Oral Cancer News – Page 236 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Role of esophageal stents in the nutrition support of patients with esophageal malignancy

Source: ncp.sagepub.com Authors: Matthew Bower, MD et al. Endoluminal stents are commonly used for palliative treatment of dysphagia in patients with advanced esophageal malignancies. The most frequently used esophageal stents are self-expanding metal stents. Removable self-expanding plastic stents have recently been used in the management of esophageal cancer patients treated with curative intent. Esophageal stents effectively alleviate dysphagia in most patients, and stent placement is associated with a low rate of complications. This article reviews the use of self-expanding esophageal stents in patients with esophageal cancer. Nutrition considerations following stent placement are addressed. Authors: Matthew Bower, MD, Whitney Jones, MD, Ben Vessels, MD, Charles Scoggins, MD, MBA, Robert Martin, MD, PhD Authors' affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-27T14:34:57-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

New evidence that smokeless tobacco damages DNA And key enzymes

Source: news.biocompare.com Author: staff Far from having adverse effects limited to the mouth, smokeless tobacco affects the normal function of a key family of enzymes found in almost every organ in the body, according to the first report on the topic in ACS' monthly journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. The enzymes play important roles in production of hormones, including the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone; production of cholesterol and vitamin D; and help the body breakdown prescription drugs and potentially toxic substances. Smokeless tobacco also damages genetic material in the liver, kidney and lungs. Krishan Khanduja and colleagues note widespread recognition of smokeless tobacco's harmful effects on the mouth, which include an increased risk of gum disease and oral cancer. The potential carcinogens and other chemicals in chewing tobacco and other smokeless products are absorbed into the blood and travel throughout the body. However, scientists have little information on smokeless tobacco's effects on other parts of the body. To fill that knowledge gap, the scientists evaluated changes in enzymes and genetic material in laboratory rats using extracts of smokeless tobacco. In addition to damage to the genetic material DNA, they found that smokeless tobacco extracts alter the function of the so-called CYP-450 family of enzymes. "These products are used around the world but are most common in Northern Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean region," the report says. "Most of the users seem to be unaware of the harmful health effects and, therefore, use smokeless tobacco to 'treat' toothaches, headaches, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-27T10:35:40-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Experts: CT scans pose risks, need more regulation

Source: news.yahoo.com Author: Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer From long-term cancer risks to radiation overdose mistakes, CT scans pose a growing danger to the American public and need more regulation to improve their safety, imaging experts write in a leading medical journal. The articles in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine come a week after a story by The Associated Press detailed the overuse of imaging tests and how much the average American's radiation dose has grown in recent years. CT scans are super-sharp X-rays that have transformed medicine by helping doctors quickly diagnose or rule out injuries and diseases. But they use far more radiation than ordinary X-rays, and too much radiation raises the risk of cancer over time. The federal Food and Drug Administration and Congress are considering new measures to help prevent medical mistakes — relatively rare cases where some people are accidentally given radiation overdoses. However, far more people face potential long-term harm from ordinary scans that are done correctly but that are overused, repeated or simply unnecessary. Each year, 10 percent of the U.S. population gets a CT scan, and use of this imaging is growing more than 10 percent per year. "That's really the area we should focus on," said the author of one of the articles, Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman. She is a radiologist at the University of California at San Francisco on temporary leave to do radiation research at the National Cancer Institute. The FDA regulates scanning equipment, but lacks authority to say [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-27T10:30:46-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

HPV is changing the face of head and neck cancers

Source: www.hemonctoday.com Author: Christen Cona In February, at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium in Chandler, Ariz., Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, professor and Jeg Coughlin Chair of Cancer Research at The Ohio State University in Columbus, presented data that showed that the proportion of all head and neck squamous cell cancers that were of the oropharynx — which are most commonly HPV-positive cancers — increased from 18% in 1973 to 32% in 2005. In addition, studies from the United States, Europe, Denmark and Australia indicate that HPV-positive patients have a more than twofold increased cancer survival than HPV-negative patients, according to Gillison. With the rising incidence of HPV-related oropharynx cancers, it will soon be the predominant type of cancer in the oral or head and neck region, according to Andy Trotti, MD, director of radiation oncology clinical research, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, in Tampa, Fla. “We should be focusing on HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer because it will dominate the field of head and neck cancers for many years,” he said during an interview with HemOnc Today . “It is certainly an important population for which to continue to conduct research.” Because HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer is emerging as a distinct biological entity, the recent rise in incidence will significantly affect treatment, and prevention and screening techniques, essentially reshaping current clinical practice. Social change driving incidence In the analysis performed by Gillison and colleagues, trends demonstrated that change in the rates of head and neck cancers [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-27T10:24:39-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Distinguishing cancer cells with off the shelf digital camera

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: staff Researchers can easily distinguish cancer cells from healthy cells in photos of tissue samples taken with a $400 Olympus E-330 camera. The images are captured with a fiber-optic cable. The tip of the cable, which is about as wide as a pencil lead, can be applied directly to the inside of the cheek. Credit: D. Shin/Rice University

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-25T05:23:13-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Professor: Oral cancer deadlier than most

Source: enterprise-journal.com Author: Charles Dunagin Americans are dying of self-inflicted diseases that, for many, are “preventible,” says a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Dental School. Dr. Karen Moak Crews, a 1975 graduate of McComb High School, is oral oncology and bio behavioral medicine director at UMC as well as a professor. Speaking to the McComb Rotary Club Wednesday, she warned against tobacco use of any type, including smokeless tobacco. Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of diseases and death in America, she said. Her main topic was oral cancer, which she said doesn’t get the publicity of some of the other cancers but is deadlier than most. The five-year survival rate for cancers in the mouth is 50 percent, she said, adding a big problem is late diagnosis. She urged regular screening by dentists for the disease. Risk factors, she said, include age, genetic mutation, nutrition, a sexually spread virus, alcohol and tobacco use. Citing statistics that alcohol in moderation — two ounces daily for a male and one ounce for a female — is considered safe by medical professionals, Crews said “there is no safe level for tobacco.”

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-25T05:17:03-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Rice wins $3.7 million for cancer research

Source: Rice University Author: David Ruth McDevitt lab developing innovative cancer diagnostics The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has granted $3.7 million to Rice University researchers to fund an innovative cancer diagnostics program. The funds will help the BioScience Research Collaborative lab overseen by John McDevitt, Rice's Brown-Wiess Professor in Bioengineering and Chemistry, in its mission to make the Texas Medical Center (TMC) the hub for diagnostics research into cancer and other diseases. The work is made possible by McDevitt's development of a cost-effective Bio-Nano-Chip that can provide patients with early warning of the onset of disease, cutting the time and cost of treatment. McDevitt is principal investigator of a multi-investigator project that totals $6 million for cancer research, of which Rice's portion is $3.7 million. The remainder of the grant will be subcontracted to investigators at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. CPRIT is a state-funded agency charged by Texas voters with issuing $3 billion in bonds over 10 years to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. Last week, the agency announced $142 million in grants to support innovative programs, including the funds to Rice. "The BioScience Research Collaborative and Rice have provided the ideal setting to launch the Texas Cancer Diagnostics Pipeline Consortium," said McDevitt, a pioneer in the creation of microfluidic devices for biomedical testing. "This Rice-led cancer initiative brings together the dream team of Texas [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-24T16:13:52-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Human papillomavirus-active head and neck cancer and ethnic health disparities

Source: Medical College of Georgia Authors: PM Weinberger, MA Merkley, SS Khichi, JR Lee, A Psyrri, LL Jackson, and WS Dynan OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Mortality for black males with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is twice that of white males or females. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-active HNSCC, defined by the concurrent presence of high-risk type HPV DNA and host cell p16(INK4a) expression, is associated with decreased mortality. We hypothesized that prevalence of this HPV-active disease class would be lower in black HNSCC patients compared to white patients. STUDY DESIGN:: Multi-institutional retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS:: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate for high-risk HPV DNA presence. Immunohistochemistry for p16(INK4a) protein was used as a surrogate marker for HPV oncoprotein activity. Patients were classified as HPV-negative (HPV DNA-negative, p16(INK4a) low), HPV-inactive (HPV DNA-positive, p16(INK4a) low), and HPV-active (HPV DNA-positive, p16(INK4a) high). Overall survival and recurrence rates were compared by Fisher exact test and Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS:: There were 140 patients with HNSCC who met inclusion criteria. Self-reported ethnicity was white (115), black (25), and other (0). Amplifiable DNA was recovered from 102/140 patients. The presence of HPV DNA and the level of p16(INK4a) expression were determined, and the results were used to classify these patients as HPV-negative (44), HPV-inactive (33), and HPV-active (25). Patients with HPV-active HNSCC had improved overall 5-year survival (59.7%) compared to HPV-negative and HPV-inactive patients (16.9%) (P = .003). Black patients were less likely to have HPV-active disease (0%) compared to white patients (21%) (P = .017). [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-23T11:16:51-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Asian communities warned of tobacco risks

Source: www.rochdaleonline.co.uk Author: staff Local health experts are warning the Asian community that an after-dinner treat offered to family and friends could have deadly consequences. Chewing tobacco is a hidden killer say experts, because people do not know it can cause cancer. Dr Amjad Hussain from the NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Oral Health Promotion Department said: “Chewing tobacco has many disguises, such as paan masala, gutkha and bidis, and is often offered to guests at family events and on social occasions. “Its bright, professional packaging hides its deadly potential. People may not even realise it’s tobacco, it’s addictive and, like cigarette tobacco, contains many cancer-causing carcinogens. As it is chewed, people keep it in the mouth for a long time increasing the risk of mouth cancer. “Mouth cancer is also one of the more difficult cancers to treat effectively. So people need to know the risks and be visiting their dentists regularly so any signs can be spotted early.” To highlight the risks, and reduce the harm chewing tobacco can do, council and NHS health experts recently joined forces to host an event at Rochdale’s Bangladesh Association Community Project. At the event, Centre Manager Mr Habibul Ahad said: “I have chewed paan masala for a good many years. After dinner, I’ll often sit on the settee with a jar of paan masala beside me. It’s something I do while I relax and talk - a social pastime. “I was shocked at how harmful chewing tobacco can be. My mother-in-law [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-21T19:40:08-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

A year later, the tobacco war still isn’t won

Source: www.mercurynews.com Author: Patty Fisher A year ago this week, I was celebrating with health advocates across the country when they won their 20-year battle to get the federal government to regulate dumb and deadly cigarettes. I can't believe it took that long to convince Congress that nicotine, the powerful addictive drug in tobacco, should be treated like any other drug sold to the public. After years of marketing cancer sticks to kids and denying that they manipulated the amount of nicotine in their products to hook smokers, shameless tobacco companies at last had to answer to the Food and Drug Administration. They were given a year to stop their clever tricks such as making candy-flavored smokes and using labels like "light" and "low-tar" to make cigarettes sound less harmful. On Tuesday, the new rules will take effect. But those devoted to the anti-smoking cause know the toxic battles are far from over. With a $12.8 billion marketing budget, tobacco companies will find subtle new ways to attract new smokers. "They are always just one step ahead of us," said Margo Sidener of Breathe California. "The tobacco companies have the best advertising people in the world, unfortunately." Smoking on the screen It doesn't help that cigarette makers get lots of free advertising in movies and on TV. When Sigourney Weaver infamously puffed on a cigarette in "Avatar," it wasn't just a ridiculous endorsement of smoking for the most massive worldwide audience of children and adults ever. Worse, it made no [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-21T19:31:00-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|