Description

BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program is focused on the development, validation and adoption of techniques for early detection and treatment of premalignant oral disease which are key to the control of this oral cancer. One of the main barriers to this approach is the identification and risk assessment of early disease in the community in a cost-effective fashion. BCOCPP is taking a transdisciplinary approach to studies of oral premalignant and malignant lesions, with input from a wide array of clinician/scientists. BCOPP is currently developing a population-based oral health network to ensure service across primary care, community, tertiary care hospitals and cancer centers. In its clinical network is a multidisciplinary scientific team which is currently validating a set of innovative molecular and imaging technologies within an 8-year longitudinal NIH funded study that will be used by the provincial clinical network to guide clinicopathological decisions on patient risk and treatment. Based on the research, a 5-step approach to patient management is proposed using devices/protocols developed and validated by the BCOCPP. Steps involve a set of "filters" to control patient flow:

1) Identification of patients requiring follow-up by dentists in the community (enhanced clinical visualization using a VELScope);

2) Collection of a biopsy and/or exfoliated cell samples, which will be,

3) Assessed at the BC Oral Biopsy Service (a Province-wide pathology service) using conventional histology and computer imaging devices (ClearCyte and Getafics); patients will be either triaged back to community for follow-up (little or no risk), or forward to:

4) Intermediate-risk community clinics or

5) "High-risk" dysplasia clinics in cancer centers. Higher cost molecular tools at these sites will guide intervention (microsatellite analysis, in vivo optical probes and confocal microscopes, oral array CGH profiles).

Primary Investigator

• Miriam Rosin

Co-Investigators

• Alan Hovan
• Gregory Hislop
• John Hay
• Kenneth Berean
• Lewei Zhang
• Michelle Williams
• Pamela Hancock
• Nhu Le
• Tim Lee
• Scott Durham
• Wan Lam

Project Coordinators

• Eunice Rousseau
• Michelle Morris

Research Team

• Alisa Kami
• Blake Gilks
• Catherine Poh
• Cathy Allison
• Denise Laronde
• Don Anderson
• Jamie Parry
• Samson Ng
• Sandra Henderson
• Violet Hung