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Snus news & other tobacco products

Source: snus-news.blogspot.com Author: blog post Twenty-six of the United States' leading tobacco control researchers and policy experts have called for regulatory control of all tobacco products. They also called for policies that encourage current tobacco users to reduce their health risks by switching from the most to the least harmful nicotine-containing products. This group met in a two-year process they called The Strategic Dialogue on Tobacco Harm Reduction - members met four times between December 2005 and August 2007. Their vision: a world in which virtually no one uses cigarettes. But the group acknowledged that smokeless-tobacco products are an option for reducing health risks for tobacco users. They also called for policies that encourage current tobacco users to reduce their health risks by switching from the most to the least harmful nicotine-containing products. Paper: Mitch Zeller et al., The strategic dialogue on tobacco harm reduction: A vision and blueprint for action in the United States, Tob Control 2009 0: 200802731, ABSTRACT... Murray Kessler, former Chief Executive Officer of UST, Inc - the world's leading producer of moist smokeless tobacco products - tells us that 9 out of 10 smokers that try smokeless reject the product. Smokers faced with the increased in the federal tax on cigarettes (effective April 1, 2009) have been telling clerks at c-stores they're thinking of quitting but hardly anyone has indicated they are thinking of switching to smokeless tobacco. We’re all for this safer alternative if distribution could be limited to inveterate tobacco smokers (smokers who [...]

2009-05-08T18:49:23-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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New diagnostic advance seen for head, throat cancer

Source: www.biocompare.com Author: press release Pharmacy researchers at Oregon State University today announced the discovery of a genetic regulator that is expressed at higher levels in the most aggressive types of head and neck cancers, in work that may help to identify them earlier or even offer a new therapy at some point in the future. This "transcriptional regulator" is called CTIP2, and in recent research has been demonstrated to be a master regulator that has important roles in many biological functions, ranging from the proper development of enamel on teeth to skin formation and the possible treatment of eczema or psoriasis. In the newest study, published today in PLoS ONE, a professional journal, scientists found for the first time that levels of CTIP2 were more than five times higher in the "poorly differentiated" tumor cells that caused the most deadly types of squamous cell carcinomas in the larynx, throat, tongue and other parts of the head. There was a high correlation between greater CTIP2 expression and the aggressive nature of the cancer. Head and neck squamous cell cancers are the sixth most common cancers in the world, the researchers said in their study, and a significant cause of mortality. In 2008, cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx alone accounted for 35,310 new cases in the United States and 7,590 deaths. They have been linked to such things as tobacco use and alcohol consumption. "Serious head and throat cancer is pretty common, and mortality rates from it haven't improved [...]

2009-05-06T13:44:22-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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From cars to cancer: UH professor employs auto industry tools for tumor therapy

Source: www.genengnews.com Author: staff An effort is under way at the University of Houston to use technologies with origins in the automobile industry to develop new tools that will help doctors and technicians better plan radiation therapy for patients with head and neck cancer. Dr. Ali Kamrani, founding director of the Design and Free Form Fabrication Laboratory at UH and a former auto industry researcher, is teaming up with Dr. Lei Dong, associate professor and deputy research director of radiation physics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, to develop predictive models of tumors that hopefully will increase the accuracy of radiation therapy. "We aim to better understand tumor deformations using geometric and statistical models rather than repetitive CT scans," said Kamrani, an associate professor of industrial engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering. "In this case, patients will undergo a minimum number of CT scans, and the radiation plans will be developed using the predictive models." Traditional computed tomography sessions, also known as CT scans, require a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images that, when combined, provide detailed three-dimensional images of many types of tissue. "A CT scan is used to collect information with respect to tumor size, location and volume," he said. "But the CT scan itself is a source of harmful radiation to body tissues and other organs. During the treatment, patients undergo a series of CT scans, which are costly and tedious." Reducing the number of CT scans is a primary objective for Kamrani, [...]

2009-05-06T13:31:06-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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Acupuncture relieves radiation-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Roxanne Nelson Acupuncture can improve subjective symptoms of dry mouth in patients with radiation-induced xerostomia, according to the results of a pilot trial. When treated twice a week for 4 weeks with acupuncture, oncology patients who received radiation treatments to the head and neck area reported significant improvements in physical well being and quality of life. The results of the trial, published online April 17 in Head & Neck, showed that acupuncture relieved symptoms as early as 2 weeks after starting therapy, with the benefits lasting for at least 1 month after treatment ended. Although this was a pilot study, the results appear quite encouraging; little or no recovery is generally seen in these patients after they reach the damaging threshold of radiation. But all patients in this study had reached the damaging threshold, explained senior author William Chambers, DMD, MS, chief of the Section of Oncologic Dentistry and Prosthodontics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "They all received over 50 Gy of definitive external-beam radiation therapy," he said. However, the data did not find a change in measured stimulated or unstimulated salivary flow, even though the patients reported symptom relief. "There was no statistically significant increase in saliva flow from baseline, but there was a positive trend, with a spike for unstimulated saliva [P = .08]," Dr. Chambers told Medscape Oncology. The researchers also note that basal and salivary flow rates vary significantly among individuals, and therefore, subjective perceptions and objective [...]

2009-05-02T05:42:13-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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Robot-assisted surgery feasible for head and neck cancer

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Roxanne Nelson Robot-assisted surgery appears feasible for resection of select upper aerodigestive tract tumors, according to a study published in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. Researchers found that the surgical robot had several advantages over traditional endoscopic and open approaches, such as 3-dimensional visualization, tremor filtration, and greater freedom of instrument movement. "Robotic surgery in head and neck patients is still considered investigational," said senior author William Carroll, MD, associate professor of surgery and otolaryngology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. "The procedure is under consideration by the [US Food and Drug Administration] for an approved indication." The key message from this study is that this technology could prove useful for the surgical management of select patients with head and neck cancers. "We hope to see similar or improved cure rates with fewer side effects and quicker return to function," he told Medscape Oncology. Since they were introduced a decade ago, robot-assisted surgeries have become widely accepted in the United States, especially for cardiac, gynecologic, and urologic procedures. The authors note that in 2007, about 60% of all radical prostatectomies were performed with robot assistance, and that robot-assisted cardiac and urological procedures can result in less blood loss and fewer complications than standard open approaches. In addition, the use of robots in cardiac surgery has had a favorable effect on operative time, length of stay in intensive care units, and length of overall inpatient care days, compared with open [...]

2009-04-30T13:08:30-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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New diagnostic advance seen for head, throat cancer

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff Pharmacy researchers at Oregon State University today announced the discovery of a genetic regulator that is expressed at higher levels in the most aggressive types of head and neck cancers, in work that may help to identify them earlier or even offer a new therapy at some point in the future. This "transcriptional regulator" is called CTIP2, and in recent research has been demonstrated to be a master regulator that has important roles in many biological functions, ranging from the proper development of enamel on teeth to skin formation and the possible treatment of eczema or psoriasis. In the newest study, published April 28 in PLoS One, scientists found for the first time that levels of CTIP2 were more than five times higher in the "poorly differentiated" tumor cells that caused the most deadly types of squamous cell carcinomas in the larynx, throat, tongue and other parts of the head. There was a high correlation between greater CTIP2 expression and the aggressive nature of the cancer. Head and neck squamous cell cancers are the sixth most common cancers in the world, the researchers said in their study, and a significant cause of mortality. In 2008, cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx alone accounted for 35,310 new cases in the United States and 7,590 deaths. They have been linked to such things as tobacco use and alcohol consumption. "Serious head and throat cancer is pretty common, and mortality rates from it haven't improved much in 20 [...]

2009-04-30T08:53:36-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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Experimental drug shows promise against head and neck cancer

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release A laboratory study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that an anti-cancer compound studied for treating blood cancers may also help in treating cancers of the head and neck. The work is reported in the April 28th online edition of the Journal of Pathology. Head and neck cancer refers to tumors in the mouth, throat, or larynx (voice box). Each year about 40,000 men and women develop head and neck cancer in the U.S., making it the country's sixth-most common type. Surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation are the main treatment options but can cause serious side effects. Better treatments are needed, since only about half of patients with head and neck cancer survive for five or more years after diagnosis. The Einstein study involved a new class of chemotherapy agents known as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which affect the availability of genes that are transcribed and translated into proteins. In many types of cancer, out-of-control cell growth results from certain genes that are either too active or not active enough in producing proteins. HDAC inhibitors appear to combat cancer by restoring the normal expression of key regulatory genes that control cell growth and survival. The Einstein researchers focused on a particular HDAC inhibitor known as LBH589 that has already shown some success in clinical trials involving people with cancers of the blood. The researchers found that LBH589 succeeded in killing tumor cells that had been removed from head and neck [...]

2009-04-29T19:29:39-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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The oral cancer battle

Source: www.ladowntownnews.com Author: Beth Dunham As people look for ways to cut corners and save money in this time of economic uncertainty, healthcare sometimes takes a back seat to other expenses — putting lives at risk. A visit to the dentist is crucial and could mean the difference between life and death; someone in the United States dies of oral cancer nearly every hour, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Early detection is crucial in the fight against oral cancer, an aggressive, deadly disease that hasn’t seen the same improvements in survival rates as other cancers, said Parish Sedghizadeh of the USC School of Dentistry. “Oral cancer has one of the highest mortality rates among cancers,” said Sedghizadeh, assistant professor of clinical dentistry at USC. “It’s usually not noticed until the later stages, when a recovery is less likely. People have heard of oral cancer, but they don’t know what it looks like.” The disease rarely causes pain or other noticeable symptoms until it reaches a very advanced stage, he said. And while many people stay vigilant for the symptoms of more common cancers, dental care access challenges and a lack of oral cancer education means that most patients don’t know the early signs of oral cancer. “Oral cancer will often start as a small red or white plaque or sore that doesn’t go away with time, unlike other normal mouth, tongue, or lip sores that usually heal within a week or so,” Sedghizadeh said. Even if the disease is [...]

2009-04-27T05:43:46-07:00April, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|
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Diet, nutrition, and cancer — don’t trust any single study

Source: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 100th Annual Meeting Author: Zosia Chustecka Numerous studies on diet and cancer were presented here at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 100th Annual Meeting, but several of the findings that were highlighted in AACR press releases — and thus are likely to be picked up by the lay media — run counter to the accumulated body of evidence, and some of the comments based on these studies are untrue or premature. So said Walter Willet, MD, DrPH, from the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts, in an exclusive interview with Medscape Oncology. "No conclusions should be made on the basis of a single study," he said. Dr. Willett presented an overview entitled "Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer: The Search for Truth," in which he reviewed many of the associations that have been suggested by epidemiologic studies. These include consumption of red meat, meat cooked at a high temperature, a high-fat diet, and alcohol all increasing the risk, and fruit and vegetables decreasing the risk. However, much of the evidence for these links is rather weak, he said; the most robust evidence supports a link between obesity and an increased risk for cancer. "The estimate that diet contributes to around 30% to 35% of cancers is still reasonable," Dr. Willet said, "but much of this is related to being overweight and inactive." "At this point in time, being overweight is second only to smoking as a clear [...]

2009-04-26T20:27:00-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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Cancer risk of nicotine gum and lozenges higher than thought

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk Author: Mark Henderson Nicotine chewing gum, lozenges and inhalers designed to help people to give up smoking may have the potential to cause cancer, research has suggested. Scientists have discovered a link between mouth cancer and exposure to nicotine, which may indicate that using oral nicotine replacement therapies for long periods could contribute to a raised risk of the disease. A study funded by the Medical Research Council, led by Muy-Teck Teh, of Queen Mary, University of London, has found that the effects of a genetic mutation that is common in mouth cancer can be worsened by nicotine in the levels that are typically found in smoking cessation products. The results raise the prospect that nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, may be more carcinogenic than had previously been appreciated. “Although we acknowledge the importance of encouraging people to quit smoking, our research suggests nicotine found in lozenges and chewing gums may increase the risk of mouth cancer,” Dr Teh said. “Smoking is of course far more dangerous, and people who are using nicotine replacement to give up should continue to use it and consult their general practitioners if they are concerned. The important message is not to overuse it, and to follow advice on the packet.” Most nicotine replacement products have labels advising people to cut down after three months of use and to stop completely after six months. Mouth cancer affects nearly 5,000 people each year in Britain and is usually linked to smoking, chewing tobacco [...]

2009-04-22T13:47:53-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|
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