Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share some good news. I had a cat-scan last week and went to my CCC to see my doctors today. Everything looks great! In fact, the doctors couldn't believe how well I've healed from both my neck dissection and glossectomy. I've been working out and eating right and am currently in the best shape of my life. I feel great!

I also wanted to share some news that might be of interest to many of you. I've learned about a new screening test that allows for easier detection of head and neck cancers. It was developed by Elizabeth J. Franzmann, a professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami. Research that Franzmann conducted and subsequently published in Cancer Epedimiology Biomarkers and Prevention revealed that approximately 79 percent of the head and neck cancer patients tested had high levels of a particular molecule, CD44, in their saliva when compared to a control group of healthy volunteers. From what I've learned, CD44 is a protein that is expressed--and shed--by squamous cell carcinomas, which account for almost all head and neck cancers. The test requires patients to gargle with saline for five seconds and then spit in a cup, where the results are tested. My doctor told me today that the results look promising and that patients may soon be easily diagnosed with just a swish of a special saline mouthwash.

All the best,
Gino