Oral Cancer Foundation News Team – A – Page 42

Pembrolizumab: New standard of care in head and neck cancer

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Roxanne Nelson, RN, BSN Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck & Co), either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, offers a new standard of care for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), say experts discussing the results from the company-sponsored KEYNOTE-48 trial. Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy yielded a significant survival benefit in comparison with standard therapy for both the total patient population and for patients whose tumors were positive for programmed cell death–ligand-1 (PD-L1). Monotherapy with pembrolizumab yielded a significant overall survival benefit for patients with tumors that were PD-L1 positive; and in the total study population, overall survival was noninferior. "Thus, pembrolizumab monotherapy is a new standard of care, first-line therapy option for patients with PD-L1-positive recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. Pembrolizumab with chemotherapy is also a new option for all patients, regardless of PD-L1 status," comment Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Lisa Licitra MD, from the University of Milan, Italy, in a commentary that accompanies article in the Lancet. "The positive results of KEYNOTE-048 represent substantial progress for patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC," Ferris and Licitria add. These comments echo the reactions from experts when the study was presented earlier this year at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), as reported by Medscape Medical News at that time. Presenter Danny Rischin, MD, from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, Melbourne, Australia, said: "These data support pembrolizumab plus platinum-based CT [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-18T07:13:03-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Year in review: Head and neck cancer

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Ian Ingram, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage In 2019, headlines in head and neck cancer were dominated by a new first-line approval in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), further attempts at treatment deintensification in the lower-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) population, and a provocative trial looking at patients' quality of life following either robotic surgery or radiation. Immunotherapy OK'd in First-line Based on data from the three-arm KEYNOTE-048 trial, the FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the first-line treatment of metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck SCC. The PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor was approved in combination with chemotherapy for all patients, or as monotherapy for those with PD-L1 expression. Final results of the study demonstrated a 23% reduction in the hazard for death for the group treated with pembrolizumab plus platinum chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin) and 5-fluorouracil. This group had a median overall survival of 13.0 months, as compared with 10.7 months for those treated with the EXTREME regimen of platinum chemotherapy plus 5-fluorouracil and cetuximab (Erbitux). A pembrolizumab monotherapy arm of KEYNOTE-048 showed non-inferiority to EXTREME in all comers and superiority in patients with a PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) ≥1, as represented by a 22% reduction in the hazard for death over the study period. In this CPS ≥1 population, which made up about 85% of the study population, median overall survival was 12.3 with pembrolizumab alone versus 10.3 months with EXTREME. ORATOR Trial Upends Assumption of Surgical Superiority In the first randomized trial to pit transoral robotic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-16T13:32:00-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Supporting patients at every stage of living with head and neck cancers

Source: www.nursingtimes.net Author: Wendy Robson Wendy Robson, lead head and neck clinical nurse specialist at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, shares her perspective on how her role supports the multidisciplinary team to care for patients living with head and neck cancers Before, during and after treatment for head and neck cancers, the care pathway is complex and often overwhelming for patients. Without support, patients often have anxieties around cancer care and concerns related to employment and finances. The Beyond Clinical Outcomes: UK patient experience in head and neck cancers survey report of patients living with head and neck cancers focused on how these cancers affect people and what they valued from cancer care. The report was funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and co-developed via a three-way partnership between BMS, The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Patient Support Group and the Mouth Cancer Foundation – two charities that provide support and advice to patients living with head and neck cancers.1 It identified a need for an engaged multidisciplinary team to be involved throughout the patient pathway. Wendy Robson, head and neck clinical nurse specialist at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) agrees, stating that “we provide holistic support from day one regarding treatment and every other aspect of a patient’s life that is affected by a cancer diagnosis”. Ms Robson and the team at UHNM are driving best practice care for head and neck cancer patients that aligns to national guidelines, offers support throughout the care pathway and helps [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-12T07:35:49-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Despite only a 50% HPV vaccination rate in adolescents, cervical precancer incidence rates drop

Source: www.targetedonc.com Author: Tony Berberabe, MPH Although a vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV) is widely available, an average of 34,800 HPV-associated cancers attributable to the virus, including cervical, vaginal, vulva, penile, anal, and oropharynx were reported in the United States from 2012 through 2016, according to data published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.1 The estimated number of cancers attributable to HPV types targeted by the 9-valent HPV vaccine (9vHPV) is also rising. These recent increases are due in part to an aging and growing population and increases in oropharyngeal, anal, and vulvar cancers, lead author Virginia Senkomago, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist and senior service fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, said in an email. Although HPV vaccination is an important component of cancer prevention, only about 50% of adolescents have received the vaccine. Of cancer cases attributable to the HPV types targeted by the vaccine, 19,000 (59%) occurred in female patients and 13,100 (41%) occurred in male patients. But there is some good news. Senkomago said HPV infections and cervical precancers have dropped significantly since the vaccine was introduced. Infections with HPV types have dropped 86% among teenage girls. Among vaccinated women aged 20 to 24 years, the percentage of cervical precancers caused by the HPV types most often linked to cervical cancer dropped by 40%. The vaccination is recommended through age 26 for all individuals, especially for those who were not vaccinated when they were younger. The vaccine is not recommended [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-06T09:58:21-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Research to examine possible links between periodontal disease and oral cancer

Source: eu.dental-tribune.com Author: Dental Tribune International staff As worldwide oral cancer rates continue to climb, our understanding of what causes the disease to occur, thankfully, also continues to grow. Tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption have been established as primary risk factors, and researchers are now investigating another potential source for this condition: the bacteria that cause periodontal disease. The research is being led by Dr Louise Belfield, a lecturer in biomedical science at the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Dental School, in collaboration with the university’s Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine. Since cancer requires blood vessels to grow and metastasise, the research team is planning to build on existing evidence that shows how certain bacteria that cause periodontal disease are linked to angiogenesis. To do so, the research team will develop miniature tumours and blood vessels in a laboratory setting, adding the bacteria with the aim of clarifying how they function and what effect they have on the blood vessels. According to a press release from the university, if the research ascertains that the bacteria make the blood vessels grow more rapidly and similarly to those associated with tumours and identifies the process by which this is achieved, the results could form the basis of a new screening programme to detect oral cancer risk earlier. This would make it possible to begin treatment in a more timely manner. “We know that tumours in the mouth, unlike many other tumours, are in constant contact with bacteria, but we don’t know [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-06T09:45:25-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Oral sex blamed for rise of mouth cancer in UK

Source: www.medicaldaily.com Author: Darwin Malicdem The number of people diagnosed with mouth cancer has significantly increased by 135 percent over the past 20 years in the United Kingdom. Experts believe the increase comes amid the growing number of Brits engaging in oral sex. Nonprofit Oral Health Foundation (OHF) issued a report showing oral cancer rates “have more than doubled in a generation” across the U.K. In 2018 alone, seven people died every day from the disease in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “While most cancers are on the decrease, cases of mouth cancer continue to rise at an alarming rate,” Nigel Carter, chief executive of the OHF, told the Daily Mail. “It changes how somebody speaks, it makes eating and drinking more difficult, and often changes a person’s physical appearance.” The foundation said the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) caused 73 percent of the oropharyngeal mouth cancers. But drinking alcohol also contributed to the higher rates of the disease in the U.K. OHF said 33 percent of mouth cancer diagnoses over the past decades were linked to consumption of alcoholic beverages. Smoking was associated with 17 percent of the cases. The foundation launched Mouth Cancer Action Month in early November that aims to spread awareness of mouth cancer and its signs and symptoms. “We want everyone to be more mouth aware during this year’s campaign,” Carter said in a press release. “This means being able to identify the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer, understand what is more likely to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-05T09:21:13-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Study shows checkpoint inhibitor prolongs survival in patients with certain head and neck cancers

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: Anne Doerr, Yale University The checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) increases the survival time of patients with advanced head and neck cancers, according to a new global study led by Yale Cancer Center (YCC). The data was published today in the journal The Lancet. The findings of the phase 3 study show that, compared to the standard therapy, overall survival was significantly improved for participants with previously untreated recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers. "This research demonstrates that this checkpoint inhibitor, with or without chemotherapy, should be the first drug used for these types of cancers," said the study's lead investigator, Barbara Burtness, M.D., a professor of medicine (medical oncology) and co-leader of developmental therapeutics at YCC. "This is a very positive advance in treatment for our patients." Burtness added that early results from this clinical trial, KEYNOTE-048, led to FDA approval earlier this year of pembrolizumab as first-line therapy in untreated recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma, which include cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. While the median survival benefit was calculated in months, some patients treated with pembrolizumab lived much longer and did significantly better than patients who were not treated with the checkpoint inhibitor, Burtness noted. The study looked at 882 participants enrolled in 200 medical centers in 37 countries, who were randomly assigned to one of three different groups: those receiving pembrolizumab, those treated with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy, and those getting the standard therapy with cetuximab and chemotherapy. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-05T04:25:49-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Tiny cancer tracers could boost survival rates

Source: www.bignewsnetwork.com/ Author: PanArmenian.Net staff Nanoparticles that can detect complex cancer cells and potentially improve five-year survival rates are headed for human trials. South Australian company Ferronova has developed the nanoparticles that are designed to identify early stage tumor and related cancer cells, Medical Xpress says. Ferronova Chief Executive Stewart Bartlett said the tiny cancer tracers were expected to be trialled on oral cancer patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in April 2020, pending key approvals. Bartlett said once Ferronova's polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were injected into patients they would show up on an MRI within about 15 minutes. 'The way they work in cancer is they're designed to be detected around a solid tumor' he said. 'They'll actually be picked up by your lymphatic system as a foreign body and follow the same pathway as any cancer spread from a primary tumor would follow. 'If you can actually know where those particles are going you can also determine where the cancer would have gone.' Ferronova was spun out of a nanoparticles research collaboration between the University of South Australia and New Zealand's Victoria University, with backing from IP investors Powerhouse Ventures and UniSA Ventures. Bartlett said preclinical trials at the Mawson Lakes lab had given the company confidence to use the particles on humans. He said the treatment was expected to be 90 percent accurate. 'We've added a molecule to the particles so they go to the first lymph node and they are retained in the first lymph node, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-03T10:29:59-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Oral mucositis: preventing the side effect before undergoing cancer treatment

Source: www.curetoday.com/ Author: Katie Kosko Oral mucositis can be painful and, in some cases, require hospitalization of patients being treated for cancer with chemotherapy and other radiation therapies. However, along with your care team, you can take steps to prevent this uncomfortable side effect. In an interview CURE®, Dr. Alessandro Villa, assistant professor in oral medicine and dentistry at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, spotlighted the number of patients with cancer who are affected by oral mucositis, explained the benefits of two agents approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for intervention and explored how patients can control the side effect from the comfort of their homes. CURE®: Can you explain what types of cancer treatment cause oral mucositis? Villa: Oral mucositis is an iconic toxicity of cancer therapy and remains one of the most painful and disrupting side effects of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. When I talk about radiation therapy, I talk about patients with head and neck cancer. In these patients, usually 100% receiving radiation therapy develop oral mucositis. We also see mucositis in approximately 60% to 80% of patients who undergo bone marrow transplants. And finally, we see it in 20% to 40% of patients who receive conventional chemotherapy for any cancer. What are the consequences of oral mucositis? Oral mucositis is one of the most painful toxicities in patients receiving radiation therapy to the head and neck. It’s the number one cause of hospitalization in these patients. It can [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-11-03T10:21:56-07:00November, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Health department official on HPV vaccine: “What are we waiting for?”

Source: www.mynews13.com Author: Rebecca Turco Despite studies from the CDC showing the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine at preventing certain types of cancer, some parents are still hesitant to get their children vaccinated. 92% of almost 35,000 cancers could be prevented by vaccine Doctor: Some parents may think vaccine promotes sexual behavior County Health Departments offer HPV vaccine for free Dr. Raul Pino, the interim administrator of the Orange County Health Department, wants to change that. Among the estimated 34,800 cancers probably caused by the human papilloma virus between 2012 and 2016, an estimated 92% could be prevented by the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We have a vaccine that prevents some type of cancers, and now we're questioning if we should take the vaccine," he said. "It will not only prevent penile cancer or vaginal cancer or cervical cancer, but also oral, esophagus and tonsils. "So what are we waiting for?" Pino thinks some parents might be hesitant because of the widely spread, but disproven, belief that vaccines are linked to autism. Then, there are other parents who think giving their child the vaccine is promoting sexual behavior. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. "The reality is, I think what the parents have to present to themselves in this debate, is what is the paramount objective here?" Pino said. "Is the paramount objective to offer protection to the individual, or is the paramount objective to prevent the behavior?" Officials recommended that children [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-10-18T07:28:12-07:00October, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

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