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Developing smokeless tobacco products for smokers: an examination of tobacco industry documents : February 2009 (Volume 18, Number 1)

Source: Clove Cigarettes News Blog Objective: To investigate whether development of smokeless tobacco products (SLT) is intended to target current smokers. . . . Conclusions: Heavy marketing of new SLT products may encourage dual use and result in unknown public health effects. SLT products have been designed to augment cigarette use and offset regulatory strategies such as clean indoor air laws. In the United States, the SLT strategy may provide cigarette companies with a diversified range of products under the prospect of federal regulation. These products may pose significant challenges to efforts by federal agencies to reduce harm caused by tobacco use. Internal documents show that tobacco manufacturers, including cigarette and SLT companies, have developed and targeted new SLT products to exploit cigarette smokers. Cigarette manufacturers recognised the importance of entering the SLT market especially in light of health, social and legislative changes influencing the cigarette market and shifting demographics of traditional SLT users. Cigarette manufacturers were initially focused on developing alternative smokeless products for smokers who would otherwise quit because of the changes in the cigarette market. Over time, the cigarette companies appear to have focused their efforts on products designed to augment cigarette use when smoking is not possible, thus offsetting regulatory strategies such as clean indoor air laws. Major cigarette companies’ marketing of new SLT products under established brand names may be aimed at increasing the appeal of SLT to smokers, who are not necessarily interested in quitting smoking. At the same time, SLT companies have aimed [...]

Webmaster2009-01-26T13:07:36-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Smoking Behaviors Among Cancer Survivors: An Observational Clinical Study

Source: Journal of Oncology Practice Author:Lola Burke, MSI, Lesley-Ann Miller, PhD, MS, Ayman Saad, MD, Jame Abraham, MD Purpose: Smoking is a well-recognized risk factor for several cancers including cancers of the lung, bladder, and head and neck. Studies have shown that smoking can adversely affect the outcomes of different modalities of cancer treatment. This study examines smoking behaviors among cancer survivors to collect information necessary to create successful smoking cessation interventions. Methods: For this observational clinical study, questionnaires were sent to 1,000 randomly selected patients diagnosed with cancer between 2003 and 2007 in one cancer center. Data were statistically analyzed to determine the likelihood of a patient quitting smoking after being diagnosed with cancer. Results: We received 187 responses from the 1,000 surveys sent (18.7%). Of these, 166 were usable for analysis. The mean age of respondents was 64 (± 13) years. Men were more likely than women to be past smokers (55% of men and 32% of women respectively, P = .003). Fifty-two percent of respondents reported having a history of smoking. However, only 20% of patients reported having been active smokers at the time they were diagnosed with cancer. Furthermore, only 44% of these reported having quit smoking after their diagnosis with cancer. Only 62% of all respondents reported that they had been informed of the dangers of smoking by their health care provider during cancer treatment. Conclusion: In our study sample, less than one half (44%) of smoking cancer patients quit smoking after their cancer diagnosis, and only 62% of smoking cancer patients received smoking cessation counseling from their physicians. Intervention programs are needed to help cancer survivors to quit smoking. Prospective clinical [...]

Webmaster2009-04-07T18:27:23-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Fighting Cancer With Deadly Light

Source: Forbes Magazine Author: Kerry A. Dolan Drugs toxic enough to kill cancer cells are toxic enough to kill healthy ones, too. How can the poison be targeted? One possibility that has long fascinated scientists is to administer a drug that becomes activated only when exposed to radiation. One treatment for the rare skin cancer cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, for example, involves an interaction between a chemical (psoralen) and ultraviolet light. But the trick is not easily applied to internal cancers, and in any event most therapies involving light-activated drugs have been commercial failures. Llew Keltner believes he can succeed where others have faiLED. He is chief executive of Light Sciences Oncology, a firm in Bellevue, Wash. that aims to use tiny light-emitting diodes to activate anticancer drugs. The LEDs are inserted through the skin using a biopsylike needle that goes directly into a tumor. Light Sciences' target, for now, is liver cancer, one of the deadliest and hardest cancers to treat. Most liver tumors can't be removed with conventional surgery because either they are inaccessible or the patient is too sick to go under the knife. The treatment starts with the injection of a photosensitive chemical derived from chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants and algae that help them feed off sunlight. By itself the chemical is close to harmless. Exposed to red light, the molecule transfers energy to an oxygen molecule (O2), splitting it into singlet oxygen, which is unstable and causes damage to the tumor as well as to [...]

Webmaster2009-01-15T12:57:42-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Saliva Proteins May Help Spot Oral Cancer

Source: Smart Now Author: Krisha McCoy FRIDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A simple test of saliva proteins may one day help doctors detect oral cancer, according to a new study in the Oct. 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. For their study, part of the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research's Human Saliva Proteome Project, researchers collected saliva samples from 64 people with oral squamous cell carcinoma (a form of oral cancer) and 64 healthy people. Looking at five protein biomarkers in the saliva samples, the researchers determined that the biomarkers confirmed the presence of oral cancer 93 percent of the time. "This test is currently not available, but we are developing point-of-care microfluidic devices to detect these markers that we can use in clinical trials," Shen Hu, assistant professor of oral biology and proteomics at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry, said in an American Association for Cancer Research news release. This research may lead to a simple and noninvasive tool clinicians can use to diagnose oral cancer. "I believe a test measuring these biomarkers will come to a point of regular use in the future," said Hu. "We have demonstrated a new approach for cancer biomarker discovery using saliva proteomics." More information The Oral Cancer Foundation has more about oral cancer.

Webmaster2009-01-06T15:45:03-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer to Surpass Heart Disease as World Killer

Source: HealthDay Reporter Author: Steven Reinberg By 2010, cancer will be the leading killer in the world, surpassing heart disease, causing more deaths than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Unless new treatments are found, there could be 27 million people with cancer by 2030, and 17 million cancer deaths annually. And, there could be 75 million people living with cancer within five years after diagnosis, according to a new report, 2008 World Cancer Report, released Tuesday by the World Health Organization. “The burden of cancer is shifting from developed countries to developing nations,” Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said during a teleconference. “And with a growing and aging population, we must take steps to address this problem now.” Last year, there were about 12 million new cases of cancer and 7.6 million cancer deaths reported. Of these, 5.6 million were in developing countries with an estimated 4.7 million cancer deaths. “The global burden of cancer has more than doubled in the past 30 years,” Peter Boyle, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and co-author of the report, said during the teleconference. “Right now, there are 25 million people alive with cancer five years after diagnosis.” Cancer rates are growing in developing countries as people adopt western lifestyles, including smoking, high-fat diets, fast food and less physical activity. These countries typically don’t have the resources to cope with this dramatic increase in cancer. Populations in these countries are expected to grow by 38 percent [...]

Webmaster2008-12-24T19:21:37-07:00December, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Parotid gland sparing IMRT for head and neck cancer improves xerostomia related quality of life

Source: Radiation Oncology, December 9, 2008; 3(1): 41. Authors: C M van Rij, W D Oughlane-Heemsbergen, A H Ackerstaff, E A Lamers, A Jm Balm, and C Rn Rasch ABSTRACT: Background and purpose: To assess the impact of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) versus conventional radiation on late xerostomia and Quality of Life aspects in head and neck cancer patients. Patients and methods: Questionnaires on xerostomia in rest and during meals were sent to all patients treated between January 1999 and December 2003 with a T1-4, N0-2 M0 head and neck cancer, with parotid gland sparing IMRT or conventional bilateral neck irradiation to a dose of at least 60 Gy, who were progression free and had no disseminated disease (n= 192). Overall response was 85 % (n = 163); 97 % in the IMRT group (n = 75) and 77 % in the control group (n = 88) the median follow-up was 2.6 years. The prevalence of complaints was compared between the two groups, correcting for all relevant factors at multivariate ordinal regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients treated with IMRT reported significantly less difficulty transporting and swallowing their food and needed less water for a dry mouth during day, night and meals. They also experienced fewer problems with speech and eating in public. Laryngeal cancer patients in general had fewer complaints than oropharynx cancer patients but both groups benefited from IMRT. Within the IMRT group the xerostomia scores were better for those patients with a mean parotid dose to the "spared" parotid [...]

Webmaster2008-12-17T10:25:00-07:00December, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

FTC warns of bogus cancer cure claims

Source: CNN Money.com WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Trade Commission charged five companies with making false and misleading claims for cancer cures and said Thursday that it has reached settlements with six others. "As long as products have been sold there has been somebody out there selling snake oil to consumers," said Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection. She said the agency, along with the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian authorities, is launching a consumer education campaign warning about bogus claims for cures. "There is no credible scientific evidence that any of the products marketed by these companies can prevent, cure, or treat cancer of any kind," said Parnes. The products the companies marketed include essiac teas and other herbal mixtures, laetrile, black salve - a corrosive ointment - and mushroom extracts. Douglas Stearn of the FDA said his agency is concerned that people may forego effective cancer treatments when choosing these products. In addition, he said, some of these unproven products may have dangerous interactions with other drugs. "We would urge folks to talk to their doctors," said Stern. Parnes said more than 100 warning letters were sent out and many advertisers dropped or changed their claims. Of the complaints resolved by settlements, she said companies paid restitution ranging from $9,000 to $250,000. The remaining five complaints of false and deceptive advertising will go before administrative law judges, she said. Those cases are Omega Supply, San Diego, Calif.; Native Essence Herb Company, El Prado, N.M.; Daniel Chapter [...]

Webmaster2008-09-20T17:13:51-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Impact of graphic anti-smoking photos burning out

Sarah Schmidt Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Canada.com Graphic health warnings on cigarette packages are failing to move the majority of smokers to quit, a new government survey has found. Over the last five years, the percentage of smokers who say the warnings are ineffective at getting them to try to kick the habit has increased, according to the newly released Health Canada poll. More than half - 57 per cent - say they are unmoved by these graphic warnings, up five points from five years earlier. Among potential quitters - smokers who are seriously thinking of quitting - the percentage who characterize the campaign as not very effective or not at all effective in getting them to try to quit has also increased in this period, to 43 per cent from 40 per cent. Only 14 per cent of smokers and 20 per cent of potential quitters said the health warnings are very effective at getting them to try to quit smoking, also down from five years ago, when 18 per cent of smokers and 25 per cent of potential quitters described the campaign in these terms. Health Canada commissions the annual Environics poll to track the effectiveness of health warning messages on cigarette packages. In 2001, Canada became the first country in the world to require tobacco companies to put photos of cancerous lungs, diseased hearts and mouth cancer among others on cigarette packages with text messages such as "Cigarettes Cause Lung Cancer" and "Cigarettes Cause Strokes." The photos and [...]

Webmaster2008-07-09T11:27:10-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Medical Researchers Urged to Speed Up Vaccine’s Safety Investigations

The Oral Cancer Foundation is urging medical researchers to speed up investigations on the safety of a vaccine for a sexually transmitted virus that it said causes cancer of the mouth. The foundation’s statement comes shortly after studies published this month in the medical journal “Cancer” and the New England Journal of Medicine, which suggest a link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral cancer. Currently, the vaccine—which protects against four strains of the virus—is administered to girls and adolescent females to protect against cervical cancer, the foundation said. Deaths from cervical cancer, which number about 3,700 per year nationally, have declined due to improved methods of early detection and the public’s greater awareness of the importance of annual screenings, the foundation said. The foundation also said men can benefit if given the same vaccine and urged the FDA to approve such a use once scientific due diligence has been accomplished. “The study affirms what we have long believed, namely that the vaccine can reduce oral cancer rates if given to both males and females,” said Brian Hill, founder and executive director of the Oral Cancer foundation. Oral cancer can be detected early through simple visual and hand examinations, the foundation said. But no public awareness campaign exists nationally to promote detection, it said. Every day in the United States, 93 people develop oral cancer—and one person dies from it every hour, more than twice the death rate of cervical cancers and higher than many of the more commonly known cancers, [...]

Webmaster2008-07-08T22:06:08-07:00May, 2008|OCF In The News|

NYU Students Receive OCF Award for Excellence in Public Service

NYU Dental Students Show They Have a Lot to Teach About Giving Back The Oral Cancer Foundation recently honored the two student co-chairs of Oral Cancer Walk 2008, an awareness-building and fund-raising event coordinated by the New York University Dental School’s chapter of SNDA (Student National Dental Association). The two honorees are fourth-year student Marcus Johnson and third-year student Dmitry Baron. Marcus and Dmitry both worked on the 2006 and 2007 events and, despite extremely busy schedules, enthusiastically embraced the challenge of running this year’s event. Oral Cancer Walk 2008 took place the morning of Saturday, April 19 in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, drew over 900 walkers, and raised over $30,000 to support the cause of the early detection of oral cancer. Funds raised through the event sponsor the work of The Oral Cancer Foundation. The event also featured free oral cancer, blood pressure, and cholesterol screenings in conjunction with the Harlem Hospital, speeches from oral cancer survivors, and musical entertainment both before and after the walk. Dr. Jocelyn Jeffries, the chair of Oral Cancer Walk 2007, attended the event and lent her moral support to the new event leadership. “For Marcus and Dmitry to find the time to coordinate such a significant event while tending to their dental school studies represents a tremendous sacrifice,” said Brian Hill, Founder and Executive Director of the Oral Cancer Foundation, which again was both one of the event’s sponsors, and benefactors. “Their exceptional leadership, passion and altruism have generated not only badly-needed funding, [...]

Webmaster2008-07-08T22:13:45-07:00May, 2008|OCF In The News|

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