turn a passion into a first-of-its-kind, real-life opportunity,” said Dr. Mohyuddin. “There is a need for awareness about head and neck cancers, and this was an opportunity to showcase our department. But we needed buy in and support from the department, who knows the impact this has on patients and their families. It was well-received and put together in a short amount of time.” The screening coincided with Head and Cancer Awareness Month and was publicized in community clinics. Seventy-seven patients attended the screening, some of whom were referred by family members who also came. It is expected to become an annual event. “We were able to dispel some misconceptions. We were able to refer some patients to their PCPs. Some said they already had appointments, but we were able to encourage them to try to get in sooner. That’s the most satisfying part for me,” said Dr. Guadarrama-Sistos.