2017 – Page 10 – Oral Cancer News

Bill Snyder Addresses Health Situation

Source: http://www.kstatesports.com MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head football coach Bill Snyder addressed today reports of his current health, which will not affect his duties leading the Wildcat program. “I feel bad having to release this information about my health in this manner prior to sharing it in person with so many personal friends, distant family, players and their families, past and present, and many of the Kansas State football family so close to our program,” Snyder said. “But, with so much talk presently out there, I certainly owe it to everyone to make them aware of my condition. "I have been diagnosed with throat cancer and have been receiving outpatient treatment at the KU Medical Center for about three weeks and am getting along very well. The doctors and staffs at both KU Med and M.D. Anderson (in Houston, Texas) have been great; working so very well together to finalize the overall treatment plan which is being conducted in Kansas City. Both ‘teams’ have projected a positive outcome and have worked out a schedule that allows me to be in Kansas City for my regular treatments and still be back in the office on a regular basis through the first week of March. Sean, along with our coaching and support staffs, remain highly productive in carrying out their responsibilities keeping us on track. "I greatly appreciate our President, Richard Myers, and Athletic Director, John Currie, for their continued support, and I’m very grateful to those who have responded over [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-02-13T12:43:05-07:00February, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Game changer’ HPV vaccine is now just 2 shots – not 3 – in bid to simplify

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: Mary Kekatos for dailymail.com HPV vaccines will now be administered in two doses instead of three The virus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US But only 28% of boys and 42% of girls received the advised three doses in 2015 Doctors hope the new guidelines increase the number of kids who get the shot The HPV vaccine will now be administered in two doses instead of three, new guidelines declare. The new rules, published on Monday, come after years of campaigns from cancer experts insisting an easier schedule would encourage more people to protect themselves from the sexually-transmitted infection. Human papillomavirus (or, HPV) is the most common STI in the United States, affecting around 79 million people. It has been linked to numerous cancers - including prostate, throat, head and neck, rectum and cervical cancer. Experts claim more widespread vaccine coverage of middle school children could prevent 28,000 cancer diagnoses a year. Currently, fewer than half the children eligible for the vaccine - given out as three doses over six months - are covered. Experts blame the lengthy, arduous schedule. The American Cancer Society today endorsed the updated recommendations, which were released by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Dr Debbie Saslow, Senior Director, HPV Related and Women's Cancers for the American Cancer Society, said: 'In the past several years, studies have shown the vaccine is even more effective than expected. 'This new two-dose regimen is easier to follow, and we now [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-02-08T18:46:13-07:00February, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

We Have a Vaccine For Six Cancers; Why Are Less Than Half of Kids Getting It?

Author: Electra D. Paskett, Professor of Cancer Research, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Source: http://theconversation.com Early in our careers, few of us imagined a vaccine could one day prevent cancer. Now there is a vaccine that keeps the risk of developing six Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers at bay, but adoption of it has been slow and surprising low. Although it’s been available for more than a decade, as of 2014 only 40 percent of girls had received the full three doses of the vaccine, while only 22 percent of boys had received all three. That is far lower than the 87 percent vaccination rates for the Tdap vaccine, which prevents tetanus, diptheria and acellular pertussis. Rates of uptake are low in all population groups. Some of the reasons include misinformation about the vaccine and why it’s administered to children. Because it is transmitted sexually in almost all cases, many parents assume their children do not need it until they are sexually active. Some believe that giving it will encourage early sexual behavior. Three separate doses on three separate doctor visits place a burden to many working parents. And, of course, there are those few who believe that vaccines are not good for children. Now, however, with the approval of a two-dose regimen for children under age 15, we have an opportunity to revisit the conversation with providers and parents and reinvigorate efforts to expand HPV vaccination. If successful, we may save tens of thousands of Americans from cancer [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-02-07T10:59:53-07:00February, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Silk and stem cells are being used to generate salivary glands

Source: biotechin.asia Author: Manish Muhuri Saliva is a watery substance secreted by the salivary glands located in the mouth. Saliva is essential for good health, as it assists in speaking, swallowing, food digestion, preventing oral infections in addition to many other tasks. Without normal salivary function the frequency of dental caries, gum disease (gingivitis), and other oral problems increases significantly. Location and types of salivary glands in humans. Image Courtesy : Wikimedia Commons Dysfunction or reduction in activity of salivary glands can be caused by many factors, including diabetes, radiation therapy for head and neck tumors, aging, medication side effects, and Sjögren’s syndrome. Sjogren’s is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own tear ducts and salivary glands. Patients suffering from this disease have severely dry mouth. No treatments are currently available for dry mouth. Salivary glands, unfortunately, have very little regenerative capacity. The title must have left you wondering about the correlation between silk and saliva – what do they have in common? They are both actually part of a unique experiment going on in San Antonio, a study that could change the lives of millions of people who suffer from dry mouth. Chih-Ko Yeh , BDS, Ph.D., and Xiao-Dong Chen, MD, MS, Ph.D., of the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry decided there had to be a better way to help people than try to develop drugs and figured that stem cells may help solve a common, painful problem. Yeh said the idea is [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-01-30T12:36:05-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Padres Hall of Famer Randy Jones Battling Throat Cancer

Source: 10news.com Author: Mark Saunders Posted: Jan 26, 2017 SAN DIEGO - Legendary San Diego Padres pitcher Randy Jones is battling throat cancer, the team's website announced Thursday. Jones was reportedly diagnosed in November 2016 and has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments since December at Sharp's Hospital. "I feel positive," Jones said told the Padre's Bill Center. "They caught it early. It's all in the throat and not in the lymph nodes. I'm beating this thing." Jones said he used chewing tobacco as a player and has smoked cigars throughout his adult life. "I've completed 90 percent of my treatment," Jones told Center. He added that his physicians have said his cancer is linked to tobacco use. He also said his cancer is low-risk. Since his playing days he has remained heavily involved with the team. He is a spokesperson for the team and a local radio and television personality. The Friars drafted Jones in 1972, during the 5th round of the amateur draft. Jones pitched for the Padres from 1973-1980. He recorded a 3.42 ERA and 735 strikeouts through his career. He was the first Padre to win the National League Cy Young Award and the first Padre to start an All-Star Game. He was a National League all-star in 1975 and 1976, when he led the NL in ERA in 1975 and led in wins in 1976. Jones' number was retired by the team in 1997 and two years later, he was a member of the Padre's first Hall [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-01-26T13:50:37-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Epigenetic modification discovered in adult throat cancers

Source: www.specialtypharmacytimes.com Author: Lauren Santye, Assistant Editor An epigenetic modification may be the cause of 15% of adult head and neck cancers that are linked to tobacco and alcohol use, according to a study published in Nature Genetics. Although the body is made up of a large number of different types of cells––neurons, skins cells, fat cells, immune cells–– they all have the same DNA or genome. It was not until recently that scientists discovered their differences can be explained by epigenetics. “This discovery was absolutely unexpected since it seemed highly improbable that the kind of alterations of the epigenome that we had previously found in other types of tumors in children and young adults could also target an epithelial tumor like throat cancer that occurs only in adults,” said Dr Nada Jabado. There are already some promising drug molecules currently on the market for other diseases that could be tested for head and neck cancers, as well as other cancer types, according to the study. Additionally, the investigators hope that the findings could help in developing treatments for pediatric patients. “Now that we’ve identified this cohort of patients, we can move quite quickly since the case of adults, as opposed to children, there are more patients and lots of clinical trials,” Dr Jabado said. “The medicines could then be tested on children afterward.” Dr Jabado’s work focuses on epigenetics in pediatric cancers, particularly on the mutations of the histone H3 protein. In particular, the investigators were interested in a [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-01-20T08:56:52-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer patients sometimes can’t get coverage at the hospitals they want

Source: Washington Post Author: Michelle Andrews Published: January 15 Getting cancer is scary. Discovering that your health plan doesn’t give you access to leading cancer centers may make the diagnosis even more daunting. As insurers participating in the health marketplace shrink their provider networks and slash the number of plans that offer out-of-network coverage, some consumers with cancer are learning that their treatment options can sometimes be limited. One reader wrote to Kaiser Health News last month saying that she was dismayed to learn that none of the plans offered on the New York marketplace provides access to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she is a patient. Memorial Sloan Kettering is a well-regarded cancer center that is affiliated with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the National Cancer Institute.It participates in New York’s Essential Plan, which is available to lower-income people but not to people enrolling in plans with the familiar categories of bronze, silver, gold and platinum. NCCN is an alliance of 27 cancer centers whose physicians and researchers develop clinical practice guidelines that are widely respected. The National Cancer Institute’s 69 designated cancer centers, which are recognized for their scientific leadership and research, can offer patients access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials. A 2015 survey found that three-quarters of NCI-designated cancer centers said they participated in at least some exchange plans, and 13 percent said they were included in all exchange plans in their state. Among centers that didn’t participate in any exchanges, [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-01-17T10:48:53-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

FDA Warns Against So-Called “Cancer Cure”

Source: http://www.curetoday.com/articles/fda-warns-against-socalled-cancer-cure Published: 01/13/2017 Author: BRIELLE URCIUOLI The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just added another agent, PNC-27, to the growing list of drugs that falsely claim to treat or cure cancer. An FDA lab recently found the bacteria Variovorax paradoxus in PNC-27, a product that is claiming to treat and cure all cancers, claiming to affect lung cancer as affectively as head and neck cancer. Though no illness or serious adverse events were reported to the FDA, contact with contaminated samples can lead to life-threatening infections, especially in vulnerable populations, such as young children, elderly people, pregnant women and people who have weakened immune systems, according to a statement released by the FDA. “In general, consumers should be cautious of products marketed and sold online claiming to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Products claiming to treat, cure or prevent disease, but are not proven safe and effective for those purposes not only defraud consumers of money, they can lead to delays in getting proper diagnosis and treatment of a potentially serious condition,” Kristofer Baumgartner, FDA spokesperson, said in an interview with CURE. PNC-27 is being dosed in multiple ways, such as a nebulized solution, intravenous solution, vaginal suppository or rectal suppository. The FDA is urging people not to purchase or use PNC-27, which is neither FDA evaluated or approved. Patients should consult with their licensed health care providers before deciding on a treatment plan, and if they have already taken PNC-27, they should see their doctor as [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-01-17T10:39:51-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

NCI-Designated Cancer Centers Issue Statement in Support of New CDC Recommendations on HPV Vaccination

Source: The ASCO Post Posted: 1/11/2017 The 69 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers have issued a joint statement in support of recently revised recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve national vaccination rates for human papillomavirus (HPV). According to the CDC, incidence rates of HPV-associated cancers have continued to rise, with approximately 39,000 new HPV-associated cancers now diagnosed each year in the United States. Although HPV vaccines can prevent the majority of cervical, anal, oropharyngeal, and other genital cancers, vaccination rates remain low across the United States, with just 41.9% of girls and 28.1% of boys completing the recommended vaccine series. New Recommendations The new guidelines from the CDC recommend that children under age 15 should receive 2 doses of the 9-valent HPV vaccine at least 6 months apart. Adolescents and young adults older than 14 should continue to complete the 3-dose series. Research shows there are a number of barriers to overcome to improve vaccination rates, including a lack of strong recommendations from physicians and parents not understanding that this vaccine protects against several types of cancer. In an effort to overcome these barriers, NCI-designated cancer centers have organized a continuing series of national summits to share new research, discuss best practices, and identify collective action toward improving vaccination rates. The original joint statement, published in January 2016, was the major recommendation from a summit hosted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer in November 2015, which brought together experts from the [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-01-11T16:57:19-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Artificial larynx implant helps throat cancer patient breathe and speak

Source: www.ctvnews.ca Author: staff Sixteen months after receiving an artificial larynx, a 56-year-old French man suffering from throat cancer can now whisper and breathe normally. A report published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine considers this to be a significant first achievement. Thanks to the implant, a 56-year-old throat cancer patient can now whisper and breathe normally. © ChrisChrisW / Istock.com This is the first time that doctors have observed a patient with the implant long term recover functions such as breathing and speaking after the complete removal of the larynx. Thanks to an artificial voice box, implanted in 2015 at France's Strasbourg-Hautepierre university hospital, the 56-year-old Frenchman, who lives in Alsace, can now whisper in a comprehensible manner and breathe normally. The patient has also recovered his sense of smell, which was damaged by the removal of the larynx. Other than the vocal cords, the larynx features an upper valve, called the epiglottis, which closes when food passes down the throat to prevent it from entering the windpipe. The prosthetic larynx was developed by a French company called Protip Médical. It consists of a rigid titanium and silicone structure replacing the larynx and a removable titanium part that mimics the function of the epiglottis. The only problem that remains unresolved in the implant is the function of the epiglottis. As a result, the patient coughs from time to time when eating, as food accidentally enters the windpipe. However, the surgeons still consider the functioning implant [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-01-11T09:41:28-07:00January, 2017|Oral Cancer News|