Blood tests to track throat cancer treatment and catch recurrence early

This study is testing whether measuring HPV DNA in your blood can help doctors better understand how your throat cancer is responding to treatment and catch any return of cancer earlier than current methods allow. Researchers will collect blood samples from you before, during, and after your cancer treatment to see if these blood tests could eventually replace or improve upon the imaging scans doctors currently use to monitor your progress.

Currently, doctors use imaging scans 12 weeks after treatment to see if your cancer responded well, but these scans can sometimes be unclear or miss very early signs of cancer coming back. This study exists to find out whether tracking HPV DNA in your blood could give doctors a clearer, earlier warning of treatment success or cancer recurrence — which might help catch problems sooner when treatment options are most effective.