Oral Cancer Foundation to donate screening devices to free clinics

Phoenix’s Native American Community Health Center Is First Recipient of adjunctive screening system Newport Beach, CA - October 5, 2009 The Oral Cancer Foundation recently initiated a program of donating VELscope Oral Cancer Screening Systems to free clinics and others located in, and helping communities with, underserved populations.  The first recipient of this program is the Native American Community Health Center, commonly known as Native Heath, in Phoenix, Arizona, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. According to Oral Cancer Foundation executive director Brian Hill, “Our intent is to identify free clinics and health service providers in areas that have a high concentration of people who are both at risk for oral cancer and without the financial means to pay for comprehensive oral exams.”  The Foundation is also careful to ensure that any clinic receiving aid in the form of equipment and materials has at least one dentist on staff that is regularly present to see patients. Native Health’s Dental Director, Dr. Mahasin Hangalay, believes it would be hard to find an area with a greater need for regular oral cancer screenings.  “The Native American community that we serve has the highest rate of tobacco usage of any major demographic group in the country,” she said, “as well as an extremely high poverty rate and very poor access to health care.”  The doctor also noted that because of the reported link between oral cancer and the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, screenings at the clinic are not just provided to tobacco users, but [...]

2009-10-05T15:08:42-07:00October, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Osseointegration of dental implants after radiotherapy for oral cancer

Source:  Fogorv Sz, February 1, 2009; 102(1): 7-11 Author:  Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Fogorvos-tudományi Kar, Szájsebészeti Tanszék The goal of rehabilitation following radical surgery and radiotherapy for oral cancer is the restoration of oral functions and aesthetics. Osseointegrated implants improve prosthesis stability. Previous radiotherapy was originally considered a contraindication for implant placement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of dental implants following radiotherapy. Nine oral cancer patients who had undergone radical surgery and radiotherapy were selected. A total of 23 implants were inserted. Twenty-one implants (91.3%) have been functioning without discomfort or infection. This study shows that osseointegrated implants should be considered part of the treatment plan for the rehabilitation of oral cancer patients after radiotherapy.

“French” kissing ups risk of oral HPV infection

Source: Reuters Health Author: staff Oral sex and open-mouthed "French" kissing increase the risk of acquiring oral infections of human papillomavirus, or HPV, a study shows. "Performing oral sex is not without risks," Dr. Maura L. Gillison told Reuters Health. It is associated with gonorrheal pharyngitis - a sexually transmitted infection of the tonsils and back of the throat that immediately causes symptoms, she noted, and now is associated with mouth HPV infections that are silent "yet may lead to oral cancer 10 to 20 years later." Gillison from The Ohio State University, Columbus, and colleagues explored whether sexual behaviors were associated with the odds of oral HPV infection in 332 adults and in 210 college-aged men. They found that 4.8 percent of the adults and 2.9 percent of college-aged men had oral HPV infection. Among adults, the odds of oral HPV infection were significantly elevated among current tobacco smokers and among individuals who reported having either more than 10 oral or more than 25 vaginal sex partners during their lifetime. Similar risk factors applied to the college-aged men. For them, having at least six recent oral sex or open-mouthed kissing partners were independently associated with increased odds of developing oral HPV infection. For the 28 percent of college-aged men who reported never having performed oral sex, having at least 10 lifetime or at least five recent open-mouthed kissing partners was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing oral HPV infection. "Our data suggest that oral HPV infections that [...]

University of Toronto researchers create microchip that can detect type and severity of cancer

Source: www.newswire.ca Author: Press release U of T researchers have used nanomaterials to develop a microchip sensitive enough to quickly determine the type and severity of a patient's cancer so that the disease can be detected earlier for more effective treatment. Their groundbreaking work, reported Sept. 27 in Nature Nanotechnology heralds an era when sophisticated molecular diagnostics will become commonplace. "This remarkable innovation is an indication that the age of nanomedicine is dawning," says Professor David Naylor, president of the University of Toronto and a professor of medicine. "Thanks to the breadth of expertise here at U of T, cross-disciplinary collaborations of this nature make such landmark advances possible." The researchers' new device can easily sense the signature biomarkers that indicate the presence of cancer at the cellular level, even though these biomolecules - genes that indicate aggressive or benign forms of the disease and differentiate subtypes of the cancer - are generally present only at low levels in biological samples. Analysis can be completed in 30 minutes, a vast improvement over the existing diagnostic procedures that generally take days. "Today, it takes a room filled with computers to evaluate a clinically relevant sample of cancer biomarkers and the results aren't quickly available," says Shana Kelley, a professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine, who was a lead investigator on the project and a co-author on the publication. "Our team was able to measure biomolecules on an electronic chip the size of your fingertip [...]

Assessing oral cancer early detection: clarifying dentists’ practices

Source: J Public Health Dent, September 17, 2009 Authors: Charles W Lehew, Joel B Epstein, Linda M Kaste, and Young-Ku Choi Abstract Objective: This study explores new methods for assessing in greater detail what dentists do when they perform oral cancer early detection examinations. It clarifies practice behaviors and opens opportunities to identify factors that facilitate thorough early detection examinations by clinicians and to assess the relative effectiveness of different examination procedures. Methods: A 38-item survey instrument was e-mailed to dentists in a western US, multistate dental practice group. Questionnaires were received by 241 dentists, and 102 responded. An Oral Cancer Knowledge scale (0 to 14) was generated from correct responses on oral cancer general knowledge. An Oral Cancer Examination Thoroughness scale was calculated from the two dimensions of reported usage and frequency of procedures in oral cancer examinations. Results: Nearly all responding dentists were in general practice (90%), with a median year of graduation from dental school of 1994. The Oral Cancer Knowledge scores ranged from 5 to 14 with a mean of 10.4. The mean Thoroughness of Examination score was 11.34 (range 0 to 20). The two scales were not statistically correlated (r = -0.015, P = 0.883). Statistically, recency of continuing education was significantly associated with knowledge (P = 0.0284) and appears to be marginally associated with thoroughness (P = 0.075). Conclusions: This study documents considerable variability in dentists' knowledge and thoroughness of examinations. The scales provide tools for future studies for improving understanding of early detection [...]

The influence of patient education by the dental hygienist: acceptance of the fluorescence oral cancer exam

Source: J Dent Hyg, June 1, 2009; 83(3): 134-40 Author: M Paulis Purpose: Oral cancer frequently goes undetected in its early and most curable stages because no clinical signs or symptoms usually exist. This study assessed the effect patient education had on the patient's decision to accept or refuse a fluorescence oral cancer examination. Methods: Along with providing a routine clinical and white light oral cancer exam, a Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope (VELscope) was used to evaluate the patient's oral cavity. After gaining written consent, 100 patients at a university dental hygiene clinic were provided a survey that evaluated their risk factors, opinions, and knowledge regarding oral cancer. Upon assessing the patient's willingness to receive a free oral fluorescence examination, the survey questioned if being charged a fee for the exam would serve as a deterrent to receiving it. Regardless of acceptance or refusal of the exam, the patient was educated, first by a brochure, and then by discussion with the researcher, about oral cancer. Results: Overall, 92% of participants agreed to pay a fee for the VELscope exam. Of those who initially refused the VELscope exam, 78% agreed to the exam after being educated about oral cancer. Patients were very appreciative of both the education and technology offered to them. Conclusions: Dental professionals have a responsibility to educate their patients about oral cancer in order to enable them to make informed decisions about their oral and overall health. Additionally, patient education has a significant impact on patient acceptance of [...]

Candidiasis: new agents for invasive infections

Source: www.clinicaladvisor.com Author: Carl Sherman Infection with the ubiquitous fungus Candida cuts across a broad spectrum of severity that ranges from common and superficial mucocutaneous variants to invasive disease that can be life-threatening. The addition of important new antifungal agents to the candidiasis armamentarium has led the Infectious Diseases Society of America to issue updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Candidiasis to replace the 2004 version. These agents—the echinocandins caspofungin, anidulafungin, and micafungin—are essentially reserved for candidemia and other invasive forms of candidiasis. The Guidelines also incorporate new data on the treatment of mucocutaneous disease and on the prevention of invasive disease in high-risk patients. Office-based primary-care providers “probably see [relatively benign] aspects of candidiasis most often: oropharyngeal infection (thrush) and vaginitis. They will see Candida in urine, where the question is whether it is causing infection or just hanging out,” says Carol A. Kauffman, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, chief of infectious diseases in the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and an author of the Guidelines. Candidemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis are generally encountered in the hospital setting (candidemia is the fourth most common nosocomial bloodstream infection in the United States) but may develop in community-dwelling patients as well (e.g., those who are leukemic, have an indwelling catheter, are on dialysis, or are receiving cancer chemotherapy via a port or central line), according to Dr. Kauffman. Muccocutaneous Candidiasis: Oropharyngeal infection, when mild, is best treated topically, with [...]

Surgeon struck off for faking patient’s medical records after failing to spot she had cancer

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: staff A top surgeon has been banned from practising after he faked a patient's records when he failed to spot a fatal throat cancer. Mohamed Bahaa Madkour admitted to having got things 'catastrophically wrong' after he lied on a patient's notes, claiming he'd sent her for MRI and CT scans, a General Medical Council hearing found. The ear, nose and throat consultant, who had treated hundreds of patients over a 20-year period at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital in Wales, even told the patient's GP that he had sent her for tests when he hadn't. It wasn't until five months later, that the woman, a heavy smoker who had been suffering paralysis of her vocal cords, nose bleeds and a sore throat, was referred to Mr Madkour a second time. She was eventually diagnosed with cancer, after an MRI scan revealed a large tumour in her throat. The woman, known only as Patient A, has since died. Yesterday Mr Madkour, of Llanfairpwll, was stuck off the medical register for dishonesty. The GMC panel said it was the only way to protect public safety, and preserve confidence in the medical profession. The hearing heard how Patient A was sent home from Dr Madkour's clinic in October 2006 'without proper exploration' of her throat condition and without MRI or CT scans. The specialist then wrote to the woman's GP claiming he'd sent her for urgent MRI and CT scans. The panel, which reviewed the case over seven days in Manchester, also [...]

Evaluation of parotid gland function following intensity modulated radiation therapy for head and neck cancer

Source: Cancer Res Treat, April 1, 2006; 38(2): 84-91 Authors: SH Lee et al. Purpose: This study was undertaken to determine the parotid gland tolerance dose levels following intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for treating patients who suffered with head and neck cancer. Materials and Methods: From February 2003 through June 2004, 34 head and neck patients with 6 months of follow-up were evaluated for xerostomia after being treated by IMRT. Their median age was 59 years (range: 29~78). Xerostomia was assessed using a 4-question xerostomia questionnaire score (XQS) and a test for the salivary flow rates (unstimulated and stimulated: USFR and SSFR, respectively). The patients were also given a validated LENT SOMA scale (LSS) questionnaire. Evaluations were performed before IMRT and at 1, 3 and 6 months after IMRT. Results: All 34 patients showed significant changes in the XQS, LSS and Salivary Flow rates (USFR and SSFR) after IMRT. No significant changes in the XQS or LSS were noted in 12 patients who received a total parotid mean dose of 3,100 cGy, significant increases in the XQS and LSS were observed. The USFR and SSFR from the parotid glands in 7 patients who received 2,750 cGy were significantly lower than the baseline values at all times after IMRT. Conclusion: We suggest that the total parotid mean dose should be limited to

2009-09-29T21:26:45-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

IsoRay announces Cornell Medical Center adopts Cesium-131 to treat head and neck cancer

Source: www.businesswire.com Author: press release IsoRay, Inc. (Amex: ISR) announced today that on August 5, 2009, Dr. Bhupesh Parashar from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr. David Kutler of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, and Dr. Jason Spector of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the world’s first Cesium-131 implant for a recurrent head and neck cancer (buccal mucosa). The implant was performed using Vicryl®-embedded seeds on a 66-year-old patient who had received a full course of radiation to the head and neck several years ago. Cesium-131 was chosen for its short half-life and the higher dose rate. The patient tolerated the implant procedure well, and has had no adverse effects that can be attributed to the use of Cs-131 seeds. There is no evidence of cancer recurrence to date. Dr. Parashar stated, “We are very pleased to date with this patient’s progress. Having Cs-131 with its combination of short half-life and high energy gave us another option for treating this patient’s recurring buccal mucosa cancer.” Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, the Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, and a pioneer in the field of brachytherapy, performed some of the initial Cesium-131 prostate implants in 2005. Until now clinical experience with Cesium-131 has been focused on prostate cancer and ocular melanoma. However, Cesium-131 has been cleared by the FDA for use in the treatment of malignant disease (e.g., prostate, ocular melanoma, head and neck, lung, brain, breast, etc.) and may be used [...]

2009-09-29T04:12:27-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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