Oral lesions may or may not become cancerous but most are removed surgically before they become a problem. Even with surgical removal almost one-third of patients with cancerous oral lesions will have them recur. Scientists have been looking for new drugs that could make sure that the precancerous lesions don’t become malignant and hopefully avoid repeat removals of these types of lesions.

Dr. Susan Mallery at Ohio State University is working on a topical gel containing black raspberries that shows promise in early research. “Part of the biggest clinical challenge is that we cannot currently identify which lesions will progress to oral cancer, Dr. Mallery explained. “Having nontoxic and effective treatment options would be a great benefit to both patients and healthcare practitioners.”

Early results have shown that a gel of freeze-dried black raspberries reduced premalignant features of precancerous oral lesions. Research is ongoing and it is hoped that the raspberry compound can stop damaged cells from dividing and becoming cancerous while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

Early detection of oral cancers is extremely important. When discovered early these cancers have an extremely high rate of cure but unfortunately, many cases are not discovered until they are very advanced. Early stage oral cancers are not discovered by symptoms, but by regular screening. If you have not visited the dentist recently it is time to contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care serving the Columbus, OH area today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your appointment. Oral cancer screening is an important part of our comprehensive examination.