2012 – Page 4 – Oral Cancer News

Germany’s Merck halts supply of cancer drug to Greek hospitals

Source: Reuters.com Date: November 3, 2012 German pharmaceuticals firm Merck KGaA is no longer delivering cancer drug Erbitux to Greek hospitals, a spokesman said on Saturday, the latest sign of how an economic and budget crisis is hurting frontline public services. Drugmakers raised concerns with EU leaders earlier this year over supplies to the euro zone's crisis-hit southern half and Germany's Biotest in June was the first to stop shipments to Greece because of unpaid bills. Publicly-owned hospitals in some countries worst hit by the euro zone debt crisis had been struggling to pay their bills, Merck's chief financial officer, Matthias Zachert, was quoted as saying by German paper Boersen-Zeitung in an interview on Saturday. He said however that the only country where Merck had stopped deliveries was Greece. "It only affects Greece, where we have been faced with many problems. It's just the one product," he told the paper. A spokesman for the company told Reuters that the drug concerned was Erbitux and that ordinary Greeks can still purchase it from pharmacies. Some countries have taken action to pay bills, such as in Spain, where the government has said it will help hospitals to pay off debts. "That has improved things, even though the situation should still be regarded as critical for the coming years," Zachert said. Erbitux is Merck's second best-selling prescription drug, bringing in sales of 855 million euros ($1.1 billion) in 2011 from treating bowel cancer and head and neck cancer. ($1 = 0.7785 euros) This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-05T11:16:35-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Food preservative may halt tumor growth

Source: www.foodproductdesign.com The common food preservative nisin may stop or slow squamous cell head and neck cancers, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer Medicine. The findings may accelerate new cancer therapies since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) approved nisin as safe for human consumption decades ago. Oral cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and oral squamous cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of oral cancers. However, survival rates for oral cancer haven't improved in decades, according to the study. Yvonne Kapila, the study's principal investigator and professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, said antibacterial agents like nisin alter cell properties in bacteria to render it harmless. However, it's only recently that scientists began looking to antibacterial agents like nisin to see if they altered properties in other types of cells, such as cancer cells or cells in tumors. "The poor 5-year survival rates for oral cancer underscore the need to find new therapies for oral cancer," she said. "The use of small antibacterial agents, like nisin, to treat cancer is a new approach that holds great promise. Nisin is a perfect example of this potential because it has been used safely in humans for many years, and now the laboratory studies support its anti-tumor potential." The study, which looked at the use of antimicrobials to fight cancerous tumors, suggests nisin, in part, slows cell proliferation or causes cell death through the activation [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-11-01T15:17:35-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

GIVING ORAL CANCER A LOUDER VOICE

BY PATTI DIGANGI, RDH, BS Even with our best efforts, oral cancer continues to have a nearly 50% mortality rate at five years. This equals 40,000 deaths annually in the United States with 370,000 worldwide. It is predicted that there will be a world-wide oral cancer epidemic by mid-21st century. Predictions are based on what has been and current situations. The wonderful part of predictions is they can be wrong. Two people, Alison Stahl and Eric Statler, are leading the way to circumvent that future death rate. They challenge all of us across the country not to be reactive — but rather to be proactive in our approach. Volunteers welcome participants to the oral cancer walk. Eric Statler is a stage IV oral cancer survivor. As happens far too often, he was initially misdiagnosed and thought to be experiencing pain related to wisdom teeth. An infection that followed his extractions was treated with antibiotics and he was dismissed. With no resolution and increasing pain, he went back to the dentist who immediately referred him to a specialist. Someone You Should Know: (from left to right:) Mike Stahl, Kim Benkert, Denise Snarski, Bonnie Chisholm-Green, Trish DeDios, Patti DiGangi, Donna Grzegorek, Alison Stahl, Amy Frazin, Lois Roewade, Ewa Posorski, Tracy Fritz, Zuzana Buc, Cynthia Pfeiffer, and Eric Stadler. At the age of 33, Eric was diagnosed with stage IV HPV related oral cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed along with multiple disfiguring surgeries and some facial paralysis. Treatments were initially [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-02T14:48:17-07:00October, 2012|OCF In The News|

Smokers are 40 times more likely to develop cancers in head and neck

Source: www.heraldandnews.com Author: Andrew Creasey, Staff Reporter The level of concern you should have for contracting cancer of the head and neck can be gauged by the answer to one simple question: Do you smoke? If the answer is no, chances are your oral cavities and voice box, the places cancers most commonly occur, will be safe from the onerous growth that can cause death if not treated soon enough. If the answer is yes, then you are 40 times more likely to contract head or neck cancer if you have been smoking for 10 years, and you should probably be aware of what to look for, said Dr. Richard DeVore, an otolaryngologist in Klamath Falls. Signs of head and neck cancer include a sore or ulcer that doesn’t heal, unexplained bleeding of the throat and, most importantly, throat or tongue pain that persists beyond several weeks, DeVore said. Such pain could be caused by the cancer, which actually eats into the tissue and can cause significant pain when it starts munching on the local nerves. Swallowing difficulties, hoarseness and lumps in the head and neck that don’t respond to antibiotics should also be examined, DeVore said. At the onset of such symptoms, it is vital to share them with a physician, DeVore said. Caught early, the cure rate of many neck and head cancers is 100 percent and can be solved with a simple operation. “The cure rates are slowly improving to some degree, but it’s a bad disease,” [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-10-23T07:51:35-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Top EU official resigns after snus bribe probe

Source: www.thelocal.se A complaint by Swedish Match about a suspected bribe meant to influence European tobacco policy has resulted in the resignation of EU health commissioner John Dalli, the European Union's top health official. "Commissioner John Dalli has today announced his resignation as a member of the Commission, with immediate effect," the European Commission announced in a statement released on Tuesday. Dalli's resignation, the first for a member of the Commission since 1999, came following the release on Monday of report detailing the findings of an investigation carried out by the EU's anti-fraud office, OLAF, into a complaint filed by Swedish tobacco company Swedish Match in May 2012. The complaint alleged that a Maltese entrepreneur sought to leverage his connections with Dalli, also of Malta, in order to "gain financial advantages" from Swedish Match in exchange for attempting to influence "a possible future legislative proposal on tobacco products, in particular on the EU export ban on snus". Snus – also known as Swedish snuff – is a tobacco product invented in Sweden in the early 1800s which has gained in popularity in Sweden after smoking was banned in restaurants in 2005. The sale of snus is outlawed in the European Union, but due to exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Norway and Sweden. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumers Protection recently unveiled a proposal that would ban all smoke-free tobacco products outside of Sweden. The Swedish government has for years been trying to sway the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-10-23T07:45:13-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Interim results from CEL-SCI’s Multikine Phase III study on head and neck cancer

Source: www.news-medical.net CEL-SCI Corporation announced today that an interim review of the safety data from its open label, randomized, controlled, pivotal Phase III study of Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) investigational immunotherapy by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) raised no safety concerns. The IDMC also indicated that no safety signals were found that would call into question the benefit/risk of continuing the study. CEL-SCI considers the results of the IDMC review to be important since studies have shown that up to 30% of Phase III trials fail due to safety considerations and the IDMC's safety findings from this interim review were similar to those reported by investigators during CEL-SCI's Phase I-II trials. Ultimately, the decision as to whether a drug is safe is made by the FDA based on an assessment of all of the data from a trial. IDMCs are committees commonly used by sponsors of clinical trials to protect the interests of the patients in ongoing trials especially when the trials involve patients with life threatening diseases, and when, as in cancer clinical trials, they extend over long periods of time (3-5 years). The committee's membership should include physicians and clinical trial scientists knowledgeable in the appropriate disciplines, including statistics. The CEL-SCI IDMC includes prominent physicians and scientists from major institutions in the USA and abroad who are key opinion leaders in head and neck cancer and who are knowledgeable in all of the disciplines related to CEL-SCI's study, including statistics. The Multikine Phase III study is enrolling [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-10-23T07:33:16-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

On the Job with Laura Schmitz Cook

Source: StarTribune.com In seven years as a Registered Dental Hygienist, Laura Schmitz Cook has already seen a lot of change -- for example, she said, "Fluoride varnish has progressed. It was yellowish, now it's clear. You can give it to young kids without fear. It's a great treatment for kids with high decay risk." Digital X-rays are easier to manipulate than film, providing better information about what's going on, and because they're instantly viewable, "they're a great educational tool." Of course, some things haven't changed; Schmitz Cook spends most of her time cleaning teeth. "I take pride in being very gentle, but when people tell me they don't like the dentist, I say, 'I don't take it personally.' I understand the anxiety about going to the dentist." Through her first year in college, Schmitz Cook was torn between being a teacher and being a hygienist. After spending 20 hours shadowing a hygienist, the decision was easy. "I could see myself doing this," she said. In addition to graduating with a four-year degree from an accredited program, Schmitz Cook had to take clinical and written board examinations. Schmitz Cook moved to Minnesota as soon as she graduated from the University of South Dakota and "found a job right away through networking," although she senses that jobs are tighter in the current economy. To be registered in Minnesota, she had to pass a state test on relevant laws and the code of ethics. She also earns 25 continuing education credits every two [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-10-22T10:13:08-07:00October, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine does not encourage teen sex

Source: wtkr.com Author: CNN staff There’s been a lot of controversy over the HPV vaccine. Because Gardasil is designed to protect young people against human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted disease, some people believe the inoculation gives teens the go-ahead to have sex. Researchers are finding that’s not the case. HPV is known to be the cause of a number of illnesses, including mouth and throat cancer, genital warts and cervical cancer. Since 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all girls aged 11 and 12 receive the HPV vaccine to protect themselves. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also advised that girls and boys at that age be given the shot to fight the virus strain. But according to a new Kaiser Permanete/Emory University study published in this week’s edition of the journal Pediatrics, the vaccine has yet to be embraced by the general public. By 2010, fewer than half of girls eligible for the vaccine had received even one dose. Investigators believe that may be in part because some people who oppose the vaccine wrongly believe that it also protects against pregnancy and other sexually transmitted diseases, which would open the door for pre-teens to engage in sexual activity at an early age. The study finds that vaccinating children at ages 11 and 12 does not increase sexual activity in young girls. Researchers looked at the number of pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and contraceptive use in more than 1,300 pre-teen girls who received the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-10-16T13:31:30-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Maine guitar savant Nick Curran dies at 35

Source: Portland Press Herald Curran, who played with Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. Nick Curran, a nationally known guitarist and singer from Sanford who played with the Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and numerous other bands, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. He was 35. Curran, who was known for blending punk, blues and rockabilly, was a frequent performer in Portland but spent much of his career in the Austin, Texas, area. Curran grew up in Sanford and started playing drums when he was 3 years old. By the time he was 9, he was learning to play the guitar. As a teenager, Curran played with his father's band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. He entered Portland's music scene with talent beyond his years. He made a big impression on Maine musicians such as Matthew Robbins, a guitarist and vocalist for King Memphis. Robbins remembers the days when Curran would stand outside Gritty McDuff's in Portland and peer through the window to watch Robbins' band play. "He was young and extremely talented," Robbins said. "Nick was like a sponge. He could see someone play something and play it right back. He was pretty amazing." Curran was a regular at The Big Easy in Portland during its popular open mike nights. Jimmy Junkins, lead singer and guitarist for Jimmy Junkins and the Soulcats, said he would sneak Curran into the bar and get him up on [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-10-10T10:49:45-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Novel one-step system for restoring voice in throat cancer patients

Source: medicalxpress.com This picture shows the cannula (A) and the tool (B) for inserting the voice prosthesis which is usually made of silicon (partly shown on the left side of the tool). This tool will then be inserted into the cannula so that it can be injected into the patient's fistula according to the length required, using the calibration on the cannula. Credit: National University of Singapore. Patients who have lost their voice box through disease such as throat cancer may be able to speak immediately after a procedure to create a small opening at the throat. A novel system developed through an Engineering-in-Medicine project led by Dr Chui Chee Kiong, NUS Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr David Lau, Consultant Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Surgeon at Raffles Hospital, cuts down a two-week duration before patients can speak, to about 10 minutes after the initial procedure. People who undergo laryngectomy and lose their voice box can recover approximately 80 per cent of normal speech by having a voice prosthesis fitted into an opening or fistula between the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (food pipe). To speak, the patient covers the stoma (breathing opening in the neck) with his or her thumb and forces air through the prosthesis into the esophagus and out through the mouth. Before the prosthesis can be inserted, the doctor needs to make a small puncture (tracheo-esophageal puncture or TEP) in the wall between the trachea and esophagus. During the puncture, a guide-wire is inserted into the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-10-09T09:36:31-07:00October, 2012|Oral Cancer News|