Research Topic: head and neck cancer

Therapeutic and legal aspects of psilocybin in cancer-related depression

This paper examines how psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychoactive compound from mushrooms, could help cancer patients—especially those with head and neck cancer—who develop severe depression after surgery. Unlike traditional antidepressants that take weeks to work, psilocybin acts within hours, making it potentially ideal for patients needing rapid mental health support following disfiguring surgical procedures. However, while psilocybin is legal for medical or research use in several countries like Australia and Portugal, it remains restricted in Poland and many other places, creating legal barriers to its clinical implementation.

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Methods for Overcoming Chemoresistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Keeping the Focus on Cancer Stem Cells, a Systematic Review

Head and neck cancer is often resistant to chemotherapy because of cancer stem cells that survive treatment and cause recurrence. This review examined 31 studies on methods to overcome this resistance, finding that natural products like mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), plants (sulforaphane from broccoli, curcumin from turmeric), and synthetic compounds can enhance chemotherapy effectiveness when combined with traditional drugs. These approaches work by targeting the specific pathways that allow cancer stem cells to survive, potentially improving treatment outcomes while reducing required drug doses and side effects.

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