Never-Smokers Have Survival Advantage

4/18/2003 Maury Breecher Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (Vol. 10: 823-829) Lower Second Tumor Occurrence in Head and Neck Cancer Patients who have never smoked Patients with head and neck cancer are known to have a significant risk of developing a second primary cancer (SPT), especially in the head and neck area. The good news, however, is that former smokers and those who have never smoked develop fewer of these second primary tumors than active smokers, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (Vol. 10: 823-829). This is first large-scale randomized study to evaluate the impact of smoking history on the development of SPTs and recurrence in patients with head and neck cancers. Smoking Increases Second Cancer Risk “Controversy has existed about the role of continued smoking in the development of SPTs, but our study provides the first objective evidence proving that continued smoking increases the risks of SPTs,” Edward Kim, MD, an author of the study, tells ACS News Today. Recurring tumors are the return of an original tumor. SPTs are new tumors with a different histology (different cell types) which occur at locations anywhere in the body greater than two centimeters away from the site of the first tumor, says Kim. Active Smokers Have Highest Risk “Significantly different smoking-related SPT development rates were observed in current, former, and never-smokers,” Kim says. “The results showed significantly higher SPT rates in active smokers versus patients who had never smoked and showed former smokers had a survival advantage [...]

2009-03-22T20:09:34-07:00April, 2003|Archive|

FDA Approves New Cervical Cancer Screening Test Test For HPV Now Combined With Pap Smear

4/17/2003 The American Cancer Society The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new screening test for cervical cancer that could help distinguish women at increased risk from those at very low risk of developing the disease. Women over age 30 can now receive a test for human papilloma virus, or HPV, at the same time they receive a Pap test. The HPV test, manufactured by Digene Corp. of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is already approved to detect HPV in women with abnormal Pap smears, but until now, it was not approved for screening purposes, before results of the Pap test were known. Since March, 2000, the test has been used for women whose Pap tests show mild abnormalities that can’t be readily explained, a condition referred to as Atypical Squamous Cells of Unknown Origin, or ASC-US. Until then, such women had to undergo repeated Pap smears every few months in hopes of determining the nature of the abnormal cells – whether they might develop into precancerous lesions or clear up on their own. In some cases, a colposcopy – an examination of the cervix with magnifying binoculars - was used to select areas of the cervix to biopsy, to determine whether the cells were dangerous. Women with ASC-US Pap results who have negative HPV test results could be reassured that their short term risk of developing cervical cancer was very low, and that they could safely return to the usual screening schedule. HPV is a family of more than 100 extremely [...]

2009-03-22T20:08:13-07:00April, 2003|Archive|
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