September 2013 – Oral Cancer News

Blood clots a risk after head, neck cancer surgery

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Clinically relevant blood clots are common in head and neck cancer patients following surgery, and routine chemoproprophylaxis is warranted in post-surgical patients hospitalized for more than 72 hours, a prospective study has found. When the researchers followed 100 high-risk cancer patients for 30 days following surgery, they found that 13% developed venous thromboembolism (VTE), including seven who had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and one with pulmonary embolism (PE). A total of 14% of the patients received postoperative anticoagulation therapy, and their rate of bleeding complications was 30% compared with 5.6% in patients who did not receive the therapy (P=0.01), Daniel R. Clayburgh, MD, PhD, of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues wrote online Sept. 26 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. While the study was not powered to detect differences in risk factors among patients who did and did not develop VTEs, there was a trend in those with VTEs toward lower mean Karnofsky-Performance status scores (72 versus 79 in patients without them; P=0.09) and higher Caprini risk assessment scores (7.6 in VTE patients vs 6.9 in those who did not develop blood clots; P=0.09). These risk factors did not reach statistical significance. The VTE incidence reported by Clayburgh and colleagues was higher than has been suggested in retrospective studies of the general otolaryngology population, with one recent study finding an overall VTE rate of just 1.3%. The incidence is also higher than the OHSU research team's own [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-09-30T13:22:47-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Prominent M.D. Anderson cancer doctor dies at 63

Source: Houston ChroniclePublished: June 22,2013By: Todd Ackerman OCF sadly reports the death of one of its founding board members and good friend, Dr. Kian Ang. Dr. Ang was Brian Hill's personal radiation oncologist when he was treated at MDACC for his oral cancer. The two developed a strong friendship over the years. Brian often refers to Dr. Ang as one of his most valued mentors in the treatment of oral cancers, and in critical thinking when reviewing scientific papers. He will be greatly missed as a strong contributor and advisor to OCF, having helped set its direction for many years. Dr. Kian Ang, a prominent cancer doctor who helped popularize the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center tradition of ringing a bell at the end of radiation treatment, died Wednesday. He was 63. Ang, who pioneered practice-changing treatment for head and neck cancers, succumbed to cancer at M.D. Anderson, surrounded by family. He was diagnosed recently with the disease. "Dr. Ang was the true triple threat - outstanding clinician, accomplished investigator and educator par excellence," said Dr. Randal Weber, chairman of head and neck surgery at M.D. Anderson. "He was the guy who could do it all, what many of us aspire to be but fall short of." Colleagues at the University of Texas cancer center said Ang's greatest achievements included pioneering work treating head and neck cancers with a combination of radiation and chemotherapy, particularly targeted therapies; and determining that cancers of the throat are more sensitive to treatment if caused by the [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-27T11:06:22-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Eating, Swallowing Exercises May Aid Throat Cancer Patients

Source: US NewsPublished: September 19, 2013 Keeping up these activities during chemo or radiation linked to better diets after treatment, study finds THURSDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Throat cancer patients appear to benefit from continuing to eat and doing swallowing exercises while undergoing radiation treatment or chemotherapy, researchers say. Radiation treatment can interfere with a person's ability to swallow, but performing swallowing exercises can help patients prevent weakness that can occur after periods of not swallowing. The new study included nearly 500 patients treated for throat cancer between 2002 and 2008. Of the 58 percent of patients who followed swallowing exercises, 74 percent were able to maintain eating at the end of their treatment, the investigators found. In addition, eating and doing swallowing exercises during the treatment period were linked to better long-term diets after treatment ended and less time relying on a feeding tube, according to the study, which was published online Sept. 19 in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery. Long-term swallowing outcomes were best in patients who continued eating throughout radiation treatment or chemotherapy and followed their swallowing-exercise regimen, said Katherine Hutcheson, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues. Outcomes were worst in patients who did not eat or do swallowing exercises. Nearly 14,000 new cases of throat cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, the study authors said in a journal news release. * This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-20T15:02:52-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

How fatty acids aids cancer prevention

Source: www.ngrguardiannews.com Author: staff Omega-3 fatty acids, contained in oily fish such as salmon and trout, selectively inhibit growth and induce cell death in early and late-stage oral and skin cancers, according to new research from scientists at Queen Mary, University of London. In vitro tests showed omega-3 fatty acids induced cell death in malignant and pre-malignant cells at doses which did not affect normal cells, suggesting they have the potential to be used in both the treatment and prevention of certain skin and oral cancers. Humans cannot make omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in large quantities and so we must acquire them from our diet. The scientists were studying a particular type of cancer called squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC). Squamous cells are the main part of the outermost layers of the skin, and SCC is one of the major forms of skin cancer. However, squamous cells also occur in the lining of the digestive tract, lungs, and other areas of the body. Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are the sixth most common cancer worldwide and are difficult and very expensive to treat. In the experiments, the scientists grew cell cultures in the lab from several different cells lines to which they added fatty acids. The cell lines included both malignant oral and skin SCCs, along with pre-malignant cells and normal skin and oral cells. Professor Kenneth Parkinson, head of the Oral Cancer Research Group at Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry, said: “We found that the omega-3 fatty acid selectively inhibited the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-09-19T13:40:24-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Woman From CDC’s Anti-Smoking Ads Dies: ‘She May Well Have Saved More Lives Than Most Doctors Do’

Source: thinkprogress.orgBy: Annie-Rose StrasserPublished: September 17, 2013 A woman who starred in the highly-effective anti-smoking ads put out by the Centers for Disease Control died of cancer on Tuesday at 53 years old. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5zWB4dLYChM Terrie Hall faced a long, uphill health battle from smoking. She first was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, and continued smoking throughout many of her health struggles. But in 2012, Hall began participating in the “Tips from Former Smokers” ads by the CDC — a program funded largley by Obamacare. The CDC’s videos of her captured Hall telling her own story about being a smoker. In one video, she advised smokers, “make a video of yourself before all this happens. Read your children a storybook, or sing a lullaby. I wish I had.” “She was a public health hero,” Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, told the AP. “She may well have saved more lives than most doctors do.” The CDC’s ads were the first-ever national cessation push. Fifty-four million dollars were dedicated to funding it, and it’s estimated to have reached 40 million smokers. A survey found that 79 percent of smokers and 74 percent of nonsmokers saw the ads. And that, according to researchers at the CDC, translated into results. They estimate that the commercials of Hall and other smokers inspired 1.6 million people to try to quit, and that 100,000 likely will. * This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy. [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-18T10:18:03-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Head and Neck Cancers Increasingly Referred to Teaching Hospitals

Source: MedScape.comBy Will Boggs, MDPublished: September 9, 2013 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sep 09 - An increasing proportion of head and neck cancers is being treated at teaching hospitals and academic centers - which may be good news for patients, and bad news for the hospitals. "Higher volume centers end up doing more complex work," Dr. Eliot Abemayor from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California told Reuters Health by email. "Since more specialized centers are doing this work, they cannot be held accountable to having poorer outcomes per se since the patients in general are the sickest and most complex." The care of patients with head and neck cancer is labor intensive and expensive, and over the past decade, a greater number of patients seem to be receiving care at teaching hospitals and academic institutions than at local or community-based institutions. In an effort to document this trend and its implications, Dr. Abemayor and Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston used data from the Nationwide In-patient Sample for the calendar years 2000, 2005, and 2010, which included roughly 29,000, 33,500, and 37,500 inpatient hospital head and neck cancer stays, respectively. This trend represents an increase of approximately 29% over the three study years, the researchers note. These data demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of stays for teaching hospitals, from 61.7% in 2005 to 79.8% in 2010 (p<0.001). At the same time, the number of admissions to medium- bed-size hospitals for head [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-17T14:11:44-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

University of Kentucky Cancer Center is Off Its Rocker: Testifies that Smoking is No More Harmful than Vaping

Source: tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.comDate: September 10, 2013 According to a press release issued Monday, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center testified before the state legislature that smoking is no more harmful than vaping. Yes, you read that correctly. The University of Kentucky Cancer Center apparently testified that smoking - which kills 400,000 people each year in the U.S. - is no more hazardous than vaping, which involves no tobacco and no combustion and merely involves the vaporization of nicotine from a solution containing propylene glycol and glycerin. According to the press release, which appears to have been issued by Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Program, the University of Kentucky Cancer Center director - Dr. Mark Evers - told a state legislative panel that e-cigarettes may be "every bit as dangerous" as smoking tobacco. The Rest of the Story Let's be very straight about this: if the tobacco companies said exactly the same thing before the legislature, they would probably be facing criminal charges for perjury, as well as civil liability charges for fraud. For any tobacco company to defraud the American public by undermining the health consequences of smoking by stating that they are no more harmful than electronic cigarettes would be unheard of in 2013, and no tobacco company would ever do such a thing. They wouldn't be caught dead making such an outright lie. Apparently, this is not so for the University of Kentucky Cancer Center, which stepped into territory that used to be occupied by Big Tobacco, lying before [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-11T17:04:55-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Recommending HPV Vaccine Successfully

Source: MedscapeDate: September 3, 2013By: Anne Schuchat, MD (RADM, USPHS) Hello, I'm Dr. Anne Schuchat, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I'm pleased to speak with you today, as part of the CDC Expert Commentary Series on Medscape. The CDC has had both encouraging and disappointing study results to share about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine this year. One report showed how well the vaccine is working, whereas the second showed how poorly we are doing at immunizing teenagers. In June, we reported that since the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006, vaccine-type HPV prevalence has declined 56% among female teenagers 14-19 years of age. In July, we reported that HPV vaccination coverage did not increase at all from 2011 to 2012 in 13- to 17-year-old girls. Only one half of teen girls in the United States have received the first dose of this anticancer vaccine, and only one third have received the full protection provided by all 3 doses. However, our National Immunization Survey also showed that if HPV vaccine were given every time a preteen received another vaccine, the coverage rate for 1 dose of HPV vaccine would be more than 90%. The HPV vaccine is effective, and teenagers are in our offices, but we are missing opportunities to vaccinate (Figure 1). Figure 1. Actual vs missed opportunities to vaccinate teenage girls against HPV. Why are we missing opportunities to vaccinate teens against HPV? In the same survey that measured the HPV vaccine [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-11T16:41:46-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco Companies Target Youth, Mislead Public About Smokeless Products In Order To Maintain Profits

Source: Medical DailyPublished: September 10,2013By: Anthony Rivas British American Tobacco (BAT), the maker of Lucky Strike, Dunhill, and Pall Mall cigarettes, has recently spent some time promoting its smokeless tobacco brands, saying that snus, a moist tobacco that’s typically placed under the upper lip, is “at least 90 percent less harmful than smoking cigarettes.” But new research, meant to serve as information for tobacco policy in the European Union (EU), finds that BAT and other tobacco companies aren’t really concerned about the public’s health and, rather, are more concerned about maintaining profits should cigarette sales decline. Snus, one of the many forms of smokeless tobacco, is currently banned in every country in the EU except for Sweden. Researchers with the UK Center for Tobacco Control Studies were tasked with finding information regarding transnational tobacco companies’ interests in smokeless tobacco from the 1970s to the present, to better inform policymakers in their decision, according to a statement. It's All For The Profits By comparing the tobacco industry’s internal documents to its campaigns to help reduce public harm with smokeless tobacco, the researchers found that “there is clear evidence that [British American Tobacco’s] early interest in introducing [smokeless tobacco] in Europe was based on the potential for creating an alternative form of tobacco use in light of declining cigarette sales and social restrictions on smoking, with young people a key target,” they wrote. BAT’s internal documents note cigarettes’ declining popularity, saying, “We have no wish to aid or hasten any decline in cigarette [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-11T15:59:57-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Verisante Technology, Inc. Announces Completion of Prototype of Multispectral Imaging System for Skin Cancer

Source: MarketWatchPublished: September 10, 2013 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Sep 10, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Verisante Technology, Inc. CA:VRS -4.84% (otcqx:VRSEF) (the "Company" or "Verisante"), a leader in cancer detection technology, announced today that the Company has completed the second phase prototype of a rapid Multispectral Imaging ("MSI") System for skin cancer detection. The MSI device is intended to assist medical professionals in the detection of all major forms of skin cancer. The device takes images of suspicious lesions with more than a dozen different wavelengths of light to capture real-time spectral images in a fraction of a second. These spectral images contain unique information about suspected skin lesions such as tissue oxygenation ratios, hemoglobin levels, melanin levels, scatter sizes, and other parameters. The prototype system is currently undergoing laboratory testing at the BC Cancer Agency Research Centre prior to starting in vivo data collection for training the predictive algorithm for the device. "Being able to extract the parameters collected by this MSI system could provide a strong predictive measurement for all major forms of skin cancer," said Dr. Haishan Zeng, a distinguished scientist in the Integrative Oncology Department at the BC Cancer Agency. Verisante licensed the MSI technology from the inventors, Dr. Haishan Zeng and Dr. Yasser Fawzy of the BC Cancer Agency, for skin cancer and oral cancer detection as part of a broader acquisition strategy to enhance the Company's intellectual property portfolio of different technologies that, in addition to MSI, include white light reflectance imaging, fluorescence imaging [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-11T14:01:00-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|