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Head and Neck Cancer

Immune Cell Biomarker Predicts Better Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer

University of Michigan researchers find infiltrating lymphocytes tie to survival in patients with recurrent larynx cancer; findings suggest super-boosting the immune system before additional treatment.

Trying Treatment

Harry Robins, now 71, got the shock of his life in July 2014 when he learned about the surgery he needed to treat the squamous cell tongue cancer that showed signs of spreading. The surgery was way more invasive than he expected, involved removing a third of his tongue and required months of intensive rehabilitation to recover. He and his wife believe they made it through this trying time only with the help of the care team.

Laughing Through Cancer

Marty Schultz, 65, spent two years dealing with fatigue and sinus drainage before a local otolaryngologist took a biopsy. The Pinconning resident was diagnosed with low grade olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the sinuses. He was referred to Erin McKean, M.D., MBA, the division chief of rhinology and skull base surgery at Michigan Medicine. Schultz was not amused but, as someone who relies on humor, found himself making jokes with his brother, Joe, who accompanied him to his initial visit. McKean didn’t miss a beat and joked right back.

How Immune Cells Could Guide Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Decisions

For patients with head and neck cancer, responses to treatment vary. Some do well with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Others have better outcomes with surgery. The question for clinicians is how to make the right choice before treatment. New evidence suggests a patient’s immune system may be a deciding factor.

Combination of traditional chemotherapy, new drug kills rare cancer cells in mice

An experimental drug combined with the traditional chemotherapy drug cisplatin, when used in mice, destroyed a rare form of salivary gland tumor and prevented a recurrence within 300 days, a University of Michigan study found.

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