Dear Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Insider,
The presence of certain antibodies for human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) in the blood is associated with improved survival rates among patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. In this Insider Exclusive, U.S. researchers used a novel protein array to show how specific antibody status can be used to identify patients with HPV16-positive tumors who may benefit from altered monitoring and treatments.
In other Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community news, tobacco companies hired six board-certified otolaryngologists to testify against long-term, heavy smokers who were dying of head and neck cancers (HNCs), according to a new study published in Laryngoscope. Click here to read what the physicians, one of whom got $100,000 for his testimony, instead cited as the likely cause of the smokers' cancer.
Meanwhile, dentists currently perform a physical exam of a patient's oral cavity to screen for HNC. Now, U.S. researchers have developed noninvasive diagnostic tests that can identify the DNA from these cancers at an early stage, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Read how physicians or dentists could easily administer such tests.
And a new immunotherapy drug is almost twice as effective as the preferred treatment for decreasing the size of tumors of patients with recurrent or metastatic HNC, according to a study presented at the recent American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting. Click here to see which drug reduced the size of tumors in the majority of patients.
Finally, two commonly used radiology modalities do a good job of predicting recurrence and survival for HNC within two years of completing chemotherapy treatment, according to a study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging meeting in June. Read what imaging modalities will help with the management and treatment of HNC patients.
