LONDON, England: Treatment of head and neck cancer is notoriously complex, and only few advances have been made in the last 20 years. Last month, however, a team of researchers based mainly in the UK made the startling discovery that Fusobacterium, a genus of bacteria that research has firmly associated with the presence and development of a variety of cancers, may also play a crucial role in combating head and neck cancer. The discovery holds significant promise for predicting the survival rates of head and neck cancer patients as well as for further establishing the processes through which the bacteria combat carcinogenic cells.