Leukoplakia: causes, symptoms, and treatment

Source: www.dentalnewspk.com Author: Dr Amna Bilal Have you ever encountered white patches or spots on your tongue or inside your cheeks? Leukoplakia, a disorder in which white lesions develop inside the mouth, may be the cause. You may have leukoplakia, a mouth condition if you've observed white patches in your mouth that don't appear to go away. Leukoplakia is more common in areas of the mouth with mucous membranes, such as the gums, the inside of the cheek, and the tongue. The skin around the mouth becomes thicker as a result of this condition, and white patches start to appear there. A mouth condition called leukoplakia affects 1% to 2% of people. Most cases involve men over the age of 50, and it typically affects people over the age of 40. Leukoplakia is uncommonly diagnosed in people under the age of 30. Leukoplakia can be challenging for clinicians to identify because some of its symptoms are shared by those of other frequent disorders and diseases of the mouth. However, a proper diagnosis of leukoplakia is required before a biopsy may be performed. Leukoplakia-related lesions can potentially develop malignant cells, resulting in oral and mouth cancer. Leukoplakia: What is it? The condition known as leukoplakia manifests as a white or a grey area on the tongue, the inside of the cheek, or the floor of the mouth. It is the mouth's response to persistent (chronic) mouth mucous membrane irritation. The female genital area can also develop leukoplakia patches, albeit the reason [...]

Stopping the spread: Targeting tumor metastasis

Source: www.newswise.com Author: staff The process of metastasis is when cancer cells gain motility and spread to other sites of the body. Because this is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths, researchers have aimed to develop therapeutic strategies that can block metastasis. In a recent article published in Cell Reports, a team led by researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) describe how a cell signaling molecule called transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) can help oral cancer cells acquire such dangerous motility. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs when cancer cells obtain more stem-like and invasive properties, and is induced by various signals and stimuli within the tumor microenvironment. The group focused on the signaling molecule TGF-β as its reported effects seem contradictory: TGF-β can induce EMT in cancer cells but also seems to block their proliferation by keeping them in an early phase of the cell division cycle called G1. Therefore, the researchers aimed to characterize the molecular details of these mechanisms at the single-cell level. “It is not fully clear if tumor cells stimulated by TGF-β can display both EMT induction and cell cycle arrest,” says lead author of the study Kazuki Takahashi. “Single-cell analysis will help us understand if these events occur in distinct cell populations.” To examine this, the team utilized specially engineered versions of oral cancer cells that fluoresce red if they are in the G1 phase or green if they are in any other cell cycle phase. The number of red cells increased when [...]

New guidance for care of patients with oral potentially malignant disorders

Source: www.dental-tribune.com Author: Anisha Hall Hoppe, Dental Tribune International General dental practitioners (GDPs) now have clearer recommendations to which they can refer for successfully monitoring and managing oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in patients who have been discharged from specialised oral or maxillofacial units. Based on advice from a group of eight universities, research institutes and health programmes across Europe, an educational article outlines the essential symptomology, associated risks and best practices for follow-up for GDPs who have previously lacked official guidance for after-care in such cases. OPMDs have been defined by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer as “any oral mucosal abnormality that is associated with a statistically increased risk of developing oral cancer”. Prevalence is estimated to vary widely in different parts of the world; however, the overall incidence of OPMDs is about 4.47% globally. As the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the capabilities of GDPs, the Royal College of Surgeons of England introduced guidance specific to triaging and patient management for the altered circumstances, which assisted GDPs who were under added pressure to identify OPMDs while working with fewer resources. However, once their patients have been successfully diagnosed, treated and released from a specialist unit, there is generally a lack of guidance available for those same GDPs for ongoing case management. In this paper, the contributing organisations cover the management of the following conditions: leucoplakia, proliferative verrucous leucoplakia, erythroplakia, oral lichen planus, lichenoid lesions, oral lupus erythematosus, actinic cheilitis, palatal lesions in reverse smokers, dyskeratosis [...]

CUE-101 gets fast tracked for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Source: www.onclive.com Author: Kristi Rosa The FDA has granted a fast track designation to CUE-101 for use as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV16+) recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).1 CUE-101 is an off-the-shelf therapy that was designed to trigger and expand HPV16 tumor-specific T cells by exhibiting 2 cues to T cells. The first signal includes the HPV E7 protein, which is harbored by HPV-induced cancer cells and interacts with the HPV-specific T-cell receptor to offer selectivity. The second signal is comprised of an engineered interleukin-2 variant that fuels T cell activity. “We are very pleased to have received fast track designation from the FDA for CUE-101. This designation not only underscores the large unmet need for patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer who currently rely on available non-targeted therapies, but also highlights the potential of CUE-101 to provide a significant clinical benefit,” Matteo Levisetti, MD, senior vice president of Clinical Development at Cue Biopharma, Inc., stated in a press release. Previously, investigators evaluated the potential of CUE-101 to selectively activate and expand HPV16 E7–specific CD8-positive T cells in patients with HPV-driven cancers, including HNSCC, cervical cancer, and anal cancer.2 To showcase the activity of the product, human E7-specific T cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs) were tested. To evaluate the in vivo activity of CUE-101, investigators evaluated the product in HLA-A2 transgenic mice. The agent was found to selectively bind, activate, and expand HPV16 [...]

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