Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Vicki Cheeseman, Associate Editor A new oral cancer “rinse-and-spit” test for the early detection of tumors could mean great things for dental professionals and their patients when the test becomes available for use in dental practices nationwide possibly as early as late 2014 or into 2015. The test, developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and exclusively licensed to Vigilant Biosciences, Inc., will be available as a low-cost, point-of-care screening test for the early detection of oral cancer, and is envisioned as a kit with a special oral rinse and test strip. The test strip detects proteins that are markers of oral cancer and are captured by the rinse. The markers may be present before a lesion is easily visible. Early detection tests are critical because the majority of patients present in late stage when cure rates reach only 40%. I asked Dr. Franzmann to explain how the test strip works. “The beauty of the test strip approach is that it is so simple for the patient and health-care professional to use. The technology behind the test strips has been around for many years and is used for many medical applications. The key is to know what to test for. Through our research, we discovered certain proteins, or markers, are present in the saliva in the early stages of squamous cell carcinoma, the most common head and neck cancer.” How early can tumors be detected with the test strip? Dr. Franzmann said, “The tumors [...]