2018 – Page 10 – Oral Cancer News

Supportive care for patients with head and neck cancer

Source: www.oncnursingnews.com Author: Melissa A. Grier, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC Supporting a patient during cancer treatment is a challenge. From symptom management to psychosocial considerations, each patient’s needs vary and must be reevaluated frequently. This is especially true for patients with head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancers often result in serious quality of life issues. Surgical resection of the affected area can cause disfigurement that not only affects function (eating, drinking, speaking, etc) but also leads to self-image concerns and depression. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may cause a variety of unpleasant adverse effects, including burns, xerostomia, dental caries, and mucositis. Below are some considerations to help guide nursing care for this patient population. CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend early involvement of a dentist, a dietitian, and a speech therapist to help address pre- and posttreatment concerns and preserve quality of life for people with head and neck cancer. The benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration for these complex cases are many but may also result in confusion and information overload for your patient. As the healthcare team provides care, you can help explain the rationale for interventions and assist them with keeping track of recommendations. Additionally, you have a team of experts you can call on when specific issues present themselves during treatment. KEEP AN EYE OUT A lot goes on in the life of a patient with head and neck cancer, which means everyday activities like oral and skin care may fall a little lower on [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-08T08:16:44-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Restaging raises hope against HPV oral cancer

Source: atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com Author: Cady Schulman Jason Mendelsohn was diagnosed with Stage 4 tonsil cancer from HPV in 2014 after finding just one bump on his neck. He survived thanks to a variety of treatments, including a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection to remove 42 lymph nodes, seven weeks of chemotherapy, radiation and a feeding tube. But if Mendelsohn’s cancer had been discovered today, just four years later, it would have been classified as Stage 1. That’s because HPV-related oral cancers now have a high survival rate through a better response to treatment, said Meryl Kaufman, a speech pathologist specializing in head and neck cancer management who worked for Emory University’s department of head and neck surgery for 10 years. “Cancer staging is taking into account the HPV-related cancers,” said Kaufman, who now owns her own practice. “It was kind of all lumped together. The survival rates for people who have HPV-related cancers are much higher than the typical head and neck cancers associated with smoking and drinking.” For Mendelsohn, finding out that patients with HPV-related cancers likely face easier treatments and higher success rates made him extremely happy. “If I was diagnosed and I heard Stage 1 instead of Stage 4, while it’s still cancer, it would make me feel like I could beat it,” said Mendelsohn, who made a video for his children a month after his diagnosis with advice for their lives after he was gone. “When I hear Stage 4 to Stage 1, I think people have [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-07T13:07:45-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Flexible robotic surgery opens new paths in cancer treatment

Source: newsok.com Author: staff Robotic surgery is continuing to expand and provide patients with a variety of less invasive treatment options – especially when it comes to cancer treatment. Dr. Brad Mons, a head and neck surgeon at Cancer Treatment Centers of America®in Tulsa, said the Flex Robotic® System, which the hospital added last year, is an especially significant breakthrough for people diagnosed with head and neck cancer. “With this system, we can get to the small areas of the mouth and pharynx more easily to remove tumors in the region,” Mons said. “This affords us the ability to be much less invasive in head and neck cancer surgeries.” Robotic surgery is continuing to expand and provide patients with a variety of less invasive treatment options. Photo provided by CTCA. Currently only available at a small number of hospitals in the United States and designed to overcome line-of-sight limitations, the Flex Robotic System utilizes a uniquely flexible robotic endoscope to give surgeons the ability to navigate a path through challenging areas of the mouth, throat, rectum and colon. For patients, this means potentially faster recovery time and lower risk of complications or side effects. Because the Flex Robotic System operates through natural openings rather than requiring large incisions in the body, potential benefits include shorter hospital stays, reduced post-surgical pain, lower risk of infection and complications, less blood loss (and fewer transfusions) and scarring and faster return to normal activities. For throat cancer patients, the technology also means [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-07T07:36:48-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

High carbohydrate diet may increase mortality risk in certain cancers

Source: www.specialtypharmacytimes.com Author: Gina Kokosky Consuming simple carbohydrates may increase risk of recurrence among patients with head and neck cancer, according to a study published by the International Journal of Cancer. New findings suggest that a patient’s diet could have a significant impact on their ability to combat cancer. The authors also suggest that patients who moderately consume fats and starches after treatment, such as whole grains, potatoes, and legumes, are less likely to have a recurrence of head and neck cancer, according to the study. The study followed more than 400 patients for 26 months after their initial diagnoses of squamous cell carcinoma on the head or neck. Most of the patients were treated for oral cancer or oropharyngeal cancer, including cancers of the tonsils, tongue, and surrounding tissue, according to the study. Patients were most often diagnosed in stage 3 or 4 of cancer at an average age of 61 years old. During the study, cancer recurred 17% of the time, resulting in 42 deaths. Another 70 patients died from other causes during the study. The researchers examined all food, drink, and dietary supplements consumed by the participants for 1 year prior to treatment and 1 year after treatment, according to the authors. The authors found that those who consumed the least amount of simple carbohydrates, such as refined grains, desserts, and sweetened beverages, were having 1.3 servings per day, while those who consumed the most were consuming 4.4 servings of simple carbohydrates. Patients who consumed a high [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-02T08:12:47-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Doctors paying for sons to have cancer jab

Source: www.bbc.com Author: Anna Collinson, Reporter, Victoria Derbyshire programme Doctors and health professionals are regularly paying hundreds of pounds for their teenage sons to receive a vaccination against cancer that girls already receive for free on the NHS, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told. Is boys' health being put at risk? "Had the HPV vaccine been available when I was a boy, I believe I would not have developed throat cancer more than 30 years later," said Jamie Rae, 53. "I'm basing this on the overwhelming majority of research I have seen over the years and countless experts I have spoken to. "That's why I'm desperate for boys to be able to receive it." HPV is the name given to a large group of viruses. It is very common and can be caught through any kind of sexual contact with another person who already has it. Doctors say 90% of HPV infections go away by themselves - but sometimes infections can lead to a variety of serious problems. For boys, this includes cancer of the anus, penis, mouth and throat. Since 2008, girls aged 12 to 18 across the UK have been offered HPV vaccinations as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. It is currently not offered to boys of the same age, but it can be done privately, costing several hundred pounds. Mr Rae founded the Throat Cancer Foundation after the treatment he received in 2010. He said at the time there was little information on HPV [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-02T07:43:41-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Can poor oral health cause falls in the elderly?

Source: www.medicalnewsbulletin.com Author: Viola Lanier PhD, MSc There is some research that indicates that, however unlikely it seems, poor oral health may contribute to the risk of falls. This question recently led researchers in Japan to investigate if poor oral health could in fact be associated with incident falls in the elderly. As the baby boomer population ages, incidental falls have increasingly become a major public health concern around the world. In England, 28-35% of those over 65 years of age experienced a fall in 2016, while in Japan falls and fractures accounted for 12.2% of senior citizens requiring long-term care. Though hip fractures and light bruises are the most common outcomes, the most unfortunate incident can cause death. Therefore, identifying risk factors that can be modified may serve as an intervention for reducing falls in the elderly. Examining oral health conditions and comparing incidental falls was important for researchers from the Graduate School of Dentistry at Kanagawa Dental University in Japan because the association between the two has been controversial in the research community. One study determined an association between a decrease in occlusal function and postural instability, whereas, a different study showed that occlusal disharmony is a risk factor for a decrease in balance function. Interestingly, a recent study that investigated 4,425 older community dwellers who had less than 19 teeth and lacked dentures, had a higher frequency of falls. The JAGES Project Longitudinal Study For this research study, panel data was used from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-30T10:41:06-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

With oral cancer on the rise, dentists can play an important role

Source: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com Author: Tammy Adams Today's dental professionals routinely see and deal with many issues and conditions that were not so common just a few short decades ago. For example, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of oral cancer in the United States, sparking the need for regular oral cancer screening as part of a preventive dental checkup. This additional screening is now routinely performed in many dental practices across the nation. The American Cancer Society estimates that around 50,000 Americans are infected with oral cancer each year. In past generations, oral cancer was mostly linked to smoking, alcohol use or a combination of the two. But even as smoking rates have fallen, oral cancer rates have risen (especially in men), and researchers have concluded that this is likely caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. Early diagnosis makes a difference Oral cancer is often only discovered when the cancer has metastasized to another location, most commonly the lymph nodes of the neck. Prognosis at this stage of discovery is significantly worse than when it is caught in a localized intraoral area. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, the best way to screen for HPV-related oral and oropharyngeal cancer is through a visual and tactile exam given by a medical or dental professional, who will also perform an oral history taking to ask about signs and symptoms that cover things that are not visible. Most of the symptoms of a developing HPV-positive infection are [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-27T13:08:03-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Positioning during cancer radiation may be key to heart risks

Source: health.usnews.com Author: Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay Reporter If you have lung or throat cancer, exactly how you are positioned during your radiation treatments may alter your chances of beating the disease. New research suggests that even tiny shifts can mean the radiation may harm organs around tumors in the chest, most notably the heart. "We already know that using imaging can help us to target cancers much more precisely and make radiotherapy treatment more effective," said researcher Corinne Johnson, a Ph.D. student at the Manchester Cancer Research Center in England. "This study examines how small differences in how a patient is lying can affect survival, even when an imaging protocol is used," Johnson explained. "It tells us that even very small remaining errors can have a major impact on patients' survival chances, particularly when tumors are close to a vital organ like the heart." When cancer specialists prepare to perform radiation therapy, they scan the patient's body to determine the exact position and size of the tumor, the researchers explained. Before every treatment that follows, more images are used to ensure that the patient and the tumor are in the same position. For the study, the researchers recruited 780 patients undergoing radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. For each treatment, patients were positioned on the machines and an image was taken to ensure they were lying within 5 millimeters (mm) of their original position. The researchers used the images to assess how precisely the radiation was delivered, and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-24T19:03:15-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

What’s the link between HPV and head and neck cancer?

Source: blogs.bcm.edu Author: Dr. Michael Scheurer As a molecular epidemiologist, I’ve been conducting research on human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers since my dissertation work in 2003. While working with the clinical faculty here at Baylor College of Medicine, I’ve heard many questions lately about the possibility of the HPV vaccine “helping treat” head and neck cancer (HNC). It’s important to know the link between HPV and HNC because patients with HPV-positive tumors often have better survival rates than those with HPV-negative tumors. Check out these frequently asked questions to learn more about HPV and HNC. What is HPV? HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can infect the oral cavity, tonsils, back of throat, anus, and genitals. There are many types of HPV. Some types can cause cancer and other types can cause warts. HPV infection is very common in the U.S. with more than 50 percent of adults being infected at some point in their lifetime. There is no treatment for HPV infection. For some people, their HPV infection naturally clears while others develop cancer after many years. What is oropharyngeal cancer? Oropharyngeal cancer occurs in the tonsils and back of throat. In the U.S., HPV now causes most oropharyngeal cancers. Most doctors would recommend that oropharyngeal cancers be tested for HPV. Smoking and alcohol use can also increase risk of developing oropharyngeal cancer. How did I get HPV infection in my mouth or throat? The most likely route of exposure is by oral sex, although other routes may exist. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-17T08:28:50-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Early phase clinical trial shows promise for advanced head and neck cancer

Source: www.fredhutch.org Author: Rachel Tompa / Fred Hutch News Service For many survivors of head and neck cancer, the disease — and its treatment — leave a lifelong, unmistakable mark. Surgeries to remove tumors in the mouth, neck or throat often leave patients with disfiguring scars and difficulty speaking or swallowing. Some may not even be able to perform these tasks at all. Carla Stone participated in a clinical trial run by Fred Hutch's Dr. Eduardo Méndez for her advanced head and neck cancer. The experimental approach shrank her tumor down to nothing, sparing her what is typically a disfiguring surgery.Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service When you look at Carla Stone, you might not guess that she was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck cancer just two years ago. The only visible sign of her disease and treatment — and you have to know what you are looking for — is the tiny dot tattooed on her chest, the marker for the radiation she received to her throat. Stone, a 66-year-old bookkeeper from Monroe, Washington, had ongoing symptoms for nearly two years before her doctors finally detected the tumor that had been growing on the base of her tongue. Her primary care physician dismissed the lump in her neck she found in 2014, Stone said, and a series of doctors kept giving her different antibiotics for the chronic sore throat she developed in early 2016. Eventually, when the antibiotics didn’t work, Stone sought [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-16T10:14:23-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|