cancers of the head and neck – Oral Cancer News

Early nutrition intervention creates proactive approach for treating head and neck cancer patients

Author: Megan BrooksSource: medscape.com Oncologists treating patients with head and neck cancer are taking a proactive approach when it comes to home enteral nutrition support, a new study suggests. The study of 172 patients with gastrostomy tubes found that half had the feeding tubes placed prior to beginning treatment for head or neck cancer. Most of these patients were put on home enteral nutrition support to help them maintain their current weight during treatment, as opposed to being put on it after treatment to try to regain lost weight, researchers found. The study was presented at the Oncology Nursing Society 39th Annual Congress in Anaheim, California. An estimated 55,000 people in the United States develop head and neck cancers each year. "These patients have many nutritional concerns because of the location of the cancer, which often causes trouble swallowing," said investigator Noreen Luszcz, RD, MBA, CNSC, nutrition program director for Walgreens Infusion Services. "They can't eat, won't eat, or can't eat enough," she told Medscape Medical News. Many of these patients have impaired nutrition status at the time of diagnosis, she noted. In addition to losing weight prior to the diagnosis, they can lose 10% of their pretherapy body weight during treatment. Enteral nutrition can help head and neck cancer patients minimize weight loss, maintain quality of life, manage symptoms, and improve tolerance to treatment, Luszcz said. Home enteral nutrition coordinated by a multidisciplinary nutrition support team has been shown to be safe and beneficial in these patients, she added. Early Screening, Assessment [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-05-12T11:22:34-07:00May, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

The New Face of Oral Cancer

Source: nursing.advanceweb.comBy Jonathan BassettPosted on: April 22, 2013 For decades tobacco was the primary cause of oral cancer but a more insidious culprit has emerged. Jerry Wilck had no reason to suspect anything. Why would he? He only smoked for a couple of years and gave it up more than 40 years ago. He didn't drink excessively, didn't have a family history of cancer, and took good care of himself. In fact, maybe the only reason the 59-year-old consulted an oral surgeon about the small sore on his tongue - the result of a habit of running this particular spot along his teeth - was that there happened to be such a specialist right there in his office. Wilck was a general practice dentist in Langhorne, Pa., and particularly attuned to anomalies of the soft tissues of the mouth. His oral surgeon took no chances and ordered a biopsy. Wilck was "floored" the night in March 2005 when the lab report arrived by fax from the oral pathology department at Temple University in Philadelphia - squamous cell carcinoma. Wilck immediately consulted with John Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS, chief of head and neck surgery at Temple's Fox Chase Cancer Center. After surgical removal of part of his tongue and lymph nodes from his neck, along with a round of physical and speech therapy, Wilck is now cancer free and has full use of his jaw, throat and voice. "I was lucky," confessed Wilck, who retired from practice in 2009 and now spends a [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-06-10T12:26:21-07:00June, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Throat Cancer and HPV – the researcher

6 February, 2013 12:26PM AEDT By Carol Duncan (ABC Local) Source: abc.net.au Assoc Prof Karen Canfell is a researcher with the Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of NSW. HPV is her area of expertise. What does she want us to know about HPV and the vaccination program? CAROL DUNCAN: Karen, your area of expertise is human papilloma virus and I understand there's not just one but 100 or more? ASSOC PROF KAREN CANFELL: That's right, there's a large number of types HPV that have been implicated in cancer but it's really two of those types that are responsible for the vast majority of cancers, HPV 16 & 18 and those types are the ones that are included in the vaccine that is now available to us. CAROL DUNCAN: I guess this is the point of this series this week is that we now have another cancer which is, in essence, preventable. ASSOC PROF KAREN CANFELL: Yes, I think what we're seeing with HPV is an incredible success story in cancer prevention. This started with the vaccination of girls and women in Australia. Because HPV has a very important role in cervical cancer and, in fact HPV is responsible for virtually all cervical cancers, the types we just mentioned (types 16 & 18) are responsible for about 70% of those cancers. Five years ago, in 2007, we had the implementation of the National HPV Vaccination Program in girls and women in Australia and that's really had incredible effects [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-02-06T13:02:21-07:00February, 2013|Oral Cancer News|