Charlotte Parker, Author at Oral Cancer News

General medical practitioners not likely to be part of the oral cancer solution

Source: HighWire- Stanford University Summary of a study by: LA Shanks, TW Walker, PJ McCann, and MJ Kerin There has been little improvement in the survival of patients with oral cancer despite advances in treatment. One observation is that late presentation of the disease is this reason for this continuing poor outcome. However research and experience tell us that tuition in medical schools about examination of the oral cavity is poor. This study aimed to ascertain the opinions and experience of medical students regarding this at Stanford by dissemination of a web-based anonymous questionnaire that focused on education about examination of the oral cavity, and experience in carrying it out. From a cohort of 600 students 458 (76%) responded. A total of 334 (73%) had not been taught how to examine the oral cavity, 372 (81%) had had no experience of doing so in patients, and only 15% felt confident to diagnose a carcinoma of the lip or oral cavity. Eighty-nine percent felt that the tuition given had not been adequate. OCF From this survey it is clear that examination of the oral cavity cannot be considered part of the core clinical curriculum, and medical schools and departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery urgently need to embrace the introduction of the necessary skills.

Charlotte Parker2011-03-03T22:46:25-07:00March, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Jimmy Bradley is being treated for oral cancer

Source: NY Times Author: Sam Sifton Jimmy Bradley, the chef and an owner of the Red Cat and the Harrison, two restaurants in Manhattan, said he is recovering from oral cancer, and will not be moving forward with plans to open J & S Food Hall in the Nolitan Hotel. “It’s a bad break,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning, his voice only slightly thicker than its usual laconic drawl. “But long-term the prognosis is pretty good. I just think at this point the best thing for me is to concentrate on my health and on the livelihood of the 100 people I already have working for me, not on hiring 50 people for a new business.” Mr. Bradley, 43, said that in late October his dentist spotted a tumor in the center of his tongue. He sought four subsequent opinions from oncologists, and underwent surgery to remove the growth at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan on Nov. 17. Three days later, he said, he returned to the kitchen of the Harrison, where he had recently started cooking again. Radiation treatments for the cancer are ongoing. “I was super bummed for the first month or so,” Mr. Bradley said. He struggled to regain his ability to speak, and was terrified that he would lose his ability to taste. Some of his palate has already returned, he said. “Every day is a little better,” he said. “It’s like being a little kid and learning again what coffee tastes like, or [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-02-04T06:18:19-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco industry adapts to world of fewer smokers

Source: The Tennessean Author: Anita Wadhwani By any name or variety you choose — call it snuff, dip, chew or plug — smokeless tobacco is making a comeback, and Tennessee farmers, factory workers and consumers are playing a major role in the renewed buzz. Farmers here and in Kentucky who once made a good living off raising burley tobacco for cigarettes have had to eliminate 40 percent of acreage devoted to that crop as demand has declined, while farmers who cultivate the dark tobacco used for chewing have been able to expand their fields by 22 percent in three years. Now, the massive marketing muscle of the nation's biggest tobacco companies — Altria Group and its subsidiary Philip Morris USA, which owns the 100-year-old U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. factory within view of the state Capitol, and R.J. Reynolds, which runs its smokeless operations out of a Memphis factory — are battling for market dominance. Together, the two manufacturers already control 90 percent of the American smokeless tobacco sector with brands such as U.S. Smokeless' Skoal and R.J. Reynolds' Kodiak. They're competing with new fruit- and mint-flavored products (some packaged to look like miniature cigarette packs) to attract a new generation of consumers and entice ex-smokers looking for nicotine- infused alternatives. Former cigarette smokers like Dave Kenner, 31, a construction worker making a pit stop at a West Nashville convenience store last week, said he switched to Red Seal Wintergreen smokeless because heavily taxed cigarettes cost too much — nearly $300 [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-02-04T12:24:02-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Cost of living and the late effects after cancer treatments

Source: Cure Today Author: Kathy Latour Cancer patients are living longer, but if radiation was part of their treatment, late effects may be a problem. Sam LaMonte, MD, knew he had cancer as soon as he touched the lump in his neck. It was 1991, and LaMonte, a head and neck surgeon in Pensacola, Florida, had just stepped down as the president of the Florida division of the American Cancer Society (ACS). “I told my partners I thought it was cancer, and they were in complete denial,” he recalls. “I wasn’t, because I had been feeling cancer in people’s necks my whole life.” LaMonte was right. A biopsy revealed cancer; the primary site was found at the base of his tongue. The diagnosis: stage 3 squamous cell head and neck cancer. The treatment: radiation twice a day for eight weeks. LaMonte, 50, resumed his career three months after he finished treatment. He picked up where he left off with the ACS, joining the national board and becoming the ACS poster boy for survivor issues even after he retired in 2002. Then in 2004, his doctor discovered from an X-ray that LaMonte’s left carotid artery was 100 percent blocked, and the right was 60 percent blocked. The damage, his doctor said, was the result of radiation that had saved his life 15 years earlier. LaMonte was a stroke waiting to happen. He had never had a symptom. “I was dumb as a door,” LaMonte says in retrospect. “So was my radiation oncologist [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-01-07T11:39:07-07:00January, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Second primary cancers after an index head & neck cancer: subsite-specific trends in the era of hpv–associated oropharyngeal cancer

Source: American Society of Clinical Oncology Authors: Luc G.T. Morris, Andrew G. Sikora, Snehal G. Patel, Richard B. Hayes and Ian Ganly Abstract Purpose Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are at elevated risk of second primary malignancies (SPM), most commonly of the head and neck (HN), lung, and esophagus. Our objectives were to identify HNSCC subsite-specific differences in SPM risk and distribution and to describe trends in risk over 3 decades, before and during the era of human papillomavirus (HPV) –associated oropharyngeal SCC. Methods Population-based cohort study of 75,087 patients with HNSCC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. SPM risk was quantified by using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), excess absolute risk (EAR) per 10,000 person-years at risk (PYR), and number needed to observe. Trends in SPM risk were analyzed by using joinpoint log-linear regression. Results In patients with HNSCC, the SIR of second primary solid tumor was 2.2 (95% CI, 2.1 to 2.2), and the EAR was 167.7 cancers per 10,000 PYR. The risk of SPM was highest for hypopharyngeal SCC (SIR, 3.5; EAR, 307.1 per 10,000 PYR) and lowest for laryngeal SCC (SIR, 1.9; EAR, 147.8 per 10,000 PYR). The most common SPM site for patients with oral cavity and oropharynx SCC was HN; for patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, it was the lung. Since 1991, SPM risk has decreased significantly among patients with oropharyngeal SCC (annual percentage change in EAR, −4.6%; P = .03). Conclusion In patients with HNSCC, the risk and distribution of SPM differ [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-01-03T19:06:39-07:00January, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

My dog saved my life, says Sunderland man

Source: Sunderland Echo By: Katy Wheeler John and Pauline Douglas were devastated when their dog Diesel had to be put down after developing cancer of the neck. But it was the late bull mastiff’s symptoms which helped John, 39, realise that he too had the disease. The dad-of-four, of Tunstall Bank, noticed a lump in his neck in February. And despite the fact he was told by doctors to rule out cancer, John’s experience with Diesel’s disease convinced him something was seriously wrong – and he pushed for further tests. His instincts were proved correct and John was diagnosed with cancer, which had spread to his neck, in April – just a week before his wedding day to wife Pauline, 41. John said: “Because of my age, the fact I don’t smoke and because I am a moderate drinker, I was told not to worry about cancer and that it was just an infection. “But what happened to Diesel set alarm bells ringing. “He had the same kind of lump in his neck that would swell up and down. We were told his wasn’t cancer to start with and it was only found late on. “Even though I was told by a specialist that I didn’t fit the criteria for cancer, the doubt was still niggling and I made such a song and dance that more tests were done.” As a result of John’s persistence, one of his tonsils was removed and a biopsy revealed the cancer, which had spread [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-03-29T19:08:21-07:00December, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oropharyngeal cancer epidemic and human papillomavirus

Source: Foodconsumer Author: Torbjörn Ramqvist and Tina Dalianis Abstract A growing body of research shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common and increasing cause of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Thus, the International Agency for Research against Cancer has acknowledged HPV as a risk factor for OSCC, in addition to smoking and alcohol consumption. Recently, in Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden, incidence of OSCC has increased, and an increase in the proportion of HPV-positive tumors was noted. On the basis of these data and reports indicating that patients with HPV-positive cancer have their first sexual experience at a young age and have multiple partners, we postulate that increased incidence of OSCC in the United States and some countries in northern Europe is because of a new, primarily sexually transmitted HPV epidemic. We also suggest that individualized treatment modalities and preventive vaccination should be further explored. In many countries, vaccines against some human papillomavirus (HPV) types are now administered to girls and young women with the goal of protecting them against HPV-induced cervical cancer (1,2). The introduction of HPV vaccines has also drawn more attention to the fact that HPV is associated not only with cervical cancer and genital warts but also with other tumors, such as head neck and anogenital cancers (3). We focus on the role of HPV in the increased incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the head and neck cancer in which HPV is most commonly found (4). Head and neck cancer [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-11-09T20:51:27-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

GlaxoSmithKline Drops the Price of Cervarix

Source: PharmaLive MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 25 /CNW/ - Today, GlaxoSmithKline Inc. (Canada), announced its plan to reduce the cost of CERVARIX™ by 30%. The cost reduction is in response to recent research that demonstrates the relatively high price of cervical cancer vaccines, coupled with a low understanding of their protective benefits topped the list of reasons why the majority of young Canadian women have yet to be immunized. Last week, research supported by The Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada (GOC), The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), the Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC), and the Society of Canadian Colposcopists (SCC) revealed that 9 out of 10 Canadian women aged 18 to 25 have not been vaccinated against cervical cancer. Half of young women polled (who do not have a private drug plan) cited cost as a barrier to obtaining the vaccine and 61% of mothers of young women agreed that cost was a deterring factor. In fact, 50% of non-vaccinated women aged 18 to 25 without vaccine coverage through their drug plan and 61% of mothers with daughters in this age group cited cost as a deciding factor. This is particularly relevant as 60% of Canadians do not have vaccine coverage through private insurance.1 As a patient-focused company, GlaxoSmithKline Inc. was concerned to learn that the cost of cervical cancer vaccines is deterring women from protecting themselves from a largely preventable disease that kills one Canadian woman every day.2 Effective today, October 25, 2010, the [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-26T13:57:51-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Large Thyroid Nodules Linked to High Malignancy Risk

Elsevier Global Medical News Author - MG Sullivan PARIS (EGMN) - Patients with a non-decisive fine-needle aspiration for large non-diagnostic thyroid nodules or lesions of undetermined significance should be considered for surgery because more than half of these large nodules can be malignant. In a review of 156 patients with non-decisive fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), nodule size was a major determinant in surgical referral, Dr. Susana Mascarell said at the International Thyroid Congress. "Nodules of this size were associated with a malignancy rate of up to 60%," said Dr. Mascarell of the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago. FNA is considered the main diagnostic tool in deciding which patient to refer to surgery. "However," Dr. Mascarell said, "the FNA results may not be helpful when the cytology specimen is non-diagnostic or qualifies as a follicular lesion of undetermined significance - both classifications that are part of the new six-level FNA classification system suggested by the National Cancer Institute." When an FNA comes back as non-decisive on such specimens, the clinician must choose between surgery and clinical follow-up as the next step. Unfortunately, said Dr. Mascarell, there are no hard-and-fast rules about which management path to choose. Molecular markers are becoming more important in the decision, but can't be relied upon in every patient, she said. "When these markers are present in high concentrations, they are up to 99% accurate in identifying malignant nodules and so are a very helpful tool. But only 40% of nodules are positive for [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-26T13:38:00-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Poll reveals patients are not mouth cancer-savvy

Source: Dentistry.co.uk Author: Staff The public are oblivious to signs of mouth cancer. A poll, commissioned to coincide with November's Mouth Cancer Action Month, reveals that one person in 10 claimed not to have even heard of the condition. Despite the much-publicised news of the battle actor Michael Douglas is currently having with advanced throat cancer, the survey, conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation and Denplan. oll reveals an alarming lack of awareness about the causes and symptoms of one of the UK's fastest growing cancers. The poll of more than 1,000 people suggests that there is only limited knowledge and understanding of this potentially deadly disease. Chief executive of the Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, says: “After recent high profile coverage of the Michael Douglas case it is staggering to see that some people still have no awareness at all of the condition. 'The public need to be aware of the risk factors and whether they are in a high risk group and how they can self-examine or who they can turn to if they're concerned.' The results of the survey reveal that it is the older members of the public who are most aware of mouth cancer, with more than 96% of those interviewed saying that they had heard of it. Dr Carter adds: 'This sounds good as the majority of cases occur in the over 50s but now more young people are being diagnosed with mouth cancer it is important that everyone is aware of the problem. [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-26T12:37:32-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oral Cancer News
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