cytology – Oral Cancer News

Noninvasive oral cancer test eases patient fears

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: Donna Domino, Features Editor A new, noninvasive cytology test for oral cancer, ClearPrep OC, is being offered free to dentists. The test, aimed at "watch and wait" lesions, is less expensive than biopsies and less frightening for patients, according to Resolution Biomedical, the company that is commercializing it. The chairside oral cancer test -- which can be ordered directly from the company -- is designed to be a diagnostic option for assessing lesions when a biopsy is not warranted or the patient fears getting a biopsy, according to Donald Williams, MD, chief medical officer of Resolution Biomedical. The test involves a cyto-brush sampling method that measures gross changes in the nuclear DNA content of oral epithelial cells, providing information about the precancerous or cancerous state of a lesion, the company explained. The samples are sent to medical testing labs, and the report is sent to the dentist within four to five days, the same time frame as biopsies. Dentists send the samples to the company, which prepares the slides and sends them to labs, which prepare a diagnostic report for the dentists. "It's a way to triage patients where something may be suspicious but the patient is balking about getting a biopsy," Dr. Williams told DrBicuspid.com. "It could be leukoplakia lesions or thrush instead of an indication of a neoplasm. It rules out biopsies without an invasive process." When dentists refer patients to periodontists to get biopsies of suspicious lesions, many patients don't follow through on the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-03-23T10:22:46-07:00March, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Vaccines plus screening could end cervical cancer

Source: www.cancernetwork.com Author: Fram Lowry Out with the old and in with the new is a commonly followed maxim in medicine given the rapid pace of developments in diagnosis and treatment. Human papillomavirus vaccines are relative newcomers to the cervical cancer armamentarium, but they cannot be relied on to do the job on their own; screening is still a must. Richard B. Roden, PhD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and Carlos L. Santos, MD, from the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas in Lima, Peru, discussed the merits and drawbacks of HPV vaccines and standard screening during a session on female malignancies at ASCO 2009 in Orlando Long-term protection The widespread vaccination of adolescents against HPV will be critical to the eradication of cervical cancer, said Dr. Roden, an associate professor in the department of pathology. “HPV virus-like particle [VLP] vaccines are very effective in preventing genital HPV infection and neoplastic disease,” he explained. “Solid protection has been observed for more than six years after vaccination, suggesting vaccine protection is likely to be long-term, although the need for a booster is not out of the question.” To date, two HPV vaccines are FDA-approved: Gardasil from Merck, produced in yeast, and Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline, produced in insect cells. In October 2009, Gardasil was approved by the FDA for use in boys and men (aged 9-26) for the prevention of genital warts caused by HPV-6 and HPV-11. Both vaccines target HPV-16 and HPV-18, the two most common oncogenic HPV types. Gardasil also [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-30T13:16:35-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration for the assessment of cervical metastases

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;126:1091-1096 Authors: Marco Knappe, MD et al. Objective: To assess the value of ultrasonography (US) combined with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology for the investigation of lymph node metastases in patients with head and neck cancer. Design: Comparison of clinical examination (palpation) and preoperative US-FNA examination results of cervical nodes in a sample of patients with head and neck cancer. The histological features of the neck dissection specimens are used to validate these 2 variables. Setting: A head and neck oncology service in a tertiary referral hospital. Patients: A consecutive sample of 56 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, first seen between April 1, 1996, and July 30, 1998, who had neck dissections performed after the US-FNA examination. Intervention: Cervical US-FNA preoperatively, followed by elective or therapeutic radical modified or selective neck dissection. Main Outcome Measures: The histological examination results of subsequent neck dissection specimens are used to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US-FNA for individual nodes. Second, the results of node staging by clinical examination and US-FNA examination are compared. Results: The sensitivity was 89.2%; specificity, 98.1%; and accuracy, 94.5%. Correct node stages were obtained in 52 (93%) of the patients using US-FNA compared with 34 (61%) using palpation. Conclusions: Ultrasonography combined with FNA is a highly accurate technique for the investigation of cervical lymph node metastases. A more accurate diagnosis may result in more appropriate treatment, particularly in a setting with limited resources. Retropharyngeal nodes, micrometastases, and lymph nodes [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-22T06:11:47-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Perceptronix sponsors UBC dentistry research day

Source: www.earthtimes.org Author: press release Perceptronix is proud to be a silver sponsor for the 2009 UBC Dentistry Research Day on January 27 with its focus on early detection of oral cancer. This event closely parallels the company's agenda in promoting early cancer diagnosis for better patient outcomes. Perceptronix will be showcasing and demonstrating the use of OralAdvance(TM), a new quantitative cytology test for the early detection of oral cancer. With recent advances in visualization techniques for the oral cavity, dentists are encountering more suspicious lesions. OralAdvance(TM), with its soft cyto-brush sample collection kit, provides dentists with an informative new option for assessing these lesions when biopsy is not warranted or possible. It provides an objective measure of gross DNA abnormality that can give important information about the pre-malignant or malignant nature of a lesion. About Perceptronix Medical Inc. Perceptronix Medical Inc. (Vancouver, Canada) is a private laboratory and cancer diagnostics company specializing in the provision of innovative early cancer detection tests based on quantitative cytology. The Company's DNA image cytometry technology was developed in partnership with the British Columbia Cancer Agency (Vancouver, Canada). Quantitative cytology provides physicians with an innovative cytopathology assessment based on an objective measure of large-scale DNA abnormality that can indicate precancerous or cancerous changes. The company has developed proprietary tests for the early detection of lung cancer and oral cancer using its DNA cytometry technology and offers quantitative cytology analysis of various tissues.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-26T14:20:53-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|