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Patients with head and neck cancer who have never had a cigarette respond far better to radiotherapy than former smokers a study has found.
... These tumors just melt after a few doses of radiation. If we could understand why, there would be important implications for new drugs and treatments.'
Dr Chen suspects one possible explanation is that head and neck cancer is stronlgy linked to the human papillomavirus in people who haven't smoked.
He said HPV-related tumours may express a substance that triggers the body's immune system and this could enhance the effects of radiation.