Charlotte Parker, Author at Oral Cancer News

HPV-Positive head and neck cancer: favorable prognosis does not lead to clear choices for changes in treatments

Source: OncologyStat Author: Thomas F. Pajak CHANDLER, Ariz. (EGMN) - Human papillomavirus infection is clearly a prognostic factor in patients with head and neck cancer. But whether HPV status can be used to guide treatment decisions is far from clear, according to speakers at a head and neck cancer symposium sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology. The Investigator's Perspective Across trials that tested different regimens in heterogeneous populations with head and neck cancer, patients with HPV-positive disease have had at least a one-half reduction in the risk of death, relative to their counterparts with HPV-negative disease, began Dr. Maura L. Gillison, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Ohio State University in Columbus. "Clearly, HPV tumor status is prognostic," she said, citing multiple factors that might explain why HPV-positive patients have better survival outcomes. Certain attributes that track with HPV positivity - better performance status, younger age, lower T stage, and absence of anemia - are also favorable prognostic factors, she noted. And HPV positivity confers a better response to both radiation therapy and induction chemotherapy. In addition, data from the RTOG (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) 0129 trial of chemoradiation show that HPV-positive patients are less likely than their HPV-negative peers to experience a locoregional failure and to develop second primaries, although rates of distant metastases are similar. "What we can conclude at this point is that the relative survival for the HPV-positive patient appears independent of therapy, as long as that therapy is within the standard of [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T22:22:16-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Congress urges major league baseball to ban smokeless tobacco

Source: Associated Press Author: Howard Fendrich WASHINGTON — After hounding Major League Baseball and its players union over steroids, Congress now wants the sport to ban smokeless tobacco. "Good luck," San Francisco Giants reliever Brandon Medders said. "Guys do what they do. We work outside. It's been part of the game for 100 years." At a hearing Wednesday, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, and Health Subcommittee chairman Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, called on baseball and its players to agree to bar major leaguers from using chew, dip or similar products during games. MLB executive VP Robert Manfred and MLB Players Association chief labor counsel David Prouty told lawmakers they agree that smokeless tobacco is harmful — Manfred said a ban in the majors is "a laudable goal" — but both pointed out that any ban would have to be agreed to through collective bargaining. They said their sides are willing to discuss the topic during future negotiations; baseball's labor contract is due to expire in December 2011. "I can tell you, anecdotally, there are plenty of players who are against it, who think, 'Of course it should be banned.' There are plenty of players who use it. Do they think it should be banned? I don't know," the union's Prouty said in an interview after the 3 1/2-hour hearing. "We can go back to the players and say, 'Congress feels strongly about this. You ought to think about it. Look what's happened [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T22:22:51-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Small atypical cervical nodes detected on sonography in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Source: Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine Author: Staff Probability of Metastasis Heung Cheol Kim, MD, Dae Young Yoon, MD, Suk Ki Chang, MD, Heon Han, MD, So Jung Oh, MD,Jin Hwan Kim, MD, Young-Soo Rho, MD, Hwoe Young Ahn, MD, Keon Ha Kim, MD andYoon Cheol Shin, MD Department of Radiology, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea (H.C.K., H.H.); Department of Radiology, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea (H.C.K.); Departments of Radiology (D.Y.Y., S.K.C.) and Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (S.J.O., J.H.K., Y.-S.R., H.Y.A.), Ilsong Memorial Institute of Head and Neck Cancer, and Department of Thoracic Surgery (Y.C.S.), Kangdong Seong-Sim Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; and Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (K.H.K.). Address correspondence to Dae Young Yoon, MD, Department of Radiology, Ilsong Memorial Institute of Head and Neck Cancer, Kangdong Seong-Sim Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, 445 Gil-dong, Kangdong-gu, Seoul 134-701, Korea. E-mail: [email protected] Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the probability of metastasis of small atypical cervical lymph nodes detected on sonography in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. Methods. We reviewed, retrospectively and blindly, sonographic findings of 148 patients (118 men and30 women; mean age, 58.2 years) who underwent curative neck dissection. Each lymph node was classified by using a 4-point scale: 1, definitely benign; 2, indeterminate (small [short-axis diameter <10 mm for levels I and II and <7 mm for levels III–VI] atypical node); 3, definitely metastatic; and [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-10T10:22:24-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Chip checks for oral cancer. Is this the beginning of an accurate lost cost alternative?

Source: Rice University Author: Mike Williams Rice's nano-bio-chip effective in pilot study to detect premalignancies The gentle touch of a lesion on the tongue or cheek with a brush can help detect oral cancer with success rates comparable to more invasive techniques, according to preliminary studies by researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Centers at Houston and San Antonio and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The test that uses Rice's diagnostic nano-bio-chip was found to be 97 percent "sensitive" and 93 percent specific in detecting which patients had malignant or premalignant lesions, results that compared well with traditional tests. The study appeared online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. "One of the key discoveries in this paper is to show that the miniaturized, noninvasive approach produces about the same result as the pathologists do," said John McDevitt, the Brown-Wiess Professor of Chemistry and Bioengineering at Rice. His lab developed the novel nano-bio-chip technology at the university's BioScience Research Collaborative. Oral cancer afflicts more than 300,000 people a year, including 35,000 in the United States alone. The five-year survival rate is 60 percent, but if cancer is detected early, that rate rises to 90 percent. McDevitt and his team are working to create an inexpensive chip that can differentiate premalignancies from the 95 percent of lesions that will not become cancerous. The minimally invasive technique would deliver results in 15 minutes instead of several days, as lab-based diagnostics do now; and instead of an invasive, [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T22:25:12-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Limited mouth opening after primary treatments for head and neck cancer

Source: Stanford University Author: Weber, S Dommerich, HW Pau, and B Kramp OBJECTIVES: Patients after surgery and radiation/chemoradiation for treatment of head and neck cancer often suffer from oral complications. These problems may be caused by surgery and radiation. Patients complain, for example, of swallowing problems and limited mouth opening (trismus). METHODS: The maximal interincisal mouth opening (MIO) was measured in patients treated with surgery and radiation/chemoradiation for head and neck cancer at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Rostock. These patients also completed a 20-item questionnaire concerning nutritional, sensual, and speech disorders and pain. RESULTS: One hundred one patients (16 female and 85 male) returned the questionnaire and were included in the study. About 50% of the patients had a limited mouth opening (<36 mm); patients with oropharyngeal cancer had a significant higher risk for trismus (p = .024) than patients with other head and neck cancers, especially compared to patients with laryngeal cancer (p = .013). The questionnaire showed that especially patients with oral cancer report about problems with opening the mouth (73%), eating (65%), drinking (73%), xerostomia (92%), speech disorders (68%), and voice (62%). Patients with laryngeal cancer only reported about problems with xerostomia (62%), speech (83%), and voice (90%), similar to patients with pharyngeal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: About half of the patients who underwent primary treatment for oral and oropharyngeal cancer developed trismus and reported about problems with opening the mouth, eating, drinking, dry mouth, voice, and speech. Trismus has a negative impact on quality [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T22:25:48-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Learn the risk factors of oral cancer

Source: King5TV Author: Elizabeth Berman Tens of thousands of people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. Only half will survive five years. 75% of dentists do not screen for oral cancer which is why it goes undetected and spreads throughout the body before it’s too late. There is now a link between oral cancer being transmitted by oral sex even. Local dentist (of Woodinville, WA), Dr. Michael Koczarski offers life saving screening known as VELscope which uses a bright blue light to illuminate the mouth. The screening can reveal tiny lesions that could be signs of oral cancer. It’s a quick, painless and non-invasive test that can illuminate abnormalities in the mouth before they are visible to the naked eye. • Oral cancer is a disfiguring and life-threatening cancer that affects 34,000 Americans each year and kills roughly one person every hour. • The death rate percentage for those with oral cancer is greater than that of breast cancer. • A disturbing new find is that it’s not all due to tobacco or alcohol use. It has been reported that the increase in oral cancer among younger people is due to a link between oral sex and HPV – the same virus linked to cervical cancer. • Dr. Michael Koczarski is one of the first dentists to adopt VELscope early detection technology for oral cancer screening. In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April, Dr. Koczarski is offering a free VELscope screening with every exam performed in April. Patients can schedule their [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-04T08:41:51-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Research argues HPV vaccine should extend to boys

Source: RadioAustralia.net Author: Staff It is already available free to young girls in countries like Nauru, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Cook Islands, but researchers are now saying the human papilloma virus, or HPV, vaccine Gardasil should also be offered to males. It follows new Australian research showing that the virus which causes cervical cancer in women is now a leading cause of oral cancer in men. It says 60 per cent of throat and tonsil cancers are caused by the virus. Presenter: Lindy Kerin Speaker: Barbara Rowe, associate professor in research with University of Sydney; Luke Connolly, director of Australian Centre for Economic Research; Dr Jonathan Clark, head and neck surgeon with Royal Prince Alfred and Liverpool Hospitals, New South Wales LINDY KERIN: For the past two years Australia has been rolling out the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to young women. It immunises them against the human papilloma virus, or HPV as it's known. Now there's growing evidence that the same virus is responsible for an increasing number of mouth and throat cancers in men. Barbara Rowe is an associate professor in research at the University of Sydney. BARBARA ROWE: We've tested just over 300 cancers of the oropharynx, and the oropharynx includes the tonsil and the base of tongue and part of the pharangyl wall. And we've tested those for the human papilloma virus type-16 and type-18, which the major cause of cervical cancer in women. And we found a sizeable proportion are associated with those types. In fact probably [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-01T17:14:59-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oral sex and HPV related cancers – a threat for both sexes

Source: Examiner.com Author: Charles Simmins An editorial in the British Medical Journal on March 25 links the increasing incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma to infections by human papillomavirus (HPV) that patients caught through oral sex. HPV infection is known to be related to cancers of the cervix, as well as vulvar, vaginal, and male anal cancers. The United States has seen a 22% increase in this oral cancer from 1999 to 2006 and the United Kingdom a 51% increase from 1989 to 2006. The editorial reports that biopsies of these cancers in the United States are showing a 50% to 100% increase in HPV findings over a decade. The authors point to recent studies that show the risks of developing oropharyngeal carcinoma are increased in those patients with six or more lifetime sexual partners, four or more lifetime oral sex partners and, for men, an earlier age at first sexual intercourse. The implications of these findings suggest reconsideration of some basic healthcare issues. In an e-mail exchange with William Bonnez, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester, he pointed out that no screening tools exist for HPV related cancers other than the Pap smear for cervical cancer. The authors of the editorial report that HPV oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma appears to have a more favorable prognosis than the non-HPV variety, and that those affected are usually younger. They point out that this means the patients will be dealing with the illness and its effects for a longer period [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-01T19:39:12-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Sharp rise in HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma — a legacy of the “sexual revolution”?

Source: MedScape Today Author: Zosia Chustecka March 30, 2010 — The incidence of oropharyngeal carcinoma related to human papillomavirus (HPV) has been increasing in recent years, and there is speculation that this is the result of the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s. This increase in the incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer has important public health implications, British experts warn in an editorial published online March 25 in the British Medical Journal. HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma appears to be a new and distinct disease entity, with better survival than the classic non-HPV-related disease, they point out. "These patients are typically younger and employed, and — because outcomes seem to be more favorable than for patients with non-HPV-related carcinoma — they will live longer with the functional and psychological sequelae of their treatment. Consequently, they need prolonged support from health, social, and other services, and may require help returning to work," write the authors, headed by Hisham Mehanna, BMedSc, MB ChB, FRCS, director of the Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education at University Hospital in Coventry, United Kingdom. However, currently, there is no good evidence to support managing patients with HPV-related head and neck cancer differently from those whose tumors are not HPV-related, the researchers write. Several studies are being planned to evaluate different treatment options, and Dr. Mehanna and colleagues urge clinicians to offer all patients with oropharyngeal cancer the opportunity to enroll in a clinical trial. However, until data from those trials are available, "we suggest that clinicians should not change their [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-01T19:38:46-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oropharyngeal carcinoma related to human papillomavirus

Source: BMJ 2010;340:c1439 Author: Staff Incidence is increasing rapidly, with implications for prognosis and policy Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer, with about 640,000 new cases each year worldwide. Despite an overall marginal decline in the incidence of most head and neck cancers in recent years,1 the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has increased greatly, especially in the developed world. In the United States, the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma increased by 22% from 1.53 per 100,000 to 1.87 per 100,000 between 1999 and 2006, after showing no change between 1975 and 1999. 1 The United Kingdom has seen a 51% increase in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in men from seven per 100,000 to 11 per 100,000 between 1989 and 2006. 2 The increase in incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma seems to be accounted for by a rise in human papillomavirus (HPV) related oropharyngeal carcinoma. A recent retrospective study showed a progressive proportional increase in the detection of HPV in biopsies taken to diagnose oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the Swedish county of Stockholm over the past three decades (23.3% in 1970s, 29% in 1980s, 57% in 1990s, 68% between 2000 and 2002, 77% between 2003 and 2005, and 93% between 2006 and 2007).3 Similarly, HPV related oropharyngeal carcinoma has been reported in 60-80% of recent oropharyngeal biopsy samples in studies conducted in the US, compared with 40% in the previous decade.4 More research is needed to establish the incidence of HPV related oropharyngeal carcinoma in African, Asian, and South American countries. HPV related oropharyngeal carcinoma seems to be a new and distinct [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-03-26T16:16:09-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

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