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School of Dentistry, UT Health San AntonioSchool of Dentistry, UT Health San Antonio

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  • Oral Cancer

Oral Cancer

Oral cancers are common, with approximately 400,000 new cases and 200,000 deaths worldwide in 2013.

Approximately 42,000 new cases and almost 8,000 deaths from oral cancers were estimated to occur in the United States in 2012. More than 90 percent of these cases were oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). The overall five-year survival rate of OSCC patients is approximately 57 percent. The prognosis of OSCC patients is adversely influenced by cancer recurrence, which happens in 5 to 50 percent of patients.

The Latest Facts & Findings

One person dies of oral cancer every hour of every day. Historically oral cancer has been associated with the chronic and excessive use of tobacco and alcohol. More recently it has been shown that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection is also associated with oral cancer. Capsazepine is a synthetic pain receptor antagonist that was discovered to have significant anti-tumor effects in animal models of oral cancer.

Oral cancer is

a significant health problem in South Texas, as mortality in Hispanic South Texans is much higher than state and national averages.

In the last 40 years

patient prognosis has improved only slightly, yet the incidence of oral cancer continues to increase.

people crossing a street
Dr. Cara Gonzales

Dr. Cara Gonzales recently discovered that capsazepine, a synthetic pain receptor antagonist, not only blocks pain but also has significant anti-tumor effects in animal models of oral cancer.

Additional Highlights

  • patient receiving non-invasive biopsy test

    Innovative Biopsy

    We are developing a non-invasive brush biopsy test for oral cancer using Lab-on-a-Chip technology that can be performed in 15 to 30 minutes at a patient’s first appointment.

    Nano-Bio-Chip Sensor Platform For Examination of Oral Exfolliative Cytology
  • trees

    Prevention Studies

    Studies evaluating the efficacy of supercritical CO2 neem extract taken from the neem tree (Azadiracta indica) for prevention of oral cancer are under way.

     

  • oral cancer cells under microscope

    Therapeutic Studies

    Studies evaluating novel therapies co-targeting epigenetically regulated signaling pathways in oral cancer are being conducted by Dr. Cara Gonzales with Dr. Tim Huang and Dr. Nameer Kirma from the Department of Molecular Medicine.

    A recent study published in Carcinogenesis.
  • graphic illustrating a person's pharynx

    Epidemiology Studies

    The epidemiology of HPV associated oral cancer has been described in many U.S. regions, but not in South Texas. Dr. Spencer Redding and Stephanie Rowan lead studies to define the epidemiology here, particularly in the Hispanic population.

    Prevalence of HPV Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer among South Texans

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San Antonio, TX 78229

210-567-7000

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