January 2018 – Oral Cancer News

CDHA Urges Hygienists to Remind Patients of Oral Cancer Screening

Author: Canadian Dental Hygienists Association Date: January 29, 2018 Source: https://www.oralhealthgroup.com World Cancer Day (February 4) is a perfect time for dental hygienists across Canada to remind the public of the importance of regular oral cancer screenings, not only during dental appointments, but also now at home. The Canadian Cancer Society projected in 2017 that 4,700 Canadians would be diagnosed with oral cavity cancer, and that 1,250 Canadians would die. In hopes of improving the long-term outcomes for people diagnosed with oral cancer, the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) has partnered with the Oral Cancer Foundation and the American Dental Hygienists Association on a “Check Your Mouth™” initiative to help individuals identify the early signs and symptoms of oral cavity cancers. “Dental hygienists recognize that early detection has great potential to reduce the oral cancer burden in Canada,” states Sophia Baltzis, CDHA president. “Between dental visits, which usually include an oral cancer screening, our clients can and should examine their mouths for suspicious tissue changes.” The Check Your Mouth™ campaign features an interactive website (www.checkyourmouth.org) that offers easy-to-use tools and tips for a quick visual and tactile examination of the oral cavity. Individuals can learn to self-discover the early symptoms of disease and then seek further evaluation from a dental professional if necessary. “Dental hygienists are your partners in prevention,” adds Baltzis. “We encourage all Canadians to maintain a healthy lifestyle, practice good oral hygiene habits, and spot the early signs of oral cancer. The Check Your Mouth™ website is a valuable [...]

Charlotte Parker2018-02-06T14:57:40-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Study Identifies Potential Cause of Hearing Loss from Cisplatin

Author: NCI Staff Date: January 26, 2018 Source: National Cancer Institute (https://www.cancer.gov/news-events) Results from a new study may explain why many patients treated with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin develop lasting hearing loss. Researchers found that, in both mice and humans, cisplatin can be found in the cochlea—the part of the inner ear that enables hearing—months and even years after treatment. By contrast, the drug is eliminated from most organs in the body within days to weeks after being administered. The study, led by researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published November 21 in Nature Communications. Cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapy drug, is commonly used for the treatment of many cancers, including bladder, ovarian, and testicular cancers. But cisplatin and other similar platinum-containing drugs can damage the cochlea, leaving 40%–80% of adults, and at least 50% of children, with significant permanent hearing loss, a condition that can greatly affect quality of life. “This study starts to explain why patients who receive the drug sustain hearing loss,” said Percy Ivy, M.D., associate chief of NCI’s Investigational Drug Branch, who was not involved in the study. “This is very important, because as we come to understand how cisplatin-related hearing loss occurs, over time we may figure out a way to block it, or at least diminish its effects.” A New Approach to Researching Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss The new study differs from previous research because it is a comprehensive look at the pharmacokinetics, or concentration, of the [...]

Charlotte Parker2018-02-06T14:57:52-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

NHS immunises girls but not boys against potentially deadly HPV virus because its ‘not cost-effective’

Source: www.thesun.co.uk Author: Jacob Dirnhuber Girls aged 12 to 13 are already vaccinated for free against the HPV virus, which can cause deadly tumours in the throat and mouth, but boys have to do without. Experts believe it would take £22 million a year to vaccinate every boy in Britain against the deadly disease - a fraction of the vast £148 billion NHS budget. But low overall infection rates mean that bean-counters refuse to sign off on any additional funding - condemning thousands to months of expensive, agonising cancer treatment. Cambridge University Professor Margaret Stanley blasted: "You cannot protect against these cancers by only vaccinating half the population." She told the Mail on Sunday: "Not to immunise boys is classic Treasury short-termism. You may not spend so much now, but it will cost far more years later. "We are in the midst of an HPV pandemic." HPV is generally spread through genital and oral sex, and can also be transmitted by kissing - meaning that some people who contract it are virgins. Only a tiny minority of those infected go on to develop cancer, often decades after they contract the virus. An estimated 80 per cent of all adults in the UK have been infected at some point. Throat and cancer specialist Professor Christopher Nutting said: "My patients are being struck down by a preventable cancer that will affect them for the rest of their lives. "It's unfair that women are protected but men are not. The vaccine will work. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-29T07:18:30-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

New “soft” laser treatment to improve quality of life for cancer patients

Source: www.world-first.co.uk Author: staff A new "soft" laser therapy is to be used nationwide to help prevent patients undergoing treatment for neck and head cancer from suffering severe side effects. The low-level laser therapy (LLLT), or photomedicine, will help prevent patients suffering from soreness in the mouth and throat, dry mouth and swallowing problems. More than 90% of the 4,000 people a year in England and Wales who receive chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer experience side effects which can lead to hospital admissions and, in some cases, interrupt the course of radiotherapy. The new treatment, developed by the NHS foundation trusts of University Hospital Southampton and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals, is being trialled nationwide as part of a £1.2 million study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). One of the main complications of current treatments is oral mucositis (OM), which affects taste and speech. It causes excessive secretions of saliva, which result in nausea, vomiting and weight loss. Currently, patients are treated with a combination of painkillers and anti-sickness drugs and many require frequent hospital appointments to control their symptoms. Some also need nutritional support through nasal or stomach feeding tubes. LLLT is a drug-free treatment that stimulates damaged cells using a low energy laser beam to reduce pain and inflammation. It's more commonly used to treat musculoskeletal problems such as tendon, bone and nerve damage. Consultant clinical oncologist at Southampton General Hospital Dr Shanmugasundaram Ramkumar said the LLLT would improve quality of life for patients. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-26T07:43:07-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Dr. Califano discusses the role of surgery in head and neck cancer

Source: www.onclive.com Author: Joseph A. Califano, MD Joseph A. Califano, MD, professor of surgery, University of California, San Diego, discusses the role of surgery in head and neck cancer. The surgeon has evolved to have a more integrative role in patient care for those with head and neck cancer. Current surgical techniques used in the treatment of head and neck cancers have greatly evolved in the last two decades. Surgery is more precise, and leaves patients with excellent function and cosmetic results by incision through natural orifices, Califano says. Robotic surgery is the cornerstone of head and neck cancer surgery, says Califano. It is effective in terms of resecting tumors of the throat, tonsils, back of the tongue, and the nasopharynx—which are hard to reach without robotic instrumentation. Califano says that the benefits of robotic surgery in this setting are that it leaves patients with excellent function, swallowing, voice, and allows for a rapid recovery.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-25T13:32:44-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Anti-smoking plan may kill cigarettes–and save Big Tobacco

Date: January 19, 2018 Author: Matthew Perrone Source: www.apnews.com WASHINGTON (AP) — Imagine if cigarettes were no longer addictive and smoking itself became almost obsolete; only a tiny segment of Americans still lit up. That’s the goal of an unprecedented anti-smoking plan being carefully fashioned by U.S. health officials. But the proposal from the Food and Drug Administration could have another unexpected effect: opening the door for companies to sell a new generation of alternative tobacco products, allowing the industry to survive — even thrive — for generations to come. The plan puts the FDA at the center of a long-standing debate over so-called “reduced-risk” products, such as e-cigarettes, and whether they should have a role in anti-smoking efforts, which have long focused exclusively on getting smokers to quit. “This is the single most controversial — and frankly, divisive — issue I’ve seen in my 40 years studying tobacco control policy,” said Kenneth Warner, professor emeritus at University of Michigan’s school of public health. The FDA plan is two-fold: drastically cut nicotine levels in cigarettes so that they are essentially non-addictive. For those who can’t or won’t quit, allow lower-risk products that deliver nicotine without the deadly effects of traditional cigarettes. US health officials are pushing ahead with an unprecedented plan to make cigarettes less addictive and provide lower-risk alternative products to US smokers. (Jan. 19) This month the government effort is poised to take off. The FDA is expected to soon begin what will likely be a years-long process [...]

Charlotte Parker2018-02-06T14:58:15-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Study provides new guidelines for assessing severity of head and neck cancers

Source: eurekalert.org Author: press release Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed a new, more accurate set of guidelines for assessing the severity of head and neck cancers and predicting patient survival. The new guidelines, outlined in a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, center around counting the number of malignant lymph nodes found in each patient. "The greater the number of malignant lymph nodes, the less favorable the patients' chances of survival," said Allen S. Ho, MD. Ho is director of the Head and Neck Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai and lead author of the study. "This new approach could dramatically simplify staging systems." For decades, doctors have determined the stage and predicted the progression of head and neck cancers based primarily on nodal size, location and how far the cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes, but they have given less importance to the number of cancerous nodes. As a result, staging and treatment recommendations, based on current national guidelines, "are the same whether a patient has two or 20 positive lymph nodes," said Zachary S. Zumsteg, MD, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai and the study's senior author. With the new system, based on the number of cancerous lymph nodes, patients are separated into similarly sized groups with distinct outcomes, Zumsteg said. "Our study demonstrated a better way to assess cancer severity, which will improve our ability to predict outcomes and give patients more personalized treatment." The Cedars-Sinai [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-24T09:24:42-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer survivors are transforming their radiation masks into art

Source: www.artsy.net Author: Ryan Leahey Photos by Ulf Wallin Photography In a Baltimore basement, behind foot-thick walls, there is a room, and in that room there is a table. Every morning, Monday through Friday for seven weeks, my dad entered the room at 7:40 a.m. sharp. I accompanied him there on a few occasions, sitting outside in the waiting room as the door closed behind him. A minute or two would pass, followed by a barely audible buzz, then the door would slide open again and he’d walk out, another radiation treatment X’d off the calendar. My dad’s experience in that room, one of many in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, will be familiar to other throat cancer patients. A radiation technician bolted him down to the table with the help of a white mesh mask perfectly molded to the contours of his face. Wrapped tightly around his head and neck, the bizarre-looking armature ensured that powerful radiation beams targeted his cancer in the exact same position each session, even as his skin deteriorated and his body mass dropped. Before his first treatment, he had been measured and fitted for his own custom mask. Plastic mesh was draped over his face until it hardened, forming a new face—what some patients call their second skin. For my dad, the object came to symbolize something, just as it symbolizes something for me, our family, and for the countless other people who have survived or helped [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-23T07:43:41-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Bacteria linked to periodontitis may play role in onset of cancer

Source: en.brinkwire.com Author: press release The bacteria that cause periodontitis, a disease affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth, seems to play a part also in the onset of pancreatic cancer, say the researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, and the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. The researchers have investigated the role of bacteria causing periodontitis, an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the teeth, in the development of oral cancers and certain other cancers, as well as the link between periodontitis and cancer mortality on the population level. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, has for the first time proven the existence of a mechanism on the molecular level through which the bacteria associated with periodontitis, Treponema denticola (Td), may also have an effect on the onset of cancer. Researchers found that the primary virulence factor of the Td bacteria, the Td-CTLP proteinase (an enzyme), occurs also in malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, in pancreatic cancer. According to another study finding, the CTLP enzyme has the ability to activate the enzymes that cancer cells use to invade healthy tissue (pro-MMP-8 and -9). At the same time, CTLP also diminished the effectiveness of the immune system by, for example, inactivating molecules known as enzyme inhibitors. In another study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, it was proven that on the population level, periodontitis is clearly linked with cancer mortality. An especially strong link to mortality caused by pancreatic cancer was found. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-17T08:44:04-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

HPV leads to increase In head and neck cancer In men

Source: www.nbcdfw.com Author: Bianca Castro The number of men diagnosed with head and neck cancer caused by human papillomavirus has skyrocketed. This report found that 11 million men and 3.2 million women in the United States are infected with some type of oral HPV and oncologists say it's leading to more head and neck cancer in men. "From the 1970's to today, the prevalence of this HPV-related head and neck cancer has increased by three to five percent per year from then until now, and it is continuing that same rate," said Oncologist Jerry Barker, Jr., M.D. at Texas Oncology. "This is a silent epidemic. Most patients who are exposed to this virus, they don't know it. They'll never have symptoms from it, but some of those patients will move on to develop a cancer," said Dr. Barker. Jeff Busby, of Weatherford, is one of those patients. The aerospace engineer and owner of Busby Quarter Horses says he was diagnosed with throat cancer in February of 2016. His wife Andrea, who documented their journey here, says they were both shocked. "We were just busy living life. You don't ever think that shoe is going to drop," said Andrea. Jeff says the symptoms began as pain in his ear which lead to pain in his throat. Nine months later, he had a biopsy done on what was a mass in his neck. "I had just been toughing it out and my partner said, 'hey, you can't just tough these kinds of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-17T08:36:28-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|