December 2017 – Oral Cancer News

Chronic heartburn might increase chance of neck, head cancers

Source: www.upi.com Author: HealthDay News Millions of American seniors suffer the discomfort of chronic acid reflux. Now, new research suggests the condition might raise their odds for even more dangerous foes -- head and neck cancers. The research can't prove cause-and-effect, and the odds of any one person with chronic heartburn developing one of these relatively rare cancers remains low, experts noted. But the study of nearly 28,000 Americans over the age of 65 did show a heightened risk. Overall, a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease -- the clinical term for chronic heartburn -- was linked to nearly triple the odds of developing cancers of the voice box (larynx); about a 2.5 greater odds for cancers of the pharynx (top of the throat); a doubling of risk for cancers of the tonsils; and a 40 percent higher odds for cancers in the sinuses. Head and neck cancers of the respiratory and upper digestive tracts cause more than 360,000 deaths worldwide each year, the researchers noted. The new study was led by Dr. Edward McCoul, of the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, and published Thursday in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. One gastroenterologist said the findings aren't surprising, given what's known about the effect of acid reflux on sensitive tissues. "Reflux material from the stomach can rise high in to the esophagus, the food tube between the mouth and the stomach," explained Dr. Anthony Starpoli. He said the same juices "can invade the throat, sinus passages and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-22T21:58:58-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer survivors often face another hurdle: faster aging

Source: www.upi.com Author: staff Treatments that help people beat cancer also can cause them to age prematurely and die sooner, Mayo Clinic researchers report. Cancer survivors naturally age faster than others who haven't had cancer, and are more likely to develop long-term health problems related to aging while they're still relatively young, the study authors said. These ailments can include hormone and gland disorders, heart problems, brittle bones, lung scarring and new cancers. Survivors also are more likely to become frail as the years pass. Childhood cancer survivors' estimated life expectancy is 30 percent lower than that of the general population, and they are three to six times more likely to develop a second cancer, the researchers noted. With the number of cancer survivors growing, the medical profession needs to start paying more attention to how to keep these people healthy throughout their now-extended lifetimes, said senior researcher Dr. Shahrukh Hashmi. He is an assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "We are now beginning to see the gravity of a multitude of complications among cancer survivors," Hashmi said. "There is an essential and immediate need for formal cancer survivorship programs to prevent complications in millions of cancer survivors." Currently there are about 30 million cancer survivors worldwide, but researchers predict that about 19 million new cancer diagnoses will be made every year by 2025. Many of those people will survive their cancer, only to face long-term health consequences. According to Dr. Charles Shapiro, director of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-22T09:51:46-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Evolving role of surgery in multidisciplinary care for head and neck cancer

Source: www.onclive.com Author: Danielle Bucco Even with the advent of systemic therapeutic advancements to the armamentarium of head and neck cancer, surgery and novel techniques continue to rapidly evolve to effectively treat patients and leave less opportunity for adverse events (AEs). Additionally, the role of the surgeon has changed to be a more integrative role in patient care. “We are more precise and more integrated with other therapeutic modalities,” said Joseph A. Califano, MD. “Together, we work as a team and that is the best way that patients can receive their optimal outcomes. We do not just want to cure their cancer but to get back to function and wellness.” In an interview during the 2017 OncLive State of the Science SummitTM on Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Califano, a professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego, discussed how surgery factors into modern multidisciplinary care for patients with head and neck cancer. OncLive: Please provide an overview of your presentation on surgery for patients with head and neck cancer. Califano: I discussed the fact that the surgery that we do now for head and neck cancers is very different from what used to be done 15 to 20 years ago. Our ability to do effective surgery is good, but now we can do it in a way that leaves patients with excellent function and cosmetic results. When you see someone walking down the street who has had major head and neck surgery, you wouldn't know it [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-19T09:27:11-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Alcohol and cancer – facts and health risks

Source: mesothelioma.net Author: staff Alcohol and Cancer – Facts and Health Risks While there are proven health benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation, and some specific benefits due to the natural compounds found in red wine, drinking is not always good for your health. Drinking regularly and to excess can have some serious and negative impacts on health and may even be linked to an increased risk for mesothelioma or other cancers. Drinking alcohol in moderation during cancer treatment may be fine for some patients, but generally it should be avoided. It may aggravate side effects and studies are also investigating whether or not alcohol can increase the risk of a cancer recurrence. If you are going through treatment for mesothelioma or another type of cancer, talk to your medical team before indulging in a drink or two. Alcohol Consumption is a Risk Factor for Cancer Many studies have found and confirmed, over and over again, that drinking alcohol is a risk factor for developing cancer generally and for specific types of cancers. Specifically, drinking has been linked with throat and mouth cancers, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, and pancreatic cancer. The more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk. According to research data, approximately 3.5 percent of cancer deaths are related to alcohol consumption. Some of the specific facts about drinking and cancer from research include: People who drink three to four alcoholic beverages per day have a two to three times increased risk of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-15T08:00:31-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine IS safe and effective, confirms longest-ever study into the shot which prevents cancer of the cervix, head, neck throat and penis

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: Mia De Graaf, Health Editor The HPV vaccine is safe and effective at preventing human papilloma virus, according to the longest investigation ever conducted on the relatively new shot. While the vaccine has been a success in every study since it came out in the US and the UK in 2006, the medical community has been keenly waiting for some long-term data to show its lingering benefits. Today, Augusta University's 10-year study was published in the journal Pediatrics, appearing to confirm the findings in every other short-term report. The data also supported the view that the vaccine should be administered to both boys and girls from the age of nine years old, despite previously only being offered to girls. Experts say they hope the findings will help drive up rates of children getting the vaccine, which protects against HPV and therefore HPV-linked cancers such as throat, head, neck, penis, and cervical cancer. 'The vaccine was virtually 100 percent effective in preventing disease in these young individuals,' says Dr Daron G. Ferris, professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia and at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US and the UK with an estimated 14 million Americans infected every year, and a third of British adults. While about two-thirds of infected individuals can eventually clear the virus, it persists and can cause a wide range of health problems in the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-01T12:20:07-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Young men should be required to get the HPV vaccine. It would have saved me from cancer.

Source: www.thedailybeast.com Author: Michael Becker In December 2015, at the age of 47, I was diagnosed with Stage IV oral squamous cell carcinoma. More simply, I have advanced cancer of the head and neck. While initial treatment with grueling chemo-radiation appeared successful, the cancer returned one year later in both of my lungs. My prognosis shifted from potentially curable to terminal disease. The news was shocking and devastating—not just for me, but for my wife, two teenage daughters, and the rest of our family and friends. Suddenly, my life revolved around regular appointments for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, imaging procedures, and frequent checkups. I made seemingly endless, unscheduled hospital emergency room visits—including one trip to the intensive care unit—to address some of the more severe toxicities from treatment. All told, I suffered from more than a dozen side effects related to treatment and/or cancer progression. Some are temporary; others permanent. These include anxiety, depression, distorted sense of taste, clots forming in my blood vessels, dry mouth, weight loss, and many more. My cancer started with a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a virus that is preventable with vaccines available for adolescent girls since 2006 and boys starting in 2011. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three vaccines to prevent HPV infection: Gardasil®, Gardasil® 9, and Cervarix®. These vaccines provide strong protection against new HPV infections for young women through age 26, and young men through age 21, but they are not effective at treating established HPV infections. It was too [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-12-01T12:06:13-07:00December, 2017|Oral Cancer News|