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]).

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

Wistar scientists discover marker for PMN-MDSCs in the blood of cancer patients

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a population of immune cells that have been implicated in tumor resistance to various types of cancer treatment, including targeted therapies, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

5 Aug 2016

Advances in head and neck cancer treatments: an interview with Prof. Argiris

Patients with head and neck cancer usually present with locally advanced disease and often require more than one type of treatment, which may include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

3 Aug 2016

Scientists find link between makeup of individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer

In a sample study, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found an association between the makeup of an individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer, a finding that potentially advances the quest for faster and more accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy.

28 Jun 2016

Broccoli sprout extract may help prevent cancer recurrence in head and neck cancer survivors

Potent doses of broccoli sprout extract activate a "detoxification" gene and may help prevent cancer recurrence in survivors of head and neck cancer, according to a trial by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, partner with UPMC CancerCenter, confirming preliminary results presented last year at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.

24 Jun 2016

Pembrolizumab drug shows significant clinical responses in metastatic head and neck cancer patients

Treating head and neck cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab resulted in significant clinical responses in a fifth of the patients from a phase II clinical trial, researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions reported at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

7 Jun 2016

Metformin along with chemotherapy/radiation improves outcomes in head and neck cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that adding increasing doses of an approved Type 2 diabetes drug, metformin, to a chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen in head and neck cancer patients is not well tolerated if escalated too quickly, but allowing slower escalation could be beneficial.

6 Jun 2016

Simultaneous DNA, RNA and protein analysis to enhance cancer immunology studies: an interview with Dr Joseph Beechem

Cancer immunology is all about how your immune cells are going to fight and kill your tumor cells. If you look at the pure genetic code of a T-cell that's going to kill your tumor compared to the same cell that has been “put-to-sleep” (by the tumor), the pure genetic DNA content of those two cells are identical.

From NanoString Technologies 11 May 2016

Loyola researchers detect tumor gene that may help predict survival outcomes in mouth cancer patients

Loyola researchers have identified a tumor gene that may help to predict survival outcomes in patients with cancer of the mouth and tongue.

5 May 2016

Nivolumab drug shows survival benefit in phase III trial of patients with head and neck cancer

The immunotherapy drug nivolumab has become the first to show a survival benefit in head and neck cancer, after a major international trial found that it was more effective than standard chemotherapy.

20 Apr 2016