Oral Cancer News – Page 199

More than 100 people receive free oral exams, courtesy of the City of Gulfport.

Source: Gulfport.Patch.com The Walgreen’s parking lot in Gulfport became a dentist office for a day. And instead of paying a fee for a clinical exam, patients were seen for free. "I was very surprised because screenings of any kind are minimum of $35 to $50 dollars, so that was very nice. They advertised it very well," St. Petersburg resident Rosalind Dunlop said. This is the second year the City of Gulfport’s sponsored a free oral cancer screening The goal: to inform, educate and refer people to seek additional medical help if any signs are detected. "We have volunteer dentists, it takes a couple of minutes, there's no pain involved and it may save your life," Gulfport Vice Mayor David Hastings said. "It's a free exam, basically we've had all sorts of people come in. Some people regularly go to the dentist, I had one person, it had been 17 years since they had been to the dentist. So, all sorts of people that have come in and I think we found, two that I've found that just need to be referred," Dentist Lawrence N. Klein said. "Last year, we screened over 200 and we referred nine people out. This year, I've already seen about five referral sheets going out. It's not good to get the referral sheet, but on the same hand, it may be the thing that saves your life," Hastings said. "It's your responsibility to take care of your own health. If you don't want to know, I'm [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-27T15:54:14-07:00April, 2011|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Protein inhibitor may supply contemporary HPV treatment

Source: Dr.Bicuspid.com Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine have developed a protein-based inhibitor that could provide a topical treatment for HPV as an alternative to surgical and harsh chemical treatments (FASEB Journal, April 11, 2011). HPV affects about 20 million people in the U.S., making it the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are more than 100 types of HPV, of which more than 40 are sexually transmitted. These include two high-risk types, HPV-16 and HPV-18, which cause the majority of cervical and anogenital cancers, and some portion of head and neck cancers, particularly oral cavity and oropharynx cancers. "Currently, there is no cure for HPV, and the available treatment options involve destroying the affected tissue. We have developed a protein inhibitor that blocks HPV protein expression in cell culture, a first step toward a topically applied treatment for this cancer-causing virus," said senior author James Baleja, PhD, an associate professor of biochemistry at Tufts University School of Medicine. In their efforts to inhibit HPV, Baleja and his team zeroed in on the viral protein E2, which controls viral activities including DNA replication and the activation of cancer-causing genes. Using structure-guided design, the team developed a protein called E2R that prevents E2 from functioning normally. When the researchers applied E2R to a cell model of HPV biology, viral gene transcription was halted. Because HPV infects epithelial cells, the outermost layer of the skin, and the mucous membranes, protein inhibitors such as E2R could be applied in a topical form. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-27T12:21:43-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Modest Drinking can Heighten your Risk for Cancer

Source: MedScape.org April 14, 2011 — "A considerable proportion of the most common and most lethal cancers is attributable to former and current alcohol consumption," concludes a large European study published online April 8 in BMJ. The researchers attribute about 10% of all cancers in men and about 3% of all cancers in women to previous and current alcohol consumption. The estimates come from an analysis of data from the huge ongoing European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer (EPIC) and from representative data on alcohol consumption compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO). The risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts. "This research supports existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and that the risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts," coauthor Naomi Allen, DPhil, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, United Kingdom, said in a statement. The original data in the EPIC study were collected from 1992 to 2000, so "the results from this study reflect the impact of people's drinking habits about 10 years ago," Dr. Allen noted. "People are drinking even more now than they were then, and this could lead to more people developing cancer because of alcohol in the future," she added. Data From 8 Countries The EPIC study, which is still ongoing, is one of the largest studies of diet and cancer ever conducted. It involved more than half a million people in Europe. For this analysis of alcohol and cancer, the researchers used EPIC data from 363,988 participants from 8 European countries — France, Italy, Spain, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-26T10:06:35-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Voice analysis after cancer treatment with organ preservation

Source: 7thspace.com Author: staff Purpose: This cross-sectional study objects to measure, subjectively and objectively, the voice and life quality of patients with oral cavity, pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer, after organ-preservation treatment. Methods: 25 cases diagnosed and treated at a high complexity oncology center in southeastern Brazil. All had oral cavity, pharyngeal or laryngeal cancer, with a therapeutic proposal of radiotherapy alone or simultaneous radiochemotherapy. Acoustic voice analysis and the Voice Handicap Index protocol were used to measure voice quality. The data were analyzed through the x2, Student`s t and Kruskal Wallis tests. Significance level was 5%. Results: After treatment, 40% complained of hoarseness, 56% complained of throat clearing, and no patient reported aphonia. On the voice quality auditory scale, 36% had moderate dysphonia. Acoustic voice analysis ranged from 184 to 221Hz in females, and from 92 to 241Hz in males. As for quality of life, most patients had mild physical, functional and emotional handicaps. Conclusions: Chemio-radiation organ preservation protocols in the patients studied may leave the organ but with reduced function which brings communication sequelae. In such cases, voice assessment and quality of life protocols, as well as speech therapy rehabilitation, are important tools to preserve function, measure and treat alterations, and reintegrate patients into the community. Authors: Renata Campos, Cristina Maciel, Marcelle Cesca, Isabel Leite Source: Head &Neck Oncology 2011, 3:19

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-22T20:25:13-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

How do you conquer the main difficulties to accomplish a proper oral cancer screening?

Source: DentistryIQ.com From coast to coast the same answer complete As I tour this country presenting programs on early oral cancer detection, I ask the same question of all my attendees: What do you think is the main reason that dentists give for not doing a complete oral cancer examination? The unanimous response in more than 25 states and close to 50 locations is, “Time!” … Yes, time! My next question is always the same: How much time does it take to do a complete extraoral and intraoral cancer examination? The answer is always the same: “One to one-and-a-half minutes.” Something changed somewhere along the way Within this past year, I was made aware of a statewide study evaluating outcomes of dental school education at one particular state-supported dental school. Among the topic areas evaluated was the percent of graduates who are doing a complete extra-/intraoral cancer screening examination in their current practice setting. About 30% of respondents replied in the affirmative. Only one-third! And that was within the first five years out of dental school. Nationwide, the percent of dental offices doing a complete screening examination is only about 20%! My question is what happened that stopped dental professionals from doing a complete extra-/intraoral cancer screening? What are the barriers stopping us from doing what we all know we should be doing? Brief overview of Parts 1 and 2 In Part 1, I discussed that, in my opinion, there is a four-part “system of early oral cancer detection” for any [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-03-29T19:08:01-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Oral sex is the number one cause of oral cancer in men

Source: The Village Voice We've mentioned before that oral sex had become a leading cause of oral cancer among men. The evil virus known as HPV, or the human papillomavirus, which is the main cause of cervical cancer in women, is, according to the Daily News, now leading to "epidemic proportions" of oral cancer in the U.S. among "mostly white, male, non-smokers in their late 30s and early 40s." This means that HPV via oral sex is causing more oral cancer in guys than either smoking or drinking. HPV is evil, indeed. The spike is greatest among men who've had more than five or six sexual partners, which is, let's be honest, a large percentage of the global single population. Women can also get the virus from men, though the chances are lower through oral sex. While the slut-shamers (be they male or female) may jump on this as a chance to say, if you're promiscuous, you will get cancer, that is not true. (Nor does 5 or 6 partners equal promiscuous, unless it's, say, all in one day.) Clearly, cancer sucks. But the surprisingly bright side about this is that suddenly HPV is less of a "dirty secret" that only affects women, that women are supposed to keep quiet and feel ashamed about. In fact, "nearly all sexually active Americans will come in contact with HPV, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation and the National Institutes of Health." Time we started talking about it. FYI: HPV is passed through [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-29T12:41:08-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Potential of cancer breath test studied

Source: www.nhs.uk Author: staff “A breath test that can detect cancer with an ‘electronic nose’ has been developed by scientists,” reported the Daily Express. The newspaper said the device detects microscopic chemical changes that are emitted in the breath of people with head and neck tumours. The news report is based on a small study that looked at breath samples from 62 people using the Na-Nose, 16 of whom had head and neck cancer, 20 had lung cancer and 26 were healthy. The test was able to distinguish between these individuals by looking at the presence and levels of certain chemicals in their breath samples. Only two healthy individuals were falsely suggested to have head and neck cancer. This small study has promising results, but the findings will need to be confirmed in much larger samples, representative of the different types and stages of head and neck cancer. If the results are favourable, then the Na-Nose would need to be trialled against existing standards of care to assess its potential benefits and risks. A non-invasive breath test for various cancers is an appealing option, particularly for those cancers that are difficult to detect in other ways. Undoubtedly, this is an area that will receive much more research in the future. As the Daily Express reports, it would probably be many more years before a breath test could be available in a clinical environment. Where did the story come from? The study was carried out by researchers from Technion – The [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-20T21:22:02-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Scientific website features research on inflammation, oral and systemic disease, and antioxidants

Source: dentistrytoday.com Author: staff Inflammation, oral disease and systemic disease. The popular press—newspapers, magazines, TV, and the Internet— as well as professional medical and dental publications are tracking the subject and the number of articles is increasing with each passing day. To keep up with the proliferation of research studies and publications, a new website, dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com provides background information and current research. In response to the heightened interest in the high-potential topic, the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH) was recently organized. Declaring 2011 as “The Year of the Mouth,” the AAOSH writes on its website, “In recent years the studies have been piling up connecting poor oral health to the deadliest of diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Oral health problems have also been shown to have close connections to many other serious health concerns like Alzheimer’s, arthritis, pneumonia and pregnancy complications.” The role of antioxidants A primary focus of dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com is the role of antioxidants in controlling inflammation and oral disease. The sections within the dentalANTIOXIDANTS.com website include: The Oral/Systemic Link, Oxidative Stress and Oral Health, Free Radicals in the Oral Cavity, and Antioxidants and Oral Health. Specific areas of interest on the site include the relationships between oral and systemic health, between infection and chronic inflammatory disease, and between cardiovascular disease and inflammation, as well as the specific connection between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. The site will also feature research in biochemistry regarding the sources and uses of antioxidants, their reactivity with other [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-20T21:02:11-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Oral sex is a major risk factor for oral cancer in men

Source: AOL News Rates of oral cancer are on the rise among men, and researchers say the culprit isn't the devil you might think. The rising rates of oral cancer aren't being caused by tobacco, experts say, but by HPV, the same sexually transmitted virus responsible for the vast majority of cases of cervical cancer in women. Millions of women and girls have been vaccinated against HPV, or human papillomavirus, but doctors now say men exposed to the STD during oral sex are at risk as well and may have higher chances of developing oral cancer. John Moore, Getty Images About 65 percent of oral cancer tumors were linked to HPV in 2007, according to the National Cancer Institute. And the uptick isn't occurring among tobacco smokers. "We're looking at non-smokers who are predominantly white, upper middle class, college-educated men," Brian Hill, the executive director of the Oral Cancer Foundation, told AOL News by phone. Tobacco use has declined over the past decade, but rates of HPV infections have risen and affect at least 50 percent of the sexually active American population, according to the Centers for Disease Control. HPV-16, the strain of the virus that causes cervical cancer in women, has become the leading cause of oral cancer in non-smoking men, Hill said, citing research in the New England Journal of Medicine. "When the No. 1 cause of your disease goes down [tobacco use], you would expect that the incidence of disease would go down, but that hasn't happened," he said. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-21T13:48:09-07:00April, 2011|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

HPV is now the leading cause of oral cancer in the US: learn the facts.

Source: New York Daily News HPV, otherwise known as the human papillomavirus, is a leading cause of cervical cancer for women but the nasty virus is now causing a spike in oral cancer and ravaging an entirely different group: men. Cases of oral cancer resulting from exposure to the HPV-16 strain of the virus are hitting epidemic proportions in the U.S., doctors say. Though the mention of oral cancer evokes images of gravely-voiced chain-smokers, the disease now has a new face: mostly white, male, non-smokers in their late 30s and early 40s. The tumors forming on the back of their tongues and tonsils have nothing to do with nicotine – they are directly linked to engaging in oral sex with multiple female partners. "If you've had more than five or six sexual partners, you are at a higher risk," Dr. Eric M. Genden, professor and chair of head and neck surgery at Mount Sinai Medical center told the Daily News. "We're only now beginning to see the beginning of a bell curve." Women can get it from men as well although their chances are lower, according to doctors. The human papillomavirus (HPV), a nasty bug with strains that causes genital warts and cervical cancer in women, is now the top cause of oral cancer in men, beating out smoking and drinking, according to reports from the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Oncology as well as other research and treating institutions. The number of smokers in the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-21T13:52:00-07:00April, 2011|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|