New Study Takes Aim at Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and with a long-term 50 percent survival rate, it's also one of the more deadly cancers. To make matters worse, survival rates haven't improved in the past 30 years.

A University of Minnesota research team is working to change oral cancer statistics by studying the proteins found in saliva. The goal is to identify the proteins that lead to oral cancer--and, in doing so, create a method to diagnose the disease in its earliest stages. The National Institutes of Health is funding the four-year study.

Timothy Griffin, in the University's department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, is head of the study team, which includes researchers from medicine, dentistry, computer science, and public health. The team includes SPH assistant professor Baolin Wu, who is responsible for study design and data management.

Using complex statistical models, Wu will determine how many proteins--of the thousands found in human saliva--to pinpoint for study. He'll also analyze data on how the proteins interact with each other to potentially lead to cancerous cells.

While it's uncertain how many proteins might prove to be culprits, it is certain that prevention is key to reducing rates of oral cancer. Studies have shown that when oral cancer is diagnosed in early stages, the survival rate jumps to 80 percent.

"Survival depends on early diagnoses," says Wu. "Our study takes a novel approach to improving survival rates that haven't changed for 30 years."