At the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry, Research Associate Professor Rong (Rose) Wang, PhD, is advancing a powerful new approach to one of the most common cancers worldwide: oral cancer. Most oral cancers are a subtype known as oral squamous cell carcinoma and frequently spread quickly to other parts of the body. Because oral cancer is often diagnosed at later stages, treatment options are limited and patient outcomes are frequently poor.
As Wang explains, “Oral cancer kills one person per hour every day in the United States. It's a very aggressive cancer and has a low survival rate. If we can detect it early on in the precancerous stages, there is a hope to cure it.” Her research focuses on identifying high-risk precancerous conditions before they progress, targeting a critical window when intervention can be more effective and far less life altering for patients.
Using a novel approach known as infrared spectroscopic imaging, Wang’s team examines biochemical changes in tissue that occur before visible structural changes can be detected through traditional histology. This technique captures both the chemical makeup and spatial structure of tissue by measuring how biomolecules absorb infrared light, creating a unique biochemical signature for each sample, much like a fingerprint. These patterns can reveal early signs of cancer risk, helping researchers identify high-risk precancers and estimate the likelihood that a specific condition could progress into cancer.
Central to this work is collaboration across disciplines. Wang says, “It’s not just me, it's my research team, because this is a multidisciplinary project. It takes experts from different backgrounds and areas of expertise to make this project successful.” Together, her research team at UMKC is developing an imaging-based diagnostic system that could help clinicians make more informed treatment plans, tailor care to each patient’s risk, and ultimately save lives by preventing oral cancer before it begins.