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New QUT research has shed new light on how head and neck cancer spread to other organs and researchers are developing a simple blood test to tell doctors which patients are at risk of developing cancer. propagate long before conventional imaging. , led by Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, presented his findings at the International Symposium on Saliva and Liquid Biopsy 2018 (July 5 and 6) at QUT
Physicians, cancer researchers and representatives of the United States. medical industry from around the world participated in the symposium. the latest discoveries and technologies regarding a liquid biopsy – the use of saliva or blood for the non-invasive diagnosis of the disease.
Professor Punyadeera, of the Institute of Biomedical Health and Innovation at QUT, stated that she and her team had circulating tumor cell (CTC) groups in blood samples from 15 out of 60 recently diagnosed patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer
Professor Punyadeera and his team are working with Professor Ian Papautsky, a Chicago-based biomedical engineer, who has developed a device to separate CTC and CTC clusters of blood from cancer patients
. "Research on simple CTCs has shown that they have a clinical significance in predicting the evolution of cancer, but the understanding of the role of CTC groups in the spread of cancer has been limited, "said Professor Punyadeera who worked with Dr. Arutha Kulasinghe the presence or absence of clusters of short-lived CTCs. in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer was badociated with the spread of cancer to other organs.
"The preliminary study found that six out of seven cancer patients who had CTC clusters (pictured below) continued to develop secondary cancers of the lung or liver within six months. [19659002] "In contrast, we found that the absence of CTC or CTC clusters in head and neck cancer patients may indicate a lack of systemic spread.
"This discovery is potentially an important prognostic tool that could guide the choice of therapies by physicians as we move to personalized medicine for each patient. This work has been extended in lung cancers where there are more targeted therapies. "
Dr. Kulasinghe said it was still early for this discovery.
" But we now know that CTC clusters may be promising as indicators of cancer spread. "CTC clusters represent micro-metastases, which is why they can be detected up to six months before a macro-metastasis is discovered by conventional imaging such as CT scans."
"To deepen, we are conducting a longitudinal study of 100 patients funded by a grant from the federal government Cancer Australia.
" We are also looking to extend this technology to other solid cancers such as lung cancer. "
Professor Punyadeera said other areas of QUT fluid biopsy research presented at the symposium was a saliva test to identify microorganisms in the mouth that may predispose people who smoke tobacco or chew betel to cancers of the mouth and throat, as well as an oral test for heart failure patients to manage research, a collective pathway of metastasis of head and neck cancer, has been published in the scientific reports of nature .
* Cancers of the head and neck are rare cancers: sinuses, nose, mouth, salivary glands, gums, tonsils, phary nx and the larynx.They all have a similar treatment.
