CDA Essentials 2017 • Volume 3 • Issue 5

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Issues and People
As the technology improves, live microscopy on a patient to better assess certain conditions
will have a significant impact.”
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Edwards:
Oral Cancer Management
Therapies will target cancer pathways: “There have been tremendous advances in
radiotherapy and chemotherapy directed to cancer cells. In 10 years, it looks promising that
we’ll be able to look at the cancer, understand the pathways driving it, and offer the patient
targeted therapies directed to particular pathways in cancer development.”
Biomarkers will improve early detection of oral cancer: “Most oral abnormalities found
by dentists have a relatively low likelihood for malignant transformation but it’s important
to identify which patients have a lesion with malignant potential—those with the genetic
mutations that increase the likelihood of it transforming into an aggressive cancer. I think
biomarkers will allow us to make great advances in that domain.”
Lab results will be in real time: “We have traditionally relied on biopsy and histopathology
results to determine if lesions have malignant potential. And patients wait about one week to
get the lab results. In the future, I think this process will be replaced by live biopsy and optical
techniques that can tell you what is going on in the tissue without cutting into it—we can
get real-time results and provide patients with the information they need.” a
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Kerr:
Dr. Ross Kerr,
clinical professor, oral and
maxillofacial pathology,
radiology and medicine,
NYU college of dentistry