Researchers are experimenting with a new study, where they can identify the tumours that are at the risk of spreading and metastasising, and can help doctors in tailoring individual treatments for the patients suffering from head and neck cancer.
Head and neck cancer is now the most common cancer in developing countries and according to the NHS there are now close to 12,000 new cases that are diagnosed in the UK each year. Although, it is difficult to estimate the percentage of Asian men and women who are at the risk of being affected by this disease, it is understood that at least 85% of these diagnoses are linked to chewing tobacco and increasing consumption of Paan- favourites among the Asian community.
Oral, head and neck cancers are very uncommon and are categorised based on the places where they originate- either in squamous cells that line the head and neck or in the salivary glands. These cancers are then again sub-categorised by where the cancer resides. And an even more unique distinction is a sub-classification of head and neck cancers that is defined by an infection called, Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-initiated oropharynx cancer.
Head and neck cancer can include cancer of the mouth, tongue, nose, ear, larynx, and the thyroid gland. The management of head and neck cancer has improved considerably over the last few decades with greater expertise in surgery and radiation oncology. It is supported by the cutting-edge research led by centres such as the Oracle Cancer Trust, UK’s leading charity dedicated to research around this subject.
Currently, Dr Adrian Biddle at the Blizard Institute, and PhD student Leah Palmer are working on a breakthrough test to selectively identify the tumours that are at the risk of metastasising and spreading and aims to segregate them from the healthy cells and individually treat them. This new test can help doctors offer a tailored form of treatment for their specific form of head and neck cancer.
The research includes Leah experimenting with an ‘invasion model’ that is like a dummy mimicking the spread of cancer in the body, to test for potential molecules. These would then serve as several markers which would further be used to observe and predict metastasis. But by using human tumour specimens to confirm that the markers identified, Leah hopes to successfully differentiate between metastatic and non-metastatic tumours.
At present, if the symptoms and diagnosis are identified at an early stage, there is an 80-90% chance of cure and according to the Cancer Research UK, between 19% and 59% of people diagnosed with head and neck cancers in England survive their disease for ten years or more.
You can find out more about head and neck cancer by visiting here: https://oraclecancertrust.org/news
