About

Dr. Jason P. Hunt is a nationally and internationally recognized head and neck surgical oncologist specializing in the surgical management of thyroid and parathyroid diseases. He has performed thousands of thyroid and parathyroid operations, providing extensive expertise for both routine and complex cases. Dr. Hunt works within a multidisciplinary care team alongside endocrinologists, pathologists, radiologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists to ensure coordinated, comprehensive treatment. He serves as Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah and has helped expand and strengthen head and neck cancer care at the university since 2006. His leadership roles include Clinical Director of Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, Co-Leader of the Head & Neck Cancers Disease Center, and Medical Director of the Huntsman Cancer Hospital Operating Rooms. Dr. Hunt is actively involved in developing clinical guidelines and treatment planning conferences, and he has been invited to lecture internationally on thyroid cancer and parathyroid surgery. His clinical focus encompasses thyroid cancer, hyperparathyroidism, re-operative thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and minimally invasive procedures, with a commitment to providing personalized, team-based care.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Oncology
• Surgery
• Biology
• Radiology

Selected publications

• Osteocutaneous Radial Forearm Free Flap

  2026-01-01

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Metal contact allergies and dental amalgam in risk factor-negative oral cavity cancer

  Journal of Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Oral cavity cancer (OCC) is increasing in prevalence in younger patients without a history of tobacco or alcohol use. Emerging evidence suggests that chronic inflammation and intraoral metal allergies, such as those related to dental amalgam, may play a role in OCC pathogenesis, particularly in risk-factor negative populations. Objectives: (1) To determine the incidence of dental amalgam and metal allergies in OCC patients with and without traditional risk factors and, (2) To determine if there is an association between dental amalgam, allergies, and OCC laterality. Materials and Methods: Prospective cohort study from February 11, 2021 to May 31, 2023. Patients with OCC were tested for contact allergies to 45 metals found in dental amalgam. Patient demographics, OCC tumor characteristics, risk factors, presence of dental amalgam, and results from allergy testing were collected via chart review. Associations between metal allergies, dental amalgam, and OCC laterality were determined. Results: A total of 38 OCC patients underwent metal allergy testing and were included. Eighteen patients had a positive metal allergy, 90% of whom were female. Thirty (79%) patients had dental amalgam. Regardless of metal allergy status, patients with unilateral dental amalgam were significantly more likely to have an adjacent OCC ( p = 0.006). Conclusions: Metal allergies are more prevalent in women with OCC. Regardless of metal allergy status, the presence of dental amalgam appears to be associated with an increased risk of the development of an adjacent OCC.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Figure S1 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Figure S1 shows the treatment schema with nelitolimod 2 mg or 8 mg and pembrolizumab 200 mg. Nelitolimod was administered weekly for 4 weeks, followed by one dose every 3 weeks for up to 22 doses.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Figure S6 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Figure S6 shows transcriptomic data from paired tumor biopsies collected at baseline and on therapy from patients treated with nelitolimod 2 mg plus pembrolizumab 200 mg. The figure displays consistent and durable increases in the expression of gene signatures representing immune cell density and upregulation of functional signatures.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma - an unusual cause of a rapidly enlarging thyroid mass: A large case series

  Otolaryngology Case Reports · 2025-08-08

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Presentation of a rapidly enlarging thyroid mass (RETM) typically elicits concern for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). However, primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL), specifically diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), has a similar clinical presentation and should be considered in the initial differential diagnosis as they can quickly alter clinical work-up and management. This is a single institution case series of two years, 2022–2024, of six patients (Five males and one female, aged 63–90 years old) with RETM with biopsy proven DLBCL. Four patients had history of hypothyroidism. Three patients presented to the emergency department for worsening dyspnea and dysphagia while three were seen outpatient with milder symptoms such as dysphonia or dysphagia. Definitive diagnosis of DLBCL was determined by fine needle aspiration, core, or excisional biopsy. Consideration of ATC was evaluated with onsite cytology review and BRAF testing by pyrosequencing. The subtypes of DLBCL varied; three were identified as germinal center subtype, one was activated B-cell subtype, and the remaining two cases were unspecified. Various treatments were initiated including R-CHOP, mini-R-CHOP, Pola-R-CHOP, and R-CEOP in addition to airway stabilization measures. Primary thyroid lymphomas, specifically DLBCL, are an uncommon cause of RETM. Like ATC, they can present with progressive symptoms of dyspnea, dysphagia, and dysphonia secondary to local tissue invasion and mass effect. This case series demonstrates the importance of sending initial pathology for lymphoma work up, especially given a history of hypothyroidism, in addition to typical cytopathology and BRAF testing for ATC for RETM.

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Table S1 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Table S1 shows additional exclusion criteria of this study.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Figure S2 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Figure S2 shows detailed response and treatment duration data for patients with anti–PD-1/PD-L1–naive melanoma treated with nelitolimod 2 mg plus pembrolizumab 200 mg. The figure illustrated patterns of tumor response over time.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Table S2 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Table S2 describes the representativeness of study participants.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Table S3 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Table S3 reports PFS for patients with anti–PD-1/PD-L1–naive melanoma who received nelitolimod 2 mg or 8 mg and pembrolizumab 200 mg (intention-to-treat).</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Figure S5 from Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Nelitolimod in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Anti–PD-1 Treatment-Naïve Advanced Melanoma

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  <p>Figure S5 shows Kaplan-Meier curves depicting progression-free survival for patients treated with nelitolimod 2 mg or 8 mg in combination with pembrolizumab 200 mg. The figure illustrates time-to-event data for each dose group.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Luke Buchmann

  Huntsman Cancer Institute

  90 shared

• Marcus M. Monroe

  University of Utah

  48 shared

• Richard B. Cannon

  University of Utah

  36 shared

• Ying J. Hitchcock

  University of Utah

  34 shared

• Dominick Lamonica

  24 shared

• Whitney Goldner

  University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  22 shared

• Shane Lloyd

  Columbia University

  20 shared

• Mia Hashibe

  Huntsman Cancer Institute

  19 shared

Education

• M.D.

  University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine

• Other, Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

  Louisiana State University

• Other, Head & Neck Surgical Oncology & Microvascular Reconstruction

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center