Delta Dental Foundation Supports Groundbreaking Oral Cancer Research at Beaumont

April 23, 2008 (Okemos, MI) — The Delta Dental Foundation has awarded a Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant of $22,958 to Beaumont Hospitals Research Institute in Royal Oak, Mich. The grant will help launch a research study to find ways to lessen the severity of one of the most disabling side effects of chemotherapy and radiation in patients with head and neck cancer (oral cancer)– oral mucositis. Oral mucositis is a potentially serious condition that can cause mouth sores, pain, and infection.

“Oral cancer remains one of the deadliest of cancers, with a five-year survival rate of only 57 percent, and the treatment patients undergo can be both painful and disfiguring,” said Jed. J. Jacobson, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., chief science officer at Delta Dental. “If this research results in an improved quality of life for patients undergoing treatment, it will be a significant step towards making treatment more tolerable and enhancing recovery.”

“We are very pleased to be the recipients of the Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant from the Delta Dental Foundation,” said George D. Wilson, Ph.D., chief of radiation biology at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. “This grant will allow us to collect the primary data we need to seek additional funding from the National Institutes of Health. A better understanding of the biology underlying mucositis will help us to devise treatment strategies that maximize the killing of the oral cancer but minimize the damage to the tissues of the mouth.”

Oral mucositis can occur when chemotherapy and radiation treatment damage normal cells in the lining of the mouth, causing discomfort, pain, swollen tissue, and often, open sores and ulcers. Some patients may experience very mild symptoms; others may have severe mucositis that can cause life-threatening infections and interfere with eating, swallowing, even speaking.

In some cases, chemotherapy and radiation must be interrupted or suspended, directly affecting patient survival.

According to Wilson, no systematic studies have been undertaken to investigate the process of cellular change that leads to this condition or why some people experience little discomfort while others experience severe side effects. The goal of the study is to better understand the changes that occur in normal cells during treatment and to find biological markers that will predict a person’s risk of developing severe oral mucositis. Researchers hope this will lead to new strategies that prevent its development.

The Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant was established by the Delta Dental Foundation in 2006 to honor a longtime member of the Board of Directors for Delta Dental of Michigan and Delta Dental of Ohio, and the Board of Trustees for the Delta Dental Foundation. A community leader from the Detroit area, Moore developed oral cancer and died in 2005. The grant is given annually to support research or educational projects that focus on oral cancer. The recipient of the first grant was the Joan Bisesi Fund for Head and Neck Oncology Research at the James Cancer Hospital Foundation in Ohio.

The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, which also operates Delta Dental of Ohio and Delta Dental of 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 for those with special needs. For more information, visit www.deltadentalmi.com.