09-10, 07:30–08:00 (Europe/Istanbul), Head & Neck Surgery 3
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. In the oral cavity, most cases of squamous cell carcinoma begin as a precursor lesion classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an “oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD).” Oral leukoplakia is the most common OPMD, with a global prevalence of 4.1% and a malignant transformation rate between 0.1%-34.0%, and the malignant transformation rate increases to 40% in oral dysplasia. These wide ranges of malignant transformation rates suggest an unmet need to develop prognostic biomarkers that can better differentiate benign from premalignant lesions and predict the risk of transformation of premalignant lesions to invasive cancer. To address this major knowledge gap, the NIDCR partnered with the NCI Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) to bring together leading investigators to form a national network of Advancing Head and Neck Cancer Early Detection Research (AHEAD). In this session, we will highlight the efforts and advancements made in the field of early-stage detection and prevention of head and neck cancers. The learning objectives for the session are to: a) Review the current standard of care for patients diagnosed with OPMD; b) Identify the current challenges in diagnosing oral premalignant disease and; c) Explain three methodological and technological approaches being investigated for the early detection and prevention of HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancers.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. In the oral cavity, most cases of carcinoma begin as a precursor lesion classified as an “oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD).” Oral leukoplakia is the most common OPMD, with a global prevalence of 4.1% and a malignant transformation rate between 0.1%-34.0%, and the malignant transformation rate increases to 40% in oral dysplasia. These wide ranges of malignant transformation rates suggest an unmet need to develop biomarkers that can better differentiate benign from premalignant lesions and predict the risk of transformation of premalignant lesions to invasive cancer.
Sara Isabel Pai, M.D., Ph.D., FACS: Dr. Pai is a Professor of Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. She received an A.B. from Dartmouth College with a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. She completed the M.D./Ph.D. program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she completed her Ph.D. training in cancer immunology and vaccines. She completed her otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her research interests focus on better understanding how human papillomavirus (HPV) evades the immune system and strategies that can be applied to reactivate the host immune response against HPV-mediated tumors through vaccines and immune-modulatory drugs. She leads several investigator-initiated immunotherapy clinical trials and has a translational research laboratory that has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2007. She is the Director of an NCI Program Project (P01) Grant, co-chair of the NIDCR AHEAD Early Detection Cancer Research Network, and the Disease Leader for Head and Neck Cancer for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. She serves on national and international grant review panels and the advisory boards for several pharmaceutical companies.