231 new genes ID'd in head, neck cancer

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A U.S. study reports identifying 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer, which is responsible for 2.1 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths.

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in San Diego said previously, only 33 genes were associated with head and neck cancer.

"These new genes should advance selection of head and neck-specific gene targets, opening the door to promising new molecular strategies for the early detection and treatment of head and neck cancer," says study lead author Maria Worsham, director of otolaryngology research at the hospital. "It also may offer the opportunity to help monitor disease progression and a patient's response to treatment."

Results from the study were presented last Sunday in San Diego during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Foundation.