SUMMARY
Linda X. Yin, M.D., researches clinical trial development and patient-centered outcomes. She participated in a landmark institutional trial on a surgically based de-escalation treatment algorithm for human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer. Dr. Yin's research, thus far, has focused on risk factors and biomarkers that may guide patient selection in the de-escalated treatment of this cancer. She looks forward to investigating biomarkers that may guide patient selection for surgery and adjuvant treatment after neoadjuvant or induction systemic therapy in oral cavity and larynx cancer.
For salivary tumors, Dr. Yin has created and validated a patient-reported quality-of-life outcome measure after parotidectomy surgery. Future directions for research will prospectively capture this quality-of-life measure as it relates to surgical outcomes after parotidectomy. This measure may be used as a primary outcome measure in surgical de-escalation trials for parotid malignancies. Dr. Yin also works closely with the artificial intelligence data science team within her department to identify better artificial intelligence tools to facilitate clinical research and practice.
Focus Areas
- Biomarkers and prognostic factors. Dr. Yin studies biomarkers and prognostic factors affecting outcomes after de-escalated treatment for human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. She investigates the kinetics of circulating tumor DNA clearance in the blood after surgical treatment and how this information can be used to de-escalate adjuvant treatment. Dr. Yin is conducting ongoing retrospective studies to better understand the pathological and clinical risk factors that should guide patient candidacy for de-escalated treatment.
- Biomarkers assessing treatment response. Dr. Yin studies emerging biomarkers in circulating tumor DNA in human papillomavirus-unrelated cancers of the oral cavity and larynx to offer new perspectives on patient surveillance. Emerging data from neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemo-immunotherapy trials in this patient population suggest the potential for significant tumor response before curative surgery. Having a reliable biomarker that correlates with a response could help guide patient selection for surgery, extent of surgery and extent of adjuvant treatment required afterward. Reliable biomarkers in these conditions also may help identify minimally invasive ways to perform remote patient surveillance.
- Patient-reported outcomes. With support from the Parotid Patient Project, Dr. Yin developed and validated the first patient-reported outcome measure for parotidectomy. As the surgical treatment of salivary tumors enters an era of de-escalation, there are more minimally invasive surgical techniques and conservative parotidectomies being done. Because of this de-escalation, it is more important than ever to investigate the effect of these changes on patients' experiences. Dr. Yin is starting a prospective trial assessing the impact of de-escalated surgery and various surgical techniques in parotidectomy with patient-reported outcomes using her new validated measure.
- Large language model artificial intelligence tools in clinical research. Dr. Yin works closely with the artificial intelligence data scientists within the research division of the Department of Otolaryngology to identify new tools to improve the efficiency of clinical research and practice. She is currently focused on tools to automate data extraction from the electronic health record to directly feed existing cancer registries maintained within the department for oropharynx cancer, salivary neoplasms and oral cavity cancer.
Significance to Patient Care
Dr. Yin's research seeks to improve individualized cancer care by using new tools for blood-based liquid biopsy. She focuses on measuring patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. Emerging tools in head and neck cancer allow researchers to map the specific genetic signature of an individual patient's cancer. Subsequently, this unique genetic signature is used to monitor the treatment response to the cancer through a minimally invasive blood draw, otherwise known as a liquid biopsy. Dr. Yin's research tries to use a patient's liquid biopsy results to tailor cancer treatment algorithms to the individual, rather than apply a one-size-fits-all approach.
In addition, she assesses the success of various cancer treatments and surgical techniques using patient-reported and patient-forward measures that she developed through surveys. Dr. Yin hopes that patient voices may be better represented in future research on cancer treatment. Finally, she is using the power of artificial intelligence to improve the management of data in cancer research, striving to improve the efficiency of data acquisition and analysis