Ann Arbor, MI - February 17, 2009 - Two University of Michigan School of Dentistry investigators will be investigating saliva samples to try to determine if patients with head and neck cancers have unique biomarkers in their saliva that could be used to monitor the response of those patients to treatment or recurrence of their cancer.

During the next year Drs. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch and Nisha D'Silva will collect and analyze saliva samples from patients with head and neck cancers, both before and after treatment, and then compare the samples to those from healthy people without cancer. The samples will be collected under controlled conditions to support current and future research projects.

"Several studies support the presence of specific biomarkers for head and neck cancer in saliva," said Murdoch-Kinch, an associate professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry. "Our objective is to find biomarkers that are cancer-specific and affected by treatment. A saliva-based test using these biomarkers could provide a sensitive, specific, inexpensive, and noninvasive means to monitor patients and, ultimately, save lives."

D'Silva, an associate professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, said, "We have established a repository of saliva samples from both sets of patients and will expand it for further oral oncology research. Our investigations will focus on differences at the molecular level in saliva from patients with and without head and neck cancer."

Despite advances in therapy over the past 30 years, the five-year survival rate for head and neck cancer remains approximately 50 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. Saliva samples from some healthy patients will be collected at the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research. Samples from cancer patients will be collected at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry facility at University Hospital.

Murdoch-Kinch and D'Silva received a $24,375 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation to conduct the oral cancer research. The grant has been bolstered with financial support from Dr. Peter Polverini, dean of the School of Dentistry; the U-M ADVANCE program; and the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation's leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.

The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, now Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. The Foundation's goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science, and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly those with special needs.

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