Dear Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Insider,
A new study regarding the diagnostic ability of dentists may surprise many in the dental community: General practitioners correctly diagnosed only about half of the oral lesions they submitted for biopsy. And most specialists weren't far behind.
In this latest Insider Exclusive, read about which oral lesions were misdiagnosed most, how to determine when to do biopsies, and who is best suited to evaluate them.
In a related story, Cancer Research U.K. has launched a large, multicenter trial to test a new device for detecting Barrett's esophagus, a condition that puts sufferers at increased risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. Click here to read how the cytosponge test may provide an improved method of identifying such patients.
In other Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community news, the maker of the Oral CDx brush test is suing Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for at least $70 million over a terminated distribution contract with OraPharma, its former subsidiary. Read what allegedly spurred J&J to induce OraPharma to breach the agreement.
And Medicare has historically refused to cover "routine" dental care. But an ongoing federal lawsuit claims the agency should cover patients who need medically related dental care stemming from underlying medical conditions. Read more.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is continuing to review data from published studies to evaluate whether the use of oral bisphosphonates is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. And so far, the agency's findings remain inconclusive. Read more.
In clinical news, ever since an animal study raised the question of whether there is an association between fluoride and osteosarcoma, water fluoridation opponents have questioned its safety. But a new study could put the ongoing debate to rest. Click here to read how the fluoride levels in bones of people with and without osteosarcoma were measured and what researchers found.
And a study in the Australian Dental Journal discusses how dental implants could provide an alternative in the oral rehabilitation of oral cancer patients. Click here to read about retention rates among patients who had implants following resection surgery for oral cancer.
Finally, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new technique for treating head and neck cancer that uses tumor-targeted nanoparticles. Read about the new method's side effects and how it impacts survival rates.
