Oral Cancer News – Page 161 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Head and neck cancer protein identified

Source: www.dailyrx.com Author: Travis Giddings Different kinds of cancer have different characteristics on a cellular level, and these unique proteins can be used to monitor the cancer's progress or serve as a target for the pharmaceutical version of a smart bomb. The protein Aurora-A is known to be involved in several cancers and clinical trials are currently underway that target Aurora-A as a way to specifically attack cancer cells without any collateral damage. A recent study began initially as an investigation into whether Aurora-A was a suitable drug target in head and neck cancer, but the results were more ominous. Researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center presenting at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting announced the results of their investigation into the Aurora-A protein. They found that not only is the protein found in cancers of the head and neck, but higher levels of the protein were correlated with a much worse prognosis than cancer patients with normal levels. Patients with high levels of the protein survived less than 36 months on average, while patients with levels closer to normal had a longer timeframe, closer to 92 months. "This finding suggests Aurora A does play a role in the development of head and neck cancers," said Christian J. Fidler, MD, the study author. "Consequently, Aurora-A represents another potential target for additional therapies." Given the poor prognosis of high Aurora-A cancer patients, researchers now hope to begin a clinical trial combining Aurora-A inhibitors with other cancer drugs such [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-25T06:46:03-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

CDC report releases updated information on HPV-associated cancers

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: staff The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on April 24, 2012, an updated statistical count on the prevalence of HPV-associated cancers in the United States. Oropharyngeal cancers, primarily the base of the tongue and tonsils, were the second most common after cervical cancer. Published in the April 20 edition of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the report, titled, ”Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers — United States, 2004–2008,” provides updated information from an analysis of data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. An average of 33,369 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed annually (rate = 10.8 per 100,000 population), including 11,726 cases of oropharyngeal cancers. CDC estimates that about 7,400—63%—of the cases of oropharyngeal cancer each year were attributable to HPV infection. These cancers were found three times more frequently among men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on April 24, 2012, an updated statistical count on the prevalence of HPV-associated cancers in the United States. Oropharyngeal cancers, primarily the base of the tongue and tonsils, were the second most common after cervical cancer. Published in the April 20 edition of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the report, titled, ”Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers — United States, 2004–2008,” provides updated information from an analysis of data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-25T06:40:59-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

The Band legend Levon Helm dies aged 71 after throat cancer fight

Source: Author: Music legend Levon Helm died in a New York hospital yesterday aged 71 after a long battle with throat cancer. Helm was drummer in The Band, who backed Bob Dylan when he “went electric” and made one of the most influential albums of the 60s, Music from Big Pink. He sang on many classic Band songs, including The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and The Weight. Martin Scorsese’s film of The Band’s 1976 farewell show, The Last Waltz, is rated by many as the greatest concert film of all time. Arkansas-born Helm had a successful solo career, winning two Grammys, after The Band split. He is survived by wife Sandy, daughter Amy and a grandchild.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-22T08:59:48-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Cold comfort in quest for cancer cure

Source: www.theage.com.au Author: Rachel Browne Can the common cold cure cancer? It's a tempting idea and one on the cutting edge of a new medical research field called oncolytic virotherapy. Common viruses have become the latest weapon against cancer with a small Australian biotechnology group one of the leaders in the field. The idea has been around for some time. The classical Greek physician Hippocrates is often credited with the saying, "Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease." More than 2500 years later, scientists, including a team from the University of Newcastle, are proving that the theory has merit. Not only did the classical Greeks make the observation, but there have been some instances of cancer patients entering spontaneous remission after exposure to certain viruses in the past century. There is the case of the eight-year-old African boy diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma at a Ugandan health clinic. He was exposed to the measles virus and over the next few weeks his tumour regressed completely and he entered remission. An incident documented by the British medical journal <em>The Lancet</em> in 1971 described the example of a Hungarian chicken farmer who had advanced colorectal cancer. An outbreak of the avian virus Newcastle disease hit the farm, the man became infected and went into remission. But only relatively recently have scientists clinically examined the interaction between viruses and cancers in the growing area of oncolytic virotherapy. Associate Professor Darren Shafren of the University of Newcastle has [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-22T08:56:20-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Smartphone app could help diagnose oral cancer

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com Author: staff The newest tool for diagnosing oral cancer? It might be your smartphone. Researchers from Stanford University have developed a smartphone app and attachable scanner that its creators hope can improve early diagnoses of oral cancers in places where dental checkups aren't easily accessible. OScan is a pack-of-gum-sized device that attaches onto a smartphone camera, that includes a mouth positioner, two rows of light diodes and a circuit board. The tool can take a panoramic photo of the inside of someone's mouth. The image is detailed enough that a dental professional would be able to screen for oral lesions, the researchers said. The device is still being tested, but it has won two awards from the Vodaphone Americas Foundation this week. The creator, Manu Prakash, Ph.D., an assistant bioengineering professor at Stanford, said that he came up with the idea for the device when he was in India at a rural clinic, and saw photos of people with oral lesions -- but the lesions were so bad, many were inoperable. "Sometimes I see a problem and it just sticks in my head. This was one of those moments for me," Prakash said in a statement. "I just could not walk away from that chance meeting. I knew friends at high school who used to chew tobacco constantly. Nobody talked about the dire consequences." The Atlantic explained why this sort of screening tool has the potential to be valuable in countries such as India: "Like many forms of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-22T08:42:52-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

“Lab on a chip” technique may be able to detect oral cancer

Source: http://www.dental-tribune.com/ Author: Dental Tribune International staff Researchers from British University of Sheffield, and Rice University in Houston, Texas, are conducting a clinical trial on a revolutionary technique for diagnosing oral cancer more quickly and effectively. The “lab on a chip” device could be used by a dentist to determine whether a patient has oral cancer or other abnormalities in less than 20 minutes. Over the past 18 months, 275 patients have taken part in a trial of the device in order to detect oral cancer in suspicious lesions. The traditional procedure involves using a scalpel to perform a biopsy and off-site laboratory tests that can be time-consuming. The new procedure involves removing cells with a brush, placing them on a chip and inserting the chip into an analyser, which yields a result in a matter of minutes. This offers a number of benefits, including reduced waiting times and patient visits. Patients are currently being tested with the new device, which is being compared to the standard biopsy procedure to test its accuracy and reliability. Martin Thornhill, Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Sheffield and Honorary Consultant in Oral Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This new technology is an exciting development in the search for quicker and more effective diagnosis of oral cancer. The current procedure we have for making a diagnosis—taking a biopsy—can take a week or more to produce results and can involve extra visits from patients. With our new [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-18T20:14:30-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

When life hands you cancer, make cancer-ade: via lemonade stand, 6yo boy raises $10K for dad’s chemo

Source: Boingboing.net A story making the rounds this week: Drew Cox, a 6 year old boy in Texas, "decided to sell lemonade to help his father with medical bills." His dad, Randy Cox, has a rare form of metastatic cancer, diagnosed a few months ago. The family says Drew's lemonade stand earned more than $10,000. They have an online fundraising site here, where they're trying to raise more. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, diagnosed about four months ago. When I saw various versions of this story popping up on news sites, several thoughts came to mind. First, hooray for this child. I hope his dad gets the treatment he needs, that the treatment is successful, and that the family doesn't go into debt or have to forego treatment for lack of funds. But second: this is a disgrace. I hate it when stories like this are flogged in media as "feel-good" stories. This story should make America feel ashamed, not feel good. Seriously? A working father gets cancer, and the family has to rely on charity, and a lemonade stand manned by their 6 year old son, to obtain life-sustaining medical treatment? It's not the first such lemonade/chemo-money story to make the rounds in the media, wrapped up in feel-good. When life hands you cancer, the news narrative seems to be, just make cancer-ade! Well, I have cancer. I have insurance. I still pay what is for me a huge out-of-pocket sum, even after my insurance, for [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-04-18T14:54:16-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Prognostic Significance of HPV Status in Oropharyngeal Cancer

OncologySTAT Editorial Team Dr. Maura Gillison is Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Otolaryngology at Ohio State University in Columbus. OncologySTAT: The results of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0129 trial showed that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an independent prognostic factor in oropharyngeal cancer. Could you tell us about the rationale for this study? Dr. Gillison: Over the last 10 years, our research has shown that cancers of the oropharynx are actually 2 completely different diseases that can look quite similar. One subset is caused HPV infection, and the other is more closely associated with long-term use of alcohol and tobacco. Initial studies suggested that the presence of HPV in a patient’s tumor had prognostic significance, but study limitations made that conclusion dubious. We set out to determine whether or not HPV was indeed an independent prognostic factor in head and neck cancer. To show whether there was a direct relationship between HPV infection and head and neck cancer, we needed to prospectively study a uniformly treated and uniformly staged patient population. Thus, we used the study population from the trial conducted by the RTOG. We divided the patients into 2 groups—those whose tumors were caused by HPV and those whose tumors were not—and we compared survival outcomes for the 2 groups. The results showed that HPV status was the single most important predictor of patient outcome, even more so than disease stage and other well-known prognostic factors such as performance status and presence of anemia. In fact, after [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-04-18T10:16:03-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

HPV Vaccine Recommendation for Boys Viewed as Necessary

Source: OncLive.com As the incidence of head and neck cancers linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV) continues to rise, a federal advisory panel has recommended that all 11- and 12-year-old boys be vaccinated against the virus, igniting further controversy in an area where acceptance of a public health policy has been slow. The recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would expand the use of the vaccine beyond the original target population of 11- and 12-year-old girls for whom it is recommended as protection against cervical cancer. Ezra E. W. Cohen, MD, firmly supports the latest recommendation. “It’s the right move by the CDC,” he said in an interview. “I think it’s a long time coming.” Cohen said that the fact that the original recommendations targeted cervical cancer created a cultural perception that the vaccine was only intended for girls. Yet the HPV virus affects men as well. According to the CDC, HPV is associated with about 18,000 cancers in women and 7000 cancers in men each year. Overall, the incidence of HPV-positive oropharynx cancers increased by 225% between 1988 and 2004, according to National Cancer Institute research. There were an estimated 6700 cases of HPV-positive oropharynx cancers in 2010, up from 4000 to 4500 in 2004. Cohen said he believes such numbers are going to continue to rise. Even by taking proactive steps in 2011, the vaccine is only intended for children and young adults. HPV that is already [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-04-18T10:05:13-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

HPV DNA, E6?I-mRNA expression and p16(INK4A) immunohistochemistry in head and neck cancer – how valid is p16(INK4A) as surrogate marker?

Source: HighWire- Stanford University It has been proposed that p16(INK4A) qualifies as a surrogate marker for viral oncogene activity in head and neck cancer (HNSCC). By analyzing 78 HNSCC we sought to validate the accuracy of p16(INK4A) as a reliable marker of active HPV infections in HNSCC. To this end we determined HPV DNA (HPVD) and E6?I mRNA (HPVR) expression status and correlated these results with p16(INK4A) staining. In tonsillar SCC 12/20 were HPVD+ and 12/12 of these showed active HPV infections whereas in non-tonsillar SCC 10/58 were HPVD+ and 5/10 showed active HPV infections. Thus, we prove about 8% of non-tonsillar SCC to be also correlated with HPV-associated carcinogenesis. Strikingly, 3/14 (21.4%) of tonsillar and non-tonsillar HPVD+/HPVR+ cases did not show p16(INK4A) overexpression and these cases would have been missed when applying initial p16(INK4A) staining only. However, in 13 cases negative for HPV, DNA p16(INK4A) was overexpressed. In conclusion, our data confirm tonsillar SCC to be predominantly but not only associated with active HPV infections. Furthermore, our data show that p16(INK4A) overexpression is not evident in a subgroup of HNSCC with active HPV infection. Definitive HPV data should therefore be utilised in diagnostics and treatment modalities of HPV positive and HPV negative HNSCC patients, resulting in a paradigm shift regarding these obviously different tumour entities. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2012-04-17T12:58:24-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|