Scientists will try everything. We’ve seen some really crazy stuff over the years in the name of cancer cure, but this is a fun first. The brilliant researchers at U Penn Dental School have found a way to reduce the cancer causing HPV virus by 93% in head and neck cancer. This is no small feat since it is a major, and globally increasing, cause of base of tongue, tonsil, oropharyngeal cancer. It will not mitigate the use of chemo and radiation, but can be used as an adjunct in head and neck treatments * (First to tackle this complex, transmissible virus was Merck when they developed a vaccine for pre-pubescent children, protecting them from this cancer-causing virus in their future. Now Merck is working toward individualized vaccines, further personalizing treatments).
Did you ever think your doc would give you a gum to reduce your cancer? No neither did I. Although it is still awaiting testing in humans. Think they are giving tiny chiclets to mice? I flash back to my time in college at Drexel University where, in the dark dank basement of the former American Oncologic Hospital, for nutrition science, we were charged with the vitamin A experiments. I was squeamish and dropped one little white mouse who scampered under the bench I could barely reach behind as he tucked himself against the wall. We were both scared. There was no leaving without recapturing him. I did not blame his wanting to escape. We both found the process creepy.
Over the years, I am now convinced science will try anything and everything. There are new pulsed tumor treating fields for GBM, directly attacking this terrible disease in the brain. The leaps and bounds just this past year for deadly pancreatic cancer have been miraculous. In animal models, adding drugs to reduce cancer resistance to treatments in deadly lung cancer. ** Even the most common cancer in men, prostate, has found a way into immunotherapy, for those no longer responding to hormones or even chemo for metastatic disease. Car-T therapy has now been used for 10 years on blood cancers but ineffective for solid tumors. Now scientists have found a way to use focused ultrasound to give the tumors a marker for the Car-T to attack ( the new therapy is called Shifters). Experiments always pushing limits, brilliant, exciting and clever. How about a bandaid patch that kills deadly melanoma skin cells when exposed to sunlight? Solar powered!
To circle back, I’m just confused as to how they came up with the concept of gum. Did they try a mouthwash, a gargle, a lollipop? I’m very interested to see where this goes, but I can’t get out of my head the concept of having little pieces of gum, inserted into the tiny mouths of mice and watching them chew. Actually, I believe they are just testing the antiviral in the Petri dish, but mice always find their way to be heros. Mice are not the only brave souls. People with cancer will try anything. They will undergo cutting edge surgeries, replace their bone marrow, climb on a table daily for radiation beams, plug into life altering, chemo stations, and even battle this disease for years. Just like the mice, they are fearless. Just like the researchers they are willing to try everything. We are moving into a newer, kinder, gentler way of management. Where a patch? Have a liquid biopsy? Receive a cancer treating vaccine? Or even chew gum! We are up for it all. Thank you pesky little mice for your contributions. Thanks to everyone, stepping into the unknown on clinical trials. You are changing lives for generations.
*Science Daily August4,2026.
** Science Advances, 2026, Baylor College Medicine