Oral Cancer News

Studies underscore genetic complexity of head and neck squamous cell cancers

Source: Dentistry IQ By Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS While we should be screening patients for oral and pharyngeal cancer daily, April has been designated as the month when we highlight this disease, and increase awareness about its prevention and treatment. Powerful new technologies that pinpoint the connections between human genes and diseases have clarified the background of cancer, singling out changes in tumor DNA that force the development of certain types of malignancies. Several major biomedical centers have collaborated to study head and neck squamous cell cancer. Their large-scale analysis has revealed a surprising new set of mutations involved in this disease. The studies underscored the genetic complexity of head and neck squamous cell cancers. Two independent, multi-institution research teams identified a large number of genetic defects associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the most common form of head and neck cancer. The researchers sequenced the entire protein-coding regions, or exomes, of the DNA in dozens of patient tissue samples.(1,2) Tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are known risk factors for HNSCC, including cancers occuring in the mouth and throat. The 5-year survival rate for many types of HNSCC has improved little over the past 40 years. According to the authors, the degree of differentiation, or tumor cell grade, has never consistently been shown to be a clinical prognostic factor in HNSCC. They said it was surprising to find mutations in a series of genes that appear to contribute to differentiation. Both [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-15T12:57:26-07:00March, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Oral gel contains cancer-preventing compounds derived from black raspberries

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS, with the assistance of Allison Walker Maria Perno Goldie (MPG): I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Susan Mallery, who is a humble as she is intelligent. I had the assistance of Allison Walker, a freelance journalist who has been involved in dental publishing for more than 20 years. Dr. Susan Mallery (SM) is a Professor in the Division of Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology, and Anesthesiology at The Ohio State University, College of Dentistry, in Columbus, Ohio. Her research interests include oral cancer initiation, AIDS-related oral cancer and chemoprevention. Dr. Mallery has published articles in journals such as Cancer Research, Cancer Prevention Research, Molecular Pharmaceutics, Carcinogenesis and Clinical Cancer Research, to name a few. She graduated from The Ohio State University with her DDS and later returned to receive her oral pathology specialty training and a PhD in Pathology. Dr. Mallery is licensed by the Ohio State Dental Board and board certified by the American Board of Oral Pathology and American Academy of Oral Pathology. She belongs to the American Academy of Oral Pathology, American Board of Oral Pathology, American Association for Cancer Research, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a consultant at The Ohio State University and James Cancer hospitals. MPG: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) will be diagnosed in more than 36,000 Americans this year and has a particularly high mortality rate—as it will kill approximately 8,000 patients this year. As [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-03-15T11:56:00-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Evaluation of genotoxicity after application of Listerine® on human lymphocytes by micronucleus and single cell gel electrophoresis assays

Source: Sage Journals Abstract Listerine (LN) is one of the most commonly used mouth rinses worldwide although very limited information is available concerning its genotoxicity. In another view, the biological safety profile of oral care products is frequently assumed on the basis of simplistic test models. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the in vitro genotoxic potential of LN using micronucleus and single cell gel electrophoresis tests as genetic endpoints. Different concentrations of LN (0–100% of ml/culture, v/v) were applied to whole human blood cultures (n = 5). The result of the present study showed that there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the control group and the groups treated with LN alone in both analysed endpoints. In conclusion, our result first demonstrated the absence of genotoxicity of LN on human lymphocytes. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2012-03-15T10:51:42-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

CDC to launch new, graphic anti-smoking campaign

One of the ads by the Centers for Disease Control shows Shawn Wright who had a tracheotomy after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer. ATLANTA — Tobacco taxes and smoking bans haven’t budged the U.S. smoking rate in years. Now the government is trying to shock smokers into quitting with a graphic nationwide advertising campaign. The billboards and print, radio and TV ads show people whose smoking resulted in heart surgery, a tracheotomy, lost limbs or paralysis. The $54 million campaign is the largest and starkest anti-smoking push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its first national advertising effort. The agency is hoping the spots, which begin Monday, will persuade as many as 50,000 Americans to stop smoking. “This is incredibly important. It’s not every day we release something that will save thousands of lives,” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a telephone interview. That bold prediction is based on earlier research that found aggressive anti-smoking campaigns using hard-hitting images sometimes led to decreases in smoking. After decades of decline, the U.S. smoking rate has stalled at about 20 percent in recent years. Advocates say it’s important to jolt a weary public that has been listening to government warnings about the dangers of smoking for nearly 50 years. “There is an urgent need for this media campaign,” Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. The CDC was set to announce the three-month campaign on Thursday. One of the print [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-15T10:42:46-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Red Meat Consumption Linked to Increased Risk of Total, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality

Source: Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA -- A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The results also showed that substituting other healthy protein sources, such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes, was associated with a lower risk of mortality. The study will be published online in Archives of Internal Medicine on March 12, 2012. “Our study adds more evidence to the health risks of eating high amounts of red meat, which has been associated with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers in other studies,” said lead author An Pan, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH. The researchers, including senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, and colleagues, prospectively observed 37,698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for up to 22 years and 83,644 women in the Nurses’ Health Study for up to 28 years who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer at baseline. Diets were assessed through questionnaires every four years. A combined 23,926 deaths were documented in the two studies, of which 5,910 were from CVD and 9,464 from cancer. Regular consumption of red meat, particularly processed red meat, was associated with increased mortality risk. One daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13% increased risk of mortality, and one daily [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-15T10:09:22-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Discussing the Horrors of Oral Cancer with Two Survivors

Source: Dentistry IQ Mar 14, 2012 By Kevin Henry Managing Editor, Dental Economics Editor’s Note: I recently had the chance to talk with Christine Brader, a former smoker and three-time oral cancer survivor who lives in Allentown, Pa. She is a volunteer senior patient advocate and a board administrator for the Oral Cancer Foundation. For nearly five years, Brader has been active with the Oral Cancer Foundation’s online public forum. She devotes several hours a day to compassionately helping oral cancer patients with information and support. I discussed her battle against oral cancer as well as her current push to get more dental offices involved in the war against the disease. Brader and Eric Statler (interviewed later in this article) will be featured on the April cover of Dental Economics. Kevin Henry: You survived oral cancer three times. How were you able to overcome? Christine Brader: There aren’t very many three-time cancer survivors out there, especially when we are talking about oral cancer. I believe God saved me for my children. I wasn’t going to do any kind of surgery because I really didn’t think I was going to survive the third round of oral cancer within three years. I knew the surgery would be bad; I was Stage IV and needed my jaw removed. I knew I would probably end up disfigured. It’s hard to do something when you know your looks are going to be gone overnight and you’re not guaranteed that you will survive, but I knew [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-14T16:30:53-07:00March, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Green tea’s status as a ‘superfood’ grows: A study finds it even abolishes bad breath (it already helps prevent cancer and heart disease)

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: staff Green tea can help beat bad breath, according to scientific research. The study found that antioxidants in the tea, called polyphenols, destroy a number of compounds in the mouth that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and even mouth cancer. The study from Israel’s Institute of Technology will add to green tea’s status as one of nature’s so-called ‘superfoods’. It is already said to help prevent cancer and heart disease and lower cholesterol – and even ward off Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Writing in the Archives of Oral Biology, the scientists called for more studies, adding: ‘All together, there is increasing interest in the health benefits of green tea in the field of oral health.’ Green tea is made from the same plant as black tea but processed in a different way that means it retains less caffeine and more polyphenols. It has been drunk in China and the Far East for thousands of years and is fast becoming popular in Britain particularly because of its health benefits. It is also more likely to be drunk without milk or sugar so it tends to contain fewer calories too. The study, published in the journal Archives of Oral Biology, examined the properties of the polyphenol called epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG) in particular. It reported: ‘EGCG constitute the most interesting components in green tea leaves. ‘Tea polyphenols possess antiviral properties, believed to help in protection from influenza. ‘Additionally green tea polyphenols can abolish halitosis through modification of odorant sulphur [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-03-14T12:18:27-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Oral HPV infection affects 7% of the US population

Source: www.onclive.com Author: Ben Leach Approximately 7% of Americans are infected with oral human papillomavirus (HPV), and men are 3 times as likely to be infected as women, according to an analysis that helps define a leading factor in the rise of oropharyngeal cancer. The findings of the HPV prevalence study were presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona, in January and concurrently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.1 The cross-sectional study was based on samples taken from 5579 men and women between the ages of 14 to 69 years that were obtained at mobile examination centers as part of the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010. The samples were obtained through an oral rinse and gargle, with subsequent DNA samples used to determine HPV type. Demographic data were obtained using standardized interviews. HPV prevalence in the overall study population was 6.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7%-8.3%). HPV type 16, which accounts for 90% of HPVpositive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas, was the most common form, affecting 1.0% of the study population (95% CI, 0.7%-1.3%). Prevalence of HPV was significantly higher in men versus women (10.1% [95% CI, 8.3%- 12.3%] for men compared with 3.6% [95% CI, 2.6%- 5.0%] for women; P < .001]). Sexual contact was identified as a major factor in the rate of infection, with 7.5% of those who had experienced any form of sexual contact (95% CI, 6.1%-9.1%) infected, compared with 0.9% (95% CI, 0.4%-1.8%; P < .001) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-03-14T12:09:29-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

One in Two Have Never Heard of Oral Cancer

Source: Cancer Prevention Research Introduction: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) community, one of poorest locales in Canada, has shown to be high-risk for oral mucosal abnormalities, including oral cancer. From our previous study, this community not only exposes to high-risk factors but has also high incidence of oral cancer: one oral cancer patient identified in 150 screened dental patients. This is much higher comparing to the rest of Canada and the US (1:10,000). Studies have shown that regular dental care is related to early-staged oral cancer detection. Traditionally dentistry is within the private health sector and access to dental service can be challenging to the DTES residents. Objective: 1) To determine the frequency of oral cancer risk behaviors; 2) To explore the available social assistant program to dental care; 3) To assess the dental care service utilization and its potential barriers in the DTES. Methods: To increase access, mobile screening clinics are set up at 3 main gathering locations: Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS), Women's centre (WC) and LifeSkill's Centre (LC). Eligibility includes those of age 18 or over, reside in DTES at least for the past 3 months, and are able to sign a consent to participate. Using person-to-person interview, questionnaires for demographics, risk behaviors, perceived dental health status, available health care assistance programs, and dental care service utilization are used collect data. The oral health status is obtained through dental and oral mucosal examination by a dentist and an oral pathologist respectively. Each participant is given an incentive package [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-12T11:57:27-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

New Throat Cancer Gene Uncovered

Source: Science Daily Researchers at King's College London and Hiroshima University, Japan, have identified a specific gene linked to throat cancer following a genetic study of a family with 10 members who have developed the condition. The study, published March 8 in the American Journal of Human Genetics, uncovered a mutation in the ATR gene, demonstrating the first evidence of a link between abnormality in this gene and an inherited form of cancer. The researchers say this finding raises new ideas about genetic factors linked to throat cancer and provides a platform for exploring the role of ATR more generally in cancer biology. Scientists carried out a genome-wide linkage study in a US family with an unusual hereditary condition affecting 24 members of the family over five generations. Characteristics include developmental abnormalities of hair, teeth and nails as well as dilated skin blood vessels. Strikingly, nearly every person with the condition involved in the study had developed throat cancer (oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma) in their 20s or 30s. The team took blood samples from 13 members of the affected family, as well as samples from 13 unaffected people. After analysing these samples they found a single mutation in ATR was present in all the people with the condition, but none of the unaffected people had the mutation. Ten of the 13 people with the condition had developed throat cancer. Professor John McGrath from the King's College London Genetic Skin Disease Group at St John's Institute of Dermatology, based at Guy's [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-03-09T15:03:16-07:00March, 2012|Oral Cancer News|