2011 – Page 15 – Oral Cancer News

How Norwich woman put the “fun” in fundraising

Source: Norwich evening news Author: Rowan Mantell She’s enlisted elephants and garden gnomes to her cause, met royalty, staged an impromptu strip show and helped make millions for charity. Theresa Cossey, who has just stepped down as a trustee of the Big C charity, talks about putting the fun into fundraising. She spoke to ROWAN MANTELL. All her life Theresa Cossey has fizzed with money-making ideas. Elephants and garden gnomes were early stars of her fund-raising fervour, and over the past 30 years she has helped raise millions for Norfolk charity Big C – with everything from huge society events to tiny table-top tombolas. She has encouraged people who have run marathons, rafted across the Channel, embarked on sponsored tandem rides in pantomime costume, raced hospital trollies and auctioned anything from bedspreads to baby donkeys. Theresa is, quite simply, a phenomenal fundraiser. Since 1980 she has raised big, big money for Big C, and despite the decades of hard graft, she still believes fund-raising is all about having fun. “Fundraising should be without the final ‘d’; it should be fun, and if it stops being fun you should stop doing it,” she said. That fun has funded hospital wards and equipment, paid for practical and emotional support for cancer patients and their families, and set up teams of scientists researching treatments and cures. This summer Theresa is handing over some of her Big C responsibilities, but not because she has lost her passion for the charity. “When you get past 70 [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-08-08T12:11:43-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Morning smoking linked to higher risk of head and neck cancer

Source: www.nursingtimes.net Author: staff Smokers who light up first thing in the morning have a higher risk of developing head and neck cancer than those who wait that little bit longer for their first cigarette of the day, a study has suggested. A research team from the Penn State College of Medicine in America investigated whether nicotine dependence, as characterised by the time smokers take to have their first cigarette after waking, affects smokers’ risk of lung, head and neck cancers independent of cigarette smoking frequency and duration. They analysed 1,055 people with head and neck cancers and 795 who did not have cancer, all of whom were cigarette smokers. Individuals who smoked 31 minutes to an hour after waking were 1.42 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer than those who waited more than hour before having a nicotine fix. Those who waited less than half an hour to have their first cigarette of the day were 1.59 times as likely to develop head and neck cancer. According to Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society, the results of the study may help identify smokers who have an especially high risk of developing cancer and would therefore benefit from targeted smoking interventions. Dr Joshua Muscar, lead researcher, said: “These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more.”

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-08T09:05:20-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Shortchanging cancer patients

Source: nytimes.com Author: Ezekiel J. Emanuel Right now cancer care is being rationed in the United States. Probably to their great disappointment, President Obama’s critics cannot blame this rationing on death panels or health care reform. Rather, it is caused by a severe shortage of important cancer drugs. Of the 34 generic cancer drugs on the market, as of this month, 14 were in short supply. They include drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure leukemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer. As Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, recently told me, “If you are a pediatric oncologist, you know how to cure 70 to 80 percent of patients. But without these drugs you are out of business.” This shortage is even inhibiting research studies that can lead to higher cure rates: enrollment of patients in many clinical trials has been delayed or stopped because the drugs that are in short supply make up the standard regimens to which new treatments are added or compared. The sad fact is, there are plenty of newer brand-name cancer drugs that do not cure anyone, but just extend life for a few months, at costs of up to $90,000 per patient. Only the older but curative cancer drugs — drugs that can cost as little as $3 per dose — have become unavailable. Most of these drugs have no substitutes, but, crazy as it seems, in some cases these shortages are forcing doctors to use [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-07T20:40:33-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

World’s second youngest oral cancer patient

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel, (By Tsai Pei-chi and Christie Chen) Taipei, Aug. 5 - A seven-year-old boy in Taiwan has been diagnosed as Asia's youngest and the world's second youngest oral cancer patient, said Dr. Hsia Yi-jan from Taipei's Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital Friday. The boy, surnamed Liao, was diagnosed with oral cancer after pustules were found on his tooth extraction wound, which failed to heal after he pulled out a tooth at the beginning of the year, said Hsia, who directs the hospital's oral and maxillofacial surgery center. It is rare for children to contract oral cancer, as oral cancer patients in Taiwan are usually between 30 and 45 years old, the doctor said. The exact cause of Liao's cancer has not yet been determined. Liao was discharged from the hospital Friday after successfully recovering from the surgery. Hsia, who performed the surgery for Liao, said many oral cancer patients mistake oral cancer for periodontal disease or ordinary mouth ulcers, and as a result, miss the best time for treatment. He said patients should seek medical treatment if their oral wounds have failed to heal after more than two to three weeks.

Charlotte Parker2011-08-08T12:12:05-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Ischemic Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack after Head & Neck Radiotherapy

Source: AHA Journals Author: Chris Plummer, PhD; Robert D. Henderson, PhD; John D. O'Sullivan, MD; Stephen J. Read, PhD Abstract Background and Purpose—Cerebrovascular disease can complicate head and neck radiotherapy and result in transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke. Although the incidence of radiation vasculopathy is predicted to rise with improvements in median cancer survival, the pathogenesis, natural history, and management of the disease are ill defined. Methods—We examined studies on the epidemiology, imaging, pathogenesis, and management of medium- and large-artery intra- and extra-cranial disease after head and neck radiotherapy. Controlled prospective trials and larger retrospective trials from the last 30 years were prioritized. Results—The relative risk of transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke is at least doubled by head and neck radiotherapy. Chronic radiation vasculopathy affecting medium and large intra- and extra-cranial arteries is characterized by increasing rates of hemodynamically significant stenosis with time from radiotherapy. Disease expression is the likely consequence of the combined radiation insult to the intima-media (accelerating atherosclerosis) and to the adventitia (injuring the vasa vasorum). Optimal medical treatment is not established. Carotid endarterectomy is confounded by the need to operate across scarred tissue planes, whereas carotid stenting procedures have resulted in high restenosis rates. Conclusions—Head and neck radiotherapy significantly increases the risk of transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke. Evidence-based guidelines for the management of asymptomatic and symptomatic (medium- and large-artery) radiation vasculopathy are lacking. Long-term prospective studies remain a priority, as the incidence of the problem is anticipated to rise with improvements in [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-08-08T12:12:22-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Sentinel Node Biopsy Safe & Effective in Head/Neck Melanomas

Source: MD News Author: Staff *see below University of Michigan study refutes controversy about technique in delicate head, neck region. ANN ARBOR, MI — A common technique for determining whether melanoma has spread can be used safely and effectively even in tumors from the head and neck area, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sentinel lymph node biopsy involves injecting a special dye to identify the first node where cancer would likely spread. If that node is clean, patients can avoid further debilitating surgery to remove multiple lymph nodes. If that node shows cancer, patients know they need the more extensive surgery or further treatment with radiation, chemotherapy or a clinical trial. Patients with larger melanomas are routinely offered this procedure. But many surgeons believed that the complex anatomy combined with the critical nerves and blood vessels in the head and neck area made sentinel lymph node biopsy unsafe and inaccurate for melanomas in that region. In the current study, which appears online in Cancer, researchers looked at 353 head and neck melanoma patients who had received sentinel lymph node biopsy at U-M over a 10-year period. After reviewing patients’ records, the researchers found that the sentinel lymph node could be identified in all but one patient, and no patients sustained permanent nerve injuries during the procedure. About 20 percent of the patients had at least one sentinel node positive for cancer and were referred for a complete dissection to remove additional lymph [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-08-08T12:12:51-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer Survivor Gears Up for 25 Mile Bike Ride at the Age of 77

Newark, Ohio — A 77-year-old woman and cancer survivor has biked 25 miles routinely in preparation for this month's Pelotonia bicycle race. Beverly Cote started out biking four miles a day and worked her way up to 25 miles, the distance of Pelotonia, 10TV's Andrea Cambern reported Tuesday. Her inspiration came from someone who made history on a bicycle. "I have been bragging about my grandfather ever since I was a kid," Cote said. Her grandfather, John LaFrance, rode from New York to San Francisco in 22 days and made headlines, Cambern reported. "My grandfather did not have a 10-speed back in 1896," Cote said. "If he could do it, I could do it." He was not the only reason she will ride in the annual bike tour to fight cancer. Cote is a survivor. Over a year ago, she was diagnosed with stage-four throat and tongue cancer. She endured 35 radiation treatments and seven rounds of chemotherapy. "On my last exam with Dr. Old at the James, he said, 'Are you going to ride in Pelotonia, next year?' I told Dr. Old that if he kept me well, for one year, I will ride in it," Cote said. Pelotonia is scheduled to begin on August 19. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-05T12:44:45-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Accuracy of Dentists in the Clinical Diagnosis of Oral Lesions

Source: Quintessence Publishing Objective: Dentists play an important role in the early diagnosis and treatment of oral lesions. However, treatment based solely on a clinical impression of the diagnosis, without histologic confirmation, can result in serious consequences, particularly when the lesion is precancerous or cancerous. The purpose of this study was to determine the overall accuracy of clinical diagnoses made by dentists as well as to compare the diagnostic ability of general practitioners with members of various dental specialties. Method and Materials: The biopsy reports of 976 specimens submitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, between January 2009 and January 2010 were reviewed. The presumptive clinical diagnosis made by the practitioner and the final histologic diagnosis on each specimen were recorded in addition to whether the submitting dentist was a general practitioner or a specialist. Results: Of the clinical diagnoses made by the submitting dentists, 43% were incorrect. General dentists misdiagnosed 45.9%, oral and maxillofacial surgeons 42.8%, endodontists 42.2%, and periodontists 41.2% of the time. The most commonly missed clinical diagnoses were hyperkeratosis (16%), focal inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (10%), fibroma (8%), periapical granuloma (7%), and radicular cyst (6%). Cancerous lesions were misdiagnosed 5.6% of the time. Conclusions: The high rates of clinical misdiagnosis by dental practitioners indicate that all excised lesions should to be submitted for histologic diagnosis. (Quintessence Int 2011;42:575–577) This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-03T09:46:18-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Collaboration of major biomedical centers has shown convergence on a cellular process for head and neck cancers

Source: www.rxpgnews.com Author: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Powerful new technologies that zoom in on the connections between human genes and diseases have illuminated the landscape of cancer, singling out changes in tumor DNA that drive the development of certain types of malignancies such as melanoma or ovarian cancer. Now several major biomedical centers have collaborated to shine a light on head and neck squamous cell cancer. Their large-scale analysis has revealed a surprising new set of mutations involved in this understudied disease. In back-to-back papers published online July 28 in Science, researchers from the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have confirmed genetic abnormalities previously suspected in head and neck cancer, including defects in the tumor suppressor gene known as p53. But the two teams also found mutations in the NOTCH family of genes, suggesting their role as regulators of an important stage in cell development may be impaired. "This adds a new dimension to head and neck cancer biology that was not on anyone's radar screen before," said Levi A. Garraway, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute, an assistant professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and a senior author of one of the Science papers. "Head and neck cancer is complex and there are many mutations, but we can infer there is a convergence on a cellular process for which we previously did not have [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-02T11:40:36-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

New Study on Tonsillar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Source: SAGE Journals Online Objective. To analyze outcomes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) of the tonsil from the years 1998 to 2006. To assess factors that may affect disease-specific survival, such as patient characteristics and/or treatment modality. Study Design and Setting. National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. Subjects and Methods. The SEER database was used to perform a population-based cohort analysis for patients diagnosed with SCCA of the tonsil from 1998 to 2006. Disease-specific survival was correlated with sex, age, ethnicity, year of diagnosis, and treatment modality in a univariate Cox proportional hazards analysis and a multiple Cox-regression model with and without interaction effect. Results. Applied inclusion criteria resulted in 8378 patients. Of this patient cohort, 80% were male and 85% were white. The mean patient age at diagnosis was 58.1 years. On univariate and multivariate analyses, ethnicities other than white carried a significantly higher rate of disease-specific death (hazard ratio = 1.71, P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-02T10:29:43-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|