Oral Cancer News

Betel nut, oral cancer pilot study for Saipan, Guam now underway

Source: www.saipantribune.com Author: Moneth Deposa A betel nut and oral cancer pilot study will be conducted on Saipan and Guam beginning this year. The study hopes to gather baseline date to develop protocols for studying oral precancerous lesions and other health risks among betel nut users in Micronesia. University of Guam epidemiologist Dr. Yvette Paulino, co-leader in the pilot study, will work with Dr. Suzanne Murphy from the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii in the pilot study. In a presentation to members of the Commonwealth Cancer Association last week, Dr. Paulino disclosed that oral cancer is the sixth leading cancer worldwide, but ranks in the Top 3 cancers in countries where there are betel nut/areca nut chewers. Betel nut, she said, is apparently a misnomer. The nut itself is more accurately called “areca nut” and “betel” refers to the leaf that is sometimes used with the nut. “Betel quid” refers to the mixture of nut and leaf. The three-year pilot study aims to collect information on betel nut/areca nut use among 300 study participants in Guam and on Saipan and members of their families. In the course of the study, oral examinations and biopsies will be performed as needed, health risks will be measured, and associations of duration, frequency, and type of betel nut/areca nut use with oral pre-cancers and health risks will be studied. Dr. Paulino said that betel nut/areca nut is considered a human carcinogen. She revealed that betel nut chewing has been shown to be associated with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-05T17:25:11-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer treatment and reconstruction

Source: www.cancernewstoday.com Author: staff Trace the steps of Carolyn Coogan, a patient who discovered she had oral cancer and her subsequent treatment options as Dr. Neal Futran, director of otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center, leads a discussion of the processes. Discover how Coogans treatment crossed medical disciplines as it involved surgeries to remove cancer, reconstruct the jaw and install the dental prosthesis.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-04T14:53:01-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

AACR recognizes one-year anniversary of tobacco law and the additional provisions taking effect today; calls for more research to combat tobacco epidemic

Source: AACR Author: Staff WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association for Cancer Research recognizes the first anniversary of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on June 22, 2009. The law empowered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the marketing, advertising and manufacturing of tobacco products. Provisions that go into effect today include restrictions on youth access to tobacco products, enhanced warning labels on smokeless tobacco products, and a ban on the use of deceptive terms such as “light” or “mild.” “While most people know that cigarette smoking causes cancer, we need to do a far better job of educating the public about the risks of all tobacco products,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “In fact, there is sufficient scientific evidence to causally link tobacco use to cancers at 18 different organ sites. For example, smokeless tobacco alone can cause cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas, and new smokeless tobacco labels will help to deliver that message.” Starting today, smokeless tobacco product labels must be larger, and incorporate messages including that smokeless tobacco is addictive and can cause mouth cancer. “With nearly a third of all cancer deaths caused by tobacco use, it is imperative that the research community come together to support the FDA in its efforts to establish a science-based framework for evaluating the harms caused by tobacco products,” said Chairperson of the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-04T14:48:08-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers develop high-precision cancer tests using patients’ saliva

Source: mdn.mainichi.jp Author: staff Researchers develop high-precision cancer tests using patients' saliva Researchers have developed a high-precision method to diagnose three types of cancer from saliva, enabling patients to undergo tests without physical discomfort. The method, announced at the current meeting of the international Metabolomics Society in the Netherlands, was developed by a team including researchers from Keio University's Institute for Advanced Biosciences. "We want to proceed with analysis of other types of cancer and other illnesses, and put this to practical use," university research lecturer Masahiro Sugimoto said. Sugimoto said the University of California, Los Angeles, which is participating in the research, collected saliva from 215 people aged 11 to 87. Eighty-seven of the patients were healthy, 18 had cancer of the pancreas, 30 had breast cancer, 69 had oral cancer, and 11 had gum disease. Researchers analyzed the 500 or so types of substances found in their saliva, and identified 54 substances whose concentrations differed markedly between healthy people and people with three specific types of cancer. Since concentrations of a single substance varied among the subjects, the researchers combined several substances and then examined the concentrations. As a result, the team found that they could identify patients with cancer of the pancreas with 99 percent accuracy by examining five substances in their saliva including the amino acid phenylalanine. Using similar tests, the researchers were able to identify breast cancer with 95 percent accuracy and oral cancer with 80 percent accuracy. Sugimoto said that research to diagnose cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-01T14:59:39-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

The global market for snus and snuff is estimated to be in excess of 1.4 billion cans, and growing. Scandinavia and the US are by far the world’s largest markets for snus and snuff. Scandinavia is a pasteurized snus market, while the US market is dominated by the fermented moist snuff.

Source: The Swedish Match Author: Staff The Scandinavian snus market is comprised of a broad range of brands and product varieties, with pouch products being the most popular and continuing to grow in importance. The largest market in Scandinavia is Sweden, the largest snus market in the world measured in per capita consumption. Norway was the fastest growing market but Travel Retail and the Swedish market also experienced volume growth in 2009. Snus, traditionally a Swedish product, is increasingly being recognized globally as an exciting new market category. This is evidenced by the big tobacco players testing Swedish style snus in chosen markets. During 2009, one of Swedish Match competitors rolled-out snus nationally in the US. Still a very small category in the US, Swedish style snus is considered to have a long term growth potential. Swedish Match is continuing its efforts to assess and develop the market for Swedish style snus in the US market through the marketing of brands such as General. Moreover, through the 2009 joint venture with Philip Morris International, Swedish Match will pursue growth opportunities outside Scandinavia and the US. While still undeveloped, these marketsprovide future growth opportunities. Within the European Union, sales of snus have been banned since 1992. Sweden was exempted from the sales ban for the Swedish market when it became an EU member in 1995. The traditional US moist snuff market has achieved sustained volume growth over the past decade. The US snuff market is comprised primarily of loose varieties in a [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-01T10:54:36-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Simulation of scattering dffects of irradiation on surroundings using the example of titanium dental implants: a Monte Carlo approach

Source: International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment Authors: REINHARD E. FRIEDRICH1, MANUEL TODROVIC2 and ANDREAS KRÜLL2 Correspondence to: Professor R.E. Friedrich, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Eppendorf Medical Center, University of Hamburg, Martinist. 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40428033259, Fax: +49 428038120, email:[email protected] Abstract Occasionally, head and neck cancer patients treated with high-energy X-rays and gamma rays have titanium dental implants. The aim of this study was to calculate alterations in the irradiated bone caused by a foreign body, representing a titanium implant in size and physical qualities, using a stochastic (Monte Carlo) simulation. A clinical linear accelerator was simulated using BEAM/EGS4. The calculations showed that the presence of an implant results in differences of the dose distribution all around the implant. Titanium dental implants in the field of irradiation were capable of causing significant radiation scattering. The risk for dose enhancement was notably important for the bone in direct contact with the foreign body. Therapists involved in radiation planning should consider the impact of dental implants on the radiation beam as a putative cause of osteoradionecrosis.

Charlotte Parker2010-07-01T14:56:38-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

New strategies in head and neck cancer: understanding resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors

Source: HighWire Author: Staff The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a validated target in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). However, despite high expression of EGFR in these cancers, EGFR inhibitor monotherapy has only had modest activity. Potential mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-targeted therapies involve EGFR and Ras mutations, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and activation of alternative and downstream pathways. Strategies to optimize EGFR-targeted therapy in head and neck cancer involve not only the selection for patients most likely to benefit but also the use of combination therapies to target the network of pathways involved in tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis.

Charlotte Parker2010-06-30T13:03:30-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Molecular targeted therapies in head and neck cancer – An update of recent developements

Source: HighWire Author: Staff ABSTRACT: Targeted therapies have made their way into clinical practice during the past decade. They have caused a major impact on the survival of cancer patients in many areas of clinical oncology and hematology. Indeed, in some hematologic malignancies, such as chronic myelogenous leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, biologicals and antibodies specifically designed to target tumour-specific proteins have revolutionized treatment standards. In solid tumours, new drugs targeting EGF- or VEGF- receptors are now approved and are entering clinical practise for treatment of colon, lung, kidney and other cancers, either alone or in combination with conventional treatment approaches.Recent data have now shown that molecular targeted therapy might display efficacy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as well. The evaluated biologicals are generally well tolerated from HNSCC patients, who usually have the burden of multiple co-morbidities that interfere with conventional systemic treatment options. Therefore, molecular targeted therapies offer new treatment options even for heavily pretreated and seriously ill patients usually unable to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy.The two most promising and advanced strategies are the blockage of growth-factor based cellular signalling and interference with angiogenesis-related pathways. But inhibitors of alternative targets, such as Scr and proteasomes, have already been evaluated in early clinical trials with HNSCC patients.

Charlotte Parker2010-06-30T13:02:15-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Advances in radiotherapy of head and neck cancers.

Source: Highwire Author: Staff PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Radiation therapy plays a key role in the management of head and neck cancers (HNCs). We reviewed the recent advances in radiotherapy of HNCs and the role of imaging in treatment planning. RECENT FINDINGS: As shown in a recent update of meta-analysis of chemotherapy in head and neck cancer (MACH-NC), concurrent chemoradiotherapy was confirmed to be a standard of care in the management of locally advanced HNCs. Two recent large-scale randomized trials [Groupe d'Oncologie Radiothrapie Tte et Cou (GORTEC) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)] failed to show additional benefit when combining accelerated radiotherapy with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Updated 5-year results of a phase III pivotal trial confirmed the benefit of targeting epidermal growth factor receptor with cetuximab when combined with radiotherapy. Taxane-platinum-fluorouracil-based induction chemotherapy has been established as a reference induction regimen and has been explored as a possible part of the treatment of locally advanced HNCs, which was particularly successful in larynx preservation. The superiority of intensity-modulated radiation therapy compared with conventional radiotherapy for parotid protection has been shown in a prospective phase III trial. PET-based treatment planning is still to be validated in the HNCs. SUMMARY: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy could still be considered as a standard of care; several new treatment combinations and new radiation technologies have been recently successfully evaluated in clinical trials.

Charlotte Parker2010-06-30T12:54:15-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Coffee and Tea Intake and Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium

Source: CEBP Authors: Carlotta Galeone, Alessandra Tavani, Claudio Pelucchi, Federica Turati, Deborah M. Winn, Fabio Levi, Guo-Pei Yu, Hal Morgenstern, Karl Kelsey, Luigino Dal Maso, Mark P. Purdue, Michael McClean, Renato Talamini, Richard B. Hayes, Silvia Franceschi, Stimson Schantz, Zuo-Feng Zhang, Gilles Ferro, Shu-Chun Chuang, Paolo Boffetta, Carlo La Vecchia, and Mia Hashibe Abstract Background: Only a few studies have explored the relation between coffee and tea intake and head and neck cancers, with inconsistent results. Methods: We pooled individual-level data from nine case-control studies of head and neck cancers, including 5,139 cases and 9,028 controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Caffeinated coffee intake was inversely related with the risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx: the ORs were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.98) for an increment of 1 cup per day and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.47–0.80) in drinkers of >4 cups per day versus nondrinkers. This latter estimate was consistent for different anatomic sites (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30–0.71 for oral cavity; OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41–0.82 for oropharynx/hypopharynx; and OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37–1.01 for oral cavity/pharynx not otherwise specified) and across strata of selected covariates. No association of caffeinated coffee drinking was found with laryngeal cancer (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.64–1.45 in drinkers of >4 cups per day versus nondrinkers). Data on decaffeinated coffee were too sparse for detailed analysis, but indicated no increased risk. Tea intake was not associated with head and neck cancer risk (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.89–1.11 for drinkers versus nondrinkers). Conclusions: This pooled analysis of case-control studies supports [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-30T12:28:28-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|