Source: www.verywellhealth.com Author: Suzanne Dixon, MPH, RD The loss of appetite is common when undergoing cancer treatment, particularly if you get a common side effect called oral mucositis which causes mouth sores. To ensure proper nutrition to help you heal, you need to find non-irritating foods that you can eat even if you have mouth sores. This article explains why mouth sores occur in people undergoing cancer treatment. It also lists the types of food you can and cannot eat—as well as the way to eat—to better cope with treatment-induced oral mucositis. Over 40% of people undergoing certain cancer treatments will develop oral mucositis. It is most commonly associated with chemotherapy but can also occur with radiation therapy to the head or neck.1 Oral mucositis is an especially common occurrence when exposed to the chemotherapy drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or Evomela (melphalan). Other chemotherapy drugs can do the same.2 Treatment-induced oral mucositis is the result of the following processes: Whenever cells are damaged by chemotherapy or radiation, they release unstable atoms called free radicals. This, in turn, triggers the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines and metalloproteinase that break down a structural protein called collagen, causing tissues to thin and form ulcers. When this occurs in the mouth, natural bacteria quickly colonize the sores, causing infection, inflammation, and pain. The sores can often be extremely painful, making it difficult to eat, talk, and swallow. The sores may even extend into the esophagus that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. [...]

Author: Olga Askinazi, PhD Source: www.healthline.com Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. A plasma cell is a special type of white blood cell in the bone marrow that, in healthy people, helps the immune system fight infections by making antibodies. If plasma cells start growing out of control, they form a cancerous tumor called multiple myeloma (MM). Although there’s no cure for MM, appropriate treatment can bring it into remission, which means having no or few symptoms of the disease. It can be challenging to recognize MM because its symptoms vary depending on the person. Initial stages of the disease often have no noticeable signs at all. One of the rare signs of MM is an enlarged (swollen) tongue. This condition only occurs with MM-related amyloidosis. This happens when cancer-causing plasma creates irregular antibodies that build up in your organs, in this case, your tongue. Multiple myeloma and tongue amyloidosis The term “amyloidosis” means a buildup of an abnormal protein (called amyloid) in your body. In the case of MM, amyloid buildup happens because cancerous plasma cells make abnormal antibodies. These antibodies can stick together and form clumps in your organs, most commonly: kidneys heart liver Amyloidosis is not very common. It happens in 10% to 15% of people with MM. What about tongue amyloidosis? This rare condition occurs when the antibody amyloid builds up in your tongue, making it large, swollen, and painful (macroglossia). Your tongue can sometimes look rippled around the edges. It’s more common in [...]

Author: Ankita Gyanchandani, et all Source: www.cureus.com Abstract One of the most common oral malignancies is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although the prevalence of oral cancer varies worldwide, it is generally agreed that the oral cavity is a common anatomical site for cancer, depending primarily on the country (and even particular region in some countries) and gender of the patients. Finding diagnostic markers for OSCC is critical for early diagnosis and personalised treatment of patients. Because they are overexpressed in OSCC relative to normal mucosa, cytokeratins (CKs), intermediate filaments of the cytoskeletons, are possibilities for diagnostic markers of OSCC. CK17 should be targeted as a diagnostic marker for OSCC among the CKs, as multiple other CKs have been linked to the disease. This study aims to assess the immuno-histochemistry expression of CK17 and to investigate whether there is a link between CK17 and OSCC differentiation. Introduction & Background Oral cancer refers to a collection of tumours that can affect any part of the mouth, pharynx, or salivary glands. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is thought to account for more than 90% of all oral neoplasms [1]. Despite breakthroughs in therapeutic techniques, OSCC morbidity and mortality rates have remained relatively unchanged over the previous 30 years. Males have rates of 6.6/100,000 and 3.1/100,000 morbidity and mortality, respectively, whereas females have rates of 2.9/100,000 and 1.4/100,000. Oral cancer is also six times more likely to develop in alcohol drinkers than in non-drinkers [1]. The combination of tobacco and alcohol use constitutes [...]