Oral Cancer News

Robotic surgery vs. radiation, chemo for throat cancer, study to see which is best

By: Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press, April 17, 2013Source: ottawacitizen.com TORONTO - It was quite a shock for Rod Sinn when he learned the persistent sore throat he'd had for five months, initially diagnosed as tonsillitis, was actually an increasingly common form of throat cancer caused by the human papilloma virus. Equally unpleasant was the news that the standard treatment for oropharyngeal cancer, which typically affects the back of the tongue, tonsils and nearby tissues, is radiation and chemotherapy. Sinn, a physically fit non-smoker who only drinks alcohol occasionally, had seen what the double-barrelled treatment could do. A friend diagnosed with throat cancer a year earlier and given the standard treatment lost his salivary glands and sense of taste. "I thought, wait a minute, there's got to be another option. I really don't like the side-effects of all that radiation," the 52-year-old businessman, who lives in Oakville, Ont., near Toronto, said Tuesday. After searching the Internet, he discovered doctors at Western University in London, Ont., were the only ones in Canada performing robotic-assisted surgery for throat cancer. Sinn had the robotic surgery in spring 2011, plus a follow-up operation to remove some lymph nodes for testing to make sure his cancer hadn't spread. While the surgery left him unable to swallow for several weeks and he lost some taste buds for a time, he is virtually back to normal except for some numbness in his neck where the lymph nodes were removed. "It was fantastic," said Sinn, who counts himself a believer [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-18T16:40:32-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers design drug to block incidence of head, neck cancer caused by HPV virus

Source: www.news-medical.net Researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which the human papilloma virus (HPV) causes head and neck cancer, and they have designed a drug to block that mechanism. Though further research is needed, the new agent might offer a safer treatment for these tumors when combined with a tapered dose of standard chemotherapy. HPV-positive head and neck cancer has become three times more common since the 1970s, and it could reach epidemic levels in the future, say researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) who led the study. "We believe these findings will help meet the real need for more effective and safer therapy for a growing number of HPV-positive head and neck cancer patients," says principal investigator Dr. Quintin Pan, associate professor of otolaryngology at the OSUCCC - James. The study was published in the journal Oncogene. The research, which mainly used head and neck cancer cells, shows that a protein produced by the virus blocks a protein made by the host cell. The cell protein, called p300, regulates a gene called p53. This gene both controls cell division and protects the body against cancer by causing cells to die before they become malignant.By blocking the cell protein, HPV forces the host cell to live instead of die and to proliferate and form tumors. The prospective new drug, called CH1iB, prevents the viral protein from binding with the cell protein. This restores [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T09:00:53-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

HPV linked to certain lung cancers; is oral sex to blame?

Source: www.medicaldaily.com Author: Jonathan Weiss By now, it's a given that smoking causes lung cancer. The American Lung Association reports that 80 to 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer are smoking-related. The remaining 10 to 20 percent, though, has been more of a mystery — until now. A new line of research has implicated thye sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus, or HPV, in lung cancers that were found in non-smokers. HPV is the leading cause of all cervical cancer cases in the world. It's a well-known disease that's gottena lot of press in recent years; an effective vaccine was recently developed that can prevent the viral infection and subsequent cervical cancer development. Whether or not the vaccine should be required for teenage girls has become a hot-button political issue. Adding fuel to the fire, a research team from the Fox Chase Cancer Center recently looked at tissue samples from lung cancer patients who had no history of smoking and saw that close to 6 percent showed evidence that they had been driven by HPV infection. Four out of 36 lung samples had signs of infection from two strains of HPV known to cause cancer. Looking more closely at the two samples infected by one strain of HPV, Dr. Ranee Mehra, MD, attending physician in medical oncology at Fox Chase and her team saw signs the virus had integrated into the tumor's DNA — which is even more suggestive that the infection had caused the tumor in the first [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T08:30:16-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Black raspberries reduce DNA damage in oral cancer survivors

Source: www.prweb.com Author: press release New research presented Wednesday, April 10, at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2013 in Washington, DC, suggests that a food-based cancer prevention study aimed at oral cancer survivors was effective at attenuating highly reactive oxygen molecules that can damage DNA and trigger cancer. In the study, a phase 1b clinical trial conducted at The Ohio State University, participants consumed 4 - 8 grams of black raspberries daily for six months. The berries were well tolerated by the participants and adherence to the regimen was good. This study provides compelling data that indicate biochemical markers of cancer-causing DNA damage were reduced in participants who adhered to the food-based regimen and supports other evidence from a phase 2 human trial linking application of black raspberry gel to precancerous lesions to a reduced risk of developing oral cancer. Black raspberries, not to be confused with blackberries, are almost exclusively grown in Oregon, on the west coast of the United States. They have been studied extensively because of their high concentration of certain phytonutrients and antioxidants. BerriProducts, an Oregon-based company, has been supplying black raspberry products to research universities across the country for the last four years.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T08:20:55-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Study shows Vigilant Biosciences’ simple “rinse and spit” test effective in detecting oral cancer

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release A new "rinse and spit" test for oral cancer is capable of early detection of tumors across "a racially and ethnically diverse population," according to results of a study conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Coinciding with Oral Cancer Awareness month, results from the largest oral cancer marker study of its kind in the U.S. were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. and the American Head and Neck Society annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The test, developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and exclusively licensed to Vigilant Biosciences, Inc. (Vigilant), will be available as a low-cost, point-of-care "rinse and spit" screening test for the early detection of oral cancer. The study of 300 subjects, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, employed a case-control design ensuring cases (oral cancer patients) and controls (volunteers without cancer) were similar with respect to other important factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, age and race. The study was conducted by principal investigator Elizabeth Franzmann, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a member of the University's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. "There is a tremendous need for a simple and painless test for early detection of oral cancer because the majority of patients present in late stage when cure rates reach only 40 percent," said Dr. Franzmann. "Since minority patients and those of low socioeconomic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T08:14:23-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers Design Drug to Restore Cell Suicide in HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancer

Source: sciencedaily.comDate: April 8, 2013 Researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which the human papilloma virus (HPV) causes head and neck cancer, and they have designed a drug to block that mechanism. Though further research is needed, the new agent might offer a safer treatment for these tumors when combined with a tapered dose of standard chemotherapy. HPV-positive head and neck cancer has become three times more common since the 1970s, and it could reach epidemic levels in the future, say researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC -- James) who led the study. "We believe these findings will help meet the real need for more effective and safer therapy for a growing number of HPV-positive head and neck cancer patients," says principal investigator Dr. Quintin Pan, associate professor of otolaryngology at the OSUCCC -- James. The study was published in the journal Oncogene. The research, which mainly used head and neck cancer cells, shows that a protein produced by the virus blocks a protein made by the host cell. The cell protein, called p300, regulates a gene called p53. This gene both controls cell division and protects the body against cancer by causing cells to die before they become malignant. By blocking the cell protein, HPV forces the host cell to live instead of die and to proliferate and form tumors. The prospective new drug, called CH1iB, prevents the viral protein from binding [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-09T15:09:21-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Dental groups dispute Consumer Reports cancer screening story

Source: http://www.drbicuspid.comBy: Donna Domino, Features EditorDate: April 5, 2013 The dental community is up in arms over a recent Consumer Reports article that claims oral cancer screening is one of several medical tests that are overrecommended and unnecessary for all but high-risk patients. The article, which appears in the March 2013 issue, concluded that "most people shouldn't waste their time" on most diagnostic tests, including chairside visual screenings for oral cancer. "Most people don't need the test unless they are at high risk, because the cancer is relatively uncommon," Consumer Reports wrote. But the ADA and the Oral Cancer Foundation vehemently disagree with the magazine's conclusions, asserting that visual screening can result in earlier diagnosis of oral cancer and other oral diseases. The Consumer Reports article recommends only three cancer tests -- cervical, colon, and breast -- as worthwhile, and includes oral cancer screening among "eight to avoid" tests: ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, prostate, bladder, lung, oral cavity, and skin cancer. The magazine said its ratings were based mainly on reviews from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Early diagnosis critical According to Consumer Reports, the medical community has "systematically exaggerated" the benefits of screening while downplaying the harms, such as unnecessary radiation and biopsies. The ADA quickly registered its disappointment with the recommendations and sent a letter -- co-signed by the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology -- to the editors of Consumer Reports, noting that noninvasive visual and tactile oral cancer screenings are typically included in oral exams [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-23T15:24:32-07:00April, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Cancer clinics are turning away thousands of Medicare patients. Blame the sequester.

Posted by Sarah Kliff on April 3, 2013 at 5:46 pmhttp://www.washingtonpost.com Ralph V. Boccia of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders runs a cancer clinic that is in danger of losing funding due to the sequester cuts. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, blaming the sequester budget cuts. Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially. Patients at these clinics would need to seek treatment elsewhere, such as at hospitals that might not have the capacity to accommodate them. “If we treated the patients receiving the most expensive drugs, we’d be out of business in six months to a year,” said Jeff Vacirca, chief executive of North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates in New York. “The drugs we’re going to lose money on we’re not going to administer right now.” After an emergency meeting Tuesday, Vacirca’s clinics decided that they would no longer see one-third of their 16,000 Medicare patients. “A lot of us are in disbelief that this is happening,” he said. “It’s a choice between seeing these patients and staying in business.” Some who have been pushing the federal government to spend less on health care say this is not the right approach. “I don’t think there was an intention to disrupt care or move it into a more expensive setting,” said Cathy Schoen, senior vice president of the [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-05T13:41:32-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Roger Ebert Announces Return Of Cancer, Says He’s Taking ‘Leave Of Presence’

By: Tom Kludt Date: 9:46 AM EDT, Wednesday April 3, 2013Source: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert announced Tuesday evening in a post on his Chicago Sun-Times blog that he has suffered a return of cancer. As a result, Ebert — who has written prolifically in recent years on a host of topics other than just cinema — said he will be taking a "leave of presence." "What in the world is a leave of presence? It means I am not going away," Ebert wrote. "My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me. What's more, I'll be able at last to do what I've always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review." In 2012, Ebert said he penned 306 movie reviews, one or two blog posts per week and "assorted other articles" — a higher output than any other point in his career. The blog post commemorated the 46th anniversary of Ebert joining the Sun-Times as a film critic. Ebert suffered a hip fracture in December, which led to the latest diagnosis of cancer. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002, and in 2006 he lost his ability to speak after his carotid artery burst during a surgery to remove cancer located in his jaw. The latest health episode, Ebert wrote, will likely color his writing going forward. "At this point in my life, in addition to [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-03T10:54:36-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Emergence of HPV 16 and sexually transmiitted oral cancer

Source: communities.washingtontimes.com Author: Dr. Ali by Ali Forghani The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the second leading cause of oral cancer. HPV is certainly not a newcomer to the disease world. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted disease on the planet. As of this writing, over 120 variations of the virus have been discovered, with different strands of HPV affecting different areas of the body. Many people contract HPV daily without realizing they have a virus, as it is very possible to carry a strand while displaying no noticeable symptoms. HPV 16 Virus HPV is a virus that is mainly focused on the outer surface of the body, the skin, as well as the mucus secreting areas. The most noticeable effect from certain strands of the virus is the appearance of warts on the skin, mainly concentrated on the arms, legs and hands. Condylomata acuminatum, also called genital warts, are the strands of this virus found most commonly on individuals and are generally believed to be caused by the HPV strands 6 and 11. These particular strands of HPV are very common and easily treatable. One of the prime reasons HPV is found so commonly in the world is the ease of transmission of the virus. HPV can be spread simply by contact of the skin, with certain strands branching out to be sexually transmitted. These particular strands are the strands that should be of the most concern today due to the discoveries being made [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-01T08:46:21-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|