Oral Cancer News – Page 102 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Smokeless tobacco ingrained in baseball, despite bans and Gwynn’s death

Source: www.latimes.comAuthor: Gary Klein Utility player Mark DeRosa loads a wad of smokeless tobacco while playing for the San Francisco Giants before a game against the Dodgers on March 31, 2011. The use of smokeless tobacco is prevalent in the major leagues. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) Rick Vanderhook played for Cal State Fullerton's 1984 College World Series championship team and was a Titans assistant when they won two more. So he remembers the days when cans and pouches of smokeless tobacco were omnipresent in the uniform pockets of the participants. Not anymore. The NCAA banned tobacco use on the field in the early 1990s. "It's probably cut back, I'll say, almost 90% compared to what it was 25 years ago," said Vanderhook, who in his fourth season as head coach has guided the Titans back to Omaha, where they will open against defending national champion Vanderbilt on Sunday at 5 p.m. Smokeless tobacco remains ingrained in baseball culture, however, including the college and high school levels where it is banned. "It sounds bad, but it's part of the game," said Fullerton pitcher Thomas Eshelman, echoing nearly every coach and player interviewed for this article. Minor league players can be fined for having tobacco products in their locker or partaking on the field. Major leaguers are prohibited from using tobacco during televised interviews and player appearances, and they cannot carry tobacco products in their uniforms. But they are otherwise not prohibited from using it on the field. Before he died [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-15T12:22:26-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Keytruda doubles efficacy of only targeted therapy for head and neck cancer

Source: www.curetoday.com Author: Lauren M. Green The immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab), in a recent study, proved twice as effective for the treatment of head and neck cancer as Erbitux (cetuximab), the only targeted therapy indicated as a therapy for the disease. The multisite study offers the largest experience to date of how immunotherapy can be deployed in patients with head and neck cancer, and could change the way the disease is treated. The findings were announced May 29 during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a gathering of nearly 30,000 oncology professionals taking place in Chicago. Keytruda is an antibody designed to disable the protein PD-1 so it cannot do its job of keeping the immune system in check; this allows T cells to become more active in recognizing and fighting cancer cells. In the study, investigators found that the drug produced broad and durable responses in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Fifty-six percent of patients in the study experienced some tumor shrinkage with Keytruda, and 86 percent of those patients continued to respond to treatment at data cutoff on March 23, 2015. Keytruda produced an overall response rate (ORR) of 25 percent, and it proved active in both HPV (human papillomavirus)-positive and HPV-negative patients. “The efficacy was remarkable — pembrolizumab seems to be roughly twice as effective, when measured by response, as our only targeted therapy, cetuximab,” said Tanguy Seiwart, an assistant professor of medicine and associate leader of the head and neck cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-11T09:08:47-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Canadian court orders three major tobacco companies to pay billions in damages

Source: news.vice.com Author: Natalie Alcoba Three tobacco giants have been ordered by a Canadian court to pay billions of dollars in moral and punitive damages to nearly 100,000 smokers, in what has been hailed as an "historic judgment" by the plaintiffs in Quebec. Imperial Tobacco Canada, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, and JTI-Macdonald were found to have violated their general duty not to cause injury to another, their duty to inform their clients of the risks and dangers of their products, and their obligation not to mislead their clients. A Quebec Superior Court slapped the three cigarette manufacturers — which have already vowed to appeal — with damages totaling CAD $15.5 billion ($12 billion US), to be split among them. The ruling means that plaintiffs suffering from lung or throat cancer are entitled to receive CAD $80,000 or $100,000 ($63,000 or $80,000), while those afflicted with emphysema can receive CAD $24,000 or $30,000 ($19,000 or $24,000), plus the interest accumulated since 1998, which is when the lawsuit commenced. "Today marks an important day for the victims of tobacco who have waited almost 17 years for this moment", said Mario Bujold, executive director of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health on Monday. Imperial Tobacco was held responsible for CAD $10.5 billion ($8.3 billion), while Rothmans, Benson & Hedges bear responsibility for CAD $3.1 billion ($2.4 billion), and JTI-Macdonald the remaining CAD $2 billion ($1.6 billion). "By choosing not to inform either the public health authorities or the public directly of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-03T07:00:49-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Pembrolizumab immunotherapy effective in recurrent, metastatic head and neck cancer

Source: www.cancertherapyadvisor.com Author: Debra Hughes, MS Pembrolizumab immunotherapy is effective for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), results of the KEYNOTE-012 trial presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting have shown. At a fixed dose of 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks, pembrolizumab “was well tolerated and demonstrated a clinically meaningful overall response rate of 24.8% in patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN,” reported Tanguy Y. Seiwert, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, and associate HNC program leader at The University of Chicago in Chicago, IL. However, “it is important to note that response rate may underestimate the rate of benefit in patients, and ultimately we need to assess survival,” said Dr. Seiwert in an ASCO press release. “We know from other diseases where the experience with immunotherapy is larger, that patients who have disease stabilization or even initially experience disease progression upon receiving immunotherapy ultimately may derive significant benefit that can translate into longer survival.” Pembrolizumab (MK-3475), a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks interaction of PD-1 with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, promotes activity of tumor-specific effector T cells. Previously, the KEYNOTE 012 study had demonstrated clinical activity of pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks in patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN enriched for PD-L1–positive tumors. Response rate was 20%. Dr. Seiwert reported on the study's larger SCCHN expansion cohort, irrespective of PD-L1 expression or HPV status, using a 3-weekly fixed dose. The primary end point was overall response rate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-03T06:53:18-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Marathoner Harriette Thompson, 92, runs to her own inspiring rhythm

Source: http://espn.go.com/ Author: Lynn Olszowy Harriette Thompson has found a clever way to pass the time when she runs marathons. The classically trained concert pianist imagines her favorite pieces of music. "When I'm in a place that might be pretty boring, I run to some music in my mind," she explained. "I hardly know I'm running when I'm thinking about that." Over the weekend, musical thoughts helped Thompson run into the history books for the second year in a row. Last year, she broke the marathon record by a woman over 90 by more than two hours. On Sunday, she became the oldest woman to ever complete a marathon at the age of 92 years, 65 days. Two days later, she had a spring in her step. "I feel like a million dollars right now," Thompson said Tuesday from her home in a Charlotte, North Carolina, retirement community. "I think it must do something to your life system or something that makes you feel up on top of the world after you've done a marathon." Throughout her 7 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds of running, she had Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and his Prelude in D Major keeping her company. "It's fun to just think about it because I think it's one of his most beautiful preludes," she said over the phone Tuesday. But there was something else that occupied Thompson's mind while she ran the 26.2 miles of Sunday's San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. "I also think [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-03T06:48:53-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

A Disorder That’s Hard to Swallow

Source: www.usnews.comAuthor: Anna Medaris Miller Ed Steger’s last meal was a bowl of soup in Las Vegas. “I remember it all too clearly, as if it were yesterday,” he says. But it wasn’t yesterday – it was 2006. “Life is very different” now, says Steger, a 63-year-old former program manager in Houston. Steger was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2005. In addition to 36 rounds of radiation and eight regimens of chemotherapy, he underwent six surgeries, including one that replaced a portion of his pharynx and removed parts of his left jawbone, tongue, epiglottis and soft palate. “The part that makes it odd is that I’m alive after having four recurrences,” Steger says. The part that makes it distressing is that he can’t eat solid foods. “There are many case studies I’ve seen where patients have said [their] swallowing disorder is the worst part of their disease – and I believe this to be true,” says Steger, who’s president of the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders. His daily diet consists of four 8-ounce cans of the nutritional drink Boost Plus, along with two to four bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos, which he buys at his local supermarket. “It’s a very boring diet that allows me to maintain my weight,” says Steger, who’s 5 feet 10 inches tall and 155 pounds. It’s unknown how many people have dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, but the condition can be caused by any one of 30 diverse health events, Steger says. While his dysphagia is a result of surgery, other people [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-02T16:23:17-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Merck immunotherapy appears effective in head and neck cancer – study | Reuters

Source: www.firstpress.comAuthor: Bill Berkrot A Merck & Co drug that helps the immune system fight cancer was about twice as effective as the current standard therapy for patients with recurrent or advanced head and neck cancers, according to study data released on Friday. A quarter of the 132 patients who received the drug, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), saw their tumors shrink by at least 30 percent. Fifty-six percent of patients experienced at least some tumor shrinkage in the ongoing single drug Phase I study dubbed Keynote-012, researchers reported. "This is remarkable because we don't usually see this level of activity with new agents. We have a track record of failure," said Dr. Tanguy Seiwert, lead investigator of the study from the University of Chicago. Advanced head and neck cancer is currently treated with Eli Lilly's Erbitux, known chemically as cetuximab, which typically has a response rate of 10 percent to 13 percent. "The only thing that works is cetuximab and this looks at least twice as good," said Seiwert, who was presenting the Keytruda data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. ADVERTISING Merck shares rose more than 1 percent to $60.43 on the New York Stock Exchange. Keytruda and Opdivo from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co are at the forefront of a promising new class of drugs called PD-1 inhibitors that block a mechanism tumors use to evade the immune system. Keytruda is approved to treat advanced melanoma and awaits a decision for use in lung cancer. It is being [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-02T11:56:50-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Guest View: Stampede riders take stand against tobacco habits

Source: Prospect MagazineAuthor: Natalie RiggsSmokeless/spit tobacco is one of the historic causes of deadly oral cancers, and is more addictive than other forms of tobacco use. As a national nonprofit seeking to spread awareness of oral cancer and the dangers of starting terrible tobacco habits, the Oral Cancer Foundation has teamed up with professional barrel racer, Carly Twisselman, and bareback bronc rider, Cody Kiser, in an effort to spread the word in one of the biggest arenas of tobacco using patrons — the rodeo circuit. While others are focused on getting users to quit, the Oral Cancer Foundation is taking a proactive stance against tobacco by reaching out and educating youth about the dangers and risks of the habit. The message is simple and non confrontational: "Be Smart. Don't Start." With the strong addictive powers of smokeless tobacco, we have to engage them early. The Oral Cancer Foundation is a big believer that in order to solve problems, you have to become involved where the problem lies. The western/rodeo environment in the U.S. has had a long-term relationship with tobacco, and until 2009, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the rodeos that they sanctioned had a lengthy history of tobacco sponsorship money funding the sport. While that has ended at PRCA events, tobacco use, and smokeless/spit tobaccos still thrive in the sport. As a national nonprofit, OCF is taking a stance against tobacco with the help of both a cowboy and cowgirl who value their choice of not associating or [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-05-26T16:20:45-07:00May, 2015|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Imaging technique identifies early metastasis in lymph nodes

Source: www.newswise.com Author: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a highly sensitive and accurate imaging technique for non-invasive screening of lymph nodes for metastatic cancer. Current practice calls for invasive surgical biopsies to determine whether deadly metastatic cancer cells have invaded the lymph nodes. The new imaging technique – so far tested in mice – offers a rapid and effective tool to noninvasively identify very small numbers of these cells, known as micrometastases, thus detecting cancer’s spread at its earliest stages, which is critical for timely treatment. The work, developed at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is reported in the October issue of Cancer Research. The technique uses an imaging approach known as ultrasound-guided photoacoustics combined with nanosensors designed to target and identify metastatic cells in lymph nodes. Richard Conroy, Ph.D., Director of the NIBIB Program in Molecular Imaging elaborates on the technology’s potential: "This work is an excellent example of the development of a cutting edge technology that works very well in an experimental system but also has great potential to change the way we monitor and diagnose cancer metastasis. Identifying the accumulation of cells early in the process with some molecular characterization offers the opportunity for more targeted and effective treatment and fewer side effects.” More than 90% of cancer deaths can be attributed to metastases either directly or indirectly. In current clinical practice, an invasive surgical procedure called sentinel lymph node (SLN) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-24T08:48:05-07:00May, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Public speaker back to work after tongue cancer surgery

Source: www.komonews.com Author: Molly Shen Local doctors are seeing an alarming rise in the number of tongue cancer cases in people who never smoked or chewed tobacco. The Human Papillomavirus is a possible cause, but sometimes there's no viral or obvious reason. Robert Hasse was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2013. He writes a blog called "Not What You Had Planned." And he knows all about life going off schedule. A successful public speaker, he was sidelined by the news he had cancer and to save his life, he would lose half of his tongue. "I couldn't fathom not being able to speak," Haase said. "And that was a possibility if the nerve was cut incorrectly or if the doctor didn't do it right, I wouldn't ever be able to speak again." Doctors were able to rebuild Haase's tongue with tissue from his forearm. He was determined to speak, documenting his first attempt, two weeks later, two months later and most recently, 18 months after surgery. Dr. Stephen Bayles has done several hundred tongue reconstructive surgeries at Virginia Mason Medical Center. He says while patients lose most of the ability to taste food, he can restore movement, blood flow and some sensations like the ability to distinguish heat and cold. He said Haase's attitude was inspiring. "He came straight out of the operation with a thumbs up attitude and was already communicating to people how well he was doing and that he was already on his road to recovery," Dr. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-24T08:37:13-07:00May, 2015|Oral Cancer News|