February 2012 – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Timing of Post-TX Imaging Key in Head, Neck Cancer

Source: MedScape Today Summary The investigators report on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 51 studies involving 2335 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who underwent post-treatment or surveillance with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET or FDG-PET/CT. The random-effects model-weighted mean pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for detection of residual disease at the primary tumor site were 79.9% (95% CI, 73.7%-85.2%), 87.5% (95% CI, 85.2%-89.5%), 58.6% (95% CI, 52.6%-64.5%), and 95.1% (95% CI, 93.5%-96.5%), respectively. The respective values for detection of residual post-treatment neck nodes were 72.7% (95% CI, 66.6%-78.2%), 87.6% (95% CI, 85.7%-89.3%), 52.1% (95% CI, 46.6%-57.6%), and 94.5% (95% CI, 93.1%-95.7%). In a subgroup analysis on timing of PET after completion of therapy, scans performed after 12 weeks had significantly higher diagnostic performance than scans done within 12 weeks, but only for residual neck nodes and not for residual disease at the primary tumor site. No statistically significant difference in diagnostic accuracy was noted between stand-alone PET and PET/CT. Viewpoint Well-performed systematic reviews and meta-analyses are important contributions to the literature.[1] In this meta-analysis, the diagnostic performance of dedicated PET and PET/CT with FDG was investigated by pooling the data from a relatively large cohort of patients with head and neck cancer who had been treated with chemoradiation. The pooled evidence demonstrated good diagnostic performance for FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT, regardless of the type of scanner, with very high NPV but somewhat suboptimal PPV; this is due to the nonspecificity of FDG, [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-22T09:47:08-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Post-transplant head and neck tumors tallied

Source: www.familypracticenews.com Author: Damian McNamara, Family Practice News Digital Network Patients who have undergone solid organ transplantation are at greater risk for subsequent tumor development, and head and neck cancers can be particularly aggressive, according to results of a single-institution study. Dr. Robert H. Deeb and his associates at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit studied 3,639 patients who underwent solid organ transplantation between January 1990 and December 2011. By retrospectively searching electronic medical records, they identified 95 people who developed cutaneous, salivary gland, or mucosal malignancies. They found a 2.1% incidence of cutaneous cancers and a 0.5% incidence of noncutaneous head and neck cancers in this population. Despite a relatively low overall 2.6% incidence, there are reasons for concern, Dr. Deeb said at the Triological Society’s Combined Sections Meeting, which was jointly sponsored by the Triological Society and the American College of Surgeons. When cutaneous cancers did occur, they were more aggressive and were associated with shorter 1-year survival rates. Henry Ford Transplant Institute maintains a noncutaneous tumor registry. This allowed the researchers to compare survival and other factors. Compared with the "nontransplant tumor registry in our institution, we found significantly fewer patients were alive at 1 year," Dr. Deeb said. Specifically, 55% of posttransplant patients with these cancers survived to 1 year, compared with 81% of nontransplant patients. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of age, sex, stage at diagnosis, or 5-year survival. More than half (52%) of the patients who developed skin cancers had multiple [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-02-19T11:10:20-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

To see or not to see

Source: http://www.rdhmag.com/ Author: JoAnn R. Gurenlian From the National Journal fro Dental Hygiene Professionals: Allow me to relay the experience of a patient who has been through trying times lately. The patient is a middle-age female who noticed a small, firm swelling in the right submandibular region. She had never experienced this type of problem before, but since she had an upcoming visit with her family physician, she thought she would mention it. Her family provider told her it appeared to be a swollen lymph node and recommended she schedule an appointment with her dentist in the event that she had an oral infection. Being conscientious about health issues, this patient did have an examination with her dentist. He advised her that it was a swollen lymph node, but that there were no apparent oral health infections. He reviewed causes of swollen lymph nodes and felt that since she was asymptomatic; the node simply represented residual effects from a cold or allergy condition. Over the course of the next year, this patient presented on several occasions to both her family physician and dentist with concerns that the lymph node was getting larger. Both health care providers told her to “forget about it,” or “it was nothing.” She felt uncertain about both individuals at this point, but since they seemed to be in agreement that her condition “was nothing,” she heeded their advice. After several more months and with ever growing concern, the patient presented to her dentist again for further [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-02-19T11:00:56-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Berry Nutrition

Source: www.foodproductdesign.com Author: Marie Spano, M.S., R.D., Contributing Editor Nutritionally speaking, good things come in sweet—and tart—little packages. Research is discovering berries pack a nutritional punch due to their vitamin, fiber and antioxidant content. Botanically speaking, berries are indehiscent fruits (they don’t need to be opened to release their seeds) that ripen through the ovary wall. However, any small, edible fruit with multiple seeds is typically considered a berry. In addition to lending flavor and brilliant colors to a wide variety of dishes, all berries are packed with an array of antioxidants, nutrients and potential health benefits. Berries that are especially antioxidant-rich include fresh crowberries, bilberries, black currants, wild strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, goji berries, sea buckthorn, blueberries and cranberries. However, the antioxidant content of berries varies based on the geographical growing condition. And, while fresh berries are an excellent source of antioxidants, total phenol content drops during processing. In fact, processed berry jams and syrup contain approximately half the antioxidant capacity of fresh berries, and juices show the greatest loss of anthocyanins and tannins due to the removal of seeds and skin (Nutrition Journal, 2010; 9:3; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Jan 13, 2012). Botanical berries Shiny, scarlet-colored cranberries are rich in vitamin C, loaded with antioxidants, including flavonoids, and score higher in their ORAC score than many other fruits ("Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods—2007", USDA ARS). Cranberries are perhaps best known for the role their juice plays in the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTI) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-02-19T10:53:06-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Use of carbon nanoparticles paves way to customized cancer therapy

Source: www.azonano.com Author: Cameron Chai A research study by Jeffrey Myers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and James Tour from the Rice University has reported that a combination of carbon nanoparticles and existing drugs has the capability to improve head-and-neck cancer treatment, particularly when coupled with radiation therapy. The novel technique encapsulates chemotherapeutic drugs using carbon nanoparticles, which sequester the drugs until their delivery into the targeted cancer cells, opening the door to develop customized therapies based on the requirements of individual patients. The researchers have developed a simple technique to mix Cetuximab, a targeting agent, and paclitaxel, a hydrophobic active chemotherapy agent marketed as Taxol, with hydrophilic carbon clusters that are functionalized with polyethylene glycol or PEG-HCC. According to the researchers, Cetuximab, paclitaxel and PEG-HCC ingredients combine easily and form a water-soluble compound that targets tumors more effectively than Taxol, while eliminating the toxic effects of Cremophor EL and paclitaxel on neighboring healthy cells. Cremophor EL is a carrier based on castor oil that makes the hydrophobic paclitaxel into a water-soluble compound and delivers it to patients intravenously. Tour commented that the novel technique utilizes a very small quantity of chemotherapy drug. Myers informed that tests involving the use of Cetuximab, paclitaxel and PEG-HCC ingredients and radiation therapy on mice demonstrated a substantial increase in destroying tumors. The researchers’ hypothesis is paclitaxel detects the tumor cells to the radiation effects and Cetuximab and PEG-HCC augment the delivery of paclitaxel into the cancer cells, Myers [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-02-19T10:42:23-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

HPV and on HPV oral cancers need to be treated differently to reduce toxicity and improve out comes in each type

The National Cancer Institute In a large randomized European clinical trial, accelerated radiation therapy for locally advanced, inoperable head and neck cancer—given either with or without chemotherapy—did not prolong the time to disease progression compared with standard radiation therapy plus concurrent chemotherapy, which has been the standard of care in Europe and the United States. Results from the study were published online January 18 in Lancet Oncology. Another trial published in 2010, by the U.S. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), showed similar results, but the two research teams have drawn different conclusions, which will affect ongoing clinical trials and, potentially, future research collaborations. The researchers, from the European Groupe d'Oncologie Radiothérapie Tête et Cou (GORTEC), compared two experimental regimens with standard chemoradiotherapy in the trial, called GORTEC 99-02. All participating patients had stage III or stage IV head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma that had not metastasized but that could not be removed surgically. The 244 patients in the conventional chemoradiotherapy arm received three cycles of chemotherapy with the drugs carboplatin and fluorouracil plus 70 Gy of radiation given over the standard 7 weeks. In one experimental arm, 245 patients received "accelerated chemoradiotherapy," which consisted of two cycles of the same chemotherapy drugs plus radiation therapy accelerated by 1 week. In the second experimental arm, 242 patients received only "very accelerated" radiation therapy, which consisted of a total dose of 64.8 Gy given over 3.5 weeks. The GORTEC trial results are somewhat difficult to interpret because the trial "didn't change just one variable, it changed two—in addition to the radiation regimen, it also changed the chemotherapy," explained Dr. Bhadrasain [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-16T15:19:01-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Baseball Great Blames Smokeless Tobacco for Cancer

Source: Dr.Bicuspid.com February 14, 2012 -- Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn underwent surgery today in San Diego to remove a cancerous lesion in his mouth, according to an article on ESPN.com. This is the second time in two years that Gwynn has developed a malignant growth in his right cheek. He blames smokeless tobacco for the cancer; he dipped during his entire 20-year career with the San Diego Padres and for 10 years after that as well. Since the 2010 operation, however, Gwynn has not used smokeless tobacco, instead opting for a doctor-approved synthetic dip that he said "tasted awful." But last month, the cancer returned, according to ESPN. Doctors do not believe the cancer has spread outside of Gwynn's salivary gland, Gwynn's wife told ESPN. During the operation, doctors will conduct further biopsies of Gywnn's parotid gland, she said. Gwynn is currently the baseball coach at San Diego State. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2012-02-15T17:22:02-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

“Through With Chew 2012”

Source: LeaderAdvisor.com “Through With Chew 2012” is designed to raise awareness about the variety of new smokeless tobacco products (SLT), dangerous especially to young people, not only because the amount of nicotine absorbed from these products is substantially higher than the amount absorbed from a cigarette, but also because of the aggressive marketing of these new products by the tobacco companies. Some of the latest tobacco industry innovations include tobacco dispensed in oral pouches, dissolvable tobacco (orbs) and the electronic cigarette. Aggressive marketing includes the fact that the five largest tobacco manufacturers spent $547.9 million on SLT advertising and promotions in 2008, up from the previous year by 34 percent (www.cdc.gov). A goal of the education campaign this year is to educate parents, teachers, administrators and coaches about these new products, that the packaging often resembles candy packaging, and that they are actually tobacco-containing products. Tobacco industry documents themselves indicate that SLT products are aggressively marketed toward youth, and that the industry has a strategy to progressively move youth from candy or fruit flavored products to more robust varieties for the nicotine dependent user (www.tobaccofreekids.org). Because so many people die per year due to tobacco-related illness, the tobacco companies need to find replacement users for their products. Tobacco use, no matter what form, remains the leading cause of death in this country annually. Just as in cigarettes, the leading cancer-causing agents in SLT are the tobacco-specific nitrosamines, which are formed during the growing, curing, fermenting and aging of tobacco leaves. [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-15T10:49:15-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

HPV Connected to Oral Cancers Too

Source: Chicago Tribune It's common knowledge that HPV — or human papillomavirus — is linked with cervical cancer, thanks to the controversy over the vaccine. But far fewer people know that this same sexually transmitted viral strain is connected to oral cancers, according to a new study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. For years, clinicians thought these kinds of cancer — affecting the tongue and tonsil areas — were almost exclusively caused by tobacco use, since they mostly struck heavy smokers and drinkers. But according to Dr. Maura Gillison, an oncologist and researcher at Ohio State University, it's not cigarettes that are the culprit, but oral sex. The good news: Most people with oral HPV will never develop cancer. Dr. Ezra Cohen, a specialist in head, neck, thyroid and salivary gland cancers at the University of Chicago, helped explain what it all means: Q. In general, mouth cancers are increasing? A. Oropharynx cancer is on the rise dramatically. It's gone up 3 percent a year for the last three decades and will surpass all other sites for head and neck cancers. Q. And HPV-positive oral cancers? A. They will surpass cervical cancers within the next three years. It's only relatively recently that we've come to realize the scope of HPV-related cancers. Q. What have we learned from this study? A. Quite a lot, actually. It told us about prevalence — that about 7 percent of adults in the U.S. are infected with oral HPV... and [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-15T10:45:22-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

HPV a gender-neutral killer

Source: DailyPress.com Socially conservative lawmakers will likely repeal Virginia's requirement that schoolgirls get vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus called HPV that can, and now will, kill many of them. They're repealing it in the name of sexual abstinence, family values and apple pie. In the name of keeping government out of private health-care decisions — and, yes, they say that with a straight face. A body count doesn't bother them. Virtually all cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus, which infects about 80 percent of sexually active adults by age 40. Most don't even know they have it. But, in some women, the virus mutates cells lining the cervix, turning them into cancerous lesions. About 12,000 women each year are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 4,000 of them will die of it, according to the National Cancer Institute. This vaccine would prevent nearly all that cancer. All that death. Yet for moral reasons, not medical, the GOP-controlled House voted last month to eliminate the state's 2007 requirement that girls receive the vaccine before enrolling in sixth grade. (The vaccine is most effective before the onset of sexual activity.) The bill now goes to the GOP-controlled Senate, where it's also expected to pass. Lawmakers in Richmond weren't swayed by appeals to conscience, to logic or to medicine. They didn't care that the law already allows parents to decline the vaccine for their child for any reason whatsoever. They even rejected an amendment by a socially conservative colleague, Del. Chris [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-15T10:16:31-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|