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null Marco A. Mascarella, MD, M.Sc., PhD, FRCSC

Junior Scientist, RI-MUHC, Glen site

Cancer Research Program

Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation

Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Department of Surgery, Division of Adult Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, MUHC

 

Keywords

head and neck cancer • clinical outcomes • clinical trials • sarcopenia • frailty • preoperative therapy

Research Focus

My research focuses on understanding how patient-related biological vulnerabilities, such as frailty and sarcopenia, impact outcomes in head and neck cancer across the treatment trajectory. More specifically, I am interested in how these host factors influence tolerance to therapy, survival, and long-term quality of life among patients treated with curative intent. My work is centred on developing and evaluating a value-based framework for head and neck cancer care, with a focus on improving the pretherapy window through better patient selection and early intervention. Our lab has shown that host-related factors can predict poor treatment tolerance and toxicity. The overarching goal is to identify patients at risk of low-value care and design predictive tools that guide personalized, value-based treatment.

Selected Publications

Click on Pubmed to see my current publications list

  • McNicoll MM, Mlynarek AM, Richardson K, Hier M, Sadeghi N, Casola A, Bouganim N, Esfahani K, Tsien C, Shenouda G, Sultanem K, Mascarella MA. Fuel for Recovery: Predicting G-Tube Dependence in HPV-Negative Operable HNSCC. Head Neck. 2025 Aug 13. doi: 10.1002/hed.70015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40799173.

  • Mascarella MA, Mlynarek A, Richardson K, Kost K, Zeitouni A, Sultanem K, Tsien C, Shenouda G, Bouganim N, Esfahani K, Hier M, Sadeghi N, Kergoat MJ. Sarcopenia Trajectories Predict Survival in Operable Head and Neck Cancer. Head Neck. 2025 Jun 9. doi: 10.1002/hed.28210. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40491221.

  • Mascarella MA, Richardson K, Mlynarek A, Hier MP, Caglar D, Florianova L, Pusztaszeri MP, Sultanem K, Sadeghi N, Bouganim N, Esfahani K. Neoadjuvant Capecitabine in Operable HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer: Fortuitous Findings in a Resource Constrained Setting. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Dec;171(6):1773-1779. doi: 10.1002/ohn.1003. Epub 2024 Sep 29. PMID: 39342503..

  • Le Blanc G, Richardson K, Mlynarek A, Hier MP, Sadeghi N, Kergoat MJ, Mascarella M. Loss of Independence in Older Adults With Operable Oral Cavity Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Aug;171(2):431-438. doi: 10.1002/ohn.784. Epub 2024 Apr 21. PMID: 38643406.

  • Mascarella MA, Olonisakin TF, Rumde P, Vendra V, Nance MA, Kim S, Kubik MW, Sridharan SS, Ferris RL, Fenton MJ, Clayburgh DR, Ohr JP, Joyce SC, Sen M, Herman JG, Grandis JR, Zandberg DP, Duvvuri U. Response to Neoadjuvant Targeted Therapy in Operable Head and Neck Cancer Confers Survival Benefit. Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Feb 16;29(4):723-730. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-1768. PMID: 36595540.