Dear Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Insider,
Spouses and long-term partners of patients with human papillomavirous (HPV)-related oral cancers have wondered if they are at increased risk of oral HPV infections. Now, in the first large study about the growing issue, U.S. researchers came to a surprising conclusion. Read about their findings in this latest Insider Exclusive.
In a related story in the Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community, the FDA has approved an HPV DNA test for women that can be used to determine whether they should have additional diagnostic testing for cervical cancer. Read about the test, which may help find other cancers, including oral cancers.
In another related story, researchers have found two symptoms that appear to be the initial ones in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and the symptoms seem to be associated with the HPV status of the tumors. Click here to see what they are.
In another HPV story, a higher percentage of oropharyngeal cancers might be related to HPV than previously thought, and vaccines could prevent the disease, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read about what HPV types were detected in oropharyngeal cancers in the U.S.
And what are the long-term effect of using hyperfractionated radiation therapy to treat patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck? Click here to read what U.S. researchers found regarding patients' local-regional control and overall survival.
Meanwhile, Japanese researchers have studied PET/CT parameters -- in particular, a ring-shaped area of FDG uptake -- to see if they are reliable predictors of survival for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Read about their findings here.
Also, a new device by Norwegian researchers can help rebuild the faces of patients who have been disfigured by mandibular cancer and help patients with loose teeth caused by periodontitis. See how the artificial bone scaffolding determines where new bone tissue will grow.
And U.S. researchers have found a new technique that uses atmospheric pressure plasma, a new radiation source, which could be used for dental care and to treat oral cancer. Read about their study, which explores how plasma medicine may aid in medical treatment.
Finally, Spanish researchers have identified two volatile organic compounds in the breath of patients with head and neck cancers (HNC). Read about their study, which used solid-phase microextraction, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry to analyze the breath of patients with epidermoid supraglottic laryngeal cancer. And an international team of researchers has developed an artificial nose that is sensitive enough to diagnose HNC through breath analysis. Click here to read how functionalized membrane-type surface stress sensors can distinguish people with cancer through breath samples.
