|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
(Photo credit: Sylvester Cancer)
For years, mouthwash has been marketed as an essential hygiene item to prevent bad breath, even though it offers minimal if any health benefits.
But what if a mouthwash-based test to detect biomarkers can help physicians predict disease recurrence in head and neck cancer patients?
That futuristic scenario seems closer to reality after a new study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, UC San Diego Health and collaborating cancer centers.
Their findings, published Aug. 15 in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, could improve how physicians predict and detect recurrence with these cancers.
“Our study suggests biomarker detection in saliva collected from an oral rinse after initial treatment offers potential to readily assess recurrence risk,” said Elizabeth Franzmann, MD, a head and neck surgeon at Sylvester, and co-corresponding author of the study. “Elevated levels of either of two biomarkers were associated with disease return.”
Men more susceptible
Head and neck cancers account for nearly 4 percent of all cancers in the U.S. and are more commonly diagnosed in people over age 50, according to the National Cancer Institute. Men are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
Primary treatment options include surgery and radiation, which can affect speech, swallowing and appearance, severely affecting a patient’s quality of life. These effects can be even worse after recurrence.
Moreover, recurrence is not always easy to catch.
“It can be very difficult to determine if what you’re observing is just post-treatment changes or a cancer recurrence,” explained Joseph Califano III, MD, director of UC San Diego’s Hanna and Mark Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center and the study’s co-corresponding author. “Good biomarkers could help remove some of the guesswork.”
Dr. Franzmann, whose research lab is focused on finding an inexpensive, noninvasive screening test for these cancers, emphasized the importance of early recurrence detection.
“These patients suffer terribly,” she said. “The more we can minimize those effects by catching recurrence early, the better we can mitigate patient morbidity and mortality.”
Assessing recurrence risk
Previously, Dr. Franzmann and her team had studied how biomarkers in oral rinses can assess a person’s risk for developing oral or oropharyngeal tumors, the most common types of head and neck cancers. They found a link with two key biomarkers – CD44, a tumor-initiating molecule, and total protein levels.
In this new study, the researchers studied whether those two biomarkers could predict recurrence in already-diagnosed patients. Their clinical trial evaluated the effects of CD44 and total protein levels in 160-plus patients across multiple cancer centers. Patients were provided oral-rinse samples for use up to 18 months after their initial treatment.
To measure biomarker presence, the researchers used laboratory tests and experimental lateral-flow tests, technology similar to stick-based pregnancy and COVID-19 tests.
“Our laboratory assays showed an association between biomarker levels and later recurrence,” Dr. Franzmann said. “Compared to patients with normal protein levels three months after treatment, patients with about twice as much total protein had an estimated 65 percent greater risk of recurrence.”
She added that patients with CD44 levels that were triple the normal level had an estimated 62 percent percent greater recurrence risk.
Focus on rapid tests
The study also generated early data on a rapid, point-of-care test to measure these biomarkers, with the findings expected to help hasten its development.
“It would be really useful if we had a test that was inexpensive and could be performed and resulted while the patient was in the office,” Dr. Franzmann said. “That’s the area we are focusing on.”
She and her collaborators noted that although additional research is needed, biomarkers show great promise for refining risk prediction in patients with head and neck cancers.
Better risk prediction, in turn, has the potential to save lives by reducing the need for harsh, invasive treatments. Thanks is extended to Vigilant Biosciences for their contribution to this work.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
