Another will focus on the role of viruses such as the human papillomavirus in causing oral cancer. Investigators will study the genetic basis for tumor growth, as well as identify markers for early diagnosis. Because oral cancer is complicated by the ability of cancerous cells to invade surrounding tissues and metastasize to distant sites in the body, the researchers also will explore the factors controlling this process at the molecular level. The newly funded centers aim to develop improved treatments for oral cancer. Currently, the available treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, or in many cases, a combination of the two.
Some patients also receive chemotherapy.
Yet these treatments can have devastating effects. Disfigurement may result from the necessary surgery or radiation, and patients may experience long-term pain, dry mouth, and nerve dysfunctions that affect speech, chewing, swallowing, and taste perception. We need approaches that will not destroy healthy bone and salivary gland tissue adjacent to the cancer, but will enable us to replace defective genes or insert a suicide gene to make malignant cells self-destruct. The National Institute of Dental Research and the National Cancer Institute are part of the Federal government s National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland.