Oral Cancer News – Page 225 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Dentistry’s Schmidt and Boston Biomedical Share $1.25mil NIH Grant for Cancer Pain Research

Source: Iewy Author: Staff The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a joint, five-year, $1.25 million grant to Dr. Brian L. Schmidt, a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the NYU College of Dentistry, and Dr. Markus Hardt, a protein chemist at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute, for a study of the molecular mechanisms of oral cancer pain. The ultimate goal of the research is to spur the development of more sophisticated analgesics (pain medications) to alleviate the pain that is so often manifested in patients with oral cancer. “Oral cancer is a logical place to start when seeking clues about cancer pain,” Dr. Schmidt said. “To begin, oral cancer is very painful. In fact, pain is the most common presenting symptom associated with this cancer. Secondly, oral cancer is painful at the primary site, not just at sites of metastasis as is the case in almost all other cancers. Lastly, the primary site of the oral cancer is readily accessible, enabling us to directly sample the cancer microenvironment.” Dr. Schmidt hypothesizes that the cause of oral cancer pain and pain generated by other cancers may be produced along similar molecular pathways in the body. Oral cancer pain, like many other kinds of cancer pain, is triggered by specific actions. Just as oral cancers can cause patients to feel pain in the oral cavity when they speak, other cancers generate pain during mechanical stimulation. For example, if a [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-18T14:53:54-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Virus Behind Oral Cancer Epidemic

Study Shows 'Startling Increase' in Oral Cancer Is Linked to Sexually Transmitted HPV Source: WebMD Health News By: Daniel DeNoon Researchers warn of an ongoing epidemic of oral cancer caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). A study in Stockholm, Sweden, finds that cases of oral cancer -- primarily cancer of the tonsils -- increased sevenfold from 1970 to 2007. They find that while HPV caused only 54% of oral cancers from 1998-1999, it caused 84% of these cancers in 2006-2007. "It looks like HPV-positive oral cancers are rising quite sharply in the past 10 years, while HPV-negative oral cancers went down. That is why we say it is an epidemic," study leader Tina Dalianis, MD, PhD, professor of tumor biology at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, tells WebMD. HPV is a well-known cause of cervical cancer. But researchers have only recently begun to appreciate its role in oral cancer, says HPV-oral cancer expert Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Yes there is a startling increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer, and that increase is being driven by HPV," D'Souza tells WebMD. "But while many experts agree that there's an epidemic rise in HPV-related oral cancer, the cancer remains rare." The risk of developing oral cancer increases with the lifetime number of oral or vaginal sex partners, but many people with HPV-related oral cancer have five or fewer lifetime sexual partners. Men are more likely to get oral cancer than are women, and people with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-18T09:25:43-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oral Cancer Foundation founder named Survivor Circle Award winner by ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has named Brian Hill of Newport Beach, Calif., as its 2010 Survivor Circle Award winner. Hill will be recognized with a trophy and a $1,000 prize during the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, during ASTRO's 52nd Annual Meeting in San Diego. He has chosen to donate the funds from the award to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, the nonprofit he started a decade ago. The Survivor Circle Award recognizes a cancer survivor who has given back to the community by devoting his or her time to helping others with cancer. Hill was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic tonsil cancer in 1997. When he was going through treatment, he had many questions about side effects and realized there was a lack of information and awareness about head and neck cancer even though the disease has a very high death rate, due to it being caught at a late stage in most cases. "There was a huge lack of information available, and I was desperate to find someone to talk to who had gone through the same thing I was experiencing," Hill said. "I knew that if I was feeling this way, there had to be others feeling my frustrations too. I then became a student of the disease. " After Hill completed his grueling but successful radiation treatments at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he and his wife Ingrid founded The Oral Cancer Foundation in 1999, which is now a national [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-15T15:42:57-07:00October, 2010|OCF In The News|

ACOG Endorses Guidelines on HPV Vaccination

Source: MedPage Today Author: John Gever The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is adding its weight to recommendations that 11- and 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) and that "catch-up" shots are a good idea for unvaccinated teens and young women up to age 26. In a new statement, ACOG's Committee on Adolescent Health Care also stressed that Pap smears are still necessary for women starting at 21, even if they've been vaccinated against HPV. Current vaccines do not protect against all viral strains, and vaccination does not clear preexisting infections. Two HPV vaccines are now available: a bivalent product (Cervarix) that protects against genotypes 16 and 18; and a quadrivalent product (Gardasil) that protects against the same two strains plus genotypes 6 and 11. The new statement, published online in Obstetrics & Gynecology, updates one issued in 2006 when the quadrivalent product was approved. The bivalent vaccine was approved last October. The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that girls first receive HPV immunization at age 11 or 12, before becoming sexually active, and the ACOG committee said that was appropriate in most cases. "Depending on the circumstances, the vaccine can be given to individuals as young as age 9 years," the committee indicated. Vaccination before the start of sexual activity ensures maximal effectiveness, but ACIP has recommended catch-up vaccination for sexually active young women who have not received either product. The ACOG committee endorsed the recommendation, noting that the vaccines may even be given [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-13T16:40:03-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

HPV ‘Epidemic’ Behind Increases in Oral Cancer

Source: MedPage Today Author: Crystal Phend Rising rates of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma may stem from a new epidemic of sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a review. The incidence of oral cancer has been on the rise over recent decades in the U.S. and some northern European countries, noted Torbjörn Ramqvist, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and Tina Dalianis, of the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control in Solna, Sweden. The corresponding increase in the percentage of those tumors positive for HPV over the past 10 years isn't simply because of more sensitive testing, they wrote in the November issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. For example, the Swedish Cancer Registry documented a 2.8-fold increase in tonsillar cancer around Stockholm from 1970 to 2002. Examination of all available tonsillar cancer samples indicated a rise in HPV-positive tumors over this period from 23% to 68%, with a further jump to 93% by 2007. Similar patterns were seen for tumors at the base of the tongue, the second most common type of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. "We suggest that this increase is caused by a slow epidemic of HPV infection–induced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma," Ramqvist and Dalianis wrote in the paper. Changes in sexual patterns are likely to blame, "such as increased oral sex or increasing numbers of sex partners," they added. The HPV-positive rate is much higher -- at 45% to 100% -- in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas than for other types of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, in which [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-13T16:37:25-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

A personalized and integrative approach to cancer care

Source: www.mdnews.com Author: staff With the recent move to a newly renovated office and infusion center at the corner of Tank Farm Road and Broad Street in San Luis Obispo, Tom Spillane, M.D.; Jim Malone, M.D.; and Deborah Villa, M.D., have renamed the practice Coastal Integrative Cancer Care (CICC), in order to reflect their commitment to a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to the treatment of cancer. The group, along with Tim Souchek, PA-C, and a dedicated professional oncology-nursing staff, has been the provider of state-of-the-art medical oncology and hematology care in San Luis Obispo County for more than 10 years. However, the new CICC is now able to maximize patients’ treatment outcomes by integrating the latest scientific and technologic information with complementary therapies. Integrative medicine refers to the fusion of complementary therapies (for which there is evidence of safety and effectiveness) with standard Western medical treatments. The term “integrative oncology” has been developed to describe the integration of mainstream cancer care with nonpharmacologic, evidence-based complementary therapies, examples of which include: dietary changes, exercise, physical therapy, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, aromatherapy, Reiki, Yoga, meditation, guided imagery/hypnotherapy, expressive arts, Tai Chi, Qigong, resistance training, aerobic training programs and dietary interventions. CICC incorporates these interventions through a host of local providers and resource centers, including the Hearst Cancer Resource Center and The Wellness Community. CICC makes every effort to tailor treatments to individual patients based on science and clinical research. The term “personalized medicine” has also been recently coined to describe [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-13T14:48:00-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Lilly presents new data in head and neck cancer – a difficult to treat cancer with poor survival rates

Source: www.prnewswire.com Author: press release Eli Lilly and Company announced today that its global Phase III trial evaluating Alimta® (pemetrexed for injection) in combination with cisplatin in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN) did not meet its primary endpoint for overall survival. Data were presented for the first time today at the 35th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The Phase III study, the largest trial conducted in SCCHN to date, evaluated Alimta in combination with cisplatin compared with placebo plus cisplatin given every three weeks in a total of 795 patients. The primary objective of the study was to determine overall survival. Patient quality of life was also assessed, in addition to several pre-planned sub-group analyses. The Alimta/cisplatin regimen showed a median overall survival of 7.3 months compared with 6.3 months with cisplatin alone, a result not considered a statistically significant improvement (p=0.082). There was no significant difference in the quality of life scores for patients treated with either ALIMTA/cisplatin or cisplatin alone (p=0.200). As a result, Lilly will not be submitting marketing authorization applications for Alimta in SCCHN with either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicine Agency (EMA). "The fact that combination treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin did not improve overall survival in this study is disappointing, although perhaps not surprising given how difficult it can be to effectively treat metastatic or locally advanced head and neck cancer," said the study's [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-13T14:39:16-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Research shows lifestyle choices increase oral cancer risk

Source: www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk Author: staff Research conducted by a team at Aberdeen University has shown that lifestyle choices are increasing the risk of oral cancer. The study showed that young people are increasing their risk of developing forms of cancer known as upper aero-digestive tract by choosing to drink alcohol on a regular basis and smoke. Diet also plays a significant part and those with a poor diet, lacking in essential nutrients provided by fruit and vegetables, have a much higher risk of developing AEDT cancers. The study was conducted over a five year period; data from 350 patients under the age of 50 with AEDT cancer was analysed alongside data from 400 patients who did not have AEDT cancer. The study concluded that nine out of ten cases of cancer were associated with regular consumption of alcohol, smoking and a poor diet. Oral cancer is becoming increasingly common, yet many people are still aware of the symptoms and signs. Dentists are campaigning to raise awareness of oral cancer and increase the media profile so that people are aware of the importance of regular dental check-ups and know which signs to look out for. Common symptoms of oral cancer include white or red patches in the mouth, sores which do not heal and unusual swellings in the mouth or throat. The British Dental Health Foundation are launching Mouth Cancer Action Month in November; it is hoped that the events and programmes will educate people about oral cancer and encourage them to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-13T14:31:13-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to begin oral cancer treatment

The Associated Press Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn soon will begin treatment for parotid cancer, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Saturday. The cancer was discovered last month after Gwynn, 50, underwent his third bout of surgery since 1997 to remove a tumor on his parotid gland, which pumps saliva into the mouth. The former San Diego Padres star said he faces seven to eight weeks of five-day-a-week radiation treatments and once-a-week chemotherapy treatments, the Union-Tribune reported. Gwynn said doctors told him they feel they caught the cancer early and "there was not much of it there." "They say this is a slow-moving but aggressive form of cancer," Gwynn told the paper. "I'm going to be aggressive and not slow moving in treating this." Gwynn suspects the cancer could be linked to his career-long practice of using chewing tobacco. "I haven't discussed that with the doctors yet, but I'm thinking it's related to dipping," said Gwynn, who resumed using chewing tobacco after the first two surgeries. Gwynn is San Diego State's baseball coach, and the school confirmed Gwynn's condition to The Associated Press. Gwynn plans to return to his alma mater, which he has coached since 2003. He retired from the majors in 2001 after 20 seasons with the Padres, in which he won a National League record-tying eight batting championships and was named to the All-Star Game 16 times.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-10T11:28:00-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Government Certified: What’s Causing Cancer — Research Summary

CANCER-INSIDE AND OUT: Cancer is one of the most prominent diseases in the world. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cancer is a renegade system of growth inside the human body. The changes that must occur inside for cancer to flourish are genetic changes, but factors outside the body also play a role." Outside factors, such as: diet, smoking, alcohol use, hormone levels, and even exposure to certain chemicals and viruses over time, can all work together to create defects and maturation in cells. Furthermore, they go on to explain that environmental, in science, means, everything outside the body, in the environment, that enters and interacts with it. This type of exposure can also include things such as: sunshine, rain, water, food intake, and workplace environment. Researchers have concluded approximately 67 percent of all cancers are due in some part to the environment. Feeling like you can't go anywhere now without being faced with cancer? The good news is these risks can decrease significantly if lifestyle changes are made. The National Cancer Institute suggests about one third of all cancer deaths could have been prevented if lifestyle changes were made, such as avoiding or completely eliminating tobacco and alcohol use. NOT JUST ON THE OUTSIDE: Environmental factors are not the only culprit when it comes to cancer. A lot of cancer is gene related and based on our composition from within. Random gene changes occurring now, as well as gene changes that occur from cell growth and division, accumulate and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-08T11:32:47-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|