Laser assisted topical ‘biofilm’ chemoprevention of oral cancer

This study examines whether a combination of laser microvascular targeting, mucosal adhesive film (MAF) and retinoic acid (RA) techniques would improve the efficacy for oral cancer chemoprevention. The cheek pouches of 48 hamsters were painted with 7,12-dimethlbenz[a]nthrancene to produce premalignant lesions. There were four groups of 12 each: (1) control; (2) pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment; (3) topical MAF/RA patch treatment; and (4) combined treatment of PDL and MAF/RA. The treatments were conducted for 27 days. Our findings indicate that this new combined treatment is safe and effective for oral cancer chemoprevention, and warrants further study.