Oral Cancer News

The Journey of a “Doctor” Who Joined the Cult of Alternative Medicine and Then Broke Out of It

Source: flipboard.com Author: Akshat Rathi Date: September 30, 2017 One Friday afternoon in May 2014, Britt Hermes was scheduled to treat one of her cancer patients with an injection of Ukrain. This wasn’t especially unusual; people often came to Hermes, a naturopath in Arizona, for the treatment. That day, though, an expected shipment of the drug hadn’t arrived, and Hermes’s patients weren’t happy. They had been promised that Ukrain given on a strict schedule would help them when nothing else was working. So she asked her boss what was going on. “In response, he made an off-hand remark: ‘Oh don’t worry. Most likely the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] confiscated it. It’ll just arrive late,’” Hermes recalls today. When she asked him what he meant, he fumbled. “He realized that he may have said something he shouldn’t have.” Complementary medicine therapies drawn from traditional practices, ranging from massage and vitamin supplements to acupuncture and meditation, are today becoming broadly incorporated into mainstream medicine as more scientific studies validate their efficacy. But naturopathy, a belief system built on the concept that “nature knows best” when it comes to healing, takes it a step further. Practitioners use a host of pseudoscientific techniques including energy healing and homeopathy that can be not only ineffective, but dangerous. Instead of thinking about the techniques as adjunct therapies to proven modern medicine, many naturopaths will reject the pharmaceuticals and other treatments that we know save lives. Over her seven years of training and practice, Hermes had [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:11:46-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Blood test for HPV may help predict risk in cancer patients

Source: www.newswise.com Author: University of North Carolina Health Care System A blood test for the human papillomavirus, or HPV, may help researchers forecast whether patients with throat cancer linked to the sexually transmitted virus will respond to treatment, according to preliminary findings from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. HPV can cause oropharyngeal cancer, which is a cancer of the throat behind the mouth, including the base of the tongue and tonsils. Studies have shown that patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer have better outcomes than patients whose cancer is not linked to the virus. Preliminary findings presented at this year’s American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting suggest a genetic test for HPV16 in the blood could be useful to help assess risk for patients, and could help identify patients suitable for lower treatment doses. “Our work on this blood test is ongoing, but we are optimistic that ‘liquid biopsy’ tests such as ours may be useful in the personalization of therapy for many patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer,” said the study’s senior author Gaorav P. Gupta, MD, PhD, UNC Lineberger member and assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. To avoid over-treating patients and to spare them from toxic treatment side effects, UNC Lineberger’s Bhisham Chera, MD, an associate professor in the radiation oncology department, led studies testing whether favorable-risk patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer can be treated successfully with lower doses of radiation and chemotherapy. A phase II clinical trial [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-10-04T07:58:11-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Can even moderate drinking increase the risk of cancer?

Source: www.theguardian.com Author: Luisa Dillner Alcohol may be a social lubricant but WHO and Public Health England say it can cause cancer. Last week the alcohol industry was accused of downplaying the link between alcohol and the increased risk of seven cancers: mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, breast and colon. A research paper in Drug and Alcohol Review found that “responsible drinking” information funded by the alcohol industry tends to push the message that only heavy drinking increases the risk of these cancers. But the paper says the risk starts with low levels of drinking, even though the risk itself is low. So is the recommended number of alcohol units a week – 14 – too high? The solution Even less than 1.5 units a day – a small glass of wine – can increase the risk of mouth, throat, oesophagus and breast cancer (in women), according to a UK government committee. While the toll of heavy drinking on the liver and pancreas is well known, the link to cancers, especially breast and colorectal, is less so. There are more than 100 epidemiology studies showing an association between breast cancer and alcohol, the risk increasing with less than one daily glass of wine. Research at Harvard found that while light to moderate drinking was not significantly associated with an increased risk for men (unless they smoked), it did increase the risk of breast cancer for women. Edward L Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-10-02T10:30:20-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

HPV and cancer: Key mechanism may suggest treatment

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: Maria Cohut New research from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., investigates how the human papillomavirus promotes cancer. The findings might point to a potential new and improved strategy for targeted treatment. The human papillomavirus (HPV) refers to a group of viruses transmitted through sexual contact. Some types of HPV cause various kinds of cancer, including mouth, anus, and cervical cancer. According to data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1 in 4 people in the United States are infected with HPV. Although treatments for HPV-related conditions do exist, they either target non-cancerous outcomes (such as genital warts) or they focus on the prevention of cancer through screening of abnormal cell activity. Treatments for cancers caused by HPV include surgical interventions and chemotherapy, but at present, none of the options specifically address the viral source. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., have now identified the mechanism that promotes the survival of cancerous cells due to HPV. The study, which was led by Dr. Xuefeng Liu, describes a molecular apparatus that renders cancer cells "immortal." Understanding how this apparatus works may lead to better targeted treatments in the future, the researcher suggests. "There is no targeted treatment now for these cancers since German virologist Harald zur Hausen, Ph.D., discovered in 1983 that HPV can cause cervical cancer," says Dr. Liu. "Recently," he adds, "the numbers of HPV-linked head and neck cancers have increased in the U.S. Now we have a chance to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-10-02T10:24:34-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

A Wellness Blogger Who Lied About Having Cancer Has Been Fined $322,000

Source: Motherboard.vice.com Author: Kaleigh Rogers Date: September 28, 2017 There are serious consequences that come from hawking pseudoscience online, including harming your readers or yourself. But in case physical harm isn't enough motivation to quit slinging shady "wellness" advice online, here's another reason: you could wind up getting fined. That's what happened to disgraced Australian wellness blogger Belle Gibson, who has been fined $322,000 for claiming she treated her brain cancer without conventional medicine. Gibson had said she overcame an inoperable brain tumor, stroke, and cardiac arrests through clean eating, and avoiding dairy, gluten, and coffee. Conveniently, these claims helped her to sell her book The Whole Pantry, and app of the same name, raking in nearly half a million AUD. But in 2015, an investigation by Australian Women's Weekly—complete with Gibson's confession—revealed it was all a hoax. In response, Consumer Affairs Victoria brought a case to federal court, and in March Gibson was found guilty of five breaches of consumer law. On Thursday, Gibson was ordered to pay the fine of $410,000 AUD ($322,000 USD). It's not the first time shady wellness tips have caused controversy for bloggers. Gwyneth Paltrow's venture, Goop—the epitome of pseudoscience profiteering—has been called out for flogging all kinds of questionable goods, including a jade vagina egg that some gynecologists warned could cause infections. Or the wellness trend of eating whole aloe vera leaves that led one vlogger to be hospitalized after eating a poisonous agave plant by mistake. When wellness bloggers tell the truth, and really do try to fight off cancer without any conventional treatment, [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:13:04-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

B.C. to begin providing free HPV vaccines for Grade 6 boys

Source: ctvnews.ca Author: Darcy Matheson Date: September 26, 2017 For the first time in British Columbia, boys in Grade 6 will be receiving free vaccinations for the Human Papillomavirus. HPV is one of the most commonly sexually transmitted infections and B.C. health authorities say three out of four sexually active people will get it at some point in their lives. Often showing no physical symptoms, HPV can lead to cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in women and penile cancer in men – and can also cause anal and throat cancer in both men and women. Up until now, the vaccine to protect against HPV was only provided free to girls in Grade 6, with the assumption that boys would be indirectly protected through “herd immunity.” Vancouver Coastal Health will soon be sending out letters to parents and caregivers through children's schools regarding upcoming clinics for both girls and boys. People can also be immunized through health-care providers, family doctors and local public health units. Dr. Meena Dawar, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, said that immunizations are key because the symptom-less virus is often passed onto others without knowing it. “Most often an HPV infection will clear on its own but sometimes HPV won’t go away and cells infected with the virus can become cancerous," Dawar said in a statement. Cancer survivor Sandy Yun had her 14-year-old daughter immunized as part of the B.C. program. She was going to pay for her 11-year-old son to get the vaccine but now she [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:12:48-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Treatment That’s Easy to Swallow in HPV+ Throat Cancer

Source: Medscape.com Author: Nick Mulcahy Date: September 27, 2017 SAN DIEGO, California ― Daniel Ma, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, treats a lot of relatively young patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancers who are cured by various standard combinations of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy and then have "another 30 to 40 years of life ahead of them." But that life expectancy can be marred by the "potentially life-altering side effects" of standard treatment, including dry mouth, loss of taste, and, in about one half of patients, difficulty swallowing, he said. These patients inspired the genesis of Dr. Ma's phase 2 study of an "aggressive dose de-escalation" of adjuvant radiation in this setting, he said. The investigators evaluated experimental radiation doses of 30 to 36 Gy, which is a 50% reduction from the current standard of 60 to 66 Gy. At a median of 2 years' follow-up among 80 patients, the treatment de-escalation has resulted in locoregional control rates comparable to historical controls, low toxicity, and, perhaps most notably, no decrement in swallowing function or quality of life, Dr. Ma reported here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2016 Annual Meeting. The toxicity and swallowing results are "the most exciting data," Dr. Ma told a standing-room-only crowd at a meeting session today. "It's the first clinical trial in head and neck cancer to demonstrate no injury to swallowing function after radiation," he told Medscape Medical News. In other words, patients' ability to swallow was no [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:12:22-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Halving radiation therapy for HPV-related throat cancer offers fewer side effects, similar outcomes

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: Mayo Clinic press release Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a 50 percent reduction in the intensity and dose of radiation therapy for patients with HPV-related throat cancer reduced side effects with no loss in survival and no decrease in cure rates. Results of a phase II study were presented today at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in San Diego by Daniel Ma, M.D. a radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic. "A common approach for treating HPV-related throat cancer is a combination of surgery followed by daily radiation therapy for six to 6½ weeks," says Dr. Ma. "However, the radiation treatment can cause a high degree of side effects, including altered taste, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, stiff neck and damage to the jaw bone." Dr. Ma says that patients with HPV-related throat cancer tend to be young and, once treated, are likely to live a long time with possibly life-altering side effects from the standard treatment. "The goal of our trial was to see if an aggressive reduction of radiation therapy (two weeks of radiation twice daily) could maintain excellent cure rates, while significantly reducing posttreatment side effects, improving quality of life and lowering treatment costs." Researchers followed 80 patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer with no evidence of residual disease following surgery and a smoking history of 10 or fewer pack years. That's the number of years smoking multiplied by the average packs of cigarettes smoked per day. At two [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-09-26T07:17:21-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

This Man Tried An ‘Alternative’ Cancer Treatment—and Ended Up Poisoning Himself

Source: Menshealth.com Author: Alisa Hrustic Date: September 12, 2017 Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the scariest things that can happen to you, but what follows can be even scarier. Treatment for the disease is expensive, painful, and extensive, so it’s not uncommon for people to ponder alternative solutions. That’s all well and good, as long as it’s approved by your doctor. As for taking medicine into your own hands? That’s not always the best idea, since some alternative treatments can be extremely dangerous. Just recently, one Australian man learned that the hard way, according to a recent case report published in the British Medical Journal. The 67-year-old man—who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had gone into remission—consumed homemade apricot kernel extract daily for five years, since it’s typically marketed as a preventive medicine for cancer. He was also taking a fruit kernel supplement called Novodalin. While he was undergoing a routine surgery, his doctors noticed that his oxygen levels had severely dropped while he was under anesthesia, leading to a condition known as hypoxia, which can be deadly. Once they performed blood tests on the patient, the doctors concluded that his blood contained 25 times the accepted level of cyanide, a potentially deadly chemical, according to the report. That’s because apricot kernels contain amygdalin, also known as laetrile. Amygladin is a known cyanogenic glycoside, meaning it’s processed and converted into cyanide in your body, according to the Food and Drug Administration. While laetrile has been talked up for its anticancer properties, no human studies have [...]

Charlotte Parker2017-10-29T20:12:07-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Alcohol industry ‘playing down’ risk of cancer by using tobacco industry tactics

Source: news.sky.com Author: Paul Kelso, Health Correspondent The alcohol industry is misleading the public by downplaying the risk of cancer through similar tactics to the tobacco industry, researchers say. Liquor bottles in grocery store A study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Sweden's Karolinska Institutet found the industry is using "denying, distortion and distraction" strategies to minimise evidence. Researchers analysed information relating to cancer on the websites and documents of 28 alcohol industry organisations between September and December last year, finding that most showed "some sort of distortion or misrepresentation" of evidence. The industry most commonly presented the relationship between alcohol and cancer as highly complex, implying there was no evidence of a consistent or independent link, according to the study. Other tactics included denying that any relationship existed or claiming that there was no risk for light or moderate drinking, as well as presenting alcohol as just one risk among many. Alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for a range of cancers, including oral cavity, liver, breast and colorectal cancers, and accounts for about 4% of new cancer cases annually in the UK. The latest British government advice on alcohol, issued last year, makes an explicit link between cancer and alcohol. It states: "The risk of developing a range of health problems (including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast) increases the more you drink on a regular basis." During the consultation phase the alcohol industry challenged the link with cancer. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-09-08T11:53:23-07:00September, 2017|Oral Cancer News|