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Fall 2011 : It's in the Genes
It's in the genes
Studies of genetic variations may lead to better head and neck cancer treatments
The first comprehensive studies of genetic variation in head and neck squamous cell cancers have uncovered mutations that may help refine treatment, say MD Anderson researchers.
“These findings should help us better treat patients by allowing us to take a more personalized approach,” says Jeffrey Myers, M.D., Ph.D., professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery and co-senior author of one of the papers.
MD Anderson scientists teamed with Baylor College of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, concluding that prevention, risk assessment and early detection remain the best weapons against head and neck cancer.
Two grants to MD Anderson supported the MD Anderson-BCM team: an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
Other funding came from the National Cancer Institute, American Association for Cancer Research Stand Up to Cancer Dream Team Translational Research Grant, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research, and MD Anderson’s Head and Neck Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE).
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