Diagnosis for Michael Douglas highlights oral cancer risk

Source: www.dental-tribune.com Author: Fred Michmershuizen, DTA After it became known recently that the Academy Award winning actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with oral cancer, dental professionals around the world seized on an opportunity to urge members of the public to pay more attention to key risk factors and early warning signs of the disease. The Academy Award winner was diagnosed with a tumor in his throat, and he now faces an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This high-profile case has brought oral cancers into the limelight, and oral health experts are keen to make the public more aware of the key risk factors and early warning signs. The British Dental Health Foundation is calling for more attention to be paid to mouth cancers. The foundation is advising the public to regularly check their mouths. Douglas quit smoking in 2006, after a long “half a pack a day” habit. Yet, according to the foundation, the possibility of developing oral cancer remains higher for ex-smokers than non-smokers for 20 years after quitting. Tobacco is considered to be the main cause of mouth cancer, with three in four cases being linked to smoking, according to the foundation. Drinking in excess is also a known factor, with those who both smoke and drink to excess being up 30 times more likely to be at risk. “It is crucial the public know about the risk factors and early symptoms as early detection can save lives,” said Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the [...]

2010-11-07T08:29:37-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Oral Cancer screening draws hundreds

Volunteer prosthodontists and oral surgeons, in conjunction with UCF’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Pre-Dental Society, conducted hundreds of free oral cancer screenings during a Nov. 3 outreach event held near the Student Union. “Our students and the doctors screened approximately 400 students, staff and faculty over six hours,” said Bari Hoffman-Ruddy, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders. “This is a record for us and the American College of Prosthodontist’s annual screening program.” The ACP is particularly interested in targeting a younger population for screenings because of the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and oral cancer. According to the ACP, 25 percent of those newly diagnosed with oral cancer have no traditional risk factors, such as the use of tobacco or alcohol. “Much of the literature suggests a strong association between transmission of HPV via oral sex, and this is a relatively new demographic with oral cancer,” said Dr. John Whitsitt, a prosthodontist and ACP member from Daytona Beach who volunteered at the event. Students and faculty members worked at tables outside a large bus devoted to the screenings. They shared information about risk factors associate with oral cancer and encouraged people to have a free screening performed by a volunteer specialist. Each screening took just a few minutes. As of 1 p.m., no cases of oral cancer had been detected, said Whitsitt, who was clearly pleased with the turnout. ”But it’s just so important to increase awareness about it.”

2010-11-07T08:23:09-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Oral cancer test’s value unproven

Source: Boston.com By: Neil Munshi The usual dental checkup goes something like this: lean back, open wide, avoid flinching, rinse, spit. But in addition to looking for cavities, dentists are increasingly checking for oral cancer, too - and not just by peering and probing. A relatively new screening tool allows dentists to better gauge whether a patient is in the early stages of oral cancer by looking at the mouth under a special light. But the test may be overused, and it's not yet clear whether it justifies its price tag. A review of studies of the devices published in this month's Journal of the American Dental Association concluded that for low-risk patients, there is "insufficient evidence to support or refute the use of visually based examination" devices, such as the ViziLite. Still, roughly 10 to 15 percent of the 100,000 practicing dentists in the United States offer ViziLite or a similar scan, which some credit with helping them better identify lesions in the mouth than simply looking with the naked eye. "Frankly, I've seen stuff I would normally just have glossed over and it doesn't hurt to take a second look . . . at something that might not normally be looked at - that might save somebody's life," said Dr. Anjum A. Ansari, a downtown Boston dentist, who charges her patients $80 for the service. Insurance has only covered the scan for one of her patients, Ansari said. That $80 is the test's only actual advantage, said Dr. [...]

2010-11-04T09:40:53-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Cancer diagnosis keeps Fioretti out of mayor’s race

An upbeat Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, announced Tuesday he has cancer and will not run for mayor of Chicago, but will be running for re-election in his ward. "I'm not afraid of the fight, and although I couldn't expect this one, I'm going to give it all I've got," Fioretti said. Fioretti, 57, is a first-term alderman who has differed with Mayor Richard Daley on budget issues. He was the only alderman still expected to get into the race for mayor, at least until Sheriff Tom Dart's surprise announcement last week that he would not run. Because he was expected to run for mayor and not alderman, Fioretti could find himself facing competition in a re-election effort for his booming 2nd Ward, which includes part of the Loop and areas on the Near Southwest and Northwest Sides. Fioretti said he does not know who he will support in the mayoral elections, but that he has been contacted by four candidates in the past few days, some of whom have asked to meet with him. "I will be sitting down in the next couple of weeks with some of the candidates once they qualify or once they submit their petitions to be on the ballot," Fioretti said. Dr. Steven DeAngeles, Fioretti's doctor, said that the alderman has stage III cancer of the tonsils but that the prognosis for his recovery is good. The form of cancer is fairly rare, DeAngeles said, and may have been caused by genetic predisposition or environmental [...]

2010-11-03T10:03:34-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Survival of dental implants in irradiated head and neck cancer patients: a retrospective analysis

Source: HighWire, Stanford University By: A Buddula, DA Assad, TJ Salinas, YI Garces, JE Vloz and AL Weaver Purpose: To study the long-term survival of dental implants placed in irradiated bone in subjects who received radiation for head and neck cancer. Materials and Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted for all patients who received dental implants following radiation treatment for head and neck cancer between May 1, 1987 through July 1, 2008. Only patients irradiated with a radiation dose of 50?Gy or greater and those who received dental implants in the irradiated field after head and neck radiation were included in the study. The associations between implant survival and patient/implant characteristics were estimated by fitting univariate marginal Cox proportional hazards models. Results: A total of 48 patients who had prior head and neck radiation had 271 dental implants placed during May 1987 to July 2008. The estimated survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 98.9%, 89.9%, and 72.3%, respectively. Implants placed in the maxilla were more likely to fail than implants placed in the mandible.There was also a tendency for implants placed in the posterior region to fail compared with those placed in the anterior region. Conclusion: Dental implants placed in irradiated bone have a greater risk for failure. Survival is significantly influenced by the location of the implant (maxilla or mandible, anterior or posterior).

2010-11-07T08:23:58-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Discovery may help scientists boost broccoli’s cancer-fighting power

Source: University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences URBANA – A University of Illinois study has shown for the first time that sulforaphane, the powerful cancer-fighting agent in broccoli, can be released from its parent compound by bacteria in the lower gut and absorbed into the body. "This discovery raises the possibility that we will be able to enhance the activity of these bacteria in the colon, increasing broccoli's cancer-preventive power," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of human nutrition. "It's also comforting because many people overcook their broccoli, unwittingly destroying the plant enzyme that gives us sulforaphane. Now we know the microbiota in our digestive tract can salvage some of this important cancer-preventive agent even if that happens," she said. Although scientists had long theorized that the intestinal microbiota could perform this trick, no one knew it for certain. Now Jeffery and U of I colleagues Michael Miller and Ren-Hau Lai have proved it by injecting glucoraphanin, the parent compound for sulforaphane, into the ligated lower gut of rats and demonstrating that sulforaphane is present in blood from the mesenteric vein, which flows from the gut to the liver. "The presence of sulforaphane in measurable amounts shows that it's being converted in the lower intestine and is available for absorption in the body," Jeffery said. The cecum, the part of the rat's lower gut into which the scientists infused the glucoraphanin, houses bacteria that aid in digestion and metabolism, similar to the human colon. [...]

2010-11-07T08:25:07-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Induction chemotherapy for head and neck cancer: recent data

Source: The Oncologist By: Everett E. Vokes The addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) patients improves survival. Meta-analyses of randomized trials have indicated that the benefit of this approach is associated with the timing of chemotherapy administration. It has been demonstrated that the greatest survival benefit over locoregional treatment alone is seen with the concurrent administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, sequential chemotherapy administration, in the form of induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy, has been successful as a strategy for organ function preservation in patients with potentially resectable SCCHN. In addition, a meta-analysis of trials using platinum and 5-fluorouracil (PF)-containing induction regimens demonstrated a significant survival benefit for this approach over locoregional treatment alone in locally advanced disease. In recent years, the introduction of the taxanes into induction chemotherapy has provided physicians with more active regimens. The triplet combination induction regimen of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil has been shown to be more effective in prolonging survival than the doublet PF. Current trials are testing whether the addition of induction chemotherapy to standard concomitant chemoradiotherapy is superior to concomitant chemoradiotherapy alone.

2010-11-07T08:24:33-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Beware the signs of mouth cancer

Source: www.pressandjournal.co.uk Author: Lisa Salmon Most people think of a mouth ulcer as a minor irritation that will disappear in a few days. Normally they’re right. But if the ulcer doesn’t heal and lasts longer than three weeks, it could be a sign of something more sinister: mouth cancer. Mouth, or oral, cancer, which can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat, is one of the UK’s fastest-growing cancers. In the past decade, incidences have risen by 41% and, of the 5,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year, it kills around 2,000 of them. That’s one every five hours. About 70% of mouth cancers are detected at a late stage, which dramatically reduces the chances of survival. Yet if the cancer is detected early, more than 90% of people survive. For that reason, the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) has organised Mouth Cancer Action Month. In November, the organisation aims to raise awareness of the condition – which recently struck the film star Michael Douglas – so that people recognise the warning signs and are regularly checked for mouth cancer by their dentist. Signs include ulcers which haven’t healed after three weeks and lumps, or red or white patches, in the mouth, all of which can be mistaken for something less serious. In addition, swelling below the neck or chin, pain when chewing or swallowing, or a feeling that you have something in your throat that can’t be swallowed, can also indicate the disease. If you have any of [...]

2010-10-31T11:01:56-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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“Staggering” lack of awareness of mouth cancer revealed

Source: Dental Health Foundation A NEW SURVEY undertaken by British Dental Health Foundation has revealed an alarming lack of awareness about the causes and symptoms of one of the UK’s fastest growing cancers – mouth cancer. Despite the recent case of actor Michael Douglas, who is suffering from advanced throat cancer, the answers from over 1,000 members of the public who were questioned in the survey for Mouth Cancer Action Month supported by Denplan reveal that there is only limited knowledge and understanding of this potentially deadly disease. One person in 10 claimed not even to have heard of mouth cancer. Chief Executive of the Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said: “After recent high profile coverage of the Michael Douglas case it is staggering to see that some people still have no awareness at all of the condition." Dr Carter added: “It is vital that the public have a greater awareness because survival rates increase massively with early detection from just 50 percent to 90 percent. The public need to be aware of the risk factors and whether they are in a high risk group and how they can self–examine or who they can turn to if they’re concerned.” The results of the survey reveal that it is the older members of the public who are most aware of mouth cancer, with more than 96 percent of those interviewed saying that they had heard of it. Dr Carter added: “This sounds good as the majority of cases occur in the over [...]

2010-10-31T11:03:00-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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Congressman wants chewing tobacco thrown out of World Series

Source: The Hill, The Washington Scene By: Jordan Fabian With the World Series set to begin Wednesday night, a New Jersey congressman wants the participating teams to give chewing tobacco the boot from their dugouts. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D) called on the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants to eschew their use of smokeless tobacco during the Fall Classic, saying it sets a bad example for kids. "Asking @MLB World Series teams to ban chewing tobacco. It hurts more than players when so many young ppl watch & are influenced by players," the congressman said on Twitter. Pallone has long been an opponent of the use of chewing tobacco in the sport, citing its negative health effects and poor example for children. The 11-term congressman held a hearing on the issue in April, at which House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) called on Major League Baseball to ban the use of smokeless tobacco. A representative from the baseball players union opposed the move, drawing a contrast between cigarettes and chewing tobacco. Scrutiny of players' use of the tobacco products, however, re-emerged this month after Hall of Fame right fielder Tony Gwynn was diagnosed with a form of mouth cancer. Gwynn, who spent his entire 20-year career with the San Diego Padres, openly speculated that it resulted from his use of chewing tobacco.

2010-10-27T10:43:14-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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