Overview
Background
Dr. Lachlan McDowell (B.App.Sc, MB BS, FRANZCR, PhD) is a radiation oncologist and clinical researcher specializing in head and neck cancer (HNC), with a focus on human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC). His work combines clinical expertise with innovative research to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
Dr. Lachlan McDowell's research addresses critical aspects of HNC including:
- Identifying latent patterns of quality of life in cancer survivors
- Understanding the differing impacts of different radiation treatments
- Understanding and quantifying unmet needs in HNC survivors, including sexual health, emotional distress, fear of cancer recurrence and return to work
He completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2024 with a Dean’s Research Award.
A significant part of his academic contributions comes from secondary analyses of clinical trials, such as TROG 12.01, which provide valuable insights into the evolving management of HPV-OPC cancers. Dr. McDowell also collaborates internationally and has developed an emerging global profile in head and neck oncology through his editorial roles and positions in the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) and the Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG)
Keywords: head and neck cancer, HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, radiation oncology, survivorship, quality of life, sexual health, TROG, clinical trials.
Availability
- Dr Lachlan McDowell is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy of Oncology, University of Melbourne
Works
Search Professor Lachlan McDowell’s works on UQ eSpace
2026
Journal Article
Cisplatin during radiation for head and neck cancer: insights from NRG Oncology experience
Sousa, Luana G., Edward Bates, James, Anand, Payal, Caudell, Jimmy J., Colevas, A Dimitrios, Runge, Christina L., Sharon, Jeffrey D., Awan, Musaddiq, Beadle, Beth M., Choe, Jennifer H., Gidley, Paul W., Harari, Paul M., Henson, Christina, Katzel, Jed A., Lee, Nancy Y., McDowell, Lachlan, Mell, Loren K., Nader, Marc-Elie, Rudra, Soumon, Wang, Kaiwen, Yang, George, Yom, Sue S. and Wise-Draper, Trisha M. (2026). Cisplatin during radiation for head and neck cancer: insights from NRG Oncology experience. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 118 (4) djaf343, 655-668. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djaf343
2026
Journal Article
Patient-reported dysphagia and swallowing-related quality of life up to 10 Years after (chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: a cross-sectional study
Frowen, Jacqui J., Drosdowsky, Allison, Fua, Tsien F., McDowell, Lachlan J. and Gough, Karla (2026). Patient-reported dysphagia and swallowing-related quality of life up to 10 Years after (chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: a cross-sectional study. Head and Neck, 48 (3), 733-746. doi: 10.1002/hed.70065
2026
Journal Article
Six versus five fractions per week (Chemo)-Radiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma – A nationwide cohort study from the swedish head and neck cancer register
Adrian, Gabriel, Falklind, Niclas Rudolfson, McDowell, Lachlan and Gebre-Medhin, Maria (2026). Six versus five fractions per week (Chemo)-Radiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma – A nationwide cohort study from the swedish head and neck cancer register. Radiotherapy and Oncology, 219 111481, 111481-219. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2026.111481
2026
Journal Article
Chemoradiation therapy versus radiation therapy alone in T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer with low-volume neck disease: A population-based cohort study using the Swedish head and neck cancer register
Adrian, Gabriel, Falklind, Niclas Rudolfson, McDowell, Lachlan and Gebre-Medhin, Maria (2026). Chemoradiation therapy versus radiation therapy alone in T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer with low-volume neck disease: A population-based cohort study using the Swedish head and neck cancer register. International Journal of Radiation: Oncology - Biology - Physics, 124 (2), 340-348. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.08.040
2026
Journal Article
Prospective evaluation of patient priorities in HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer using the Chicago priorities scale: considerations for future clinical trial design
McDowell, Lachlan, Corry, June, Fua, Tsien, Coleman, Andrew, Drosdowsky, Allison, Rischin, Danny and Gough, Karla (2026). Prospective evaluation of patient priorities in HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer using the Chicago priorities scale: considerations for future clinical trial design. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 124 (2), 320-327. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.08.053
2026
Journal Article
International guidelines for the delineation of the postoperative clinical target volumes (CTV) for parotid and submandibular gland cancers
Biau, J., Nutting, C., Langendijk, J.A., Thariat, J., O’Sullivan, B., Cacicedo, J., Blanchard, P., Lee, N.Y., McBride, S., Caudell, J.J., Rosenthal, D.I., Yom, S.S., McDowell, L., Chua, M.L.K., Bourhis, J., Grégoire, V. and Lapeyre, M. (2026). International guidelines for the delineation of the postoperative clinical target volumes (CTV) for parotid and submandibular gland cancers. Radiotherapy and Oncology, 214 111317, 111317-214. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2025.111317
2026
Journal Article
Radiation Therapy Target Objectives For Tonsillar Cancer Treated with Unilateral Radiation Therapy – A Replanning Study From TROG 12.01
Osbourne, Glen, Devlin, Aimee, Walsh, Nadia, Hardcastle, Nicholas, Moore, Alisha, Rischin, Prof Danny, Kenny, Prof Lizbeth, Porceddu, Prof Sandro, Wratten, Christopher, Macann, Andrew, Jackson, James E., Corry, Prof June and McDowell, Lachlan (2026). Radiation Therapy Target Objectives For Tonsillar Cancer Treated with Unilateral Radiation Therapy – A Replanning Study From TROG 12.01. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.12.058
2026
Journal Article
Global Dose Prescription Variances Exemplified Through Oropharynx Cancer: When Is 70 Gray 70 Gray?
Hansen, Christian Rønn, Tadic, Tony, Sharma, Manju, Price, Gareth, Petersen, Jens, Naser, Mohamed A., Xiao, Ying, Kovalchuk, Nataliya, Lassen, Pernille, Overgaard, Jens, McDowell, Lachlan, Ramachandran, Prabhakar, Kim, Jun Won, Fuller, Clifton David, Thomson, David J., Johansen, Jørgen, Friborg, Jeppe, Yom, Sue S. and Hope, Andrew (2026). Global Dose Prescription Variances Exemplified Through Oropharynx Cancer: When Is 70 Gray 70 Gray?. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2026.01.023
2025
Journal Article
Precision in practice: A critical overview of recent advances in nasopharyngeal cancer management
Huang, Shao Hui, Ng, Wai Tong, Bakst, Richard L., Henson, Christina, Paterson, Claire, Schoenfeld, Jonathan D., Wilke, Christopher, McBride, Sean and McDowell, Lachlan (2025). Precision in practice: A critical overview of recent advances in nasopharyngeal cancer management. International Journal of Radiation: Oncology - Biology - Physics. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.11.064
2025
Journal Article
Less of Some and More of Another: Practice-changing Head and Neck Trials Are Redefining Long-standing Treatment Paradigms and Offering Patients More Risk-adapted Care
Henson, Christina, Bakst, Richard L., Schoenfeld, Jonathan D., Huang, Shao Hui, Paterson, Claire, Ng, Wai Tong, Wilke, Christopher, McBride, Sean M. and McDowell, Lachlan (2025). Less of Some and More of Another: Practice-changing Head and Neck Trials Are Redefining Long-standing Treatment Paradigms and Offering Patients More Risk-adapted Care. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 123 (5), 1205-1212. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.09.002
2025
Journal Article
When Incidental Becomes Instrumental: A Thyroid Metastasis Unmasked
Tran, Mai N., Liefman, Dionee, Gandhi, Mitesh, Hansen, Aaron and McDowell, Lachlan (2025). When Incidental Becomes Instrumental: A Thyroid Metastasis Unmasked. Practical Radiation Oncology. doi: 10.1016/j.prro.2025.11.008
2025
Journal Article
Patterns of care in de-novo oligo-metastatic and oligo-recurrent head and neck cancers: A Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) Survey
Swain, Monali, Ghosh-Laskar, Sarbani, McDowell, Lachlan, Henson, Christina, Bonomo, Pierluigi, Kannan, Sadhana, Malouff, Timothy, Homma, Akihiro, Rühle, Alexander, Lee, Anna, Caparrotti, Francesca, Bates, James, Johansen, Jorgen, Thariat, Juliette, Ferrari, Marco, Mayo-Yáñez, Miguel, Hamilton, Sarah, Yom, Sue S., Mehanna, Hisham and Szturz, Petr (2025). Patterns of care in de-novo oligo-metastatic and oligo-recurrent head and neck cancers: A Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) Survey. Oral Oncology, 170 107647, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2025.107647
2025
Journal Article
Accuracy and prognosis of extranodal extension on radiologic imaging in human papillomavirus-mediated oropharyngeal cancer: A Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) real-world study
Mehanna, Hisham, Abou-Foul, Ahmad K., Henson, Christina, Kristunas, Caroline, Nankivell, Paul C., McDowell, Lachlan, Leemans, C. René, van den Brekel, Michiel W.M., von Buchwald, Christian, Jakobsen, Kathrine Kronberg, Grønhøj, Christian, Rasmussen, Jacob Høygaard, Lydiatt, William M., Gupta, Vishal, Branstetter, Barton F., Klussmann, Jens Peter, Wollenberg, Barbara, Schmidl, Benedikt, Broglie, Martina A., Hendrickx, Jan-Jaap, Awad, Daniel R., Prestwich, Robin, Gaultier, Anne-Laure, Oliva, Marc, Nair, Sudhir, Noor, Anthony, Krishnan, Suren, Iyizoba-Ebozue, Zsuzsanna, Sethi, Mantegh ... Yom, Sue S. (2025). Accuracy and prognosis of extranodal extension on radiologic imaging in human papillomavirus-mediated oropharyngeal cancer: A Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) real-world study. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 123 (2), 432-441. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.04.003
2025
Conference Publication
Anxiety, Depression and Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) in HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer (HPVOPC) Survivors Treated with Chemoradiation (CRT): Implications for Contemporary Clinical Care
McDowell, L.J., Corry, J., Fua, T., Coleman, A., Drosdowsky, A., Rischin, D. and Gough, K. (2025). Anxiety, Depression and Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) in HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer (HPVOPC) Survivors Treated with Chemoradiation (CRT): Implications for Contemporary Clinical Care. ASTRO 2025: 67th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA United States, 28-30 September 2025. Philadelphia, PA United States: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.06.2331
2025
Journal Article
Primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas
Tang, Ling-Long, Huang, Cheng-Long, Lin, Shao-Jun, Le, Quynh-Thu, O'Sullivan, Brian, Yom, Sue S, Huang, Shao Hui, Chan, Annie W, Lee, Nancy, Pan, Jian-Ji, Mejia, Michael Benedict A, Ahn, Yong Chan, Wong, Kenneth C W, McDowell, Lachlan, Orlandi, Ester, Friborg, Jeppe, Chen, Yu-Pei, Yasuda, Koichi, Kodaira, Takeshi, Whitley, Alexander C, King, Ann D, Prajogi, Gregorius Ben, Hahn, Ezra, Lin, Jin-Ching, Kiyota, Naomi, Lee, Victor, Ji, Peng-Jie, Hitchcock, Ying, Hoebers, Frank ... Ma, Jun (2025). Primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas. The Lancet Oncology, 26 (9), e477-e487. doi: 10.1016/s1470-2045(25)00326-2
2025
Journal Article
Red Journal Reviews: Typology, Methodology, and Standards
Smith, Justin, Dickstein, Daniel R., Mitta, Alekhya, Sher, David, Yom, Sue S. and McDowell, Lachlan (2025). Red Journal Reviews: Typology, Methodology, and Standards. International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 124 (1), 20-26. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.08.004
2025
Conference Publication
Deep Learning-Based Synthetic CT Generation from MRI for Head and Neck Cancer Radiation Therapy Planning
Liefman, D., Ramachandran, P., Jones, C., Gould, C., Devlin, A., McDowell, L.J. and Liu, H. (2025). Deep Learning-Based Synthetic CT Generation from MRI for Head and Neck Cancer Radiation Therapy Planning. ASTRO 2025: 67th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA United States, 28-30 September 2025. Philadelphia, PA United States: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.06.2315
2025
Journal Article
Target volume delineation of the neck for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas
Tang, Ling-Long, Huang, Cheng-Long, Lin, Shao-Jun, Le, Quynh-Thu, O'Sullivan, Brian, Yom, Sue S, Huang, Shao Hui, Chan, Annie W, Lee, Nancy, Pan, Jian-Ji, Mejia, Michael Benedict A, Ahn, Yong Chan, Wong, Kenneth C W, McDowell, Lachlan, Orlandi, Ester, Friborg, Jeppe, Chen, Yu-Pei, Yasuda, Koichi, Kodaira, Takeshi, Whitley, Alexander C, King, Ann D, Prajogi, Gregorius Ben, Hahn, Ezra, Lin, Jin-Ching, Kiyota, Naomi, Lee, Victor, Ji, Peng-Jie, Hitchcock, Ying, Hoebers, Frank ... Ma, Jun (2025). Target volume delineation of the neck for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas. The Lancet Oncology, 26 (9), e488-e498. doi: 10.1016/s1470-2045(25)00327-4
2025
Journal Article
Multidisciplinary care of locally advanced mucosal head and neck cancer: An Australian perspective
Corry, June, Brungs, Daniel, Liu, Jia, McDowell, Lachlan, Thornton, Rob, Mar, Gary, Nicholls, Tracey and Ooi, Eng H. (2025). Multidisciplinary care of locally advanced mucosal head and neck cancer: An Australian perspective. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology, 22 (3) ajco.70005, 351-361. doi: 10.1111/ajco.70005
2025
Journal Article
Final results from a longitudinal observation study evaluating sexual health and facial appearance and distress in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer survivors treated with chemoradiotherapy
McDowell, Lachlan, Gough, Karla, Fua, Tsien, Coleman, Andrew, Drosdowsky, Allison, Rischin, Danny and Corry, June (2025). Final results from a longitudinal observation study evaluating sexual health and facial appearance and distress in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer survivors treated with chemoradiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation: Oncology - Biology - Physics, 122 (2), 355-364. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2025.02.004
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Lachlan McDowell is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Master Philosophy
PET images as predictor of outcome following Radiotherapy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lena Oestreich
Media
Enquiries
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