2009 July

Improved oral tumor surgery reduces disfigurement

Source: taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw Author: staff Traditional oral cancer surgeries involve entering the affected area through the lower lip, causing the patient's lower lip to be disfigured in some cases. The patient may suffer from strange sensations as well as losing balance on both sides of the lower lip, making it impossible for them to fully purse their lips. A modified oral cancer surgery technique applied by the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Medicine at the Dalin Branch of the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital in Chiayi County requires no cutting into the patient's lower lip, and thus leaves no disfigurement to the upper and lower lips of the patient. This wonderful news is sure to bring a smile to patients. The Dalin Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital says that oral cancer ranks fourth of the 10 most prevalent cancers among males in Taiwan, and the number of patients with this type of cancer is increasing each year. The hospital noted that 50% of the patients who had undergone the traditional surgical method were not able to fully close their lips, making other patients on the surgery list less likely to go through with such treatment. But their faces will be relatively less disfigured if the modified surgical technique is adopted. Dr. Lee Qing-chi says that the modified surgical technique calls for making a surgical incision under the chin and then excising the tumor from this angle. Cosmetic surgeons will follow through to reconstruct the skin flap in the area, which [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-03T05:13:33-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Taste, odor intervention

Source: speech-language-pathology-audiology.advanceweb.com Author: staff Cancer and its therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, may directly alter and damage taste and odor perception, possibly leading to patient malnutrition, and in severe cases, significant morbidity, according to a Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center compilation of various existing studies [Journal of Supportive Oncology, 7(2): 58-65]. One of the purposes of the study, said Andrea Dietrich, PhD, professor of civil and environmental engineering (CEE) at Virginia Tech, is to provide researchers and physicians with a better understanding of the types and causes of taste and odor dysfunctions so that they can develop treatments for these conditions and improve the quality of life of their patients. According to Susan Duncan, PhD, RD, professor of food science and technology at Virginia Tech, a bad taste in the mouth can lead to poor nutrition because patients avoid eating. Approximately two thirds of cancer patients who receive chemotherapy report altered sensory perception, such as decreased or lost taste acuity or metallic taste. Altered sensory perception causes psychological anxiety and malnutrition, and thus negatively impacts the chances of survival for cancer patients, as reported in an earlier study conducted by Duke University. Dr. Dietrich, an expert on water quality and treatment, as well as the taste and odor assessment of water, has expanded upon her knowledge of this field to include such assessments in cancer patients. She worked with Jae Hee Hong, Dr. Duncan, and Brian T. Stanek of the Virginia Tech Food Science and Technology [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-03T05:07:36-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New products ingenious or insidious?

Source: www.mailtribune.com Author: John Darling The use of smokeless tobacco in Jackson County has steadily risen in recent years among teens and adults — and now, officials fear the introduction earlier this year of new, candy-flavored "dissolvable tobacco" lozenges will make matters worse. Called Orbs, the pellets, which look and taste like breath mints, contain as much nicotine as a cigarette and could cause cancer of the mouth and throat, said Jane Stevenson, tobacco program coordinator for the county. Among eighth-grade males in Jackson County, use of smokeless tobacco jumped from 2 percent in 2001 to 7 percent in 2006, reported Stevenson. Among 11th-grade males, it rose from 10 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2006. Among adults here, 3 percent use smokeless tobacco. These figures are 1 to 4 percent higher than the state rates. "The increase of smokeless tobacco use here among teens is significant and alarming — and dissolvable tobacco is just as addictive as smoking," said Stevenson. "They are packaged to look hip and trendy and they carry the Camel logo. Usually, people are very loyal to their tobacco brand." The introduction of dissolvable tobacco pellets is in response to new laws prohibiting smoking in bars, restaurants and the workplace, said Mike Welch, owner of Puff's Magazine & Fine Tobacco, an Ashland smoke shop. The target market for dissolvable pellets, Welch added, is people who buy low-end generic cigarettes. His store won't be selling them, he said, because too many of his customers are concerned [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-03T05:00:33-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New biomarker method could increase the number of diagnostic tests for cancer

Source: news.biocompare.com Author: staff A team of researchers has demonstrated that a new method for detecting and quantifying protein biomarkers in body fluids may ultimately make it possible to screen multiple biomarkers in hundreds of patient samples, thus ensuring that only the strongest biomarker candidates will advance down the development pipeline. The researchers have developed a method with the potential to increase accuracy in detecting real cancer biomarkers that is highly reproducible across laboratories and a variety of instruments so that cancer can be caught in its earliest stages. The results of the Clinical Proteomic Technology Assessment for Cancer (CPTAC) study, which is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and partner organizations, appeared online June 28, 2009, in Nature Biotechnology. "These findings are significant because they provide a potential solution for eliminating one of the major hurdles in validating protein biomarkers for clinical use. Thousands of cancer biomarkers are discovered every day, but only a handful ever makes it through clinical validation. This is a critical roadblock because biomarkers have the potential to allow doctors to detect cancer in the earliest stages, when treatment provides the greatest chances of survival," said John E. Niederhuber, M.D., NCI director. "The critical limiting factor to date in validating biomarkers for clinical use has been the lack of standardized technologies and methodologies in the biomarker discovery and validation process, and this research may solve that dilemma." The collaborative and multi-institute nature of this work was critical [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-01T19:17:40-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|