As reported by Health News Digest, researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a medicated oral patch that allows a chemoprevention drug to be released directly into precancerous lesions in the mouth over an extended time.

In the study published online by the journal Pharmaceutical Research, Dr. Susan Mallery and co-investigator, Dr. Peter Larsen of Ohio State, tested a patch using simulated saliva as well as lab animals.

From the Heath News Digest article –

The study evaluated the drug fenretinide, a synthetic derivative of vitamin A that has highly promising anti-cancer properties. Until now, scientists have failed to achieve a therapeutic, systemic dose of fenretinide because of drug toxicity and rapid release from the body. By using a new mucoadhesive patch invented by a team from Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) and the University of Michigan, the researchers developed a delivery system that can provide continuous drug therapy to saliva-coated oral tissue.

In an online report published March 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the authors found an alarming trend: incidences of oral tongue cancer climbed 111% in young white females. This patch is an important step in fighting this rising cancer epidemic.

For more on this story see: Medicated Patch Shows Promise in Oral Cancer Prevention