2017 – Page 8 – Oral Cancer News

Health Beat: Hunting head and neck cancer cells

Source: www.wfmz.com Author: Melanie Falcon Leonard Monteith led a healthy lifestyle. That's why sudden problems with his mouth caught his attention. "I noticed that when I would stick my tongue out, it would deviate to one side, and I thought that's not right," said Monteith, 66. Doctors found an inch-wide tumor at the base of Monteith's tongue. He was diagnosed with HPV positive cancer. "The traditional treatment for head and neck cancer is really toxic and exhaustive and leads to side-effects that are very significant," said Dr. Nabil Saba, a medical oncologist at Emory University Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta. After treatment, Monteith's cancer went away for six months, but then it came back in his lungs. Saba is a nationally-known expert in the treatment of head and neck cancers. He thought Monteith would be a good candidate for a new therapy. "Immunotherapy is really, I think, a complete game changer," said Saba. Saba said two separate immunotherapy drugs are showing real promise. A drug called Nivolumab blocks the cancer receptors, allowing the body's immune system to fight the cancer. Another drug, Pembrolizumab, also works in a similar way. Because the trials are ongoing, Saba can't say which specific drug Monteith was on. "He had very good response to the treatment, to the point where we could not see any more lung lesions on the scan," Saba said. Monteith has been improving for three years, but he knows his condition could change without warning. "I just live my life as [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-05-22T07:29:34-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Large Study Shows Reduced Oral HPV Infections With Vaccine

Author: Kate Johnson Date: May 18, 2017 Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/880184#vp_1 Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is associated with an 88% reduction in rates of oral HPV infection according to one of the first studies to investigate this association. The findings, reported in a premeeting presscast for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2017 Annual Meeting, suggest that HPV vaccination may play an important role in the prevention of oropharyngeal cancer. "Our data indicate that HPV vaccines have tremendous potential to prevent oral infections," said senior study author Maura L. Gillison, MD, PhD, who conducted the research at Ohio State University and is now a professor of medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But she emphasized that although more than 90% of oropharangeal cancers are caused by HPV-16 ― one of the types for which HPV vaccines are currently available ― the vaccine is only indicated for the prevention of cervical and anogenital infections and associated cancers. "There haven't been any clinical trials evaluating whether the currently approved HPV vaccines can prevent oral infections that lead to cancer, so that is not currently an indication," she explained. In the absence of randomized trials, Dr Gillison and colleagues carried out a cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) survey collected from 2627 young adults aged 18 to 33 years during the period 2011-2014. This study was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and was designed to assess the health and wellness [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:13:57-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Is the HPV vaccine safe?

Author: Linda Carroll Date: May 15, 2017 Source: http://www.today.com/health/hpv-vaccine-who-should-get-it-t110710 There is so much confusion around the human papillomavirus, or HPV: what it is, what causes it, how you can prevent it, and most commonly, whether or not the HPV vaccine is actually safe. Here are the basics: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses. It's transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact, and you can get it by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone else who has the virus. It is very common: A recent report found 42 percent of Americans are infected with HPV. That may sound alarming, but in most cases, HPV goes away without any signs and doesn't lead to health issues. When HPV doesn't go away, it can lead to genital warts and cancer. It's important to note 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 59 are infected with the cancer-causing strains. So what can you do? The best way to prevent these harmful types of HPV is to get the HPV vaccine, which was first recommended in 2006, but people are still wary of it. “This is the only vaccine we have that prevents cancer,” said Dr. Donnica Moore, president of the Sapphire Women’s Health Group. The HPV vaccine protects against strains of the virus that have been shown to cause cervical, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancer, as well as certain cancers of the mouth [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-05-16T08:48:40-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Changing definition of margin status for oral cancer

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: staff Data cast doubt on 5-mm standard, use of frozen sections A commonly used metric for defining a close surgical margin for resected oral-cavity tumors failed to identify adequately the patients at increased risk of recurrence, a retrospective review of 432 cases showed. The analysis showed an inverse relationship with increasing distance between invasive tumor and inked main specimen margin on the main specimen, but results of a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified a cutoff of < 1 mm as most appropriate for classifying patients as having a high risk of local recurrence, as opposed to the more commonly used cutoff of 5 mm. The analysis also showed that resection of tissue beyond 1 mm on intraoperative frozen section did not improve local disease control, as reported online in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Cancer. "The commonly used cutoff of 5 mm for a close margin lacks an evidential basis in predicting local recurrence," Steven M. Sperry, MD, of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues concluded. "Invasive tumor within 1 mm of the permanent specimen margin is associated with a significantly higher local recurrence risk, though there is no significant difference for greater distances. "This study suggests that a cutoff of less than 1 mm identifies patients at increased local recurrence risk who may benefit from additional treatment. Analysis of the tumor specimen, rather than the tumor bed, is necessary for this determination." The results add to a growing volume of evidence that margins [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-05-05T13:02:10-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Swallowing exercises can improve quality of life for head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.targetedonc.com Author: Gina Columbus While patients with head and neck cancer are likely to experience difficulty swallowing after undergoing intesity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), Lynn Acton, MS, CCC (SLP) says the use of swallowing exercises can drastically improve muscle movement for these patients both during and after radiation therapy (RT). In a study conducted by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham Women’s Hospital, patients with head and neck cancer who underwent RT in a 2-year period were evaluated for swallowing difficulty with a video swallow to score stricture and aspiration. Of the 96 patients evaluated who received IMRT once daily, 32% had some aspiration after therapy, while 37% had evidence of stricture following RT. Studies are currently ongoing to explore the utility of swallowing modalities for these patients. For example, an interventional, randomized, multicenter phase III trial is comparing early-active swallowing therapy versus nonspecific swallowing management (NCT02892487). Researchers are conducting the study to determine that early-active swallowing therapy can improve the quality of life of patients undergoing RT for head and neck cancer. Additionally, a behavioral questionnaire is evaluating adherence to preventative swallowing exercises and the reasons why patients choose not to follow them (NCT03010150). Patients will complete the questionnaire at baseline and again at 6 months following RT that will discuss adherence to swallowing exercises. Acton, a lecturer in surgery (otolaryngology) and speech pathologist at Yale School of Medicine, discussed the significance of swallowing modalities for patients with head and neck cancer during and after RT in an [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-05-05T12:37:40-07:00May, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

European Commission approves Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck in adults progressing on or after platinum-based therapy

Source: pipelinereview.com Author: Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) as monotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN) in adults progressing on or after platinum-based therapy. Opdivo is the first and only Immuno-Oncology (I-O) treatment that demonstrated in a Phase 3 trial a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) for these patients. “Adult patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that progresses on or after platinum-based therapy are fighting a debilitating and hard-to-treat disease that is associated with a very poor prognosis,” said Kevin Harrington, M.D., Ph.D., professor in Biological Cancer Therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and a consultant clinical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London. “As an oncologist who helps patients deal with this terrible disease, I hope that nivolumab will now be made available as widely as possible, offering this group of patients a new treatment option that can potentially improve their overall survival." The approval was based on results from CheckMate -141, a global Phase 3, open-label, randomized trial, first published in The New England Journal of Medicine last October, which evaluated Opdivo versus investigator’s choice of therapy in patients aged 18 years and above with recurrent or metastatic, platinum-refractory SCCHN who had tumor progression during or within six months of receiving platinum-based therapy administered in the adjuvant, neo-adjuvant, primary or metastatic setting. Investigator’s choice of therapy included methotrexate, docetaxel, or [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-04-30T12:46:16-07:00April, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

‘Happy Days’ star Erin Moran’s Husband Reveals Tragic Details about Cancer

Author: Marah Alindogan Source: www.aol.com Date: Apr 25th 2017 Erin Moran's husband, Steve Fleischmann, revealed heartbreaking details about the months leading up to her death in a Facebook post on Tuesday. New evidence from the Harrison County Sheriff's Office on Monday suggested that the actress likely died due to complications from stage 4 cancer. The open letter, which was posted on Scott Baio's official Facebook page, confirmed the report. "Erin and I met 4/22/1992 and parted ways 4/22/2017," her husband began the letter. He recalled that Erin "woke up and had about a dime size blood stain on her pillowcase" right after they got back from a trip to celebrate their wedding anniversary in November of last year. After a couple of days, they kept on finding more blood. "I get a flashlight and say let me look. It was not her tongue it was her tonsil on the left side. I thought it was tonsillitis," wrote Fleischmann. After getting a biopsy, doctors confirmed she had squamous cell carcinoma -- a common form of cancer. Shortly after, she started radiation and chemo -- five days a week on radiation and chemo only on Thursdays. However, Erin's condition slowly deteriorated: "It got so bad so fast. By the middle of February, Erin could no longer speak or eat or drink." Despite her poor health, the actress remained in good spirits. "She was still happy, she was active, she texted people on her phone all day," Steve added. The day before her [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-04-25T11:18:44-07:00April, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Overwhelming support from GPs & dentists for boys to receive the HPV vaccination

Date: 4/24/2017 Source: http://www.hpvaction.org 97% of dentists and 94% of GPs would have their own sons vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), in a new survey published ahead of World Immunisation Week 24th-28th April. 97% of dentists and 94% of GPs believe that the national HPV vaccination programme should cover both boys and girls. 95% of GPs and dentists together said if they had a son they would want him to receive the HPV vaccination. The findings come as the Government’s vaccination advisory committee (JCVI) moves towards a decision on whether boys should be given the HPV vaccination. BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Dr Andrew Green, a member of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee (GPC), said: “If we want to see an end to some of the most aggressive and hard to treat cancers such as throat, head, neck and anal cancer, boys as well as girls must be given the HPV vaccination. It is ridiculous that people are still dying from these cancers when their life could have easily been saved by a simple injection.” BRITISH DENTAL ASSOCIATION Mick Armstrong, Chair of the BDA's Principal Executive Committee, said: “HPV is the leading cause of oro-pharyngeal cancers and men are just as likely to develop it as women so where is the logic – or fairness – in targeting protection to one section of the population? It is morally indefensible to allow people to contract cancer when prevention – the new NHS mantra – could be so cheap and easy. Cancers affecting [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-04-24T10:03:19-07:00April, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine; cancer prevention

Source: www.nujournal.com Author: staff Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection, of several strains, most associated with cervical cancers. The virus is so common that nearly all males and females have been infected at some time in their life. One in four is currently infected in the nation. Signs and symptoms of HPV are variable. Most will recover from the virus within two years without ever knowing they were infected, making HPV easy to spread. Occasionally, the virus lasts much longer in the body which can cause cells to change and lead to cancer. Fortunately, we have a vaccine to prevent cancer caused by HPV. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three vaccines for HPV; Cervarix, Gardasil, and Gardasil 9. These vaccines are tested and proven to be safe and effective. Prevention is important with HPV. The vaccine should be administered before exposure to the virus for stronger protection against cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, and some mouth or throat cancers. (Gardasil and Gardasil 9 also prevent genital warts and anal cancer.) The best age to obtain maximum potential of the vaccine is at 11 or 12 years old. At this age, the body’s immune system is the most receptive to the vaccination’s virus-like particles and the body produces higher amounts of antibodies in defense, protecting the adolescent for his or her future. Both girls and boys should get the HPV vaccine. For ages 9-14, two doses – six to twelve months apart, are recommended. For 15-26 year [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-04-17T13:13:58-07:00April, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Beating HPV-positive throat cancer

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com Author: Pamela Tom, Contributor National Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week is April 12-18, 2017 For at least two years, 47 year-old Rob Clinton of Rochester, NY, would choke on post nasal drip in the shower. He knew something was wrong in his throat but he didn’t feel any pain. Did he have cancer? Clinton smoked cigarettes for 30 years and worked in an auto body shop where he was regularly exposed to carcinogens, but he wasn’t experiencing the typical symptoms of throat cancer. These include hoarseness or a change in the voice, difficulty swallowing, a persistent sore throat, ear pain, a lump in the neck, cough, breathing problems, and unexplained weight loss. In November 2015, Clinton went to the dentist to have his teeth cleaned. His dentist felt Clinton’s swollen neck and recommended that he visit a medical doctor. Clinton heeded the advice and sought the opinion of an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. The ENT doctor sent Clinton to have a CAT scan and when he scoped Clinton’s throat, the doctor said, “I see something in there.” What he saw was a tumor and there were a few other things going on too. The Diagnosis The biopsy showed that Clinton had Stage IVa oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) at the base of his tongue—and the cancer was HPV positive. HPV stands for the human papillomavirus and a recent survey found that more than 42% of Americans are infected [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-04-15T06:15:20-07:00April, 2017|Oral Cancer News|