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Carole Fakhry, M.D., M.P.H.

Director, Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Center
Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Female

Languages: English, Arabic, French

Expertise

Basal Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck, Benign Tumors of the Head and Neck, Cancer of Unknown Primary Origin, Head and Neck Cancers, Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Tumors, HPV- Related Head and Neck Cancer, Human Papillomavirus Infections, Hypopharyngeal Cancer, Laryngeal Cancer, Melanoma of the Head and Neck, Nasal Cancer, Neck Masses, Oropharyngeal Cancer, Oropharynx Cancers, Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology (ENT), Parotid Gland Tumors, Pharynx Cancer, Salivary Gland Cancer, Sarcoma of the Head and Neck, Sinus Cancer, Skin Cancer, Skin Cancer of the Head and Neck, Submandibular Gland Tumors, Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Diseases, Tongue Cancer, Tonsil Cancer, Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) ...read more

Research Interests

HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell cancer

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Oral HPV Q&A

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Insurance Information

Existing Patients

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Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

+1-410-502-7683

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center)

Appointment Phone: 443-997-6467

601 N. Caroline St.
6th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21287 map

Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station

Appointment Phone: 443-997-6467

10803 Falls Road
Pavilion III, Suite 2500
Lutherville, MD 21093 map

Phone: 410-583-7185 | Fax: 410-367-2297

Background

Dr. Carole Fakhry is a head and neck surgical oncologist at Johns Hopkins and treats the breadth of patients with head and neck cancers, including cancers of the tonsils, base of tongue, mouth, larynx, thyroid, salivary gland (parotid, submandibular gland) and skin cancers among others.

After an undergraduate degree at Stanford University, she completed medical school, residency in otolaryngology head and neck surgery, and fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins. She has also received a master’s in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is presently a professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oncology, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology.

Her research interest focuses on the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck squamous cell cancer. She has demonstrated that the presence of HPV confers a prognostic advantage to individuals with oropharyngeal cancer and that HPV is associated with unique clinical characteristics. In addition to the clinical implications of HPV in head and neck cancer, she is co-principal investigator of a large study to understand screening individuals at “high risk” of malignancy and evaluating imaging modalities to improve diagnostics and early detection of HPV- related head and neck cancer.

She is the Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Center. She also serves as director of the head and neck group in the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the head and neck surgical oncology fellowship. She is the associate editor for Oral Oncology and serves on several editorial boards.

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Titles

Director, Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Center
Chief, Division of Head and Neck Surgery
Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Professor of Oncology

Departments / Divisions

Oncology - Cancer Prevention and Control and Viral Oncology
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery - Head and Neck Surgery

Centers & Institutes

Head and Neck Cancer Center

Education

Degrees

MD; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2003)

Residencies

Otolaryngology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2009)

Fellowships

Otolaryngology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2010)

Board Certifications

American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Otolaryngology) (2010)

Research & Publications

Selected Publications

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Fakhry C, D’souza G, Weber K, Goshu E, Sugar E, Anastos K, Minkoff H, Seaberg E, Gillison M. Relationship between prevalent oral and cervical human papillomavirus infections in human immunodeficiency virus-positive and -negative women. J Clinical Microbiol. 2006 Dec; 44(12): 4479-85.
D’souza G, Kreimer A, Viscidi R, Pawlita M, Fakhry C, Koch WM, Westra WH, Gillison M. Epidemiologic evidence that human papillomavirus is a cause or orpharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2007 May 10; 356 (19): 1944-56.
D’souza G, Fakhry C, Weber K, Goshu E, Sugar E, Anastos K, Minkoff H, Seaberg E, Gillison M. Six month natural history of oral versus cervical human papillomavirus infection. Int J Cancer. 2007 Jul; 121(1): 2897-904.
Fakhry C, Westra WH, Li S, Cmelak A, Ridge JA, Pinto HA, Forastiere A, Gillison M. Improved treatment response and survival of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a prospective clinical trial J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008 Feb 20; 100(4): 261-9.
Hillel AT, Fakhry C, Williams MF, Blanco GF, Zinreich ES, Levine MA, Westra WH, Saunders JR, Pai SI, Ha PK. Selective versus comprehensive neck dissection after chemoradiation for advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009 Dec; 141(6): 737-42.
Fakhry C, Bajaj G, Aygen N, Westra W, Gillison M. Long-term survival of a patient with leptomeningeal involvement by nasopharyngeal carcinoma after treatment with high-dose intravenous methotrexate. Head and Neck. 2010 Aug; Epub ahead of print
Fakhry C, Sugar E, D’Souza G, Gillison ML. Two-week versus six-month sampling interval in a short-term natural history of oral HPV infection in an HIV-positive cohort. PLOS One.2010 Jul 30;5(7):e11918
Best SR, Fakhry C. The prevalence, diagnosis and management of voice disorders in a national ambulatory medical care survey (NAMSCS) cohort. Laryngoscope.2011 Jan; 121(1): 150-7.
Shao C, Sun W, Tan M, Glazer CA, Bhan S, Zhong X, Fakhry C, Sharma R, Westra WH, Hoque MO, Moskaluk CA, Sidransky D, Califano JA, Ha PK. Integrated, genome-wide screening for hypomethylated oncogenes in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2011 Jul 1;17(13):4320-30. Epub 2011 May 6.
Agrawal N, Frederick MJ, Pickering CR, Bettegowda C, Chang K, Li RJ, Fakhry C, Xie TX, Zhang J, Wang J, Zhang N, El-Naggar AK, Jasser SA, Weinstein JN, Treviño L, Drummond JA, Muzny DM, Wu Y, Wood LD, Hruban RH, Westra WH, Koch WM, Califano JA, Gibbs RA, Sidransky D, Vogelstein B, Velculescu VE, Papadopoulos N, Wheeler DA, Kinzler KW, Myers JN. Exome Sequencing of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Reveals Inactivating Mutations in NOTCH1. Science. 2011 Jul 28.
Fakhry C, Rosenthal CT, Clark D, Gillison ML, Associations between oral HPV16 infection and cytopathology: evaluation of an oropharyngeal “Pap-test equivalent” in high-risk populations, Cancer Prev Res. 2011 Sep; 4(9): 1378-84. Epub 2011 Aug 11. in press (September 2011)
Melvin T, Eliades SJ, Ha PK, Fakhry C, Saunders JM, Califano JA, Blanco RG, Neck dissection through a facelift incision. Laryngoscope. 2012 Dec; 122(12)2700-6.
Li R, Koch WM, Fakhry C, Gourin CG. Distinct Epidemiologic Characteristics of Oral Tongue Cancer Patients. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 May;148(5): 792-6. Epub 2013 Feb 8.
Lin BM, Wang H, D’Souza G, Zhang Z, Fakhry C, Joseph AW, Drake VE, Sanguineti G, Westra WH, Pai SI. Long-term prognosis and risk factors among patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer 2013 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print]
Fakhry C, D’Souza G. Discussing the diagnosis of HPV-OSCC: Common questions and answers. Oral Oncol. 2013 Sep;49(9):863-7. Epub 2013 Jul 19.
Fakhry C, Marks MA, Gilman RH, Cabrerra L, Yori P, Kosek M, Gravitt PE. Comparison of the immune microenvironment of the oral cavity and cervix in healthy women. Cytokine. 2013 Sep 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Blanco RG, Fakhry C, Ha PK, Ryniak K, Messing B, Califano JA, Saunders JR. Transoral Robotic Surgery Experience in 44 Cases. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2013 Oct 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Dsouza G, Cullen K, Bowie J, Thorpe R, Fakhry C. Differences in oral sexual behaviors by gender, age, and race explain observed differences in prevalence of oral human papillomavirus infection. PLoS One. 2014 Jan 24;9(1):e86023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086023. eCollection 2014.
Blanco RG, Califano JC, Messing B, Richmon J, Liu J, Quon H, Neuner G, Saunders JR, Ha PK, Sheth S, Gillison ML, Fakhry C. Transcervical ultrasonography is feasible for the evaluation of base of tongue cancers. PLOSOne. 2014 Jan 30;9(1):e87565. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087565. eCollection 2014.
Fakhry C, Psyrri A, Chaturvedhi A. HPV and head and neck cancers: State-of- the-science. Oral Oncol. 2014 May;50(5):353-5.
Fakhry C, Agrawal N, Califano J, Messing B, Liu J, Saunders JR, Ha P, Coquia S, Hamper U, Gillison M, Blanco R. The use of ultrasound in the search for the primary site of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell cancers. Oral Oncol. 2014 Jul; 50(7):640-5.
Li R, Faden DL, Fakhry C, Langelier C, Jiao Y, Wang Y, Wilkerson MD, Pedamallu CS, Old M, Lang J, Loyo M, Ahn SM, Tan M, Gooi Z, Chan J, Richmon J, Wood LD, Hruban RH, Bishop J, Westra WH, Chung CH, Califano J, Gourin CG, Bettegowda C, Meyerson M, Papadopoulos N, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, DeRisi JL, Koch WM, Agrawal N. Clinical, Genomic and Metagenomic Characterization of Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients Who Do Not Smoke. Head Neck. 2014 Jun 21. Doi: 10.1002/hed.23807. [Epub ahead of print]
Fakhry C, Zhang Q, Nguyen-Tan PF, Rosenthal D, El-Naggar A, Garden AS, Soulieres D, Trotti A, Avizonis V, Ridge JA, Harris J, Le Q, Gillison M. Human Papillomavirus and Overall Survival After Progression of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Jun 23. Pii: JCO.2014.55.1937. [Epub ahead of print]

Videos & Media

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The Hopkins Difference: Shaping the Future | Dr. Carole Fakhry
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Meet Our Expert - Dr. Carole Fakhry
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Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) – FAQs
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Causes and Risk Levels of HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancer
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Treatment of HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancers
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HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancers: An Overview

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

Understanding the Demographics of HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancers (June 2016)

Possible Recurring HPV-Linked Oral Cancer Biomarker Uncovered GEN News (2/8/2016)

Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett is Battling Oral Cancer, Yahoo Health (12/16/2015)

A cancer on the rise, and the vaccine too late for Gen X, CNN (11/5/2015)

HPV Vaccine: Not Just for Girls, Johns Hopkins Health (Summer 2015)

Serendipity in Tonsillectomy: Why tonsil removal appears to decreases a person's risk of cancer, The Atlantic (04/20/2015)

Head, Throat Cancer Survival May Be Longer if Tumor Caused by HPV, U.S. News & World Report

Head & neck cancer research findings: Longer survival for HPV-positive cancers, the benefits of outpatient care, Cleveland Plain Dealer (02/20/2014)

Head, Throat Cancer Survival May Be Longer if Tumor Caused by HPV: Study, US News & World Report (02/20/2014)

Press Release: Recurrent Mouth and Throat Cancers Less Deadly When Caused by Virus, Study Shows (02/20/2014)

Patient Ratings & Comments

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

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