Saliva test could dramatically increase detection of oral cancer
4/17/2012
EAST LANSING, Mich., (April 17, 2012) — A Michigan State University surgeon is teaming up with a Lansing-area dental benefits firm on a clinical trial to create a simple, cost-effective saliva test to detect oral cancer, a breakthrough that would drastically improve screening and result in fewer people dying of the world’s sixth most common cancer.
Barry Wenig, a professor in the College of Human Medicine’s Department of Surgery and lead investigator on the project, is working with Delta Dental of Michigan’s Research and Data Institute to compile study data and recruit dentists. The study will enroll 100-120 patients with white lesions or growths in their mouths and tonsil areas to test as part of the clinical trial.
Wenig and his team will be looking for certain biomarkers previously identified by researchers at UCLA; the biomarkers have been shown in studies to confirm the presence of oral cancer. By creating a simple saliva test which could identify the biomarker’s presence, physicians and dentists would know which patients need treatment and which ones could avoid needless and invasive biopsies.
“Most white lesions are benign, so a majority of people who develop them are getting biopsies that are not needed,” Wenig said. “Conversely, a simple test would allow us to identify those patients with malignant lesions and get them into treatment quicker.”
Oral cancer has a poor survival rate linked to late detection, Wenig said: Only 60 percent of patients live beyond five years after diagnosis. Among black males, the survival rate is less than 38 percent.
“The key challenge to reduce the mortality and morbidity of oral cancer is to develop strategies to identify and detect the disease when it is at a very early stage,” he said.
In addition to Delta Dental’s Research and Data Institute, which works with researchers from leading universities to monitor advances in science, Wenig is collaborating with PeriRx, a Pennsylvania company that will sponsor upcoming trials with the Food and Drug Administration.
“The results of this trial could be life changing for many people,” said Jed Jacobson, chief science officer at Delta Dental and a licensed dentist. “It is a tremendous opportunity for the dental community to participate in what could be a ground-breaking research project.”
Wenig and members of his team recently returned from southern California, where they met with UCLA colleagues, who are working to develop saliva diagnostic tests for other cancers as well.
“These tests are as noninvasive as it gets; patients simply need to spit into a cup,” Wenig said. “The ease of the test will greatly expand our ability to effectively screen for the cancerous lesions.”
“Right now, there are no early screenings available for most head and neck cancers.”
The test also has the potential to accelerate health care savings, he added, since the number of biopsies can be dramatically reduced.
Anyone seeking more information on the trial can call research coordinator Pam Haan with the Department of Surgery at (517) 267-2042.
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
About Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana
Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, with its affiliates in Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina and Tennessee collectively are among the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2011, the enterprise paid out $2.2 billion for dental treatment for 8.6 million enrollees. Offices are located in Okemos and Farmington Hills, Mich.; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis and Greenwood, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.
About Delta Dental’s Research and Data Institute
The Research and Data Institute was established in 2005 to develop innovative and scientifically based dental benefits that improve health. The institute, which has the world’s largest database of dental claims information, works closely with researchers from the University of Michigan, UCLA and other leading universities in the United States.