Head and Neck Cancer News and Research

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Head and Neck Cancer is cancer that arises in the head or neck region (in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, throat, or larynx [voice box]).

Cancers acquire resistance to immunotherapy by eliminating tumor-specific genetic mutations

Results of an initial study of tumors from patients with lung cancer or head and neck cancer suggest that the widespread acquired resistance to immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors may be due to the elimination of certain genetic mutations needed to enable the immune system to recognize and attack malignant cells.

6 Jan 2017

UCLA-led research finds promising results for more personalized head and neck cancer treatment

Researchers have found that people with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the KRAS-variant inherited genetic mutation have significantly improved survival when given a short course of the drug cetuximab in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiation.

23 Dec 2016

Study suggests potential blood-based marker to predict oropharyngeal cancer recurrence

A new study suggests the possibility of predicting at its earliest stages when a type of head and neck cancer will come back.

16 Dec 2016

Genes that control immune system play key role in predisposition to HPV-related tumors

A number of genetic variants associated with susceptibility to oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer have been described in an international study published in the journal Nature Genetics.

16 Dec 2016

Study shows experimental treatment not superior to standard therapy for head and neck cancer

Results of the largest Canadian clinical trial to date comparing standard treatment for locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer with an experimental treatment, did not show the new treatment is superior.

9 Dec 2016

Study explores causes of diagnostic delays and impact on treatment in cancer patients

Patients wait an average of four months before seeking a cancer diagnosis, researchers report at the ESMO ASIA 2016 Congress in Singapore.

7 Dec 2016

T cell channel could be potential new target for treating head and neck cancers

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have discovered that an ion channel, active within T cells (white blood cells), could be targeted to reduce the growth of head and neck cancers.

17 Nov 2016

Photoimmunotherapy may be promising treatment option to combat cancer

When Kerstin Stenson, MD, describes the innovative technique she is helping develop to fight cancer, it seems like she's describing a Tom Clancy military espionage novel.

15 Nov 2016

Innovative surgery to repair phrenic nerve injury improves breathing function

A study led by UCLA researchers found that in people with breathing difficulties caused by phrenic nerve injury surgical reconstruction of the nerve can lead to significant improvement in breathing and an increase in regular physical activities.

25 Oct 2016

Sanford opens new immunotherapy study on colorectal cancer

Sanford Health has opened another clinical trial exploring the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer.

21 Oct 2016

Study highlights burden, poor prognosis of head and neck cancers linked to tobacco/alcohol

A nationwide study of head and neck cancers in France has revealed that the true burden of the disease is underestimated by at least one-third, and that head and neck cancers carry a very high risk of secondary primary cancers, according to two presentations at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen.

8 Oct 2016

Study of pan-FGFR inhibitor uses mRNA in tumours to identify responders

The first-in-human dose escalation study of the pan-FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) inhibitor BAY 1163877 in patients with treatment-refractory locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours were reported today at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen.

8 Oct 2016

New tool helps measure how costs of care impact cancer patients

For many patients, the uncertainty and stress that can come with cancer treatment is compounded by what is now known as "financial toxicity," the anxiety and distress that follow health care and medication expenses, often compounded by reduced ability to work.

7 Oct 2016

IMRT linked to reduced xerostomia and feeding tube dependency in oropharyngeal cancer patients

Radiation therapy is the main treatment modality in the management of head and neck cancer.

4 Oct 2016

Specific HPV strain linked to better overall survival for oropharyngeal cancer patients

When it comes to cancer-causing viruses like human papillomavirus, or HPV, researchers are continuing to find that infection with one strain may be better than another.

28 Sep 2016

Approval of PD-1 inhibitor scratches surface of potential immunotherapies in recurrent HNSCC

The recent approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) following progression on a platinum-based chemotherapy was a significant advancement for the disease.

26 Sep 2016

Mount Sinai and TJU researchers awarded grant for UM research

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the second most common type of skin cancer. Approximately 50 percent of patients will develop metastasis or spread of their cancer, most commonly to the liver.

21 Sep 2016

Sanford wins $11.7 million NIH grant to translate laboratory cancer research into clinical trials

The Cancer Biology Research Center at Sanford Research is the recipient of a five-year, nearly $11.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to translate laboratory research into clinical trials for head and neck and pediatric cancers.

20 Sep 2016

TransOral Robotic Surgery may provide good outcomes, survival for oropharyngeal cancer patients

A new study from researchers at Henry Ford Hospital finds an incisionless robotic surgery - done alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation - may offer oropharyngeal cancer patients good outcomes and survival, without significant pain and disfigurement.

16 Sep 2016

New study provides most comprehensive picture to date of head and neck cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells resist therapy and are a major cause of relapse, long after the bulk of a tumor has been killed.

15 Sep 2016