Transmission of Human papillomavirus (HPVs) is faithfully associated with carcinogenesis of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers. Therefore, clinical researchers may need to generate customized antibodies for the upcoming ELISA-based analysis to discover rare but valuable biomarkers. The aim of study was to develop and generate a biosensor-based immunoassay for early screening HPV-related oral cancer via saliva rinse fluid analysis. A peptide fragment of high-risk HPV subtype 16/18 protein, E6 protein (HP-1 protein sequence 48–66), was designed and synthesized, followed by the generation of polyclonal antibodies (anti-HP1 IgY) in our university-based laboratories. The titer and specificity of antibodies were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensor-based method was developed. Kinetic analyses by SPR confirmed that this designed peptide showed a high affinity with its generated polyclonal antibodies. Saliva fluid samples of thirty oral cancer patients and 13 healthy subjects were analyzed. SPR indicated that 26.8% of oral cancer patients had higher resonance unit (ΔRU) values than normal subjects. In conclusion, we developed a biosensor-based immunoassay to detect HPV E6 oncoprotein in the saliva rinse fluid for early screening and discrimination of HPV-related oral cancer patients.

Background and objectives: Among patients with pathologically proven T2N0 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a notable amount of patients still die from tumor recurrence although they have radical surgery for early stage cancers. In literature, the prognostic indicators of this specific disease entity were rarely reported. This study aims at analyzing the prognostic factors of T2N0 OSCC patients and discussing possible managements to improve the survival. Materials and Methods: From January 2012 to December 2017, the data of 166 pathologically proven T2N0 oral cancer patients proved by radical surgery were retrospectively collected. The clinical and pathologic factors including age, gender, tumor differentiation grade, perineural invasion (PNI), angiolymphatic invasion (ALI), margin status, and adjuvant therapy were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis to determine their association with disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS), which were calculated by Kaplan–Meier method. Results: After median follow up time of 43.5 months, overall 3-year rates of DSS and DFS were 86.1% and 80.1% respectively for our 166 patients. Univariate analysis showed that the 3-year DSS of 90.8% for PNI negative patients was significantly better than DSS of 57.0% for PNI positive patients (p = 0.0006). The 3-year DFS of 84.2% for PNI negative patients was also significantly better than DFS of 54.6% for PNI positive patients (p = 0.001). Further multivariate analysis revealed PNI was the only independent prognostic factor associated with both DSS (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 5.02; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.99–12.6; p = 0.001), and DFS (HR = 3.92; 95% CI = 1.65–9.32; p = 0.002). Nearly 10% (16) of the 166 patients had adverse pathologic feature of PNI only. In the 11 patients without adjuvant therapy, 5 patients died from OSCC. No patients had recurrence or mortality after they received adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy ± radiotherapy. Conclusion: PNI was an independent prognostic factor for T2N0 oral cancer patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy may benefit the survival of this specific disease entity, but further investigations are needed to elucidate the optimal regimen.

Purpose: Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the effects of different thicknesses, numbers, and positions of the miniplate applied in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) under two occlusal conditions. Methods: An FEA model of the mandibles was constructed and combined with different thicknesses (0.6 or 1 mm), number (one or two), positions (upper or lower) of a miniplate and was divided into six models. In addition, external forces were applied to the muscles to simulate the intercuspal position (ICP) and right unilateral molar clench. This study used the reaction force of the temporomandibular joints and the stress of the mandible as observation indexes. Results: The results of this study show that, under ICP, the 0.6 mm lower model generated greater TMJ force reaction compared to the 0.6 mm upper model. The same trend was seen in the 1 mm lower model compared to the 1 mm upper model. Regarding the stress of the bone on the screw-implanted sites, under ICP, screw 10 showed greater stress than screw 2, and screw 11 showed greater stress than screw 3. The stress values of the miniplates showed, under ICP, point 1-c was greater than point 3-c, and point 1-b was greater than point 3-b. Conclusion: In the case of BSSO mandibular advancement surgery, implanting the miniplate at the upper position can reduce the force on the TMJ and the stress on the distal segment of the mandible. The miniplate can also resist the tensile stress more effectively. In addition, implanting two miniplates with thinner sizes may be an alternative in clinical practice.

Purpose: To determine the prognostic factors of T2N0 oral cancer patients who have received radical surgery.Materials and Methods: From January 2012 to December 2017, a total of 166 T2N0 oral cancer patients who had received radical surgery were analyzed. Thirty-one of them received postoperative adjuvant therapy. The endpoints were disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The associated factors of survival according to pathologic results and treatment, including perineural invasion (PNI), angiolymphatic invasion (ALI), and adjuvant therapy, were analyzed.Results: The median follow up time was 43.5 months. The 3-year rates of DSS, and DFS were 86.1% and 80.1%, respectively. The 3-year DSS for perineural invasion (PNI) negative and PNI positive patients was 90.8% and 57.0%, respectively (p=0.0006), with the 3-year DFS for PNI negative and PNI positive patients being 84.2% and 54.6%, respectively (p=0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed PNI was an independent prognostic factor of DSS (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 3.29; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.35-8.02; p = 0.009), and DFS (HR = 4.68; 95% CI = 1.77-12.3; p = 0.002). Adjuvant therapy was also an independent prognostic factor of DSS (HR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.08-0.78; p = 0.017), and DFS (HR = 0.27; 95% CI = 0.07-0.96; p = 0.044).Conclusion: PNI was an independent prognostic factor and adjuvant therapy improved the clinical outcomes for T2N0 oral cancer patients.

Background/purpose COVID-19 vaccines are supplied at no-cost to residents as a measure to prevent comorbidities, fatalities, and the increased risk of community transmission, thus protecting public health systems. However, vaccine acceptance among cancer patients remained uncertain. This study aimed to elucidate the vaccination rates among oral cancer patients at a medical center in Taiwan. Materials and methods We included Individuals who attended for routine follow-ups from January 2021 to December 2022, with a total of 1448 patients subjected to comprehensive analysis. Medical records were reviewed to identify factors influencing vaccine acceptance. Results: Our findings indicate that 1,264 patients received vaccinations, while 184 remained unvaccinated. The vaccination rates among patients in advanced disease stages and those with neck lymph node metastasis (N+) were significantly lower (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, a notable lower vaccination rate was evident among patients receiving active treatment modalities (P < 0.01). Conversely, age, and comorbidities (evaluated using the New Charlson Comorbidity Index), didn't show a significant correlation with vaccination rates. The risk of death caused by oral cancer among vaccinated patients was significantly lower compared to non-vaccinated group (P < 0.001). Logistic regression showed the risk of COVID infection was significant lower in vaccinated group than non-vaccinated group (OR = 0.31, P = 0.034). Conclusion: The risk of COVID-19 infection in oral cancer patients was lower among vaccinated group, and the vaccination was not associated with more mortality. Identifying the characteristics of non-vaccinated individuals and understanding factors influencing vaccine hesitancy in oral cancer patients is vital for developing targeted strategies to improve vaccine uptake.