2009 – Page 48 – Oral Cancer News

University of Texas device could take the pain out of skin cancer detection

Source: www.statesman.com Author: Mary Ann Roser A pen-size device that might one day be used to detect skin cancer without a biopsy is being developed at the University of Texas with the aid of grants and a company hoping to bring the device to market. The scanning device, reminiscent of the tricorder that Dr. McCoy waved over his patients in the "Star Trek" TV series, "is looking very promising," said Sampath Srikanth, president and CEO of DermDx of Fresno, Calif., the company that hopes to get the device on the market in about five years. James Tunnell, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at UT, received $500,000 in grants from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation of Miami, which funds research in biomedical engineering. Tunnell, who credits most of the work to UT doctoral candidate Narasimhan Rajaram, said UT shares in the rights and any future profits with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Tunnell did post-doctoral work. At MIT, Tunnell worked with emerging technology that used light to detect cancers of the esophagus, cervix and oral cavity. His device shines light through an optical fiber to scan the skin. "What the physician holds is like a pen, and it's connected to a cable that's attached to an instrument that's about the size of a mini-refrigerator," Tunnell said. "But you could shrink that mini-refrigerator down to a desktop computer." The computer measures the light's intensity — cancerous moles absorb light differently than noncancerous lesions. The device still needs Food and Drug [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T20:32:23-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Trimira launches oral-cancer screening system for early diagnosis by dentists

Source: bioopticsworld.com Author: press release Trimira LLC (Houston, TX) has introduced a small, cordless, handheld device that it says enables early diagnosis of oral cancer. Called Identafi 3000, the device uses a three-wavelength optical illumination and visualization system to allow dental professionals to identify otherwise-invisible early cancers. This affordable device will aid in mouth, tongue, and lip cancer screening--enabling diagnosis of afflictions that have reached epidemic levels, due in part to the lack of effective, broad-based early detection systems for oral cancer screening. Identafi 3000 uses white, violet, and amber wavelengths of light to excite oral tissue in distinct ways. Biochemical changes can be monitored with fluorescence, while morphological changes can be monitored with reflectance. This multiple wavelength technology identifies abnormal tissue with more accuracy than the single color approaches currently on the market, according to Trimira. The ability to read metabolic and physiologic differences makes it easier to distinguish between normal and abnormal tissue. The combined system of fluorescence and reflectance uses the body's natural tissue properties as an adjunctive tool for oral mucosal examination. Identafi 3000 is supported by a national team of trained sales representatives and is available through most major U.S. dental dealers. Trimira LLC is a subsidiary of Remicalm LLC, a privately held medical diagnostic and imaging device company. Other subsidiaries are working on screening and diagnostic devices for skin, cervical, gastrointestinal, and bladder cancers. Remicalm's core technologies are based on high-speed, high-resolution capabilities from its patented optical processing technology platforms and include the ability [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T20:26:13-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Médicos discutem a importância de novos exames de câncer de boca

Source: g1.globo.com Author: Laurie Tarkan Do 'New York Times' Apesar de relativamente raro, esse é um dos tipos de câncer mais fáceis de observar e diagnosticar. E, se tratado a tempo, é geralmente curável. Então, por que especialistas acham o câncer de boca tão problemático? Embora tenham ocorrido vários avanços na luta contra o câncer nas últimas décadas, as estatísticas sobre esse tipo da doença permanecem desalentadoras. Mais de 60% dos casos são diagnosticados nos estágios mais avançados, e a sobrevivência em cinco anos é de decepcionantes 59%. Além disso, o câncer de boca está aumentando em pessoas tradicionalmente de baixo risco, um fenômeno atribuído em parte ao aumento do papilomavírus humano, HPV, causador de câncer, que pode ser transmitido através do sexo oral. Agora, alguns dentistas – cujos exames visuais há tempos têm sido uma primeira linha de defesa contra o câncer de boca – estão usando aparelhos de imagem capazes, segundo eles, de ajudar a identificar cânceres e lesões pré-malignas. Porém, esses novos exames despertaram um debate sobre o custo-benefício. Especialistas estão divididos entre a possibilidade desses tais exames reduzirem a mortalidade por câncer de boca ou simplesmente levarem a uma onda de biópsias dispendiosas e desnecessárias. Números da doença Aproximadamente 35.300 americanos souberam ter câncer de boca no ano passado, e cerca de 7.600 morreram em decorrência da doença. Para os sobreviventes, o câncer de boca pode ser doloroso e desfigurador, e pode destruir a capacidade de saborear e apreciar alimentos. Considera-se que fumantes e pessoas que [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T15:07:48-07:00February, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Interaction between tobacco and alcohol use and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the international head and neck cancer epidemiology consortium

Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0347 Authors: Mia Hashibe et al. Background: The magnitude of risk conferred by the interaction between tobacco and alcohol use on the risk of head and neck cancers is not clear because studies have used various methods to quantify the excess head and neck cancer burden. Methods: We analyzed individual-level pooled data from 17 European and American case-control studies (11,221 cases and 16,168 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. We estimated the multiplicative interaction parameter ({psi}) and population attributable risks (PAR). Results: A greater than multiplicative joint effect between ever tobacco and alcohol use was observed for head and neck cancer risk ({psi} = 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-3.04). The PAR for tobacco or alcohol was 72% (95% confidence interval, 61-79%) for head and neck cancer, of which 4% was due to alcohol alone, 33% was due to tobacco alone, and 35% was due to tobacco and alcohol combined. The total PAR differed by subsite (64% for oral cavity cancer, 72% for pharyngeal cancer, 89% for laryngeal cancer), by sex (74% for men, 57% for women), by age (33% for cases <45 years, 73% for cases >60 years), and by region (84% in Europe, 51% in North America, 83% in Latin America). Conclusions: Our results confirm that the joint effect between tobacco and alcohol use is greater than multiplicative on head and neck cancer risk. However, a substantial proportion of head and neck cancers cannot be attributed to tobacco [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-04T08:54:19-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New oral cancer tests: crucial or wasteful?

Source: nytimes.com Author: Laurie Tarkan Though relatively rare, it is one of the easiest cancers to spot and diagnose. And if treated early, it is usually curable. So why do experts find oral cancer so vexing? Despite the many advances against cancer in recent decades, the statistics on this form of it remain discouraging: more than 60 percent of cases are diagnosed in the late stages, and the five-year survival rate is a disappointing 59 percent. Moreover, oral cancer is increasing in people traditionally at low risk, a phenomenon partly attributed to the rise of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can be transmitted through oral sex. Now some dentists — whose visual examinations have long been a first line of defense against oral cancer — are using screening devices that they say may help identify cancers and premalignant lesions. But these new tests have set off a debate over cost and effectiveness. Experts are divided on whether they will reduce mortality from oral cancer or simply lead to a wave of expensive and unnecessary biopsies. An estimated 35,300 Americans learned they had oral cancer last year, and about 7,600 died from the disease. For survivors, oral cancer can be painful and disfiguring, and can destroy the ability to taste and enjoy food. Smokers and heavy drinkers are considered at highest risk for the disease, but 25 percent of those who receive a diagnosis are neither. Still, the lifetime risk of oral cancer — about 1 in 99 — [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-03T20:50:30-07:00February, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

What is the adequate margin of surgical resection in oral cancer?

Source: Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, January 23, 2009 Authors: Richard W Nason et al. Objective: The "adequate surgical margin" has always remained an enigma in the minds of head and neck surgeons. This study systematically analyses the impact of the width of the clear surgical margin on survival in oral cancer. Study Design: A historical cohort of 277 surgically treated patients with oral cancer were followed for a median period of 36 months. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the independent effect of the clear surgical margin, in millimeters, on 5-year survival. Results: Patients with margins of 5 mm or more had a 5-year survival rate of 73% when compared to those with margins of 3 to 4 mm (69%) , 2 mm or less (62%), and involved margins (39%, P = .000). After controlling for confounding variables (age, gender, stage) each 1-mm increase in clear surgical margin decreased the risk of death at 5 years by 8% (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.86, 0.99; P = .021). Based on this model, patients with positive surgical margins had a 2.5-fold increase in risk of death at 5 years and those with close (

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-01T22:30:19-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Variations in gene DNA boost drinkers’ cancer risk

Source: www.washingtonpost.com Author: staff Variations in the DNA of certain genes can increase the risk of cancer in people who drink alcohol, according to researchers who reviewed studies on alcohol consumption, genetic polymorphisms and cancer. Their analysis suggests that such variations, called gene polymorphisms, in two enzymes -- alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) -- involved in metabolizing alcohol significantly increase alcohol drinkers' risk of cancers of the head and neck and the esophagus. The researchers looked at the effect of gene variations in other enzymes involved in alcohol and folate metabolism but found there wasn't enough data to fully assess the effect of those gene variants on cancer risk. They said that currently available data does not allow for a quantitative evaluation by meta-analysis of the link between gene variations and cancer risk in people who drink alcohol. "We have highlighted the need for large, multicenter studies and for approaches to the study of multiple polymorphisms," wrote Dr. Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo and colleagues at the French National Institute of Agronomical Research. The review was published in the February issue of the The Lancet Oncology. Previous research has shown a clear link between alcohol consumption and health risk, according to background information in the review. Recent figures show that drinking alcohol was a major contributing factor in the development of almost 400,000 cancers worldwide in 2002. In that same year, 323,900 cancer deaths (3.6 percent of all cancer deaths) were alcohol-related. Source: The Lancet Oncology, news release, Jan. 30, 2009

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-01T07:18:31-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Diagnostic aids in the screening of oral cancer

Source: 7thspace.com Author: Stefano Fedele The World Health Organization has clearly indentified prevention and early detection as major objectives in the control of the oral cancer burden worldwide. At the present time, screening of oral cancer and its pre-invasive intra-epithelial stages, as well as its early detection, is still largely based on visual examination of the mouth. There is strong available evidence to suggest that visual inspection of the oral mucosa is effective in reducing mortality from oral cancer in individuals exposed to risk factors. Simple visual examination, however, is well known to be limited by subjective interpretation and by the potential, albeit rare, occurrence of dysplasia and early OSCC within areas of normal-looking oral mucosa. As a consequence, adjunctive techniques have been suggested to increase our ability to differentiate between benign abnormalities and dysplastic/malignant changes as well as to identify areas of dysplasia/early OSCC that are not visible to naked eye. These include the use of toluidine blue, brush biopsy, chemiluminescence and tissue autofluorescence. The present paper reviews the evidence supporting the efficacy of the aforementioned techniques in improving the identification of dysplastic/malignant changes of the oral mucosa. We conclude that available studies have shown promising results, but strong evidence to support the use of oral cancer diagnostic aids is still lacking. Further research with clear objectives, well-defined population cohorts, and sound methodology is strongly required. Source: Head &Neck Oncology 2009, 1:5

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-30T13:29:53-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New laser for Chase Farm cancer patients

Source: www.enfieldindependent.co.uk Author: Sarah Cosgrove A new state-of the art laser will improve surgery for cancer patients, after being donated to Chase Farm Hospital by charities. The carbon dioxide laser allows surgeons to burn out cancers with the minimum of blood loss, sometimes allowing them to avoid cutting into patients completely. Representatives from the Patricia Madden Cancer Trust and Barnet and District CancerLink joined patients, doctors and hospital chiefs to launch the C02 machine at the hospital on Tuesday. Head and neck consultant, Wayne Halfpenny, explained that as well as lessening blood loss, cancers of the voicebox can be removed via the mouth by the machine, avoiding the need for radiotherapy or surgery through the neck. He added: "The carbon dioxide laser is a fantastic piece of equipment in the surgical treatment of head and neck cancer. "It cuts and seals tissue at the same time minimizing blood loss and allows some cancers to be treated without open neck surgery. It can also vaporize early cancers avoiding the need for surgical excision." Mr Halfpenny and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Averil Dongworth thanked the charities for their "generous" support.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-29T10:10:01-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco ups oral cancer risk 80 pct – WHO

Source: in.reuters.com Author: staff Chewing tobacco and snuff are less dangerous than cigarettes but the smokeless products still raise the risk of oral cancer by 80 percent, the World Health Organisation's cancer agency said on Tuesday. The review of 11 studies worldwide showed people who chewed tobacco and used snuff also had a 60 percent higher risk of oesophagus and pancreatic cancer. The researchers sought to quantify the risk of smokeless tobacco after a number of studies differed on just how dangerous the products were, said Paolo Boffetta, an epidemiologist at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer. "What we did was try to quantify the burden of smokeless cancer," he said in a telephone interview. "This has never been attempted in such a systematic way before." The researchers, who published their findings in Lancet Oncology, did this by looking at population-wide studies and trials of both humans and animals. They found frequency of use varies greatly both across and within countries, depending on sex, age, ethnic origin and economic background, and were highest in the United States, Sweden and India. They also found that while snuff and chew were less dangerous than smoking because they were not linked to lung cancer, getting cigarette users to switch was not good public policy. "If all smokers did this there would be a net benefit," Boffetta said. "The point is we don't know whether this would happen and there is no data to suggest these smokers would stop or switch."

Webmaster2009-01-28T15:29:47-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|