2015 – Page 13 – Oral Cancer News

Possibility of cure For HPV positive throat cancer patients—new research

Source: au.ibtimes.com Author: Samantha Richardson A new research conducted by Dr. Sophie Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada revealed that throat cancer caused by the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) can possibly be cured. The research is of utmost importance as it is the first to provide substantial evidence to prove that patients suffering from oropharynx cancer can be healed. The disease also spreads to other parts of the body. The press release disclosed that the tumours remain passive and go undetected for over two years in most case, which makes it incurable. The research was presented at the 5th International Conference on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO) on Friday. She states that cure is possible among patients suffering from oropharyngeal cancer is possible for the first time. "Our research, the largest study to date to explore survival predictors for metastatic HPV+ and HPV- oropharyngeal cancer patients,” says Dr. Huang. For the research, 934 patients suffering from HPV+ OPC were studied. All subjects were patients treated at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre between 2000 and 2011. The researchers found two types of distinct metastases or tumours in other parts of the body away from the source in HPV+ patients: "explosive" and "indolent" metastases. The former grows and spreads quicker while the latter is slower and manifests itself as oligometastasis. However, they found the lung as the most common metastatic site in both HPV+ and HPV- patients. According [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:44:17-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Hookahs don’t filter out tobacco toxins

Source: www.webmd.com Author: Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter Contrary to what many people think, hookah water pipes do not filter out most of the heavy metals in tobacco, a new study warns. Tobacco plants can absorb and accumulate heavy metals, such as copper, iron, chromium, lead and uranium. Long-term exposure to these heavy metals can increase smokers' risk of head and neck cancers, as well as other diseases, the study authors said. It's widely believed that hookahs filter out these heavy metals and are therefore safer than cigarettes, the authors pointed out in a news release from BioMed Central. But researchers from the German Jordanian University and the Royal Scientific Society Amman-Jordan tested four of the most popular tobacco brands in Jordan. The investigators found that hookahs remove only about 3 percent of heavy metals in tobacco, which is not enough to protect smokers against exposure to these toxic substances. The findings were released online Feb. 19 in the journal BMC Public Health. "Since the trend of smoking water pipe has increased markedly among the young in the last decade, not only in the Middle East but worldwide, our research adds to the evidence about its potential health hazards," lead researcher Akeel Al-Kazwini said in the news release. The water mainly cools the smoke, rather than filtering it as people may believe, according to Al-Kazwini. More needs to be done to make people aware of the dangers of smoking hookahs, the researchers said. "At present, the water pipe tobacco industry operates [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:37:16-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Clinician support critical to HPV vaccination

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection continues to lag behind rates for other vaccine-preventable diseases, primarily because of lost opportunities in the clinic, according to participants in a national conference. Primary care providers have yet to get onboard with HPV immunization with their critical recommendation to patients or parents. Enthusiasm for HPV vaccination also has taken a hit because of its portrayal as a means to prevent a sexually transmitted disease (STD) instead of a vaccine to prevent cancer, speakers said during an HPV vaccination "summit" at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. "The most important problem is that many healthcare providers are not making a strong recommendation for the vaccine in the same way that they recommend other recommended vaccines," said Melinda Wharton, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. "That's fundamentally what we think the biggest problem is." "We're hurting ourselves by approaching it differently and talking about it differently than we're talking about the other vaccines," said Ailis Clyne, MD, of the Rhode Island Department of Health, which has mounted one of the more successful HPV immunization campaigns in the U.S. Not only have the primary "pitch men" not been getting the message out about HPV, too often the sales pitch has focused on the wrong disease, said Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS). "We need to start talking about [the vaccine] as a cancer vaccine, instead [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:32:41-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Band Announces Iron Maiden Singer is Battling Tongue Cancer

Source: usatoday.comAuthor: Maria Puente Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is being treated for cancer of the tongue, the heavy metal band announced on its website Thursday. But it was caught early, seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation have just been completed, and a full recovery is expected, the announcement said. "Bruce is doing very well considering the circumstances and the whole team are very positive," it concluded. The announcement said that before Christmas, Dickinson visited his doctor for a routine check-up. This led to tests and biopsies, which revealed a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. "As the tumor was caught in the early stages, the prognosis thankfully is extremely good," the announcement said. "Bruce's medical team fully expect him to make a complete recovery with the all-clear envisaged by late May. "It will then take a further few months for Bruce to get back to full fitness. In the meantime we would ask for your patience, understanding and respect for Bruce and his family's privacy until we update everyone by the end of May." Dickinson, 56, joined the British megastar band in the early 1980s, and is also a commercial airline pilot. Iron Maiden's hits include Run to the Hills and The Number of the Beast. Last year, the band announced that Clive Burr, former drummer with Iron Maiden, had died in his London home in March. He was 56 and had multiple sclerosis. *This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2015-02-20T11:59:27-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

HPV Related Cancers Increase in Men

Source: scientificamerican.comAuthor: Robin Lloyd A vaccine to protect against the most dangerous strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which cause almost all cervical cancers, as well as many cases of other cancers and genital warts in both sexes, won the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nearly nine years ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that all boys and girls aged 11 or 12 receive the shots. Vaccination campaigns, aimed largely at girls and women, have fallen short of expectations. By 2013 just over half of U.S. females aged 13 to 17 had received at least one dose of either the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine. For males, that figure was a disappointing 35 percent. Now head and neck cancers associated with the virus are on the rise, leading some experts to recommend that a gender-neutral or male-centric approach might be more effective. HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. and worldwide, infecting just about all men and women at some point in their lives. Although most people clear the virus naturally, persistent infections with some strains can lead to cancer—usually cervical or oropharyngeal (affecting the back of the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue). HPV-associated cancers make up 3.3 percent of all cancer cases among women and 2 percent of all such cases among men annually in the latest available figures, yet the incidence of virally instigated oropharyngeal and anal cancers is increasing. Ohio State University medical oncologist and epidemiologist Maura [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-18T10:56:24-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

HPV Vaccine Linked to Less-Risky Behavior

Source: torontosun.comAuthor: Roxanne Nelson, Reuters Contrary to concerns that getting vaccinated against human papilloma virus (HPV) will lead young people to have more or riskier sex, a new study in England finds less risky behaviour among young women who got the HPV vaccine. "To my knowledge no studies have shown that HPV vaccination increases risky sexual behavior among young women and some of these studies have shown this (less risky behaviour) is also the case outside of the UK," said Dr. Laura Sadler of the University of Manchester, who led the study. It's possible that getting vaccinated led to better education about sexual health, Sadler and her colleagues write in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. Sadler and other experts say it's also possible that young women who are already less likely to take risks are the ones who are more likely to get vaccinated. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and causes the majority of cervical cancers. The virus has also been linked to anal and throat cancers. Two vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, are now available that protect against strains of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. Even though public health officials recommend that girls and young women be vaccinated against HPV, some parents have hesitated, fearing that it could encourage sexual activity or unsafe sex. For their study, Sadler's team reviewed the medical records of 363 women born in 1990 or later who attended an English clinic. Almost two-thirds of the young [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-18T10:46:04-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

New research shows possibility of cure for HPV positive throat cancer patients

Source: Eurek Alert! The Global Source for Science News Nice, France: Patients with cancer of the throat caused by the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) have a better prognosis than those who are negative for the virus (HPV-). Now, for the first time, researchers have shown with convincing evidence that a group of patients with HPV+ cancer of the oropharynx (the part of the throat located behind the mouth, that makes up the region of the tonsils and the back part of the tongue where it connects to the swallowing part of the throat), can be cured in some cases even after disease has spread to distant organs in the body, like the lungs. Dr Sophie Huang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada, will tell the 5th International Conference on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO) today (Friday) that her research has shown that, following intensive treatment, certain patients with HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and distant metastases (tumours appearing in an organ not directly related to the primary cancer site) can survive for more than two years without further evidence of disease. Such cancers are usually considered to be incurable, and the goal of treatment is usually limited to symptom control. "Our research, the largest study to date to explore survival predictors for metastatic HPV+ and HPV- oropharyngeal cancer patients, has shown that cure is a realistic goal in those patients with oligometastasis - metastases involving five or fewer [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-13T08:37:16-07:00February, 2015|OCF In The News|

A Study Finds Smoking’s Toll On Your Body and Health Worse Than Previously Thought

Source: nytimes.comAuthor: Denise Grady However bad you thought smoking was, it’s even worse. A new study adds at least five diseases and 60,000 deaths a year to the toll taken by tobacco in the United States. Before the study, smoking was already blamed for nearly half a million deaths a year in this country from 21 diseases, including 12 types of cancer. The new findings are based on health data from nearly a million people who were followed for 10 years. In addition to the well-known hazards of lung cancer, artery disease, heart attacks, chronic lung disease and stroke, the researchers found that smoking was linked to significantly increased risks of infection, kidney disease, intestinal disease caused by inadequate blood flow, and heart and lung ailments not previously attributed to tobacco. Even though people are already barraged with messages about the dangers of smoking, researchers say it is important to let the public know that there is yet more bad news. “The smoking epidemic is still ongoing, and there is a need to evaluate how smoking is hurting us as a society, to support clinicians and policy making in public health,” said Brian D. Carter, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society and the first author of an article about the study, which appears in The New England Journal of Medicine. “It’s not a done story.” In an editorial accompanying the article, Dr. Graham A. Colditz, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said the new findings showed [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-12T11:56:41-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

New Model Proposed for More Accurate Prediction of Treatment Outcomes for HPV Related Throat Cancer Patients

Source: news-medical.netAuthor: Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre are proposing a new model to enable doctors to predict outcomes more accurately for patients with throat cancers specifically caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The findings are published online today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Study investigators, Dr. Brian O'Sullivan, Lead, Head and Neck Cancer Site Group and Shao-Hui Huang, Research and Clinical Radiation Therapist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, have determined that a new model for classifying the most frequently seen throat cancers in our geographic location is needed. This classification incorporates individual patient factors including age and their smoking status with the traditional classification of the extent of disease, to offer a more personalized approach to predict outcomes and guide treatment. "Our study shows that the current model derived for smoking and alcohol related cancers is not suited for throat cancer caused by HPV, a burgeoning throat cancer population in the Western World, including Canada," says Huang. "This is the future of tumour staging. We need to consider the patient as a whole. Both individual factors, how extensive the disease is in the patient, and tumour biology should play a role in determining the best course of treatment." The purpose of a tumour staging system is to classify the disease into early, intermediate or advanced stage cancer. This classification helps determine treatment plans and can suggest what is likely to be the outcome. In recent years, it's been discovered that [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-11T11:01:45-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccination does not increase promiscuity among adolescents: It’s a vaccine against sexually transmitted cancer

Source: reason.com Author: Ronald Bailey On February 3, 2015, libertarian radio host Andrew Wilkow invited me to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination. We disagreed: Mr. Wilkow is considerably more worried about the risks than is warranted by the scientific evidence. During the segment, Mr. Wilkow stated that he did not plan to have his two-year old daughter vaccinated against the human papilloma virus (HPV). Infection with human papilloma virus is responsible for about 11,967 new cases of HPV-associated cervical cancer and for about 2,370 new cases of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers in women and nearly 9,356 new cases in men each year in the United States. During the radio segment, I mentioned that a male friend had recently died of HPV-associated head-and-neck cancer. I failed to mention that another male friend is being treated for that cancer now. Mr. Wilkow argued that since the vaccine immunizes against a sexually transmitted disease that he saw no reason to have his daughter vaccinated against it. The series of three HPV injections is recommended to start after age 9, so Mr. Wilkow has time to reconsider. Mr. Wilkow is, however, not alone in his opposition to HPV vaccination. A 2014 study in Clinical Pediatrics reported the results of a survey of parents' actions regarding HPV vaccination. The researchers found: A significantly higher proportion of parents of girls who were non-Hispanic white, lived in households with higher incomes, and had mothers with higher education levels, delayed and/or refused vaccination. Another of the early [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-11T08:16:00-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|