RNA – Oral Cancer News

Smoking and HPV found to increase risk of head and neck cancer

Source: www.news-medical.net Author: Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer, but there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease, according to a study by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and the University of Chile. An article on the study is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular mechanisms involved in head and neck cancer, paving the way for novel strategies of prevention and treatment, or other interventions that could benefit patients. Head and neck cancer is a group of cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, tonsils, throat and thyroid. It affected some 830,000 people worldwide in 2020, causing the death of more than 50%. In Brazil it caused almost 21,000 deaths in 2019, according to the most recent data from the National Cancer Institute (INCA). Historically speaking, its main causes have been alcohol, tobacco and poor oral hygiene, but in recent decades HPV has become a significant risk factor, especially for younger people and relatively well-off patients. Head and neck cancer is now one of the fastest-rising types of cancer associated with HPV in the world. "Instead of continuing to analyze smoking and HPV as oncogenic factors separately, we set out to focus on their possible interaction." Enrique Boccardo, penultimate author of the article and professor in the Department [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-07-04T11:44:15-07:00July, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

Viome scores FDA breakthrough label for cancer-screening, microbiome-sequencing AI platform

Source: www.fiercebiotech.com Author: Andrea Park The secret to enabling early cancer detection could be hidden in the microbiome, and, now, gut-testing startup Viome has the backing of the FDA to prove it. Viome was initially launched as a direct-to-consumer service that used an artificial intelligence-powered platform to sequence the RNA in an individual’s stool sample to produce insights into their overall health and provide accompanying diet and lifestyle recommendations. More recently, however, the startup has set its sights on using the technology to screen for cancer. In a study published last August, Viome researchers used the platform to analyze saliva samples from oral cancer patients and discovered biomarkers in the resulting analysis that were directly linked to cancer signatures. The diagnostic was able to spot early signs of oral cancer with a sensitivity of about 83%—and over 93% for stage 1 cancers—and a specificity of nearly 98%. As a result of that and other ongoing research, Viome’s saliva test has received the FDA’s breakthrough device designation for use in early screening for oral squamous cell carcinoma and oropharyngeal cancer, both of which are typically only diagnosed in a manual examination and are therefore often overlooked until their later stages. “Today’s standard of care to detect oral and throat cancer is severely outdated. Everyone relies on a primary care clinician to examine their mouths and look for lesions. This subjective and qualitative approach is a key reason why oral and throat cancer are detected at stage three or four, when many [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2022-07-13T06:40:29-07:00July, 2022|Oral Cancer News|

NF-κB over-activation portends improved outcomes in HPV-associated head and neck cancer

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: staff, Impact Journals LLC A new research paper has been published in Oncotarget, titled "NF-κB over-activation portends improved outcomes in HPV-associated head and neck cancer." Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating disease that impairs fundamental tissues involved in respiration, phonation and digestion. HNSCC is primarily caused by exposure to either ethanol and tobacco or the human papillomavirus (HPV). Among patients with HPV+ HNSCC, there is a growing clinical demand to develop robust stratification tools to accurately identify patients with good or poor prognosis. According to the research, "While oncologic outcomes for HPV+ HNSCC are generally favorable, treatment paradigms developed for HPV-negative disease burden many survivors of HPV+ HNSCC with lifelong debilitating treatment-associated side effects. On the other hand, ~30% of HPV+ HNSCC patients exhibit a more aggressive disease course and suffer recurrence." Somatic mutations or deletions in TRAF3 or CYLD identified a subset of HPV+ HNSCC associated with improved outcome. A cross talk between canonical and non-canonical NF-κB signaling suggests that TRAF3 and CYLD affect both NF-κB pathways. "Herein, we demonstrate that an RNA-based classifier trained on tumors harboring these mutations may improve prognostic classification," state the researchers. To improve on genomic classification, the researchers designed the current study to provide a foundation for development of NF-κB related, RNA based classification strategies to better identify HPV+ HNSCC patients with good or poor prognosis that could potentially aid in future efforts towards treatment personalization. "This report validates and expands on our findings that significant [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2022-05-26T07:49:55-07:00May, 2022|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers evaluate efficacy of salivary biomarkers for early detection of oral cancer

Source: www.news-medical.net Author: staff, reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. Over 90% of malign tumors in the head and neck are originated from carcinomas of squamous cells that appear in superficial areas of the oral cavity. Their detection with salivary biomarkers can contribute to their early treatment, before they transform into tumors. Researchers of the Oral Microbiology Research Group of the CEU Cardenal Herrera University (CEU UCH) in Valencia, Spain, have conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the salivary markers that show the highest efficacy for the early detection of oral cancer in different clinical trials. The results have just been published in the Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine, the official magazine of the International Association of Oral Pathogens in the field of Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Medicine. According to Verónica Veses, head researcher of the Group and professor at the Biomedical Sciences Department of the CEU UCH, "detection of this type of squamous cell cancer in the surface of the mouth essentially depends of the visual examination on behalf of oral health professionals. This is why it is important to find new diagnostic methods to help with accurate early detection. Specially if we take into account that oral cancer is the most common of the tumors in the head and neck, and which is increasingly prevalent among the young population due to the consumption of tobacco and alcohol". Three types of biomarkers The research team headed by Dr. Veses has conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-11-15T07:30:36-07:00November, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

How oral bacteria could lead to breakthroughs in cancer, weight loss, and overall health

Source: www.mensjournal.com Author: Marjorie Korn As if you don’t have enough reasons to feel guilty for avoiding the dentist, it turns out a healthy mouth is linked to a lot more. than the absence of cavities and plaque. Researchers say our mouths are home to an ecosystem of billions of bacteria with influence far beyond our teeth and gums—influence they are just starting to unravel. “We know that oral bacteria affect almost every aspect of our health—metabolism, cardiovascular system, neurological health, and more,” says Yiping Han, a microbiologist at Columbia University Dental and Medical Schools in New York City. Scientists like Han are grappling with questions that will change our understanding of how the body works. Not only are they studying the ways bacteria in our mouths interact with one another but they’re also investigating why mouth bacteria show up in other parts of the body, such as the lining of the heart, around tumors, and even in the brain. The idea that our bodies host a world of bacteria may sound familiar. For the past decade, we’ve seen a surge of scientific research on the gut microbiome, which describes the bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract. Gut bacteria seem to have a hand in a surprising number of functions, from the predictable (like digestion and nutrient uptake) to the more surprising (obesity and depression). So it makes sense that the next place for a breakthrough would be upstream—the mouth. Scientists have identified 700-plus strains of bacteria swiped from [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-07-31T07:51:05-07:00July, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers document molecular tumor subtypes of head and neck cancer

Source: www.oncologynurseadvisor.com Author: Kathy Boltz, PhD Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common form of cancer in the United States. However, other than an association with the human papillomavirus (HPV), no validated molecular profile of the disease has been established. By analyzing data from DNA microarrays, a study has confirmed the presence of four molecular classes of the disease. Also, previous results have been extended by suggesting an underlying connection between the molecular classes and observed genomic events, some of which affect cancer genes. This study also demonstrated the clinical relevance of the classes and certain genomic events, paving the way for further studies and possible targeted therapies. "Cancer is a disease caused by alteration in the DNA and RNA molecules of tumors. A cancer results when broken molecules initiate a cascade of abnormal signals that ultimately results in abnormal growth and spread of tissues that should be under tight control within the body,” said Neil Hayes, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and of The Cancer Genome Atlas. "However, most common tumors, including head and neck cancer, have relatively little information in the public record as to how these signals coordinate to create different patterns of abnormalities. This study is among the largest ever published to document reproducible molecular tumor subtypes. Subtypes, such as those we describe, represent attractive models to understand and attack cancers for treatment and prognosis." The team analyzed a set of nearly 140 HNSCC [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-03-12T07:08:52-07:00March, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Lightning rod for head and neck cancer

Source: www.physorg.com Author: staff They say lightning never strikes the same place twice—unless, of course, that place is a lightning rod. An enzyme called UROD acts like a lightning rod for cancer cells, drawing radiation and chemotherapy toward specific spots in diseased tissue, a new study in mice and humans reports in Science. The findings suggest that UROD—identified for the first time in this paper as a key player in human cancer--could help decrease treatment side effects for people with head and neck cancer, the eighth most common cancer worldwide. Despite many advances over the last few decades, the toxic side effects associated with current therapies have made for disappointing outcomes in many patients. Head and neck tumors are often found near critical organs, so destroying the diseased tissue is often a delicate challenge that could lead to life-threatening conditions. Here, Emma Ito and colleagues show that targeting UROD can selectively enhance the effects of radiation and chemotherapy in head and neck tumors, while minimizing toxicity to normal tissues. By focusing therapy toward specific parts of tissue, lower doses of radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs could potentially be administered to patients without compromising treatment efficacy. Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase or UROD is an enzyme involved in the production of a molecule called heme, which is vital for all of the body's organs (though it is most abundant in the blood, bone marrow, and liver). Heme is an essential component of iron-containing proteins called hemoproteins, including hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-01-31T19:39:01-07:00January, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers study relationship of oral cancers and periodontal disease

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff During the 88th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, in Barcelona, Spain, author J. Meyle, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany, presented an abstract titled "P. gingivalis Infection and Immune Evasion of Oral Carcinomas." Meyle and his team are investigating the relationship of oral cancers and periodontal disease. They achieved results by infecting cell carcinoma cells SCC-25 with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) W83. After 48h the cells were stained with antibodies against human B7-H1, B7-DC and TLR4 and analysed by flow cytometry. RNA was extracted after 24h and gene expression of B7-H1, B7DC, TLR4, IFN-γ and IL-10 was quantified by real time PCR and analysed by the (2 triangles)CT method. Up-regulation of B7-H1 in host cells may contribute to the chronicity of inflammatory disorders which frequently precede the development of human cancers. B7-H1 expression was detected in the majority of human cancers and leads to anergy and apoptosis of activated T cells, which might enable tumors to evade the immune response. TLR4 signalling has been shown to induce B7-H1 in bladder cancer cells. P.g., a putative periodontal pathogen, is an etiologic agent of periodontitis and expresses a variety of virulence factors. In this study the expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC receptors and TLR4 on squamous cell carcinoma cells SCC-25 was analysed after infection with P.g. in vitro. The research concludes that P.g. is able to induce the expression of the immune regulating receptors B7-H1 and B7-DC in squamous cell carcinoma which may facilitate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-16T13:09:40-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Mayo oral cancer study shows full tumor genome

Source: insciences.org Author: press release Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators from Life Technologies are reporting on the application of a new approach for sequencing RNA to study cancer tumors. Their findings from a proof-of-principle study on oral carcinomas appear in the current issue of PLoS One, the online science journal. To explore the advantages of massively parallel sequencing of genomic transcripts (RNA), the researchers used a novel, strand-specific sequencing method using matched tumors and normal tissues of three patients with the specific cancer. They also analyzed the genomic DNA from one of the tumor-normal pairs which revealed numerous chromosomal regions of gain and loss in the tumor sample. The key finding of this work was that alterations in gene expression which can arise from a variety of genomic alterations frequently are driven by losses or gains in large chromosomal regions during tumor development. In addition to the specific tumor findings, this study also demonstrated the value of this RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) method. It will allow researchers to measure strand-specific expression across the entire sample's transcriptome. This technology reveals far more detail about genome-wide transcription than traditional microarrays. "This method allows us to investigate genetic changes at a level that we were never able to see before," says David Smith, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic genomics researcher and corresponding author of the study. "This provides us with much more information about alterations during cancer development that could reveal important therapeutic targets. We can more completely understand the relationship between an individual's genome [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-03-06T14:16:56-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Mayo oral cancer study shows full tumor genome

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: public release Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators from Life Technologies are reporting on the application of a new approach for sequencing RNA to study cancer tumors. Their findings from a proof-of-principle study on oral carcinomas appear in the current issue of PLoS One, the online science journal. To explore the advantages of massively parallel sequencing of genomic transcripts (RNA), the researchers used a novel, strand-specific sequencing method using matched tumors and normal tissues of three patients with the specific cancer. They also analyzed the genomic DNA from one of the tumor-normal pairs which revealed numerous chromosomal regions of gain and loss in the tumor sample. The key finding of this work was that alterations in gene expression which can arise from a variety of genomic alterations frequently are driven by losses or gains in large chromosomal regions during tumor development. In addition to the specific tumor findings, this study also demonstrated the value of this RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) method. It will allow researchers to measure strand-specific expression across the entire sample's transcriptome. This technology reveals far more detail about genome-wide transcription than traditional microarrays. "This method allows us to investigate genetic changes at a level that we were never able to see before," says David Smith, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic genomics researcher and corresponding author of the study. "This provides us with much more information about alterations during cancer development that could reveal important therapeutic targets. We can more completely understand the relationship between an individual's genome [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-02-23T13:07:48-07:00February, 2010|Oral Cancer News|