New Way To Ascertain Head And Neck Cancer Stages Developed By Indian Researchers

One of the main methods to determine the cancer stage is studying the size of the tumor. A team of researchers from Pune, India, showcased a new staging method to find the cancer stage.

Dr. Jayant Khandare, who is the Chief Scientific Officer of Actorius Innovations and Research, told The Week that they also found out that neck and head cancers can spread to other organs of the body.

“We also established that head and neck cancers are systemic like any other solid tumours and can spread through the blood to other organs, including lung, breast, colon-rectal etc,” Khandare stated.

He added that until now, it was a given that neck and head cancers cannot spread to other parts of the body. Neck and head cancers are quite common in India, and the scientist stated that close to 30 percent of these cases are due to smoking, alcohol, and tobacco consumption.

The study was conducted at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, and Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, who is an oncologist, helped in the study. During the study, they found that a patient who received chemotherapy had a reduction of circulating tumor cell (CTC) number by 22 percent compared to patients who did not receive any treatment.

“Advanced stage patients exhibited about 35 per cent higher CTC count compared to early-stage patients. A CTC count of more than 15 is suggestive of advanced-stage disease. These results indicate a positive and extremely high correlation of CTC number and disease progression in head and neck cancers,” he mentioned.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the head and neck cancer regions are oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, salivary glands, and paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. The symptoms of head and neck cancers include a sore throat that is not going away, or a soar that is not healing and a change in the voice.

Through the study, Khandare said they could indeed detect head and neck cancers and oral cancers through a blood test developed by them.