The primary objectives of HEADSpAcE are to:
- assess the socioeconomic and logistical reasons for delays in diagnosis;
- determine the most accurate way to assess HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer in the clinical setting;
- identify the extent of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers in Europe and South America, and assess lifestyle and genetic predictors of HPV infection;
- conduct comprehensive genomic evaluation of 800 head and neck cancers from South America and Europe;
- perform an analysis of germline variation to identify susceptibility loci for head and neck cancer outcome;
- determine whether liquid biopsies can be informative for head and neck cancer clinical care; and
- establish guidelines for implementation in clinical care.