Alexander T. Pearson

University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago

Papers

5

Total Citations

95

H-Index

4

About

Alexander T. Pearson is a leading clinical researcher in head and neck oncology, whose work centers on transforming treatment for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+ OPC). His major contributions lie in pioneering response-adaptive, de-escalation strategies that integrate neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemotherapy to reduce treatment toxicity without compromising survival. Pearson’s landmark OPTIMA II trial (2021, 30 citations) established the feasibility of risk-based de-escalated locoregional therapy after nivolumab, nab-paclitaxel, and carboplatin. He further advanced this paradigm with the TARGET-HPV trial (2024, 12 citations), testing neoadjuvant HPV16-specific arenavirus-based immunotherapy, and a 2024 study on neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy (45 citations) that defined response-adaptive approaches for HPV+ OPC. His research also explores circulating tumor HPV DNA as a dynamic biomarker for treatment selection (2025, 7 citations), and a pooled analysis (2025) confirms favorable functional and survival outcomes with de-escalation. With a cumulative citation impact exceeding 95, Pearson is reshaping curative therapy for HPV-driven head and neck cancers, aiming to preserve quality of life while maintaining excellent oncologic control.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

4
H-Index
5
Papers
95
Total Citations
19
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy Followed By Response-Adaptive Therapy for HPV<sup>+</sup> Oropharyngeal Cancer
45 citations · 2024
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2024 (2 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 34
🏛 Institutions: University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 13 days ago