Oral Cancer News

Pilot study in patients with head and neck cancer finds that Derma Sciences’ MEDIHONEY® reduces hospital stays

Source: www.dailyfinance.com Derma Sciences, Inc., a medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, today reported an independent pilot study conducted in the U.K. showed that MEDIHONEY® may reduce the length of hospital stays by encouraging more rapid healing. The study, entitled "Randomised controlled feasibility trial on the use of medical grade honey following microvascular free tissue transfer to reduce the incidence of wound infection," was conducted by Dr. Val Robson, RGN, B.Sc (Hons) Dip HE, Clinical Nurse Specialist Leg Ulcer Care, and colleagues from University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, U.K. The article was published in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in June 2012. The study found that in 49 patients randomized to receive MEDIHONEY or standard dressings following microvascular free tissue reconstruction for cancer of the head and neck, the median duration of hospital stay was 12 days in the MEDIHONEY group (n=25), compared with a median of 18 days in the control group (n=24) (p<0.05). MEDIHONEY, which has the CE Mark in the E.U. and is sold in the U.K. and Europe via six direct sales representatives and a network of distributors, respectively, was provided by Derma Sciences Europe Ltd. Commenting on the study, investigator and author Dr. Val Robson said, "We have used medical honey successfully on chronic wounds for over a decade. The in-vitro evidence is available to show that honey eradicates wound infecting organisms and this new piece of research has shown that honey can be used on wounds healing by [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-24T13:13:53-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Head and neck cancer rates for smokeless tobacco described

Source: Health News Observer September 16, 2012 | by Steven Rothrock MD Smokeless tobacco is tobacco that is not burned or smoked. Other terms used for smokeless tobacco include chewing tobacco, spitting tobacco, dip, chew, and snuff. Typically these products are held in the mouth until juices are built up and spit out. Spitless products are available and some people choose to swallow the juices instead. Nicotine, which can be addictive, and cancer-causing agents are absorbed through the mouth’s lining. While using smokeless tobacco has been associated with many different cancers, the magnitude of the risk has not been previously well described. This week, in an online edition of the International Journal of Cancer, researchers sought to identify the magnitude of the risk of developing head and neck cancer in those who used smokeless tobacco. Towards that goal, the risk of cancer was compared between 1,046 users and 1,239 non-users of smokeless tobacco. After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use, any use of smokeless tobacco was associated with a 20% increased risk of head and neck cancer. Use of smokeless tobacco for 10 or more years had a 320% higher rate of developing these cancers compared to those who never used these products. In addition to head and neck cancers, users of these products are at risk for other cancers (e.g. esophageal, pancreatic, kidney), heart disease, high blood pressure, pregnancy loss, premature birth or low birth weights, low sperm counts, not to mention tooth gum [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-09-18T13:50:57-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Rating HPV biomarkers in head, neck cancers

Source: www.sciencecodex.com Not all head and neck cancers are created equal. Those started by infection with the human papillomavirus are less often fatal than those with other causes, such as smoking. Detection of a reliable fingerprint for HPV could help patients avoid unnecessarily harsh treatment. A new study finds that while one popular biomarker for HPV is not a reliable predictor of mortality from the cancers alone, combinations of some biomarkers showed much more promise. "Everybody who has studied it has shown that people with virally associated disease do better," said Karl Kelsey, aprofessor of epidemiology and pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University, and corresponding author of the study in Cancer Research. "There are now clinical trials underway to determine if they should be treated differently. The problem is that you need to appropriately diagnose virally related disease, and our data suggests that people need to take a close look at that." In the study, Kelsey and his multi-institutional team of co-authors measured the ability of a variety of biomarkers to predict mortality from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Their data came from hundreds of adult head and neck cancer patients in the Boston area that they have been tracking since late 1999. As part of that data set, they were able to look at blood serology and tumor tissue samples, and they interviewed participants about risk behaviors such as smoking and drinking. DNA alone not reliable One of the most important findings of the study, Kelsey [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-18T13:41:39-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Marilyn Baker: Are some diseases more equal than others?

Source: National Post On Sept. 30, thousands of people will participate in the Run for the Cure marathon. They will raise thousands of dollars for breast cancer research. The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation website is a sea of pink and purple and shows many further upcoming events where people can get involved in fighting breast cancer: The Nite of Hope auction, garden parties, the Pink Ribbon Charity Ball. The viewer is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the support. It reminds me of an email I received a few years ago from a dear friend who asked me to pledge support for a breast cancer walkathon. Her personal website stated that “together, we can beat breast cancer.” There were some stats on the disease, plus a little thermometer measuring how her pledges were doing. Seeing the pink ribbons raises many emotions in me. And, to be honest, one of them is anger. Please don’t get me wrong. I have more than a passing interest in breast cancer. I lost a dear sister-in-law to breast cancer. I have friends who live with the illness. I consider myself a lucky breast cancer survivor. So why am I upset? Simple. I’m jealous of all the attention paid to breast cancer when there are so many other cancers that could also benefit from public awareness. All cancers should be a priority. My breast cancer was caught by a screening mammogram. After a biopsy confirmed an invasive lobular carcinoma, I underwent a partial mastectomy and underarm [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-09-14T11:02:30-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Study will evaluate Panitumumab regimen in advanced SCCHN

Source: http://www.onclive.com/ Author: staff Canadian researchers are investigating standard fractionation radiotherapy with concurrent high-dose cisplatin versus accelerated fractionation radiotherapy with panitumumab in patients with locally advanced stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The NCIC Clinical Trials Group has completed accrual for the randomized phase III study, which has a planned sample size of 320 patients with SCC of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx. The trial was launched in December 2008, and the Data Safety and Monitoring Committee recommended continuing the trial in October 2011. Patients assigned to arm I will undergo standard fractionation radiotherapy once daily, five days a week, for seven weeks; they will also receive cisplatin intravenously over one hour on days 1, 22, and 43 of radiotherapy. Participants assigned to arm II will undergo accelerated fractionation radiotherapy once or twice daily, five days a week, for six weeks; they will also receive panitumumab intravenously over 30-90 minutes one week prior to and on days 15 and 36 of radiotherapy. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS), while secondary endpoints include overall survival, local and regional PFS, distant metastases, adverse events, swallowing-related quality of life, functional swallowing outcomes, and economic assessments. The FDA has approved panitumumab under the brand name Vectibix for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma with disease progression on or following chemotherapy regimens containing fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. Panitumumab is a human IgG2 kappa monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to human epidermal growth factor [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-11T08:18:26-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Predicting oral cancer

Source: www.dailyrx.com Oral cancers can occur anywhere in the mouth. As with any cancer, the sooner it’s found, the better. A new tool helps doctors know when oral cancer may be in a patient’s future. A recent study finds that a set of molecular markers can help judge which lesions in the mouth are most likely to turn into oral cancer. The Oral Cancer Prediction Longitudinal Study was conducted in Canada at the Oral Cancer Prevention Program at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. "The results of our study should help to build awareness that not everyone with a low-grade oral premalignant lesion will progress to cancer," said Program Director, Miriam Rosin, PhD. "However, they should also begin to give clinicians a better idea of which patients need closer follow-up." Every year, cancer shows up in the mouths of nearly 300,000 people around the globe. Some of these start as spots – or lesions – in the mouth that have not yet become cancerous. It’s always been difficult to tell which of these pre-malignant lesions will progress to full blown cancer. In an earlier study, Rosin’s team had analyzed the DNA of tissue that eventually turned into oral cancer. This research provided a method for grouping patients according to risk. For this study, researchers examined pre-cancerous tissue from nearly 300 patients, who were followed over a period of years. These patients were placed into either low-, intermediate- or high-risk groups. Two additional DNA markers were used to zero in on [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-11T08:13:58-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Rare genetic disease offers insight into common cancers

Source: www.sciencecodex.com Fanconi anemia is a recessive genetic disorder affecting 1 in 350,000 babies, which leaves cells unable to repair damaged DNA. This lack of repair puts Fanconi anemia patients at high risk for developing a variety of cancers, especially leukemias and head and neck cancer. Cruelly, the condition also nixes the use of an entire class of cancer drugs, namely drugs like mitomycin C that act by encouraging DNA to crosslink together like sticky strands of bread dough – generally, healthy cells can repair a few crosslinks whereas cancer cells cannot and so are killed. However, Fanconi anemia patients are unable to repair the damage done to healthy or cancerous cells done by these drugs and so treatment with mitomycin C is frequently fatal. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study funded by the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund explored the effectiveness of a novel agent in preventing cancer in this population – namely, resveratrol as found in red wine. The results of this study will be presented at the 24th annual Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Scientific Symposium, September 27-30 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver, CO. In fact, the findings may go far past Fanconi anemia. "One of the Fanconi genes that is lost is BRCA2 – the same genetic loss that causes many breast cancers," says Robert Sclafani, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the CU School of Medicine. "So one mystery is why Fanconi anemia [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-06T19:43:54-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

More evidence presented that the increasingly popular e-cigarettes are harmful

Source: www.examiner.com Author: W. Mark Dendy A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Athens in Greece and presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Vienna in September 2012 sheds some new light on the risks of the electronic cigarette. The study was a phase I clinical trial in which 32 participants each smoked a single e-cigarette for 10 minutes and had their airway resistance measured using a number of different respiratory tests before and immediately afterward. Respiratory tests carried out by the researchers included: • spirometry (a test looking at various measures of lung function) • static lung volume • airway resistance (the obstruction of the airways to airflow) • airway conductance (a measure related to airway resistance) • single breath nitrogen test (a measure of how adequate inspiration and expiration is) According to one of the researchers, Professor Christine Gratziou, the main finding of the study was that after smoking one e-cigarette for 10 minutes there was “an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device”. Gratziou added that “more research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term”. The airway resistance lasted for longer than 10 minutes in all of the 32 people, suggesting that air was not passing so easily through their airways. In a study presented back in April 2012, a chemical known as (S)-N’-nitrosonornicotine, or (S)-NNN, which is present in smokeless [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-06T19:39:08-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Gwyneth Paltrow steps up for Stand Up to Cancer

Source: latimes.com Author: Matt Donnelly Gwyneth Paltrow has mastered the day job. The Oscar winner is capable in both the stilettos of "Iron Man's" Pepper Potts and in the herb garden she's displayed on her lifestyle blog Goop. So when given the chance to moonlight for a project like Stand Up to Cancer, the biennial televised fundraiser that utilizes an hour of commercial-free broadcasting across the big four networks and a slew of cable stations, she knew she couldn't phone it in. "When I do something, I want to actually do it, I want to commit and put my time in," Paltrow told us of her role as executive producer for the Sept. 7 telecast. "I don't want it to be a B.S. thing with my name on it." "I was really honored they asked me, and it's been fun helping organize, asking people for favors and really getting involved." And it's a pretty high profile list of favors. Stand Up to Cancer will recruit top stars, with names like Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Justin Timberlake, Julia Roberts, Samuel L. Jackson and Emma Stone taking part. Their efforts will include manning a media bank with phones, live video chats and other social media platforms to benefit the organization's mission of directly raising funds for cancer treatment. "I feel a lot of empathy for these patients and families," said Paltrow, who lost her father, Bruce, to oral cancer in 2002. "It's wonderful to be involved in something that’s approaching research [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-06T19:32:58-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers explain link between alcohol, cancer risk

Source: Dr.Bicuspid.com September 4, 2012 -- Almost 30 years after discovery of a link between alcohol consumption and certain forms of cancer, scientists are reporting the first evidence from research on people explaining how the popular beverage may be carcinogenic. The findings were reported August 22 during the American Chemical Society annual meeting in Philadelphia. The human body metabolizes the alcohol in beer, wine, and hard liquor into several substances, including acetaldehyde, a substance with a chemical backbone that resembles formaldehyde -- a known human carcinogen, according to lead author Silvia Balbo, PhD, a research associate at the University of Minnesota. "We now have the first evidence from living human volunteers that acetaldehyde formed after alcohol consumption damages DNA dramatically," Balbo stated in a press release. "Acetaldehyde attaches to DNA in humans in a way that results in the formation of a 'DNA adduct.' It's acetaldehyde that latches onto DNA and interferes with DNA activity in a way linked to an increased risk of cancer." To test the hypothesis that acetaldehyde causes DNA adducts to form in humans, Balbo and colleagues gave 10 volunteers increasing doses of vodka (comparable to one, two, and three drinks) once a week for three weeks. They found that levels of a key DNA adduct increased up to 100-fold in the subjects' oral cells within hours after each dose, then declined about 24 hours later. Adduct levels in blood cells also rose. "These findings tell us that alcohol, a lifestyle carcinogen, is metabolized into acetaldehyde [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-09-05T09:14:48-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|