2021 – Page 5 – Oral Cancer News

Study: HPV vaccination will reduce throat and mouth cancers, but overall impact will take 25-plus years to see

Source: www.newswise.com Author: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV), a major cause of throat and back of mouth cancers, are expected to yield significant reductions in the rates of these cancers in the U.S., but will not do so until after 2045, according to a new modeling study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infectious virus worldwide. HPV infections are often silent, and while most infections clear, some are chronic and can trigger cancers including mouth and throat (oropharyngeal), and cervical cancer because they disrupt DNA and inhibit tumor-suppressor proteins in the cells they infect. Although there is no cure for existing HPV infections, new infections are preventable with vaccines, the first of which entered use in the U.S. in 2006. In the new study, the Bloomberg School researchers analyzed national databases on oropharyngeal cancer cases and HPV vaccinations, and projected the impact of HPV vaccination on the rates of these cancers in different age groups. They estimated that the oropharyngeal cancer rate would nearly halve between 2018 and 2045 among people ages 36–45. However, they also projected that the rate in the overall population would stay about the same from 2018-2045, due to still-rising rates of these cancers in older people, where most of these cancers occur. The study appears online September 2 in JAMA Oncology. “We estimate that most of the oropharyngeal cancers from 2018 to 2045 will occur among [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-09-03T12:26:37-07:00September, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Immunotherapy for HPV+ head and neck cancer: Awakening the force within

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: Emory University A new study from scientists at Emory Vaccine Center and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University reports that the immune cells that are the major targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors are present in tumors from head and neck cancer patients. The study focuses on head and neck tumors that are positive for human papillomavirus (HPV), which is becoming one of most common types of head and neck cancers treated in the Western world. The results are scheduled for publication in Nature. It suggests checkpoint inhibitors, which have transformed the treatment of several types of cancer, could be uniquely effective against this type of head and neck cancer. The results also indicate that the experimental approach of therapeutic vaccination for HPV+ cancer could be broadened to include more elements of the virus, to potentially trigger a broader and stronger immune response. Researchers from Rafi Ahmed's lab at Emory Vaccine Center collaborated with the co-directors of the Winship Head and Neck Cancers working group, oncologists Nabil Saba, MD and Mihir Patel, MD, to obtain samples from patients with head and neck tumors early in the course of treatment. "About five years ago, we began to have an influx of patients that sought out our center for surgical treatment," Patel says. "We often heard some variation of a similar story: I was sick with cold-like symptoms and once that resolved this I noticed swelling in a lymph node on the side of my neck. Stories like this made [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-09-02T20:07:01-07:00September, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

AI can lend a hand in diagnosis, prognosis of oral SCC

Source: www.auntminnie.com Author: Erik L. Ridley, AuntMinnie.com staff writer Radiology and pathology artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can help in diagnosing and assessing the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a literature review published August 19 in JAMA Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery. After reviewing published studies in the literature on the use of AI with pathology and radiology images in patients with oral SCC, researchers from the University of Hong Kong concluded that the technology yielded good classification accuracy. "The successful use of deep learning in these areas has a high clinical translatability in the improvement of patient care," wrote the authors, led by first author Chui Shan Chu and senior author Dr. Peter Thomson, PhD. In radiology applications for oral SCC, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was able to predict disease-free survival with 80% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity from PET images, the researchers reported. Another CNN showed lower performance -- 66.9% sensitivity, 89.7% specificity, and 84% accuracy -- when used on CT for predicting disease-free survival. A deep-learning algorithm also yielded 90% sensitivity for detecting lymph node metastasis from oral SCC on CT. In addition to providing prognosis predictions, AI could help facilitate personalized treatment from CT images, according to the researchers. One model was 76% accurate for predicting xerostomia, or dry mouth, an adverse effect of radiotherapy caused by toxicity. Another study determined that radiation dose distribution is the most crucial factor for predicting toxicity. The researchers noted that, to the best of their [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-08-20T12:36:11-07:00August, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

UAB adds personalized touch to cancer treatment with adaptive radiation

Source: www.uab.edu Author: Bob Shepard They are calling it radiation oncology’s contribution to personalized medicine. — called by some the holy grail of radiation therapy — has come to the University of Alabama at Birmingham O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in the form of the newest radiation delivering tool, a system called Ethos from Varian. Simply put, a linear accelerator is the machine that is used to deliver radiation therapy to destroy a tumor. In standard radiation therapy, the medical team uses sophisticated imaging to pinpoint the location of a tumor, then develops a precise approach to target that tumor with radiation. “Patients typically get a CT scan so the radiation team can map out their strategy, a process that can take one to two weeks,” said Dennis Stanley, Ph.D., an assistant professor and medical physicist in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology. “Then, most patients get radiation for around six weeks, usually five days a week.” But in that time from initial CT screening to the end of treatment, things can change. “A patient’s anatomy can change over this time period,” Stanley said. “Weight gain or loss, shifting of tissues following eating and drinking. Anatomy can change as quickly as day-to-day.” Adaptive therapy simply means the radiation plan can adapt to those changes. The Ethos system is the first machine that can quickly scan a patient while they are on the treatment table prepping for their next treatment, and allow for fine-tuning of the already established treatment plan. Instead of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-08-15T05:28:02-07:00August, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

The British start-up that’s given Val Kilmer his voice back

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: Jonathan Chadwick for MailOnLine A British artificial intelligence (AI) company has recreated Hollywood actor Val Kilmer's voice – with amazingly realistic results. London-based firm Sonantic used the actor's voice recordings from throughout his career, which were fed to their AI to create the lifelike yet artificial mock-up. Film producers could potentially use the tool – described as 'Photoshop for voice' – for voiceovers if they have a role in mind that would be suited to Kilmer's tones. Kilmer, whose career has spanned nearly four decades, has starred in blockbusters such as Top Gun, Willow, The Doors, Tombstone and Batman Forever. But after undergoing a tracheotomy in 2014 as part of his treatment for throat cancer, Kilmer's voice is now barely recognisable. Val Kilmer, pictured here in 2019, underwent a tracheotomy in 2014 as part of his treatment for throat cancer and now speaks with a voice box. Getty Images Luckily, Kilmer himself is also able to use the AI tool in his personal life, to help him communicate, rather than relying on a voice box to speak. The artificial voice, which speaks in the first person as Kilmer in Sonantic's video, could easily be mistaken for the real thing. Praising the results, the real Val Kilmer said: 'I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a way I’ve never imagined possible. As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the effects from throat [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-08-15T05:19:41-07:00August, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Study explores the effect of graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging among US smokers

Source: www.news-medical.net Author: Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc Purchase a pack of cigarettes in Australia and be prepared to be accosted with graphic warning labels depicting the dangers of tobacco use - including images of gangrene of the foot, a newborn with a breathing tube and throat cancer. "Graphic warning labels are used in more than 120 countries to counter marketing that promotes cigarette smoking. We wanted to know what effect such cigarette packaging would have on United States smokers," said David Strong, professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego. Graphic warning labels were mandated by the United States Congress in 2009 but implementation has been stopped pending the outcome of legal challenges to the law by the tobacco industry. In a paper published online in JAMA Network Open on Aug. 4, 2021, Strong and colleagues at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, California State University San Marcos, San Diego County Public Health Services, and San Diego State University, demonstrated that graphic warning labels are effective reminders of the negative health consequences of smoking. "Graphic warning labels caused daily smokers in the United States to perceive cigarettes to be less positive and it increased their concerns about the health effects of smoking on both themselves and their loved ones," said corresponding-author John P. Pierce, Distinguished Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health. The study manufactured special cigarette packs that incorporated the graphic warning labels used on [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-08-07T05:25:01-07:00August, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Val Kilmer’s kids describe watching their father battle throat cancer in ‘Val’: ‘It’s incredibly difficult’

Source: www.yahoo.com Author: Ethan Alter·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment It's not easy for any child to watch their parent battle a serious illness. But it can be an even bigger challenge when that parent is also a public figure with an innately curious fanbase. That's the situation that Jack and Mercedes Kilmer have lived with for the past few years as their father — Top Gun star Val Kilmer — has waged a public and private battle with throat cancer. Kilmer's health struggles, which have affected his ability to speak, are put on full view in the highly personal new documentary Val, premiering on Aug. 6 on Prime Video. His adult children associate produced and appear extensively in the film, which includes footage of the actor at some of the lowest moments in his illness. "It's incredibly difficult," Mercedes Kilmer tells Yahoo Entertainment about watching her father in those moments. "Especially for him because his work is his voice. [Because of] his training as an actor... he has such a natural faculty for speech, and I don't think he honestly would have survived... were it not for his dedication to developing that muscle of his voice." Since Kilmer now speaks with the aid of a voice box following his recent tracheotomy, Jack Kilmer acts as his father's voice in Val. The younger Kilmer narrates his dad's life story as it plays out via home movies shot by Kilmer on his various movie sets, alongside new footage filmed by directors Leo Scott [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-08-07T05:06:29-07:00August, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Natick company develops test to detect head and neck cancer that could lead to earlier diagnosis

Source: www.bostonherald.com Author: Alexi Cohan A saliva-based diagnostic test that can detect HPV-related head and neck cancer has the potential to catch the disease earlier and even serve as a standard screening method, which the medical community currently lacks. Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer caused by human papillomavirus that develops in the mouth and throat, is expected to cause more than 10,000 deaths this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Cases have been increasing significantly in men in recent years. But there is no screening method for this cancer right now, said Charlotte Kuperwasser, chief of clinical operations at Natick-based diagnostics company Naveris. She said most men who contract it will notice a lump in their throat and go to the doctor. But by that time, the cancer could be quite advanced. The new saliva test developed by Naveris has been shown to detect HPV-associated head and neck cancer with high accuracy, which is a first-of-its-kind study result and could offer a patient-friendly way to catch the cancer early. “Saliva is actually a very easy source, very non-invasive. It doesn’t require a medical professional to collect, it could even be done at home so there’s a lot of advantages to saliva,” Kupperwasser told the Herald. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis used the test to successfully analyze saliva for HPV genomes that are specific for DNA released from cancerous tumors. The study results highlighted the potential to use the test to catch the cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-07-31T18:27:46-07:00July, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

How a microscopic fungus could lead to a breakthrough in oral cancer research

Source: www.newswise.com Author: Case Western Reserve University Microscopic fungus may have more to do with oral cancer and aging than first thought, according to new research from Case Western Reserve University. Researchers from the School of Dental Medicine, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and School of Medicine are hoping a new study could lead to a medical breakthrough in understanding certain types of oral cancer. Pushpa Pandiyan, an associate professor of biological sciences at the dental school, led a team of local researchers studying the function of specific T cells, known as Tregs, during the development of oral cancer in aging mucosa, the moist inner lining of some organs and body cavities, such as the nose, mouth and lungs. “We think this is the beginning of something important and monumental,” she said. Their findings recently appeared in Frontiers in Oncology. Pandiyan and the researchers examined the role of dectin-1—a cell’s pattern-recognition and immune receptor—and its ability to trigger an inflammatory response that resists fungal infection. Dectin-1 is among the fungi receptors that expresses on a host cell. Typically, human white blood cells have regulatory (Tregs) and myeloid derived suppressor cells, which curb the immune responses of cancer-fighting immune cells. Problems occur, Pandiyan said, when these cells accumulate during tumor growth. “What we’re finding now is that the dectin-1 receptor, usually responsible for anti-fungal immunity, is now responsible for accumulation of these cells at excessive levels in tumors,” she said. Researchers point out that the culprit is likely the result of immune [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-07-29T05:46:27-07:00July, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Suicide incidence and risk among patients with head and neck cancer in rural vs urban areas

Source: www.2minutemedicine.com Author: Davy Lau and Alex Chan Survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) from rural American counties had double the rate of suicides compared to HNC survivors from metropolitan and urban counties. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Suicide has been in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States since 2008. As well, the suicide rate is twice greater among cancer survivors, and 4 times as great with head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. There is currently not much information on how living in an urban or rural setting may affect suicide rates for HNC survivors. This data is imperative due to the fact that cancer survival is lower in rural areas, and there is less access to cancer and mental health services rurally. The current study compared the incidence of suicide across metropolitan, urban, and rural counties for 134,510 HNC patients in the USA, from the years 2000 to 2016. Rural counties were defined as those with a population of less than 2500 people. The study found that In metropolitan counties, there were 59.2 suicides per 100,000 person-years; in urban counties, there were 64.0 per 100,000 person-years; and in rural counties, there were 126.7 per 100,000 person-years. Through cumulative incidence analyses, rural patients had the greatest incidence of suicide. Compared to those in rural counties, urban and metropolitan counties had around 50% the suicide risk (hazards ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.92 and HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28-0.82 respectively). Overall, this study underlies the need [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-07-29T05:28:25-07:00July, 2021|Oral Cancer News|