hepatitis C – Oral Cancer News

Researchers link hepatitis C virus to head and neck cancers

Source: lymphomanewstoday.com Author: Magdalena Kegel A study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center shows the hepatitis C infection, previously linked to liver cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is associated with cancers of the head and neck — a finding that could have immediate implications in how hepatitis-infected patients are screened, and how head and neck cancer patients are treated. Hepatitis C affects as many as 1.5 percent of the U.S. population, making it the most common blood-borne disease in the country, with an estimated 3.9 million having the chronic infection. This number skyrockets to a whopping 130 million to 150 million when considering the global population. New antivirals with few side effects have, however, made it possible to cure up to 90 percent of all hepatitis C patients. The study, “Association Between Hepatitis C Virus and Head and Neck Cancers,” was performed at an MD Anderson clinic focusing on the unmet medical needs of patients with hepatitis C. The clinic opened in 2009, and to date remains the only hepatitis-focused clinic among comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. “Obviously, a hepatitis C infection could impact how patients respond to their cancer therapy. We also realized that many of our hepatitis patients were excluded from clinical trials. Now that many with hepatitis C can be cured, it is important that we first address and potentially cure the virus, so that they can have access to necessary cancer therapy,” said senior author Harrys A. Torres, in a press release. The [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-04-27T07:47:24-07:00April, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

Hepatitis C Virus strongly linked to head and neck cancer: study

Source: www.techtimes.com Author: Deepthi B, Tech Times People infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), one of the most common blood-borne virus infections, are more prone to developing particular types of head and neck cancer, according to a new study. Researchers from the Univerity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have revealed that HCV-infected people are at a higher risk of developing these cancers by around two to five times more than those without the Hepatitis C infection. "What we are trying to make all understand is that this is an infection that has consequences – and it's an infection we can cure," said Dr. Harrys Torres, lead author and an associate professor of infectious diseases at the university. Torres further explained that the Hepatitis C infection is easily curable and that over 90 percent of the HCV-related cases can be cured without any trouble simply by taking antiviral drugs, although they are expensive. Also, it is recommended that people should ensure timely screenings and appropriate treatment for HCV, as this can considerably prevent the condition from developing in the body. Hepatitis C appallingly affects more than 3.5 million Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sadly, several of them are not even aware that they are infected with the virus. For the purpose of the study, researchers examined medical records from over 34,500 patients tested for HCV at the cancer center from 2004 to 2014. The researchers discovered that patients suffering from hepatitis C seemed [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-04-19T14:31:09-07:00April, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

This drug treatment costs $84,000 and the US health-care system can’t make it any more affordable

Source: vox.comAuthor: Sarah Kliff The first thing Philip Mason noticed was the hair loss. The 73-year-old retiree, a former computer programmer, began shedding hair from his arms, legs, everywhere on his body. "It just all came right off," he said. After the hair loss came weight loss; Mason dropped from 150 to 125 pounds. He felt weak and sick. Mason, who is blind and already used a white cane to get around, began having falls. He switched to a walker for more stability. Mason went to the doctor and discovered he had Hepatitis C. He had contracted the disease through sex with an ex-boyfriend. And when he received his diagnosis three years ago, the prognosis wasn't good. He already had renal insufficiency, a chronic condition in which the kidneys become increasingly weak and unable to process urine. After the diagnosis of Hepatitis C, which weakens liver function, Mason's doctor recommended a transplant. Mason declined. "I told my doctor I was already old, and worried about what my quality of life would be like after the transplant," he said. “I wish I could say I was optimistic that the future would be different, and prices would moderate” So Mason lived with his Hepatitis C, the hair loss, the weight loss, the walker, and the falls, until this past February. That's when his doctor at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, DC, asked if he wanted to try a new Hepatitis C drug called Sovaldi. It had just come on the market a [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-12-03T12:37:03-07:00December, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

One in Two Have Never Heard of Oral Cancer

Source: Cancer Prevention Research Introduction: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) community, one of poorest locales in Canada, has shown to be high-risk for oral mucosal abnormalities, including oral cancer. From our previous study, this community not only exposes to high-risk factors but has also high incidence of oral cancer: one oral cancer patient identified in 150 screened dental patients. This is much higher comparing to the rest of Canada and the US (1:10,000). Studies have shown that regular dental care is related to early-staged oral cancer detection. Traditionally dentistry is within the private health sector and access to dental service can be challenging to the DTES residents. Objective: 1) To determine the frequency of oral cancer risk behaviors; 2) To explore the available social assistant program to dental care; 3) To assess the dental care service utilization and its potential barriers in the DTES. Methods: To increase access, mobile screening clinics are set up at 3 main gathering locations: Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS), Women's centre (WC) and LifeSkill's Centre (LC). Eligibility includes those of age 18 or over, reside in DTES at least for the past 3 months, and are able to sign a consent to participate. Using person-to-person interview, questionnaires for demographics, risk behaviors, perceived dental health status, available health care assistance programs, and dental care service utilization are used collect data. The oral health status is obtained through dental and oral mucosal examination by a dentist and an oral pathologist respectively. Each participant is given an incentive package [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-12T11:57:27-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Which Cancers Are Increasing Among Older Adults?

Source: AARP Cancers of the mouth and throat related to oral sex, as well as thyroid, liver and skin cancers are on the rise among older adults, according to new stats released last week from the American Cancer Society. There was some good news, however. The death rate is down for the well-known major cancers. The society’s Cancer Statistics 2012 report found that overall, cancer deaths dropped by nearly two percent for both men and women from 2004 to 2008. That may sound paltry, but Len Lichtenfeld, M.D., the society’s deputy chief medical officer, says it is more significant than it seems: Many people avoided even hearing the words “you have cancer” because advances in cancer treatment caught problems early, while still in the pre-cancerous stage, he said. The report found that death rates were down for all four major cancers — lung, colorectal, breast and prostate. The biggest drop was for lung cancer, which is down almost 40 percent in the number of men dying from the disease, thanks to fewer Americans smoking. Deaths among women from breast cancer declined 34 percent, mainly because of increases in mammogram screening and a decrease in hormone use for menopause, the ACS report said. On the other hand, some cancers are increasing, particularly among older Americans. According to Medscape News , the ACS found that people 55 to 64 years of age had the highest increase in incidence rates for liver and HPV-related oral cancers; people 65 and older also had an increase in incidence rates [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-01-10T14:48:32-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Charting the path from infection to cancer

Source: www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin Author: Eleanor Mayfield Few people associate infection with cancer, but close to one-fifth of all cancers in the world are caused by infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and other microbes. In developing countries, the number is higher—about one in four—while in industrialized countries, such as the United States, it is about one in 12. Infectious agents that can cause cancer are extremely common, infecting millions of people around the world. Yet it is rare and takes a long time for an infection to develop into cancer. “You need a lot of things to happen, or not happen, to get from an infection to cancer,” said Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, chief of NCI’s Laboratory of Cellular Oncology and a leader in the molecular biology of tumor viruses. The microbes responsible for most of the global burden of infection-associated cancer are: the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which causes gastric cancer; cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which cause cervical cancer and other cancers; and the hepatitis B and C viruses, which cause liver cancer. These four microbes alone cause more than 15 percent of all cancers worldwide. Other cancers known to be associated with infectious agents include leukemia and lymphoma; anal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancer; and tongue and throat cancers. Last week, researchers reported new evidence linking aggressive prostate tumors to a virus. Role of the Immune System Microbes can lead to cancer by a variety of mechanisms that are not yet fully understood, explained Dr. Allan Hildesheim, chief [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-23T08:59:07-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|