West Michigan woman serves as test subject for voice recreation

Source: www.wwmt.com Author: staff For Steve and Annet Shannon it's a chance to maintain normalcy, and regain a voice that could be lost. Five years ago Annet Shannon was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer, and doctors removed 30% of the back of her tongue followed by a series of radiation treatments, which Steve Shannon says were working, "Everything was going well with no evidence of recurrence until this last December where she found a lump on her neck. To make a long story short she will be having surgery May 4, 2010. There is a possibility she could be losing her tongue and voice box and her ability to speak." For the Shannons it's a grim reality that Annet's surgery could take her voice, but the couple had at least heard of famed film critic Roger Ebert, who lost his jaw to cancer surgery, but was given a new custom text to voice device where he was able to communicate using his own voice. To Steve Shannon, that seemed like just the thing for them, "My wife was very interested in this technology and she was searching to learn more. By fate we met Professor John Eulenberg, director of MSU's Artificial Language Lab. The Artificial Language Lab has begun a project as one of five sites to help people to create their own personal text-to-speech software systems." The Shannons learned that the underlying technology was created by Tim Bunnell and his team at the University of Delaware [...]

Alcohol based mouthwash and oral cancer – too much confusion

Source: scienceblogs.com Author: Francis Mawanda If you are like me, you probably always and almost faithfully, include a bottle of mouthwash on your grocery list especially after watching and/or listening to the numerous commercials in the media which claim that you will not only get long lasting fresh breath, but also freedom from the germs that cause plaque and gingivitis. However, many proprietary mouthwashes including my favorite brand contain Alcohol (ethanol) which also gives them the characteristic burn we have to endure, albeit for a few seconds each day, but safe in the knowledge that the product is hard at work killing all the germs that give us bad breath and may cause plaque and gingivitis. But the question I continually ask myself is whether regular or long term use of these products is safe especially after reading the numerous research reports and newspaper articles suggesting a possible link between long term use of alcohol based mouthwashes and oral cancer. Several research studies have reported finding an association between long term mouthwash use and oral cancer (1, 2, 3). For example, in a study conducted by Wynder and colleagues (1), they found a significant association between mouthwash use and oral cancer. A bigger multi-site study by Guha and colleagues (3) comparing participants who reported having used mouthwash to those who reported never having used mouthwash found that individuals who reported using mouthwash more than twice a day were nearly six times more likely to develop oral squamous cell carcinoma compared [...]

LeHigh Valley linking to elite national cancer care

Source: www.mcall.com Author: Veronica Torrejón The National Cancer Institute is plugging the Lehigh Valley directly into more of the nation's most advanced cancer-fighting and research opportunities. The government's top agency for cancer research has selected two of the region's hospitals to receive grants totaling $3.8 million in federal stimulus funds. Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown and Salisbury Township and Geisinger Medical Center in Danville will join a national network of 30 community cancer centers in 22 states. ''The opportunity for the community is enormous,'' said Dr. Gregory Harper, medical director of Lehigh Valley Health Network's Breast Health Services. ''We now have access to the best there is and the best the National Cancer Institute has to offer.'' Both hospitals will be able to participate in advanced genetic research studies and early-stage clinical trials available at major teaching hospitals in Philadelphia and New York, Harper said. Previously, there were 16 community cancer center sites. The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, is using $40 million in stimulus funds to expand the program, designed to reach rural areas, poor inner-city neighborhoods or any community outside a major academic medical center. Statistics indicate most cancer patients, as many as 85 percent, are diagnosed and get their initial treatment at community hospitals. ''It's really about bringing cancer research closer to patients and patients closer to research,'' said Frank Blanchard, spokesman for the contractor managing the program for the National Cancer Institute. The program began in 2007. The idea is to [...]

Nicotine vaccine shows effectiveness in early tests

Source: CNN Author: Val Willingham (CNN) -- A vaccine that could help people stop smoking is showing promise in early clinical trials, researchers announced this week at a national meeting of addiction specialists. The vaccine is designed to stimulate the immune system to generate antibodies that would latch on to nicotine in a smoker's body and prevent it from ever entering the brain. The vaccine maker, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, reported that those who responded best to NicVAX in earlier testing had been able to quit smoking for three times longer than those in the placebo group, with data from 19 to 26 weeks, and then for 12 months. These are considered statistically significant results and superior to the testing results of Zyban and Chantix, prescription medications already approved to help smokers over the age of 18 quit, Nabi officials told the National Institute on Drug Abuse conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, those whose bodies responded most effectively to NicVAX cut the number of cigarettes smoked, from a baseline of 20 cigarettes per day to 10 cigarettes per day. Those who took the vaccine experienced few side effects, said Dr. Raafat Fahim, president and CEO of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals. In 2009, Zyban and Chantix were ordered by the Food and Drug Administration to carry "black box" warnings of the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts. Nabi began the first phase III trials for NicVAX last November, enrolling 1,000 people. In March, a second phase III trial began with another 1,000 participants. [...]

2010-04-23T07:03:24-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Aspen Dental announces donation to Oral Cancer Foundation

Source: www.prnewswire.com Author: press release Aspen Dental announced today that the company will donate $2,300 to the Oral Cancer Foundation as part of its commitment to oral cancer detection and treatment. The amount represents a $5 donation for every Vizilite Plus® screening conducted at Aspen Dental offices during Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (April 12-18, 2010). Vizilite Plus is a blue-light, "glowstick" technology that helps detect oral cancer. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, more than 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer each year, and oral cancer is responsible for approximately 8,000 deaths annually. Oral cancer is often discovered late in its development, which means that the death rate is particularly high. Aspen Dental has a longstanding commitment to oral cancer awareness. Most recently, Aspen Dental sponsored Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP, www.nstep.org), at the Little League Baseball World Series in August 2009. The NSTEP program educates youth and their parents about the risks of smokeless tobacco use. About Aspen Dental One of the largest and fastest-growing providers of denture and dental care services in the U.S., Aspen Dental practices are committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality care under the Aspen Dental brand, ranging from preventive care to general dentistry to restoration. Aspen Dental has grown from 13 offices and three states in 1998 to more than 235 locations in 20 states. More than 350 licensed dentists and 200 dental hygienists work with Aspen Dental throughout Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, [...]

House Committee convenes hearing on smokeless tobacco

Source: Cancer.gov Author: Staff The House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, held a hearing on April 14: “Smokeless Tobacco: Impact on the Health of Our Nation's Youth and Use in Major League Baseball.” NCI’s Deputy Director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Dr. Deborah Winn testified before the committee, as did Dr. Terry Pechacek, associate director for science in the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. The full panel of witnesses included representatives of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA); Dr. Greg Connolly, a dentist and Harvard professor who has conducted research on smokeless tobacco for more than 20 years; Gruen Von Behrens, an oral cancer survivor and tobacco prevention advocate; and baseball legend Joe Garagiola, Sr., who continues to work as an MLB announcer and is a vocal advocate for ridding MLB of smokeless tobacco. Dr. Winn’s testimony recognized smokeless tobacco, which includes snuff and chewing tobacco, as an established cause of oral, pharyngeal, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, and stressed that there is no safe level of tobacco use. She also addressed questions from members of the committee regarding MLB players using smokeless tobacco on the field, and therefore on television. Media depictions of tobacco use have been shown to contribute to an increase in youth tobacco use, explained Dr. Winn. NCI’s “Monograph 19: The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use” provides additional information on this topic. Dr. Pechacek provided an overview of current [...]

2010-04-21T12:49:53-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Enzyme predictive of head and neck cancer survival

Source: www.insidermedicine.ca Author: staff Scientists have identified an enzyme that may predict survival from head and neck cancer, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Researchers analyzed tissue samples from over 100 squamous carcinoma patients, finding that those with low levels of the enzyme ERCC1 had increased chances of surviving the cancer following adjuvant therapy.

Radiotherapy: the unsung hero of cancer care, say experts

Source: news.oneindia.in Author: staff Experts at the world's leading cancer charity have said that radiotherapy, which is a crucial cancer treatment, is often the unsung hero of cancer care. Although surgery is often the first-line of treatment and anti-cancer drugs make more headlines, radiotherapy zaps cancer cells, complements chemotherapy, relieves symptoms and shrinks tumors before surgery. In fact, four out of ten cancer patients who have beaten the disease receive the treatment at some point - and 120,000 people in the UK benefit from radiotherapy every year. But despite its benefits, it still has a slightly scary reputation, possibly because as it destroys cancer cells with a beam of high-energy rays, radiotherapy - like other cancer treatments - can also damage healthy cells. The treatment can lead to unpleasant reactions on the skin, tiredness, hair loss and mouth ulcers. But over the last 20 years huge strides have been made to improve radiotherapy and reduce these side effects. According to Cancer Research UK, decades of research into improving radiotherapy have made it more effective, sophisticated and targeted than it has ever been - and side effects have been reduced. Just last year, Dr Chris Nutting presented early results from a Cancer Research UK-funded radiotherapy trial called PARSPORT, run by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital. The trial tested a new cutting edge radiotherapy technique called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), as mentioned in the video above. Doctors found they were able to target the tumour more accurately [...]

Tobacco mints and poisoning: shaped like cell phones

Source: Author: When I was a child I used to have candy cigarettes, people now argue that giving them to children could lead to them smoking when older – well I do not smoke and never intend too. But parents should worry about giving their children smokeless tobacco mints, as there is now research that it could be poisoning them. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that parents give them to their children, but they need to make certain that they never try these products. They look like cell phones, which is why children love to try them, but as they are laced with nicotine, they are a danger to young children. According to Oral Cancer News almost 600 kids a year accidentally consume smokeless tobacco products, and there are fears that this number will grow as more dissolvable tobacco products are released. It does seem strange how these companies are able to get around tough-new anti-smoking laws. These companies should be forced to not make their tobacco products look like candy, or even cell phones – it is for this reason why they are drawing the attention of young children.

Epidemiology and cost analysis for patients with oral cancer in a university hospital in China

Source: 7thspace.com Author: Sheng et al. Although several studies have reported the direct cost of oral cancer (OC), little research has invested the factors that could influence the costs of OC patient. This study analyzes the epidemiological characteristics and the direct cost of OC. More specifically, the study examines the relationship between patients' medical costs and influencing factors of epidemiology. Methods: All patients encountered from January 2007 to December 2007 at the School of Stomatology of the Fourth Military Medical University (FMMU) in China with diagnosis of oral cancer have been selected. Medical hospitalization days (MHD) and cost per patient (CPP) of the samples have been calculated for different patient groups, and the results have been compared using statistical methods. Results: A total of 456 oral cancer patients have been selected in this study. The epidemical characteristics are as follows: female/male 176/280; squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) /adenocarcinoma /sarcoma /lymphoma /other types 246/127/40/27/16; stage I/ II/ III/ IV 90/148/103/115; smoker/non-smoker 136/320; rural/urban patients 82/374. Of all the patients, 82.24% were over 40 years of age. Rural patients were significantly younger than urban patients. SCC was the majority histology in older patients, while sarcoma was more common in younger patients. 372 of the patients received treatment and 84 gave up any treatment after diagnosis. Treatment cost accounted for majority of the payment. The CPP and MHD of patients in late clinical stage were higher than that of patient in early stage. Conclusion: Gender, smoking habit and age older than 40 years are [...]

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