Oral Cancer News

Stem cell sparing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer may avoid salivary gland damage

Source: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Barcelona, Spain: Researchers believe they may have found a way to avoid damaging salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer – a discovery that could improve the quality of life of 500,000 patients a year worldwide with the disease. Presenting their findings to the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO31) [1], the researchers said that they had discovered that the stem cells essential for regenerating the parotid gland (the largest pair of salivary glands) were located mainly in its major ducts, and that these could easily be avoided during radiotherapy or given a minimal radiation dose. "This would significantly reduce complications arising from radiotherapy for head and neck cancer," said Dr Peter van Luijk, a research associate at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. Around 40% of patients treated for head and neck cancer suffer from the distressing side-effects of dry mouth syndrome – a condition that can occur when the parotid gland stops working properly after radiation damage. This causes problems with eating, sleeping, speech, tooth loss and oral hygiene, leading to diminished quality of life, social isolation and difficulty in continuing work. Attempts to treat dry mouth syndrome and its consequences can cost hundreds or even thousands of Euros per patient per year and are mostly insufficient. Dr van Luijk said: "Parotid gland dysfunction after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer was, and still is, a major clinical problem. During radiotherapy, attempts [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-10T09:41:29-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

1 of 6 cancer deaths worldwide caused by preventable infections

Source: Los Angeles Times One in every six cancer deaths worldwide is caused by preventable infections, a total of 1.5 million deaths yearly that could be halted by widespread vaccination programs, researchers reported Wednesday. Since 1990, that number has grown by about half a million, suggesting that vaccination programs are losing ground in the battle rather than gaining it. The vast majority of the cases are caused by three viruses and a bacterium, which are the leading causes of gastric, liver and cervical cancers. Cervical cancers account for about half of the infection-related cancers in women, while liver and gastric cancers account for about 80% of those in men. The causes of many cancers are largely unknown, but genetics and poor luck play big roles. The World Health Organization estimated in 2004 that nine lifestyle and environmental factors -- smoking being a particularly large one -- account for as many as 35% of the 12.7 million cancers that occur each year, about twice the proportion now linked to infections. Cervical cancers are caused primarily by the human papilloma virus (HPV), as are anal and penile tumors. Stomach cancers are caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses cause liver cancer. All such infections are readily preventable by vaccination. Other less common agents include the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes nasopharynx tumors and Hodgkin's lymphoma; human herpes virus type 8, which causes Kaposi's sarcoma, usually in conjunction with HIV; and the parasite Schistosoma haematobium, which causes bladder [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-09T13:43:12-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Vaccination rates higher in states requiring them in middle school

Source: LA Times States that require vaccination for pertussis, meningitis and tetanus for admission to middle school have a higher vaccination rate than states that do not, but the rate is not nearly as high as one might expect from such a requirement, researchers reported Monday. States that required only that educational materials be sent home for those vaccines and the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine showed no improvement in vaccination rates. Vaccines for tetanus and pertussis are typically given during childhood, but the effects can diminish over time and a booster shot is recommended in early adolescence. The meningitis and HPV vaccines typically are given in adolescence. Concern has been spreading about low vaccination rates because of recent outbreaks of pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, in California and Washington. Some parents refuse to have their children vaccinated because of groundless fears about vaccine side effects -- particularly the now-refuted link to autism -- but others simply find that it is easier to express "philosophical opposition" to the vaccines rather than take their children for the shots. But these unvaccinated children serve as a natural reservoir for the diseases, enhancing their spread, particularly to those who are too old or immune-impaired to receive the vaccines themselves. Thirty-two states required middle school vaccination with either the tetanus/diptheria (Td) vaccine or the tetanus/diptheria/acellular pertussis (TdaP) vaccine when the survey was performed in 2008-09. Fourteen of those specifically required the TdaP vaccine. None required that educational materials about those vaccines be sent home. [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-08T16:49:50-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco Smoking and Increased Risk of Death and Progression for Patients With p16-Positive and p16-Negative Oropharyngeal Cancer

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology Abstract Purpose Tobacco smoking is associated with oropharynx cancer survival, but to what extent cancer progression or death increases with increasing tobacco exposure is unknown. Patients and methods Patients with oropharynx cancer enrolled onto a phase III trial of radiotherapy from 1991 to 1997 (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group [RTOG] 9003) or of chemoradiotherapy from 2002 to 2005 (RTOG 0129) were evaluated for tumor human papillomavirus status by a surrogate, p16 immunohistochemistry, and for tobacco exposure by a standardized questionnaire. Associations between tobacco exposure and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. Results Prevalence of p16-positive cancer was 39.5% among patients in RTOG 9003 and 68.0% in RTOG 0129. Median pack-years of tobacco smoking were lower among p16-positive than p16-negative patients in both trials (RTOG 9003: 29 v 45.9 pack-years; P = .02; RTOG 0129: 10 v 40 pack-years; P < .001). After adjustment for p16 and other factors, risk of progression (PFS) or death (OS) increased by 1% per pack-year (for both, hazard ratio [HR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.01; P = .002) or 2% per year of smoking (for both, HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.03; P < .001) in both trials. In RTOG 9003, risk of death doubled (HR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.46 to 3.28) among those who smoked during radiotherapy after accounting for pack-years and other factors, and risk of second primary tumors increased by 1.5% per pack-year (HR, 1.015; 95% CI, 1.005 [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-08T09:07:47-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Beastie Boys Co-Founder Adam Yauch Dead at 47

Source: Rolling Stone Magaznie Adam Yauch, one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47, Rolling Stone has learned. Yauch, also known as MCA, had been in treatment for cancer since 2009. The rapper was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland. "It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam 'MCA' Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer," reads an official statement from the Beastie Boys. "He was 47 years old." Yauch sat out the Beastie Boys' induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his treatments delayed the release of the group's most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. The Beastie Boys had not performed live since the summer of 2009, and Yauch's illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz in 1979. The band started off as a hardcore punk group, but soon began experimenting with hip-hop. The band broke huge with their first proper album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986; it was the biggest-selling rap album of the decade and the first to reach Number One on [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-07T14:59:10-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Alberta committee suggests free HPV vaccine for boys

Source: CBC News Cost to the province estimated between $5 million and $8 million The province is considering offering boys free immunizations against the human papillomavirus. The HPV vaccination is currently offered on a voluntary basis to all girls in Alberta entering Grade 5. The vaccine is said to prevent 70 per cent of cervical cancers, according to Alberta Health and Wellness. Two strains of HPV are also thought to be a cause of anal, penile and oral cancers. Susan Morgan's husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 oral cancer, which they later found out was caused by the HPV virus. She has been lobbying to have the vaccine for boys covered by the province and was astounded the HPV vaccination was only free for girls. Morgan says the effects of the radiation and chemotherapy treatment for the cancer were horrific. "You have open sores in your mouth,” she said. “You start to lose your ability to swallow; you end up on a feeding tube." Free vaccine for boys recommended A report by an advisory committee in Alberta recommends extending HPV coverage to boys. Chief medical officer Dr. Andre Corriveau says that would cost between $5 million and $8 million. Now he'll review the report and advise the province by the end of the month. "I have a responsibility right now to make sure our system has the capacity to deliver," he said. But, for the Morgans, waiting is not an option and they have decided to pay hundreds of dollars [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-07T13:25:56-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Photographer inspires others with throat cancer survival

Source: www.getsurrey.co.uk Author: Rebecca Younger When Thames Ditton photographer, Keith Hern, was diagnosed with throat cancer five years ago, he dealt with it the only way he knew how – by taking pictures. Through an incredibly honest and stark photographic portrayal of his treatment, Keith captured everything from the first bout of chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to the making of his radiotherapy mask and the eight-inch scar left on his neck after an operation to remove dead cancer cells. The candid imagery appears in Keith’s book, Bangers & Mash, which he started writing shortly after he was first diagnosed in 2007. “I’d started writing a couple of days after diagnosis as the only way I could maintain some semblance of mental control, it would later become therapeutic,” he recounted. “My treatment consisted of five days of 24x7 chemotherapy, 11 days off, five days of chemotherapy again, 11 days off, then radiotherapy for six weeks daily with two top-up chemo sessions in weeks one and five. “Radiotherapy side effects kicked in at the end of week one – I could no longer eat, then lost my taste, then I couldn’t sleep (my mouth was so dry I was sipping water 24x7), I lost two-and-a-half stone in the six weeks.” Keith worked with a Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) coach to stay positive and it was while talking to her about writing a book of his experiences that the idea for a photo diary came about. “She laughed at the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-05-07T08:23:05-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

New method of predicting the spread of throat cancer to other body parts found

Source: starglobaltribune.com Author: staff Independent of other factors, such as smoking history and HPV status, matted lymph nodes appear to signal increased chance of oropharyngeal cancer spreading to other parts of the body. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found a new indicator that may predict which patients with a common type of throat cancer are most likely have the cancer spread to other parts of their bodies. Patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who had “matted” lymph nodes – nodes that are connected together – had a 69 percent survival rate over three years, compared to 94 percent for patients without matted nodes, according to a study published online ahead of print publication in Head & Neck. The oropharynx is an area that includes the back of the tongue, soft palate, throat and tonsils. “The spread of cancer throughout the body accounts for about 45 percent of the deaths from oropharyngeal carcinoma,” says the study’s senior author, Douglas B. Chepeha, M.D., M.S.P.H., an associate professor of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the U-M Medical School. “Our findings may help doctors identify patients who are at higher risk for having their cancer metastasize and who would benefit from additional systemic therapy. Conversely, some patients without matted nodes may benefit from a reduction of the current standard treatment, which would cut down on uncomfortable side effects.” Notably, the findings indicate an increased risk independent of other established prognostic factors, such as the patient’s history of smoking or [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-05-07T08:16:13-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

200 Years of surgery: cutting to cure has come a long way

Source: abcnews.go.com Author: Katie Moisse The three-and-a-half-inch tumor in Cynthia Miller's throat threatened to choke her, leaving her no choice but to have it removed. "I had no idea I was even sick," said Miller, 55, who lives in Maitland, Fla. "I woke up in the middle of the night coughing. … The next thing I knew they were booking emergency surgery." Instead of radical surgery -- which would involved cutting her face, pulling teeth and breaking her jaw -- Miller had her tumor removed through her mouth by a miniature robotic arm guided by the surgeon. "With the robot, there are no cuts anywhere. No breathing tube, no broken bones," said Dr. Bert O'Malley, who pioneered the procedure at the University of Pennsylvania's Head and Neck Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "We go in through the mouth with a high-magnification 3-D camera and very small instruments, like a surgeon's fingers but very tiny, and we're able to remove the tumor without the side effects of traditional surgery." Side effects like spasms, difficulty with swallowing and speech, not to mention chronic pain. "The more you disrupt and injure tissue, the greater the risk of dysfunction and chronic problems," said O'Malley. Today's minimally invasive surgery is far different from the procedures of 200 years ago, when surgeons hacked through skin, muscle and bone briskly and brutally without anesthesia or antisepsis. "Pain and the always-looming problem of infection restricted the extent of a surgeon's reach," Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-05-06T12:11:05-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Ireland: mouth cancer awareness day yields results

Source: http://www.dentistryiq.com/ Author: staff Dentists are emphasizing the importance of early detection with mouth cancer, after 12 cases of the potentially deadly cancer were discovered on Mouth Cancer Awareness Day and one of these was discovered in Waterford. The Irish Dental Association estimates that 10,000 people availed of free mouth cancer examinations carried out by participating dentists countrywide on September 21 of last year. As well as the confirmed cases, 286 people were advised to attend their GP for other related problems. Mouth Cancer Awareness Day was set up by a group of mouth, head and neck cancer survivors in September 2010. It is now a joint initiative by the Irish Dental Association, Irish Cancer Society, Dublin Dental University Hospital, Cork Dental University Hospital, the Dental Health Foundation and Mouth, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Ireland. The President of the IDA, Conor McAlister said the fact twelve cancers were discovered in one day showed the importance of early detection and the need for everyone to have a regular examination. He said, "Three hundred cases of mouth cancer are detected here each year with 100 deaths and this type of cancer actually kills more Irish people than cervical cancer or skin melanoma. "According to the National Cancer Register in Ireland, roughly 50% of all mouth cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Hopefully the fact these 12 cases have been caught at an earlier stage means the impact on quality of life will be reduced." He added, "This year we saw [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-05-06T11:25:21-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|