Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade, fresh frozen biopsy bio-specimens, cryogenically preserved sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) biofluid samples from patients diagnosed with Oropharyngeal cancer.

Moreover Detailed clinical annotations associated with oropharyngeal cancer specimens is provided to a valued customer for research, development and drug discovery.

Oropharyngeal Cancer Overview

Cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx ranks among the most common cancers developing in the head and neck region. Moreover, the ability to chew, swallow, breathe, and talk is provided by the oral cavity and oropharynx.

Furthermore, recent estimates from the American Cancer Society indicate that more than 54,000 patients will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer in the United States, and additionally, it is estimated that over 10,000 patients will succumb to oropharyngeal cancers.

Notably, more than twice as many men are diagnosed with these cancers compared to women. In fact, approximately equal diagnoses of oropharyngeal cancers occur in Black and White patients in the United States.

Consequently, in recent years, there has been an ongoing rise in the overall rate of new cases of oropharyngeal cancer linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in both men and women.

Specifically, the average age of patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancers is 62, though younger patients can also be affected. Although oropharyngeal cancers are rare in children, notably, a little more than one-quarter of cases occur in patients younger than 55.

Oral Cavity Cancer

Oral cavity cancer includes the following parts:

  • Lips
  • Lining of the lips and cheeks, called the buccal mucosa
  • Gingiva, which is the upper and lower gums
  • Front two-thirds of the tongue
  • Floor of the mouth under the tongue
  • Hard palate, also called the roof of the mouth
  • Retromolar trigone, which is the small area behind the wisdom teeth

Orophaynx Cancer

Where the oral cavity stops, oropharynx cancer begins. It includes the:

  • Soft palate at the back of the mouth
  • Part of the throat behind the mouth
  • Tonsils
  • Base of the tongue

than 90% of oral and oropharyngeal cancers are classified as squamous cell carcinoma, originating from the flat, squamous cells located in the lining of the mouth and throat. The most common locations for cancer in the oral cavity include:

  • Tongue
  • Tonsils
  • Oropharynx
  • Gums
  • Floor of the mouth

Although a single phrase commonly describes oral cancer and oropharyngeal cancer, identifying exactly where the cancer began is important. This is due to the differences in treatment between the two locations.

Signs and Symptoms of Oropharyngeal Cancer

The common signs and symptoms of patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer are listed below. However, at times, patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer may not exhibit any changes.

Moreover, a different medical condition that is not cancer could be the cause of these symptoms. Typically, oral or oropharyngeal cancer is first discovered by dentists during a patient’s routine oral examination.

  • For instance, a sore in the mouth or on the lip that does not heal; this is the most common symptom. 
  • Additionally, a red or white patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth may be present
  • Furthermore, a lump on the lip, mouth, neck, or throat or a feeling of thickening in the cheek can occur.
  • In addition, a persistent sore throat.
  • Similarly, one may observe hoarseness or a change in voice.
  • Moreover, numbness of the mouth or tongue can be reported.
  • Furthermore, pain or bleeding in the mouth is another sign.

Additional Symptoms

  • Consequently, difficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving the jaws or tongue may arise.
  • Moreover, ear and/or jaw pain can occur.
  • In addition, chronic bad breath.
  • As a result, loosening of teeth or toothache might happen.
  • Moreover, changes in speech.
  • As a result, loosening of teeth or toothache might happen.
  • Additionally, dentures that no longer fit can indicate an issue
  • Furthermore, unexplained weight loss is a concerning symptom
  • Lastly, fatigue and loss of appetite, especially when prolonged; this may happen during the later stages of the cancer.

Stages of Oropharyngeal Cancer

The process of determining if cancer is present and, if so, how far it has spread is known as staging. Consequently, the healthcare team develops the treatment plan based on this information. Specifically, oropharyngeal cancer stages range from Stage I (best prognosis) to Stage IV (worst prognosis).

Furthermore, the staging system created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer is complex and includes specific information regarding the extent of the tumor, its spread to nearby lymph nodes and distant organs, as well as the association of the cancer with the HPV virus.

Risk Factors of Oropharyngeal Cancer

A risk factor is considered anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Moreover, while risk factors often influence the development of cancer, it is important to note that most do not directly cause it.

For instance, several risk factors may be present in some individuals who never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors may still do so.

In particular, below are the listed risk factors of oral and oropharyngeal cancer, with two factors that greatly increase the risk of developing cancer highlighted:

Tobacco Use

  • First, Tobacco Use: The single largest risk factor for head and neck cancer is identified as tobacco use, with eighty-five percent (85%) of such cancers linked to it. Chewing tobacco or snuff contributes to a fifty percent increase in the risk of developing cancer in the cheeks, gums, and inner surface of the lips, where there is the most contact with tobacco.

Alcohol Use

  • Alcohol: The risk of head and neck cancer is increased by frequent and heavy consumption of alcohol use. 

Diagnosis of Oropharyngeal Cancer

First, your medical history will be taken by your doctor, who will ask about your smoking history (or if any other tobacco products are used). Moreover, they will review current and past illnesses and medications, and inquire about your symptoms.

Next, your mouth, throat, and neck will be examined by the doctor, who will use a mirror and lights and/or a fiberoptic scope to look for abnormal areas in your mouth and throat. Additionally, the doctor will palpate your neck for masses.

If any abnormal tissue is found, the doctor will take a biopsy to check for cancer cells and the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Ultimately, these tests will provide greater detail of your throat and any masses found.

Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer

The treatment plan is determined by the stage of cancer where the oropharyngeal cancer is located; furthermore, it also takes into account the patient’s age and general health. The goal, therefore, is to treat cancer cells while retaining the patient’s ability to speak and swallow as normally as possible.

In this regard, one method or, alternatively, a combination of methods may be involved in the treatment, which can include surgery (usually transoral robotic-assisted surgery), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy.

Targeted Therapy

Man-made versions of a protein in your immune system called a monoclonal antibody are what targeted drug therapies are. A commonly used targeted therapy for treating oropharyngeal cancer is cetuximab (Erbitux). It is used alone, in combination with radiation therapy, or with other traditional chemotherapy drugs.

Immunotherapy

Cancer cells are targeted by immunotherapy immunotherapy drugs that help your body’s own immune system find and destroy them. However, being smart, cancer cells blend in with other cells to avoid recognition and attack by the immune system.

Furthermore,** certain proteins in your immune system are turned off or on by immunotherapies, enabling it to recognize cancer cells and enhance the body’s response against them. Consequently, used as a first treatment option, immunotherapy addresses cancer that has returned or spread.

For instance, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) are examples of immunotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer.
>In addition, enrolling in a clinical trial is a final option for treating oropharyngeal cancer when no other options are available.

Moreover, strict entry criteria must be met for enrollment in a clinical trial. As a result, medications in clinical trials undergo various stages of development toward FDA approval; some drugs may prove to be safe and effective, while others may not.

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Human biospecimens are available including cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors for controls, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.