New Research Hopes To Save Head And Neck Cancer Survivors From Painful Dry Mouth
There may be good news for patients with head and neck cancer, as new research has found promising results in regards to preventing reduced salivary gland production.
The majority of head and neck cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy, with 90% of those experiencing dry mouth or xerostomia. This sensation leaves the mouth parched and extremely dry and uncomfortable. For a large part of sufferers the condition is lifelong following radiation treatment, causing difficulties with speaking and eating and leading to an increase in dental cavities, inflammation and oral infections.
Scientists at URMC’s Eastman Institute for Oral Health, however, have been studying the problem in order to come up with a solution. Their research found that salivary gland cells are very sensitive to exposure to radiation, which causes the cells to activate a ‘apoptosis’ response or ‘cell suicide’. The word apoptosis is Greek and means ‘as petals falling from a rose’. The response involves an increase in a specific protein production which instructs the cells to die. As more and more cells pass the gland’s saliva creation ability decreases and dry mouth occurs.
The research from the Eastman Institute has found success in reducing apoptosis in mice; treating the glands that produce saliva before radiation begins. The team have come up with a method that blocks the protein that causes cell death. The team studied the mice immediately following radiation and found that those who have had treatment kept over 50% of their salivary flow than those who had received the treatment.
The team hopes to progress with their research beyond mice and the lab in order to help patients who have beaten head and neck cancer continue with their life comfortably.
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