Delta grant will help Michigan researchers study oral mucositis treatments

Okemos, Mich.鈥擳he Delta Dental Foundation has awarded a $22,958 Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant to the Beaumont Hospitals Research Institute in Royal Oak, Mich.

The grant will help launch a research study to find ways to lessen the severity of oral mucositis, a condition that can cause mouth sores, pain and infection.

“We are very pleased to be the recipients of the Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant from the Delta Dental Foundation,” said George D. Wilson, Ph.D., chief of radiation biology at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. “This grant will allow us to collect the primary data we need to seek additional funding from the National Institutes of Health. A better understanding of the biology underlying mucositis will help us to devise treatment strategies that maximize the killing of the oral cancer but minimize the damage to the tissues of the mouth.”

Oral mucositis occurs when chemotherapy and radiation damage normal cells in the lining of the mouth in patients being treated for oral cancer, causing pain, swollen tissue, open sores and ulcers. Most patients experience mild symptoms, but in severe cases it can cause life-threatening infections or make it difficult for them to eat or swallow.

According to Dr. Wilson, the goal of the study is to find out why some people experience little discomfort while others experience severe side effects and to better understand the changes that occur during treatment. The study also hopes to find biological markers that will predict a person’s risk of developing severe oral mucositis.聽