AI-based home saliva test detects cancer with over 90% accuracy

Source: biz.crast.net Author: Shawn Johnson An AI-based home screening test to detect mouth and throat cancer from saliva samples is now available in the United States. (Credit: Creative Commons) An AI-based home screening test to detect mouth and throat cancer from saliva samples is now available in the United States. (Credit: Creative Commons) An AI-based home screening test to detect mouth and throat cancer from saliva samples is now available in the United States, which is expected to revolutionize mouth and throat cancer detection. Based on technology approved as a “breakthrough device” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the saliva test can detect early signs of oral and throat cancer with more than 90 percent accuracy. Due to the lack of effective diagnostic tools, these cancers are often not diagnosed until they reach advanced stages, resulting in low survival rates. In a previous study, Maria Soledad Sosa of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Julio A. Sosa, now of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, led the study. Aguirre-Ghiso discovered that the ability of cancer cells to remain dormant is controlled by a protein called NR2F1. , This receptor protein can enter the cell nucleus and turn on or off several genes to activate a program that stops cancer cells from spreading. NR2F1 levels are usually low in primary tumors but increased in dormant disseminated cancer cells. NR2F1 protein levels then decrease once again when cancer cells begin to grow again and form [...]

2024-01-29T16:44:32-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|
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Partnership to boost oral cancer early detection

Source: www.bitemagazine.com.au Author: staff Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) has partnered with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to ensure general practitioners across Australia have the tools they need to detect oral cancer early and save lives. A national online learning resource has been launched on the RACGP website to empower its members to identify individuals at risk of oral cancer, detect the disease earlier through screening and have important prevention conversations with patients. In Australia, there are more than 4000 new cases of head, neck and lip cancers diagnosed every year and the majority of these are oral cancers. In 2022, there were an estimated 2642 cases of lip and oral cancers with this figure expected to rise in the coming years. Largely due to delayed presentation or diagnosis, oral cancer carries low survival rates, which is why the Victorian Government’s 2016-20 Cancer Plan established the Oral Cancer Screening and Prevention Program to boost prevention and early detection of this disease. Funded by the Victorian Government, the program is led by DHSV in partnership with the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, the Australian Dental Association (Victorian Branch) and the Victorian Department of Health. DHSV launched the Oral Cancer Learning Hub in 202—a practical and evidence-based resource that supports oral health professionals to recognise and refer suspected oral cancers in early stages for faster investigation, diagnosis and treatment. “Because GPs are often the first stop for Victorians seeking medical help, phase two of the program supports GPs to [...]

2023-11-15T15:10:04-07:00November, 2023|Oral Cancer News|
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New saliva home test can detect early signs of oral and throat cancer ‘with 90% accuracy’

Source: www.euronews.com Author: Josephine Joly Oral and throat cancers are notoriously difficult to detect – but a new saliva test, launched in the US, could change the game and enable much earlier diagnosis for patients. - Copyright Copyright: Canva A new home screening test using artificial intelligence to detect oral and throat cancers from saliva samples has been launched in the United States, with hopes the device could change the future of oral and throat cancer detection. With more than 90 per cent accuracy, the saliva test is the first to detect early signs of oral and throat cancers based on a technology that has received the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “breakthrough device” designation. Notoriously difficult to detect, these cancers can often go undiagnosed until they have reached an advanced stage due to a lack of effective diagnostics tools, resulting in low survival rates. Current screening methods rely on visual and tactile examinations by a healthcare provider, meaning lesions must grow large enough until they can be detected by the naked eye. Only 28 per cent of patients receive an early diagnosis, and those receiving a late diagnosis face a prolonged battle with oral cancer. The five-year survival rates for oral and oesophageal cancers are 68 and 20.6 per cent respectively, but when detected early, those numbers can jump to more than 86 and 47 per cent. In the US alone, the National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be 54,000 new cases of oral cancer [...]

2023-01-23T19:06:51-07:00January, 2023|Oral Cancer News|
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WVU Medicine Head and Neck Cancer Team works to increase tonsil cancer awareness

Source: wvumedicine.org Author: staff, WVU Medicine News Head and neck surgical oncologists at WVU Medicine, the WVU Cancer Institute, and across the country are seeing increased incidences of tonsil cancer. “The majority of tonsil cancers, nearly 70 percent, are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV),” Meghan Turner, M.D., head and neck surgeon in the WVU Medicine Department of Otolaryngology, said. “In the last 10 years, tonsil cancer caused by HPV has become more common than cervical cancer caused by the same virus.” In most cases of HPV infection, the body fights off the virus like it would the common cold. In other cases, the virus remains in the body, increasing the risk of both tonsil and cervical cancer. Unlike cervical cancer, there is no regular screening for tonsil cancer. Most commonly, tonsil cancer is first diagnosed as a nontender mass in the neck. “Another common presentation for tonsil cancer is actually recurrent or persistent tonsil pain in spite of treatment for a throat infection,” Dr. Turner said. “This happens between the ages of 50 and 60. It may seem like recurrent strep throat, but it is uncommon for people in that age range to develop recurrent strep throat. If you’re having pain that isn’t resolved after a course of antibiotics, you should ask your doctor if it could possibly be something like tonsil cancer.” It is also regularly discovered during routine dental visits, appearing as asymmetrical tonsils. Those who have had their tonsils removed by tonsillectomy are not immune to [...]

2022-02-05T10:20:45-07:00February, 2022|Oral Cancer News|
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Lung cancer screening for head and neck survivors?

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Mike Bassett, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Head and neck cancer survivors are at an especially high risk for second primary lung cancers, a secondary analysis of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) suggested. After adjustment for various factors including pack-years of smoking, lung cancer incidence among NLST participants with a history of head and neck cancer was more than doubled compared to those without such a history, at 2,080 versus 609 cases per 100,000 person-years (adjusted rate ratio [RR] 2.54, 95% CI 1.63-3.95), reported John D. Cramer, MD, of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, and colleagues. According to the findings in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, a non-significant trend toward improved overall survival was observed among those with a history of head and neck cancer who underwent low-dose CT (LDCT) in the trial rather than chest radiography (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.42-1.52). As was a trend toward better detection of secondary lung cancer detection in those assigned to LDCT (RR 1.55, 95% CI 0.59-3.63). "The wide CIs, presumably due to the small sample size and number of outcome events, prevent definitive conclusions," noted Cramer and colleagues. Still, they argued, "these results support routine annual low-dose CT chest screening for lung cancer in HNC [head and neck cancer] survivors with prior significant tobacco use who are fit enough to undergo treatment with curative intent." In a commentary accompanying the study, Sean T. Massa, MD, of Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, and colleagues, also noted the small sample [...]

2021-11-01T15:16:43-07:00November, 2021|Oral Cancer News|
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Saliva testing may allow early detection of human papillomavirus–driven head and neck cancers

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: Elsevier Cancer causing high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV) are responsible for the rising incidence of HR-HPV–driven head and neck cancers (HNC), particularly oropharyngeal cancers (OPC, or throat cancers). Investigators have determined that HR-HPV DNA can be detected in saliva in most patients with HPV-driven OPC at the time of diagnosis. This work highlights a potentially life-saving screening program based on salivary HR-HPV DNA testing for early cancer detection and patient monitoring. Their findings appear in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. "Despite the upsurge in HPV-driven HNC, there are no early detection methods or screening strategies for this cancer type, unlike cervical cancer, which is caused by the same virus. Biomarkers enabling early detection, monitoring and disease prognostication are warranted to combat the rising incidence of HPV-driven OPC," observed lead investigator Chamindie Punyadeera, Ph.D., head, Saliva & Liquid Biopsy Translational Laboratory, School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Dr. Punyadeera and her colleagues investigated the efficacy of salivary HPV detection as a biomarker of HPV-HNC and survival patterns in patients with OPC to evaluate the utility of salivary HR-HPV as a prognostic biomarker for OPC. Saliva testing was performed on 491 patients at the time of first diagnosis of HNC and 10 patients with recurring HNC. Forty-three percent were positive for salivary HR-HPV DNA. HPV16, a high-risk strain of the virus, was detected in 92% of the HPV-positive saliva samples. The vast majority of HPV-HNC had arisen [...]

2021-09-22T09:38:25-07:00September, 2021|Oral Cancer News|
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A deep learning algorithm for detection of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma from photographic images: a retrospective study

Source: www.thelancet.com Authors: Qiuyun Fu et al. Abstract Background: The overall prognosis of oral cancer remains poor because over half of patients are diagnosed at advanced-stages. Previously reported screening and earlier detection methods for oral cancer still largely rely on health workers’ clinical experience and as yet there is no established method. We aimed to develop a rapid, non-invasive, cost-effective, and easy-to-use deep learning approach for identifying oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) patients using photographic images. Methods: We developed an automated deep learning algorithm using cascaded convolutional neural networks to detect OCSCC from photographic images. We included all biopsy-proven OCSCC photographs and normal controls of 44,409 clinical images collected from 11 hospitals around China between April 12, 2006, and Nov 25, 2019. We trained the algorithm on a randomly selected part of this dataset (development dataset) and used the rest for testing (internal validation dataset). Additionally, we curated an external validation dataset comprising clinical photographs from six representative journals in the field of dentistry and oral surgery. We also compared the performance of the algorithm with that of seven oral cancer specialists on a clinical validation dataset. We used the pathological reports as gold standard for OCSCC identification. We evaluated the algorithm performance on the internal, external, and clinical validation datasets by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity with two-sided 95% CIs. Findings: 1469 intraoral photographic images were used to validate our approach. The deep learning algorithm achieved an AUC of [...]

2020-09-24T13:41:39-07:00September, 2020|Oral Cancer News|
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OU researcher creating novel device for early detection of oral cancer

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release Because two-thirds of oral cancer diagnoses are made when the cancer is advanced, treating it usually requires complex surgeries, followed by reconstructive procedures that are necessary because tissue has been removed from the patient's face. A University of Oklahoma researcher is developing computer technology and a new medical device that he hopes can detect oral cancer at an early stage, when the survival rate is much higher. Javier Jo, Ph.D., is a professor with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering on OU's Norman campus, and a member of Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medicine. His expertise in applying engineering concepts to solve a medical problem earned him a $2.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Jo's research involves creating a hand-held endoscope to look for precancerous and cancerous lesions of the mouth, and "training" it to recognize patterns and signatures of those lesions with more accuracy and at an earlier stage. "When oral cancer is diagnosed early, treating the patient is much more effective and a lot less invasive," he said. "The survival rate and quality of life of the patient is fairly high if the cancer is detected early." Jo's technology aims to address two problems in oral cancer detection. A person's general dentist is usually the first health provider to examine the tissue inside the mouth and search for lesions based on look and feel. However, it's difficult to distinguish a benign lesion from a cancerous or precancerous lesion, Jo said. [...]

2019-09-13T05:56:39-07:00September, 2019|Oral Cancer News|
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Minority, low-income individuals less likely to receive oral cancer screening

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: staff Despite a recent dental visit, more individuals of a minority race/ethnicity and low socioeconomic status report not receiving an oral cancer screening exam, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Avni Gupta, B.D.S., M.P.H., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data from individuals aged 30 years or older who received a dental visit in the previous two years. The likelihood of intraoral and extraoral cancer screening exams was assessed, while adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, poverty income ratio, health insurance, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption. Overall, 37.6 and 31.3 percent of individuals reported receiving an intraoral and extraoral cancer screening exam, respectively. The researchers found that the likelihood of having received intraoral or extraoral cancer screening exams was lower for minority racial/ethnic groups versus white, non-Hispanics; those with less education versus more education; those who were uninsured and Medicaid-insured versus privately insured; and low-income versus high-income participants. The likelihood of being screened did not differ based on smoking status, while the likelihood was increased for alcohol consumers. Less-educated and low-income subgroups were less likely to be screened. "Efforts to both educate patients about requesting oral cancer screening in dental offices and adequately train dental professionals on culturally sensitive communications might be an effective means to increase oral cancer screening exams among minority high-risk populations," the authors write

2019-08-21T17:32:29-07:00August, 2019|Oral Cancer News|
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Study: HPV cancer survivors at risk for second HPV cancer

Source: www.bcm.edu Author: Dipali Pathak A retrospective study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health found that survivors of HPV-associated cancers have a high incidence of developing second HPV-related cancers. Their findings, which were reported today in JAMA Network Open, suggest the need for increased screening for HPV-associated precancerous and early cancerous lesions among people who are survivors of the disease. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a sexually transmitted infection that can lead to gynecological (cervical, vaginal and vulvar), anogenital (anal and penile) and oropharyngeal (throat and mouth) cancers. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-associated cancer in women, and oropharyngeal cancers are the most common in men. “HPV is a virally mediated cancer, so it makes sense if somebody is infected in one site with the virus that they would be infected in other sites as well. It is important for people who have had one HPV-related cancer to know that they are at increased risk for HPV-related cancers in another site, and they are encouraged to have screening for these other cancers, if screening is available. Currently, screening is available for cervical and anal precancers,” said Dr. Elizabeth Chiao, professor of medicine in the section of infectious diseases at Baylor and with the Houston VA Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety. Chiao also is a member of the NCI-designated Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine. [...]

2018-09-08T09:35:00-07:00September, 2018|Oral Cancer News|
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