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|

After a long battle with 3 different types of cancer, a footloose Orlando man takes on a 2,650-mile hike

At 68, John Casterline has beaten advanced-stage lung cancer, prostate cancer and throat cancer. Last month, he finished radiation treatments. Just one week ago, his doctors pronounced him cancer-free. So what is he doing to celebrate? Forget Disney World. Starting April 28, this Orlando retiree will be hiking 2,650 miles, from Canada to Mexico, along the Pacific Crest Trail — a route that will climb above 13,000 feet elevation and require him to average 20 miles a day. "I expect that I will experience weather that is too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry and too perfect," he wrote in his journal a year ago, when he began training seriously for the hike. "I will encounter rattle snakes, bears, and maybe even mountain lions. … The mosquitoes will be horrendous at times, the hills steep, the rocks sharp, the trail blocked, the wind very strong. [Sleep will be] occasionally fitful and I'll be carrying a backpack with 30-plus pounds." But if you have to ask why he's doing it, he wrote, you wouldn't understand. It is not simply that he hopes to raise $26,500 for the dramatically underfunded battle against lung cancer, a disease expected to claim the lives of 160,000 Americans this year — more than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Nor is it about creating some kind of legacy. Though followers can read his ongoing exploits on lungcancerhike.org, the website is intended to give fellow cancer survivors hope — and to collect donations for the American [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-21T13:49:22-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Blueberries contain vital polyphenols that could contribute to a decline in obestiy

Source: Medical News Today Last week it was reported that strawberries may help treat throat cancer, now a new study shows how blueberries may aid in curbing obesity. Plant polyphenols have been shown to fight adipogenesis, which is the development of fat cell, and induce lipolysis, which is the breakdown of lipids and fat. The study was done to evaluate whether blueberry polyphenols play a role in adipocyte differentiation, the process in which a relatively unspecialized cell acquires specialized features of an adipocyte, an animal connective tissue cell specialized for the synthesis and storage of fat. Polyphenols occur in all plant foods and contribute to the beneficial health effects of vegetables and fruit. Their contribution to the antioxidant capacity of the human diet is much larger than that of vitamins. The total intake in a person's diet could amount to 1 gram a day, whereas combined intakes of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E from food most often is about 100 mg a day. Phenolic acids account for about one third of the total intake of polyphenols in our diet, and flavonoids account for the remaining two thirds. Flavonoids are further subdivided into several categories. Shiwani Moghe, a graduate student at Texas Woman's University said: "The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce adipose tissue from forming in the body I wanted to see if using blueberry polyphenols could inhibit obesity at a molecular stage. We still need to test this dose in humans, to make sure there are [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-21T13:48:47-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

American Dental Association encourages public to get screened for oral cancer

Source: www.prnewswire.com Author: press release The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF) encourage people to take part in Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April by visiting a dentist for a free oral cancer screening. So far, more than 1,250 sites across the nation have registered their screening events with the OCF. "Although many dentists perform oral cancer screenings as a routine part of dental examinations, the ADA encourages dentists to go out into their communities during the week of April 11-15 to provide free oral cancer screenings to people who might not regularly visit a dentist," said ADA Spokesperson Sol Silverman, D.D.S., a professor of oral medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "Early detection is critical in increasing survival rates for patients who have developed an oral cancer; and recognizing and managing precancerous lesions is extremely important in prevention," he said. Mr. Brian Hill, OCF executive director and an oral cancer survivor, also stressed the importance of early detection and the important role that dentists play. "Early detection is important because it reduces treatment-related morbidity and improves survival rates," he said. In 2010, the National Cancer Institute estimated that approximately 36,540 people were diagnosed with oral cancer and approximately 7,880 people died of oral cancer. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) estimates that the five-year survival rate for people diagnosed early, when the disease has not spread beyond the original location, is approximately 83 percent compared to a 20 percent survival [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-11T20:25:42-07:00April, 2011|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer: How discovery devices assist screenings

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Nick Efthimiadis, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, LED Dental Inc. As the intense media attention surrounding Michael Douglas’s illness clearly demonstrated, oral cancer is increasingly in the news these days. With the unfortunate growth in the number of relatively young people contracting the disease due to exposure to the sexually-transmitted human papilla virus — specifically, the HPV-16 strain — oral cancer will only become a bigger concern for both patients and dental practices over time. In fact, the Oral Cancer Foundation recently announced that HPV-16 has now replaced tobacco as the leading cause of this disease. Sadly, one North American dies every hour of every day from oral cancer, and many of those who survive the disease are forced to deal with lengthy, painful treatment and permanent disfigurement. The main problem is that oral cancer is typically discovered in late stages, when the five-year survival rate is only around 30%. The good news: when discovered early, the survival rate leaps to 80%-to-90%. The key to early discovery is the dental practice. Ideally, each and every practice should be conducting a two-step oral cancer screening on all adult patients as part of their annual or semi-annual hygiene checkup. The first step consists of a conventional “white light” exam comprising visual inspection and palpation. The second step consists of examination with an adjunctive screening device. Fortunately, the two steps should take no more than five minutes combined. For the past several years, the adjunctive device that has [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-10T17:42:46-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Alcohol linked to 10% of cancer cases, study finds

Source: www.irishtimes.com Author: Dr. Muiris Houston Reducing alcohol intake would reduce the number of cancer cases in the Republic, the Irish Cancer Society has said. It was responding to the results of a major European study, published online by the British Medical Journal, which found that up to one in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women could be caused by drinking. Researchers concluded that drinking above recommended alcohol limits was likely to be responsible for the majority of cancer cases linked to alcohol, although for some people even a small consumption may increase the risk. They analysed data from eight European countries, involving more than 360,000 men and women who were aged between 35 and 70 at the beginning of the study. The research is part of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, one of the largest ever studies into the links between diet and cancer. Some 17 per cent of bowel cancers in men were linked to drinking, as were 4 per cent of cases in women. And 5 per cent of cases of breast cancer in women were also linked to drinking, the study showed. Overall, more than 18 per cent of cancers in men were down to drinking more than 24g of alcohol a day. In women, 4 per cent of cancers were due to drinking more than 12g of alcohol daily. Naomi Allen, from Oxford University, one of the researchers, said: “This research supports existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-10T17:30:05-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is on the rise in young caucasian females, age 18 to 44 years

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology Abstract Purpose To evaluate the incidence of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) in young white women, age 18 to 44 years. Patients and Methods We analyzed incidence and survival data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute from 1975 to 2007 for OCSCC and OTSCC. Three cohorts were examined: all ages, age 18 to 44 years (ie, “young”), and age > 44 years. Individuals were stratified by sex and/or race. Percentage change (PC) and annual percentage change (APC) were calculated. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to examine trend differences. Results Overall, incidence of OCSCC was decreasing for all ages. However, incidence was increasing for young white women (PC, 34.8; APC, 2.2; P < .05). Incidence of OTSCC was decreasing for all ages except in the age 18 to 44 years group (PC, 28.8; APC, 1.8; P < .05). Young white individuals had increasing incidence trends of OTSCC (white women: PC, 111.3; APC, 4; P < .05; young white men: PC, 43.7; APC, 1.6; P < .05). The APC of OTSCC was significantly greater in young white women compared with that in young white men (P = .007). Furthermore, incidence of SCC in all other subsites of the oral cavity was decreasing. Nonwhites had a decreasing incidence of OCSCC and OTSCC. Cause-specific survival was similar among whites age 18 to 44 and individuals older than age 44 years. Conclusion OTSCC [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-04-10T17:26:36-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Dental professionals join The Oral Cancer Foundation to raise awareness as HPV is now the primary cause of Oral Cancers in America

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A serious change in the cause of oral cancer is taking place nationally, and its implications are impacting the American public in a manner that a decade ago no one would have predicted. For decades, oral cancer (also known as mouth cancer, tongue cancer, tonsil cancer, and throat cancer) has been a disease which most often occurred in older individuals, who during their lifetimes had been tobacco users. Most cases were ultimately the result of lifestyle choices. Today that paradigm has changed. A common, sexually transferred virus has replaced tobacco as the number one cause of oral cancers, Human Papilloma Virus number 16 (HPV16). This is one of the same viruses that are responsible for the majority of cervical cancers in women. This year alone, approximately 37,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer, and one person will die every hour of every day from this disease. HPV16, one of about 130 versions of the virus, is now the leading cause of oral cancer, and is found in about 60% of newly diagnosed patients. Dr. Maura Gillison from the James Cancer Center, a long time researcher of the relationship between HPV and oral cancers, recently reported these new findings at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science meeting. This change in etiology, which has accelerated its influence over the last two decades as tobacco use in the US simultaneously was declining, has also changed the demographics of who is getting [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-04-07T10:39:32-07:00April, 2011|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|