About

Richard B. Cannon, MD, is a surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and an assistant professor of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Utah. He is board-certified in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery and fellowship trained in head and neck surgical oncology, microvascular reconstruction, and advanced robotic surgery by the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). Dr. Cannon performs the full spectrum of head and neck cancer surgery, including diagnosis and treatment of tumors in the mouth, throat, voice box, nose and sinuses, salivary glands, thyroid, and neck. He has additional expertise in microvascular reconstruction following head and neck cancer surgery and minimally invasive robotic surgery for removal of tumors in the throat through the mouth (Transoral Robotic Surgery). He also performs advanced craniofacial trauma and skull base surgery. Dr. Cannon is dedicated to providing each patient with the best possible outcome and treats patients with the same care he would provide members of his own family. His research focuses on treatment for head and neck tumors and rehabilitation through surgery, utilizing large national databases to improve cancer survival. Since completing his training, he has authored numerous studies in medical journals and book chapters, and has given several national presentations related to living through head and neck cancer with optimal functional and quality of life outcomes. He serves on national committees for Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology and Publications, and is actively involved in improving patient outcomes, safety, and satisfaction at the University of Utah. Additionally, he is the H&N Oncology Fellowship Director and the medical director of the Huntsman Cancer Hospital’s inpatient surgical floor.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Pathology
• Cancer research
• Biology
• Immunology
• Surgery
• Oncology
• Genetics

Selected publications

• Association Between Postoperative NSAID Use and Bleeding Following Transoral Robotic Surgery

  Otolaryngology · 2026-04-30

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and outcomes of NSAID use following transoral robotic surgery (TORS). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using propensity score matching. SETTING: Multi-institutional database (TriNetX). METHODS: Patients undergoing TORS were identified using ICD-10 codes. Two propensity-matched cohorts were compared: (1) patients receiving NSAIDs (ketorolac, celecoxib, ibuprofen) within 14 days postsurgery (n = 3639) versus controls (n = 3639) and (2) patients receiving ketorolac day-of-surgery (n = 1901) versus controls (n = 1901). Primary outcome was postoperative hemorrhage. Secondary outcomes included critical care admission, emergency department visit, and feeding device placement within 14 days. RESULTS: Postoperative bleeding rates were similar between NSAID and control groups (P = .150). Patients treated with NSAIDs had lower rates of critical care admission (P < .001) and feeding tube placement (P < .001). Emergency department visits showed no significant difference (P = .813). Day-of-surgery ketorolac versus control showed no increased bleeding (P = .460). Ketorolac patients demonstrated significantly lower rates of critical care admission (P < .001) and feeding tube placement (P < .001), with no increase in emergency department visits (P = .312). CONCLUSION: NSAID administration following TORS was not associated with increased postoperative hemorrhage. NSAID use was associated with reduced critical care utilization and feeding tube requirements. These findings support the safety of NSAIDs in multimodal analgesia protocols for TORS patients.

  PublisherDOI

• A Bear of a Case: Multidisciplinary Reconstruction Following a Grizzly Bear Mauling

  Clinical Case Reports · 2026-01-23

  articleOpen access

  Grizzly bear attacks are rare but often result in devastating craniofacial injuries requiring staged, multidisciplinary reconstruction. A 61-year-old male sustained extensive facial trauma, including complete lower lip avulsion and anterior mandibular loss, after a grizzly bear attack. He underwent early stabilization followed by virtual surgical planning-guided fibula free flap reconstruction with immediate dental implants, and a radial forearm free flap incorporating palmaris tendon to restore oral competence. The patient's postoperative course was uncomplicated and he was decannulated and discharged. At 6 months, he underwent vestibuloplasty and delayed dental prosthesis placement. Due to insufficient lip height, a custom magnetic lower lip prosthesis was fabricated to improve function and appearance. This case demonstrates a successful multidisciplinary approach to complex facial trauma, combining microvascular reconstruction, immediate dental rehabilitation, and prosthetic innovation to achieve functional and aesthetic recovery following a rare animal mauling.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Enables Primary Tumor Localization and Treatment De‐Escalation in <scp>SCCUP</scp> : A Case Report

  Head & Neck · 2026-03-26

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Unknown primary cancer in the head and neck presents a difficult surgical treatment dilemma. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (SCCUP) typically present with an enlarging neck mass found on biopsy but with no indication of primary site on diagnostic exams such as flexible laryngoscopy, CT, MRI, and/or PET/CT. Failure to identify primary sites eliminates surgical treatment as an option, pushing patients toward definitive chemoradiation with associated side effects. METHODS: Indocyanine green (ICG) has been used to identify primary carcinoma in known oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma while using transoral robotic surgery (TORS). In this case, we injected ICG intraoperatively in a patient with SCCUP to help with the real-time localization of ICG in the tumor. RESULTS: ICG fluorescence successfully identified a previously undetected primary lesion within the oropharynx during TORS, which enabled precise surgical excision of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates the potential of ICG-guided TORS to localize primary tumors in SCCUP patients, offering a pathway to surgical treatment and potentially reducing reliance on chemoradiation.

  PublisherDOI

• 3D-guided cadaveric fibula reconstruction for pediatric infratemporal solitary fibrous tumor

  Case Reports in Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery · 2025-09-16

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  A fifteen-year-old with infratemporal myxoid solitary fibrous tumor underwent en bloc parotid-infratemporal-extradural skull-base resection. Her zygoma was reconstructed using 3D-planned cadaveric fibula allograft and custom plate. At 6 months she maintained facial symmetry and function. Her case demonstrates digital planning, cadaveric bone, and microsurgical adaptability.

  PublisherDOI

• A Bear of a Case: Multidisciplinary Reconstruction Following a Grizzly Bear Mauling

  2025-06-30

  preprintOpen access

  A Bear of a Case: Multidisciplinary Reconstruction Following a Grizzly Bear MaulingJacob Beiriger BS1, Katherine R Keefe, MD2 J. Rhet Tucker DMD FACP3, Richard B. Cannon MD1, David Adams DDS, FACS3, Hilary C. McCrary MD, MPH11Department of Otolaryngol

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Risk of cardiovascular disease among head and neck cancer survivors: A population-based matched cohort study

  Oral Oncology · 2024-09-29 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating the Accuracy of ChatGPT in Common Patient Questions Regarding HPV+ Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

  Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology · 2024-07-29 · 6 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVES: Large language model (LLM)-based chatbots such as ChatGPT have been publicly available and increasingly utilized by the general public since late 2022. This study sought to investigate ChatGPT responses to common patient questions regarding Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). METHODS: This was a prospective, multi-institutional study, with data collected from high volume institutions that perform >50 transoral robotic surgery cases per year. The 100 most recent discussion threads including the term "HPV" on the American Cancer Society's Cancer Survivors Network's Head and Neck Cancer public discussion board were reviewed. The 11 most common questions were serially queried to ChatGPT 3.5; answers were recorded. A survey was distributed to fellowship trained head and neck oncologic surgeons at 3 institutions to evaluate the responses. RESULTS: A total of 8 surgeons participated in the study. For questions regarding HPV contraction and transmission, ChatGPT answers were scored as clinically accurate and aligned with consensus in the head and neck surgical oncology community 84.4% and 90.6% of the time, respectively. For questions involving treatment of HPV+ OPC, ChatGPT was clinically accurate and aligned with consensus 87.5% and 91.7% of the time, respectively. For questions regarding the HPV vaccine, ChatGPT was clinically accurate and aligned with consensus 62.5% and 75% of the time, respectively. When asked about circulating tumor DNA testing, only 12.5% of surgeons thought responses were accurate or consistent with consensus. CONCLUSION: ChatGPT 3.5 performed poorly with questions involving evolving therapies and diagnostics-thus, caution should be used when using a platform like ChatGPT 3.5 to assess use of advanced technology. Patients should be counseled on the importance of consulting their surgeons to receive accurate and up to date recommendations, and use LLM's to augment their understanding of these important health-related topics.

  PublisherDOI

• Early ambulation after fibular free flap surgery is associated with reduced length of stay, increased mobility independence, and discharge to home

  Head & Neck · 2024-03-18 · 6 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Fibula free flaps (FFF) are one of the most common bony flaps utilized. This paper describes a quality improvement project aimed at increasing early ambulation. METHODS: A review of FFF patients at an academic hospital was completed (2014-2023). In 2018, an institutional change to encourage early ambulation without placement of a boot was made. Changes in hospital disposition and physical therapy outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 168 patients underwent FFF reconstruction. There was a statistically significant lower length of stay in Group 2 (early ambulation, no boot) (8.1 vs. 9.4; p = 0.04). A higher rate of discharge to a skilled nursing facility was noted in Group 1 (delayed ambulation with boot) (21.3% vs. 11.9%; p = 0.009). A higher proportion of patients in Group 2 demonstrated independence during bed mobility, transfers, and gait (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Early ambulation without boot placement after FFF is associated with decreased length of hospital stay, improved disposition to home and physical therapy outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Vascular permeability in HPV+ oropharyngeal cancers aids in fluorescent image‐guided transoral robotic surgery using indocyanine green

  Head & Neck · 2023-05-09 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Background Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent image (FI)‐guided surgery has demonstrated success in improving intraoperative visualization and tumor resections. The objectives were to evaluate the use of IGC in FI‐guided transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCCa) patient ( n = 10) undergoing TORS were enrolled in this prospective study. Participants received intravenous ICG. Excised tissues were evaluated for ICG accumulation, tumor demarcation, and pathological characteristics using In‐vivo imaging system (IVIS), histology, and RNA sequencing. Results ICG accumulation was significantly increased in primary tumor and pathological lymph nodes compared with normal tissues ( p &lt; 0.001). IVIS was 91.3% accurate in identifying OPSCCa in excised tissues; the correlation between IVIS‐ and histologically determined tumor tissues was significant ( R 2 = 0.8301; p = 0.001). Genes associated with vascular and angiogenic signaling pathways were significantly upregulated in OPSCCa tissues. Conclusion ICG effectively demarcates tumor margins in OPSCCa, due to the increased upregulation of genes associated with vascular permeability.

  PublisherDOI

• Near Complete Response to Trametinib Treatment in Histiocytic Sarcoma Harboring a Somatic KRAS Mutation

  Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network · 2022 · 16 citations

  • Medicine
  • Cancer research
  • Oncology

  Survival outcomes of patients with histiocytic neoplasms are poor, with no standard-of-care treatments available for these malignancies. Recent characterization of the genomic landscape of various histiocytic neoplasms have shown a predominance of activating driver mutations within the MAPK/ERK pathway (ie, BRAF, MEK, KRAS, MAPK, and NRAS). Subsequently, successful treatment of these malignancies with BRAF and MEK inhibitors has been reported. This report presents the first patient with histiocytic sarcoma harboring a somatic KRAS Q61H mutation who was subsequently treated to a near complete response with the MEK inhibitor trametinib. Due to patient preference, lack of standard of care treatments, and associated morbidity from head and neck dissection, initial disease reduction provided by trametinib therapy allowed for a less morbid resection. This case report highlights the utility of up-front next-generation sequencing and the efficacy of MEK inhibition in patients with histiocytic sarcoma harboring activating KRAS mutations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Marcus M. Monroe

  University of Utah

  38 shared

• Jason P. Hunt

  University of Utah

  36 shared

• Luke Buchmann

  Huntsman Cancer Institute

  31 shared

• Ying J. Hitchcock

  University of Utah

  27 shared

• Shane Lloyd

  Columbia University

  20 shared

• Yusuf Dündar

  Texas Tech University

  12 shared

• Hilary C. McCrary

  University of Utah

  10 shared

• Alana Aylward

  University of Utah

  9 shared

Education

• B.A.

  Pomona College

• M.D.

  University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

• Other, Chief Resident

  University of Utah

• Other, Fellowship in Head and Neck Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery

  University of Washington