Call 716-898-3073 Now to Enroll!
by Annette Pinder
We often ask why there isn’t a cure yet for cancer. However, while cancer has been documented since at least 3000 BC, it is not just one disease, but a group of diseases. In fact, there are 100 different types of cancers, all caused by different things, without one strategy to prevent them all.
Still, scientists are constantly working to find life-saving ways to prevent, detect, treat, and cure all types of cancer, and Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) is at the forefront of that effort. Jennifer Frustino, DDS, PhD, Director of Oral Cancer Screening and Diagnostics in the Division of Oral Oncology and Maxillofacial Prosthetics in the Department of Dentistry at ECMC, is currently recruiting newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients to receive advanced therapy and care.
“We are enrolling patients with late-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck to receive immunotherapy before and after surgery in combination with radiation,” says Frustino. It is thought that the therapy will improve patients’ response to treatment and survival. ECMC is also enrolling patients in trials to receive therapy that will help reduce the side effects of their cancer treatments using low-level laser therapy daily prior to undergoing head and neck radiation. Another trial is testing a chemotherapy mouthpiece device to alleviate mouth swelling and irritation in patients undergoing treatment.
Often, people do not realize the world-class medicine that is available at ECMC, which is partnering locally and nationally to further research that enables patients to receive exceptional care, treatment, and ongoing surveillance.
If you would like to participate in an upcoming head and neck cancer clinical trial, call 716-898-3073. Learn more about ECMC’s world class cancer care at https://www.ecmc.edu/health-services-and-doctors/cancer-care/.
