Oral Cancer News – Page 261

New survey shows slow decline in youth smoking, troubling increase in smokeless tobacco use – congress, states must step up tobacco prevention efforts

Source: www.streetinsider.com Author: staff The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey released today by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that the nation continues to make gradual progress in reducing youth smoking, but declines have slowed significantly compared to the dramatic gains early in the decade. In especially troubling news, the survey also finds that smokeless tobacco use has increased among 10th and 12th graders in recent years, a period during which tobacco companies have introduced a slew of new smokeless tobacco products and significantly increased marketing for smokeless tobacco. There is no question that we know how to dramatically reduce youth tobacco use. The use of proven strategies has caused smoking rates (the percentage who have smoked in the past 30 days) to decline by 69 percent among 8th graders, 57 percent among 10th graders and 45 percent among 12th graders since peaking in the mid-1990s. This is a remarkable public health success story. Before the recent increase, youth smokeless tobacco use also declined significantly from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. However, the much slower progress in recent years is a clear warning to elected officials at all levels that they must resist complacency and redouble efforts to implement proven measures - rather than cutting tobacco prevention programs, as 34 states did this year. It is unacceptable to stand still or risk backsliding in the fight against the nation's number one preventable cause of death. It is also unacceptable that one in five high school seniors still smoke [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-15T21:51:05-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Differential proteomics identifies protein biomarkers that predict local relapse of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Source: Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(24):7666–75 Authors: Tieneke B.M. et al. Purpose: The 5-year survival rates of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) remain disappointing. HNSCCs develop in precursor fields of genetically altered cells that are often not completely resected when the tumor is excised, causing local relapse. These precursor fields are mostly recognized as dysplasia, but histologic grading cannot reliably predict malignant transformation. Our aim was to discover and validate protein biomarkers that can detect precursor fields and predict local relapse in HNSCC using immunostaining of surgical margins. Experimental Design: We compared paired and genetically characterized normal, precursor, and tumor tissues of eight patients by proteome analysis to identify differentially expressed proteins. The prognostic value of candidate protein biomarkers was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis of 222 surgical margins of 46 HNSCC patients who developed local relapse or remained disease free. Significant associations were determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox-proportional hazards models. Results: Forty proteins showed significant differential expression (false discovery rate–corrected P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-15T21:39:09-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

RhoC gene may be marker of aggressive head and neck cancer

Source: www.dddmag.com Author: staff A well-known marker of metastatic breast cancer and melanoma may also indicate aggressive head and neck cancer and offer an important new therapeutic target, according to a new study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Overexpression of the gene RhoC is associated with invasive breast cancer, with progression to invasive disease in several cancer types, and with conversion of immobile breast epithelial cells into highly mobile, invasive cells. This laboratory and animal study suggests that inhibiting RhoC function in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) reduces a tumor’s aggressive behavior and identifies the RhoC pathway as a target for HNSCC therapy. The findings, published and highlighted in the November issue of the journal Molecular Cancer Research, suggest the following: •That RhoC plays an important role in cell invasion, motility and metastasis in HNSCC; •That inhibiting RhoC expression reduces lung metastasis in an animal model; •That RhoC is required for formation of tumor blood vessels. “Our findings illustrate the important role of RhoC in head and neck cancer progression and metastasis and suggest that this protein may be a novel target for therapeutic intervention,” says study leader Dr. Theodoros N. Teknos, professor of otolaryngology, director of head and neck oncologic surgery, and the David E. and Carole H. Schuller Chair in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. Head and neck cancer is the sixth most lethal cancer worldwide, and about 70,000 new [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-09T05:52:34-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Genetic variations indicate risk of recurrence, secondary cancer among head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: public release Eighteen single-point genetic variations indicate risk of recurrence for early-stage head and neck cancer patients and their likelihood of developing a second type of cancer, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference. The team examined 241 single nucleotide polymorphisms - variations of a single DNA building block in a gene - in eight genes involved in the creation of micro RNA (miRNA), small bits of RNA that regulate genes, and 130 miRNA binding sites on host genes where miRNAs exert their effects on regulating gene expression. "We focus on miRNA pathways because these small molecules regulate between one third and half of genes," said senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Epidemiology in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences. "Genetic variations in miRNA biogenesis genes and miRNA binding sites have been associated with the risk of having multiple solid tumors, so we hypothesized that these variations might be associated with the risk of recurrence or secondary primary tumors in these patients," Wu said. About 10 percent of patients have a recurrence, and 15-25 percent go on to develop secondary primary tumors. The team conducted a case-control study of 150 patients with recurrence or a second cancer and 300 patients without either. They found eighteen SNPs to be associated with recurrence/secondary cancer risk, including eleven SNPs in three miRNA biogenesis [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-08T18:30:22-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Alcohol and tobacco use prediagnosis and postdiagnosis, and survival in a cohort of patients with early stage cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx

Source: cebp.aacrjournals.org Authors: Susan T. Mayne et al. As more people begin to survive first cancers, there is an increased need for science-based recommendations to improve survivorship. For survivors of head and neck cancer, use of tobacco and alcohol before diagnosis predicts poorer survival; however, the role of continuing these behaviors after diagnosis on mortality is less clear, especially for more moderate alcohol consumption. Patients (n = 264) who were recent survivors of early stage head and neck cancer were asked to retrospectively report their tobacco and alcohol histories (before diagnosis), with information prospectively updated annually thereafter. Patients were followed for an average of 4.2 years, with 62 deaths observed. Smoking history before diagnosis dose-dependently increased the risk of dying; risks reached 5.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.7-40.1] among those with >60 pack-years of smoking. Likewise, alcohol history before diagnosis dose-dependently increased mortality risk; risks reached 4.9 (95% CI, 1.5-16.3) for persons who drank >5 drinks/d, an effect explained by beer and liquor consumption. After adjusting for prediagnosis exposures, continued drinking (average of 2.3 drinks/d) postdiagnosis significantly increased risk (relative risk for continued drinking versus no drinking, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.1), whereas continued smoking was associated with nonsignificantly higher risk (relative risk for continued smoking versus no smoking, 1.8; 95% CI, 0.9-3.9). Continued drinking of alcoholic beverages after an initial diagnosis of head and neck cancer adversely affects survival; cessation efforts should be incorporated into survivorship care of these patients. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(12):3368–74) Authors: Susan T. Mayne1, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-08T18:11:11-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Quitting cigarettes completely or switching to smokeless tobacco: do US data replicate the Swedish results?

Source: Tob Control 2009;18:82-87 doi:10.1136/tc.2008.028209 Authors: S-H Zhu et al. Background: Swedish male smokers are more likely than female smokers to switch to smokeless tobacco (snus) and males’ smoking cessation rate is higher than that of females. These results have fuelled international debate over promoting smokeless tobacco for harm reduction. This study examines whether similar results emerge in the United States, one of few other western countries where smokeless tobacco has long been widely available. Methods: US data source: national sample in Tobacco Use Supplement to Current Population Survey, 2002, with 1-year follow-up in 2003. Analyses included adult self-respondents in this longitudinal sample (n = 15 056). Population-weighted rates of quitting smoking and switching to smokeless tobacco were computed for the 1-year period. Results: Among US men, few current smokers switched to smokeless tobacco (0.3% in 12 months). Few former smokers turned to smokeless tobacco (1.7%). Switching between cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, infrequent among current tobacco users (<4%), was more often from smokeless to smoking. Men quit smokeless tobacco at three times the rate of quitting cigarettes (38.8% vs 11.6%, p<0.001). Overall, US men have no advantage over women in quitting smoking (11.7% vs 12.4%, p = 0.65), even though men are far likelier to use smokeless tobacco. Conclusion: The Swedish results are not replicated in the United States. Both male and female US smokers appear to have higher quit rates for smoking than have their Swedish counterparts, despite greater use of smokeless tobacco in Sweden. Promoting smokeless tobacco for harm reduction in countries with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-08T18:01:12-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New figures on cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality but big variations

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: press release New figures on deaths from cancer in Europe show a steady decline in mortality between the periods 1990-1994 and 2000-2004. Deaths from all cancers in the European Union (EU) between these two periods fell by nine percent in men and eight percent in women, with a large drop among the middle-aged population. In a study published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology on November 30, researchers found that there was an average 185.2 deaths per 100,000 of the population per year in men between 1990-1994 in 27 member states of the EU, but this fell to 168 deaths per 100,000 between 2000-2004. For women, the number of deaths fell from 104.8 to 96.9 per 100,000. The researchers, led by Professor Carlo La Vecchia (MD), head of the Department of Epidemiology at the Mario Negri Institute and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan (Italy), and Professor Fabio Levi (MD), Head of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, (Switzerland), say that the persistent downward trend is driven largely by changes in tobacco consumption, with large falls in lung and other tobacco-related cancers in men. A steady decline in gastric cancers and, recently, declines in colorectal cancer have also contributed to the overall drop in mortality rates. However, the picture is variable across Europe and between sexes. For instance, where alcohol or tobacco consumption, or a combination of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-08T09:00:11-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Mayo Clinic and collaborators find vitamin D levels associated with survival in lymphoma patients

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release A new study has found that the amount of vitamin D in patients being treated for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was strongly associated with cancer progression and overall survival. The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans. "These are some of the strongest findings yet between vitamin D and cancer outcome," says the study's lead investigator, Matthew Drake, M.D., Ph.D., an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "While these findings are very provocative, they are preliminary and need to be validated in other studies. However, they raise the issue of whether vitamin D supplementation might aid in treatment for this malignancy, and thus should stimulate much more research." The researchers' study of 374 newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients found that 50 percent had deficient vitamin D levels based on the commonly used clinical value of total serum 25(OH)D less than 25 ng/mL. Patients with deficient vitamin D levels had a 1.5-fold greater risk of disease progression and a twofold greater risk of dying, compared to patients with optimal vitamin D levels after accounting for other patient factors associated with worse outcomes. The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa. These researchers participate in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The 374 patients were enrolled in an epidemiologic study designed to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-07T16:58:37-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Cervarix® vaccination against HPV lasts at least six years

Source: professional.cancerconsultants.com Author: staff Researchers affiliated with the GlaxoSmithKline Vaccine HPV-007 Study Group have reported that Cervarix® [human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine] has “high and sustained immunogenicity, and a favorable safety” profile for up to 6.4 years following administration. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Lancet on December 3, 2009.[1] Cervarix is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of cervical pre-cancers and cervical cancer associated with HPV types 16 and 18. It is approved for use in girls and women between the ages of 10 and 25 years. Human papillomaviruses consist of more than 100 different viruses. Some types of HPV cause warts on the hands or feet; others cause genital warts; and some have been linked with cancer, most notably cervical cancer. The types of HPV most commonly linked with cervical cancer are HPV 16 and HPV 18, but several other high-risk types contribute to cancer as well. The types of HPV that cause cervical cancer or genital warts are transmitted sexually. HPV infection is extremely common and generally occurs soon after an individual becomes sexually active. Although most infections resolve on their own, some persist and can lead to precancerous or cancerous changes to the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, and anus. HPV infections have also been linked with some head and neck cancers. The first HPV vaccine to be approved in the United States was Gardasil®, which protects against HPV types 6 and 11 (linked to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-07T16:52:12-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Drinking epidemic ‘fuels surge in cancer’

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health Author: Jenny Hope Round-the-clock drinking and cut-price alcohol are to blame for an 'appalling' rise in cancers, experts warned today. Cases of cancer of the mouth have gone up by half in the past decade, with a 43 per cent rise in liver tumours. There have also been big rises in breast and colorectal cancer. Many experts are blaming alcohol consumption, which has doubled in the UK since the 1950s and has been fuelled by Labour's decision to relax licensing laws. They are calling for tougher measures to crack down on 2 for 1 offers and price-cutting by supermarkets, as well as the current 24-hour drinking culture. The latest official figures, obtained from parliamentary questions by the Liberal Democrats, show almost 5,000 in England are diagnosed each year with oral cancers - a 53 per cent increase on 3,225 cases in 1997. There was a 20 per cent jump in cancer of the gullet (oesophagus) from 5,397 to 6,487. Both types of cancer are linked to heavy drinking, with a fourfold rise in risk for men consuming more than seven drinks a day and women having five drinks or more a day. Liver cancer cases went up over the same period from 1,925 to 2,754 - with this cancer two and half times more likely to affect heavy drinkers compared with people who do not drink. Female breast cancer cases rose 33 per cent from 28,618 to 38,048. Heavy drinkers run a 60 per cent extra chance of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-07T15:11:03-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|