New head and neck cancer specialist brings cutting-edge treatment, research to Hollings

Bhisham Chera, M.D., feels as if he’s coming home, with his new role at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The researcher and radiation oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer attended medical school at MUSC before leaving for a residency at the University of Florida. He comes to Hollings from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.

“I’ve been trying to get back to Charleston and MUSC since I graduated from medical school more than 18 years ago,” Chera said. “I saw this opportunity and jumped on it because I know how much MUSC emphasizes patient care and academic research.”

Chera is excited to join the growing head and neck cancer team that combines expertise in every facet of clinical research and patient care. “The head and neck cancer program at Hollings is already one of the top programs in the country because it has every specialist needed to take care of these patients under one roof. Now, we have the opportunity to build upon that and become a center of excellence so that patients know they are getting the best care possible when they come to Hollings.”

Chera is a renowned expert in head and neck cancer radiation and has been part of several recent breakthroughs in detection and treatment. While at UNC, Chera began studying ways to create less intensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments for patients with HPV-associated head and neck cancer. In South Carolina, there’s been a significant rise in HPV-related head and neck cancers, which now have surpassed cervical cancer as the most diagnosed HPV-related cancer in the country.

“I want to create innovative phase one or two clinical trials that can provide patients at Hollings access to new and cutting-edge treatments that are on the cusp of becoming the next big breakthrough in cancer care. We’ll be able to do that at Hollings, and that should excite everyone.”
— Dr. Bhisham Chera

“Our treatments for head and neck cancer are very curative, but they are also very toxic,” he said. “You have patients who have been cured of cancer, but they have debilitating long-term side effects stemming from their treatments. That’s why I’m interested in looking at reduced-intensity treatments to see if there are ways to make treatment more effective and less toxic at the same time.”

Chera is interested in improving the quality of life for head and neck cancer patients and hopes to participate in survivorship research that others in the Hollings head and neck program, including Evan Graboyes, M.D., and Katherine Sterba, Ph.D., are already conducting.

Chera was also a part of a team that developed a blood test called NavDx. Using proprietary technology, the test can better detect and monitor HPV-related cancers by examining circulating tumor-modified HPV DNA in the blood. Chera said ongoing research is looking at whether the blood test can help physicians to make treatment decisions and also detect abnormalities before an HPV-related cancer forms.

Survivorship, early detection and improved and less toxic treatment all align with Chera’s overall interest in clinical translational research. He hopes that his work at Hollings will further improve patient care and outcomes. By combining expertise in clinical care with academic research, Chera said Hollings’ head and neck cancer team is on the cusp of becoming a top program for patient care and outcomes in the country.

“I want to create innovative phase one or two clinical trials that can provide patients at Hollings access to new and cutting-edge treatments that are on the cusp of becoming the next big breakthrough in cancer care. We’ll be able to do that at Hollings, and that should excite everyone.”

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