Bowman birk inhibitor concentrate and oral leukoplakia: a randomized phase IIb trial.

Oral premalignancy serves as an ideal model for study of chemopreventive agents. Although 13-cis-retinoic acid showed reversal of oral premalignancy, toxicity, and reversal of clinical response after cessation of therapy obviated its widespread use. A search for nontoxic agents with cancer preventive activity led us to evaluate Bowman Birk Inhibitor (BBI) formulated as BBI Concentrate (BBIC).

Expression of tumor markers hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase (HYAL1) in head and neck tumors.

Characteristic behaviors of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) include a propensity to occur as multiple synchronous and metachronous tumors, frequent recurrence and metastasis. Early detection of HNSCC and monitoring its recurrence are necessary to improve prognosis. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a component of extracellular matrix, promotes metastasis.

Sentinel node biopsy in oral cavity cancer: correlation with PET scan and immunohistochemistry.

Background: Lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel node biopsy (LS/SNB) is a minimally invasive technique that samples first-echelon lymph nodes to predict the need for more extensive neck dissection.

Methods: We evaluated this technique in 18 oral cavity cancers, stages T1-T3, N0. Patients underwent CT and positron emission tomography (PET) of the neck, followed by LS/SNB, frozen section, immediate selective neck dissection, definitive histology, and immunoperoxidase staining for cytokeratin.