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 [...]

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

Woman awarded $15 million for misdiagnosed lesion

Source: DrBicuspid.com September 11, 2011 -- A Michigan jury awarded a 61-year-old woman $15 million after her oral surgeon failed to diagnose an oral lesion that eventually progressed into stage IV cancer, according to a story in the Detroit News. Because of a state law capping malpractice awards, however, the woman will receive only about $600,000, the story noted. Herta Hopton first complained of pain in her lower right jaw in 2005. Her dentist, R. Peter Maly, D.D.S., referred her to a periodontist, John Sivertson, D.D.S., who detected a white lesion in the bottom of her mouth but diagnosed it as "aspirin burn." She was referred to Warren Vallerand, D.D.S., an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, in May 2006 and saw him four times about the lesion, but he never called for a biopsy. Hopton was finally diagnosed with stage IV skin cancer in November 2006. She has since had more than 20 surgeries to remove part of her jaw and reconstruct it with other bone tissue, according to the Detroit News. Hopton sued all three doctors and the case went to trial, but ended with a hung jury. She settled out of court with Dr. Maly for an undisclosed amount. In a second trial, Dr. Sivertson was exonerated, while the jury found against Dr. Vallerand.

Pinter opens up about private battle with cancer

Source: Fairfield Citizen Author: Morgan Thomas In the 31 years that Redding actress Colleen Zenk Pinter has played Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns, her character has been in a coma following an automobile accident, survived a gunshot wound, been burned to a crisp in an explosion and imprisoned for a crime she did not commit -- the stuff of soap writers' fecund imaginations. But when Barbara was "diagnosed" with oral cancer in 2008, the script was ripped from the real life drama of the actress who plays her and fact-checked with the Oral Cancer Foundation, for which Pinter is now the spokesperson. Warning the public about this little-known cancer and about a simple 3--5 minute screening your dentist can do has become a mission for Pinter. "The screening is painless," she said in an interview with the Westport News. "And you don't have to take your clothes off!" Oral cancer kills more people each year than cervical, skin or prostate cancer, yet when found early, there is an 80 to 90 percent survival rate. She took her private health battle public first on the CBS Early Show, filmed a PSA for the Oral Cancer Foundation, a birthday commercial for the American Cancer Society and has spoken before such groups as the 2009 graduating class. University's School of Dentistry. Pinter first noticed that her speech was slurring in December 2005 but her dentist assured the then 52-year-old actress that it was just her teeth shifting. Then in July 2006, [...]

2009-10-30T10:13:47-07:00October, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|
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