Oral Cancer News – Page 240 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Smoking women at greater risk

Source: www.deccanherald.com Author: Poornima Nataraj Surrendering to temptation of having a puff of nicotine to release tension, not only gives momentary pleasure but inflicts a long lasting damage on your biological system. There has been no decrease in the number of deaths due to tobacco use, despite large-scale efforts to educate masses on the health hazards of tobacco consumption. And, what's more concerning is the fact that not only men but a considerable percentage of women are also succumbing to the addiction at the risk of serious health complications. The World Health Organisation’s theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day focusses on "gender and tobacco, with emphasis on marketing to women." It highlights the harmful effects of tobacco marketing and smoke on women and girls. Dr Prathima Murthy, Professor of Psychiatry and Head of De-addiction Centre at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS), informs that any form of tobacco use harms every organ of one's body. "Chewing tobacco has a certain cultural acceptance in our country, leading to a high prevalence of oral cancer. However, smoking has much wider ill-effects, especially for women who are more prone as their biological system is more vulnerable to such toxic substances," she says. Dr Murthy says women tend to take up smoking to relieve stress. There is also a rage to stay slim through smoking with the low nicotine content cigarettes. Irrespective of the percentage of nicotine content, there are other harmful substances which do not reduce the severity [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-31T06:16:53-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco consumption among youngsters a concern

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com Author: Tausif Alam The rise of tobacco consumption among children and young adults between 10 to 17 years has become a major cause of concern in the city. In the wake of it, cases of oral cancer among children are also on rise, say experts. According to the data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), prevalence of smoking among children in India, between the age group of 13-15 years, is 5.8 per cent and 2.4 per cent in male and female respectively. The consumption of tobacco in different forms by children varies between 16.2 per cent and 7.2 per cent in male and female respectively. "Children between the age group of 10-17 years have been consuming tobacco mostly in the form mawa, pan masala and gutkha. The major cause of addiction among children is cheap availability of tobacco products. Though our law restricts selling of tobacco products to minors, the rule is not observed stringently, and minors have easy access to these products," said Kalyan Gangwal, founder member of the Sarva Jeev Mangal Pratishthan. He added that prevalence of tobacco consumption is mostly seen among slum children. The uses of mawa, pan masala and gutkha can cause oral submucous fibrosis, a pre-cancerous lesion which can lead to cancer. The symptoms are the difficulty in opening mouth and inability to tolerate hot, spicy food. Now, a large number of cases of oral submucous fibrosis have been found among youngsters who consume tobacco, said Gangwal. "The children mostly inherit [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-31T06:09:38-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Scientists find genes associated with throat cancer

Source: www.physorg.com Author: staff Scientists from Singapore, China and USA have identified three new susceptibility genes in a genome-wide association study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The study, led by the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), a biomedical research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Centre, identified genetic risk factors of NPC that advance the understanding of the important role played by host genetic variation in influencing the susceptibility to this cancer. NPC is a type of cancer that forms in the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx, the area of the upper throat that lies behind the nose. It is particularly prevalent in southern China, such as Guangdong, with an occurrence rate of about 25 times higher than that in most regions of the world. NPC is therefore referred to as the Cantonese Cancer (Cantonese is a Chinese dialect spoken in and around the city of Guangzhou in Southern China). Led by Dr Liu Jianjun, Associate Director and Senior Group Leader of Human Genetics at the GIS, and Professor Yi-Xin Zeng, President of the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, the findings were published in Nature Genetics on May 30, 2010. To search for the genetic risk factors for NPC, the scientists carried out a comprehensive genetic analysis of the human genome in a large clinical sample of southern Chinese descent - approximately 5,000 patients and 5,000 controls. The researchers found that the genetic variation within the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-31T06:04:46-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Garagiola, who quit, warns about chewing tobacco

Source: nytimes.com Author: George Vescey Joe Garagiola has been to too many funerals. Some of them were for friends who chewed tobacco, the way Garagiola used to do. Now Garagiola has been given the gift of time. He intends to use it to speak out against the habit of chewing tobacco. “I tell these guys, ‘You may not like what I say, but with lung cancer you die of lung cancer,’ ” Garagiola said the other day, with the zeal of a convert. “With oral cancer, you die one piece at a time. They operate on your neck, they operate on your jaw, they operate on your throat.” Garagiola is one of America’s gifted talkers — starting in bullpens and dugouts, moving on to broadcasting games, then doing game shows, the “Today” show. He is still talking. Last month he traveled to a Congressional hearing to speak against smokeless tobacco. The trip itself was a gesture of courage, because he was recovering from brain surgery for what he calls a nonmalignant ailment, which he said was not linked to the tobacco habit he beat 50 years ago. Last Friday, Garagiola received great news. After a CAT scan six months after surgery, doctors told him he was clear. He took a deep breath and celebrated by doing what he does best. Speaking about the lobbyists for new smokeless products, he said: “They tell you it’s a safe alternative, but my answer is, Hey, don’t jump out the 50th floor, jump out [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-29T11:07:43-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

FDA tobacco regulator promises firm approach, open mind

Source: The Wall St. Journal Author: David Kesmodel WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—The top tobacco regulator at the Food and Drug Administration signaled to industry executives Monday that he would take a firm approach to overseeing the industry, but pledged to keep an open mind about new products and ideas to reduce tobacco-related illnesses. Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the agency's Center for Tobacco Products, said in a speech at an annual tobacco-industry conference here that his job "is to address this enormous toll of confusion, suffering and death caused by the current state of tobacco use in this country." In one of his first speeches to a large group of tobacco executives, Mr. Deyton told members of the Tobacco Merchants Association that he would place strong emphasis on reducing the number of minors who become tobacco users. He said 4,000 kids begin smoking each day, on average, and 1,000 become regular users. He reiterated his concern that new, dissolvable forms of smokeless tobacco produced by companies such as Reynolds American Inc. are candy-like in their appearance. Reynolds is complying with a review of such products by the FDA and has said its dissolvable products, which are being test-marketed in three cities, are made and marketed for adults. Mr. Deyton, a longtime public-health expert, began his job in September, a few months after the agency was given broad powers to regulate the industry under a landmark law signed by President Obama. The agency is still in the early stages of solidifying the framework under [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-29T11:00:45-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Advanced type of cancer radiation reduces side effects, but impact on controlling cancer is unclear

Source: www.sunherald.com Author: press release An advanced type of cancer radiation is more successful than traditional radiation in avoiding "dry mouth" when treating head and neck cancers, but it is unknown whether the treatment is better or worse at reducing the size of tumors, according to a new comparative effectiveness review funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The report finds that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) leads to fewer cases of xerostomia, commonly known as dry mouth, than other types of radiation. Xerostomia, a potential side effect to radiation when salivary glands are damaged, can affect basic functions like chewing, swallowing and breathing; senses such as taste, smell and hearing; and can significantly alter a patient's appearance and voice. However, the report did not find evidence that IMRT is more successful than any other kind of radiation therapy in reducing tumors. Many scientists consider IMRT to be theoretically better able to target cancerous cells while sparing healthy tissues, but more research is needed, the report said. The comparative effectiveness review, Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Radiotherapy Treatments for Head and Neck Cancer, was authored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BC/BS) Association, Technology Evaluation Center in Chicago. "The development of new technologies to treat cancer has been one of the true success stories of American medical research," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "This report provides patients and their doctors with more information about these advances, which they can use to make more informed choices about [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-27T21:12:29-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Clinical outcomes for T1-2N0-1 oral tongue cancer patients underwent surgery with and without postoperative radiotherapy

Source: 7thspace.com Authors: Su Jung Shim et al. Background: The aim of this study was to assess the results of curative surgery with and without radiotherapy in patients with T1-2N0-1 oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to evaluate survival and prognostic factors. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 86 patients with T1-2N0-1 OSCC who received surgery between January 2000 and December 2006. Fourteen patients (16.3%) received postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, treatment modality, failure patterns, and survival rates were analyzed. Results: The median follow-up was 45 months. The five-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 80.8% and 80.2%, respectively. Higher tumor grade and invasion depth [greater than or equal to] 0.5 cm were the significant prognostic factors affecting five-year OS and DFS (OS rate; 65% vs. 91%, p = 0.001 for grade; 66% vs. 92%, p = 0.01 for invasion depth: DFS rate; 69% vs. 88%, p = 0.005 for grade; 66% vs. 92%, p = 0.013 for invasion depth). In the risk group, there was no local failure in patients with postoperative radiotherapy. Conclusions: In T1-2N0-1 OSCC, factors that affected prognosis after primary surgery were higher tumor grade and deep invasion depth over 0.5 cm. Postoperative radiotherapy should be considered in early oral tongue cancer patients with these high-risk pathologic features. Authors: Su Jung Shim, Jihye Cha, Woong Sub Koom, Gwi Eon Kim, Chang Geol Lee, Eun Chang Choi, Ki Chang Keum Source: Radiation Oncology 2010, 5:43

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-27T07:56:08-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Critical impact of radiotherapy protocol compliance and quality in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer

Source: Stanford University Author: Staff Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology, and Centre for Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, North Worcester, MA; Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; Department of Radiation Oncology, Genolier Swiss Medical Network, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France; Quality Assurance Review Center, Providence, RI. PURPOSE To report the impact of radiotherapy quality on outcome in a large international phase III trial evaluating radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin plus tirapazamine for advanced head and neck cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The protocol required interventional review of radiotherapy plans by the Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC). All plans and radiotherapy documentation underwent post-treatment review by the Trial Management Committee (TMC) for protocol compliance. Secondary review of noncompliant plans for predicted impact on tumor control was performed. Factors associated with poor protocol compliance were studied, and outcome data were analyzed in relation to protocol compliance and radiotherapy quality. Results At TMC review, 25.4% of the patients had noncompliant plans but none in which QARC-recommended changes had been made. At secondary review, 47% of noncompliant plans (12% overall) had deficiencies with a predicted major adverse impact on tumor control. Major deficiencies were unrelated to tumor subsite or to T or N stage (if N+), [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-27T07:47:24-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Swedish Match snuff separates from snus pack

Source: Tobacco News Author: Staff Swedish Match North America, maker of moist snuff, cigars and chewing tobacco, is taking a different approach to marketing its Swedish-style snus tobacco product when compared to two other U.S. tobacco companies offering the product, according to a report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Swedish Match marketers began a sampling effort in Vail, Colo., and now are handing out silvery sample packs of General Snus on Wall Street — a sign that the product will be positioned as a high-end item, the report stated.”We are emphasizing the Swedish cachet,” Richard Flaherty, president of Swedish Match North America, told the paper when asked about the sampling push. In addition, Swedish Match’s General brand is more expensive than either the Marlboro brand by Altria Group’s Philip Morris unit, or Reynolds American’s Camel brand. The premium positioning is not the only difference in its marketing strategy.”We’re not marketing snus as something for when you can’t smoke. We’re marketing it as an alternative to cigarettes,” Flaherty said in the report. The company is looking for smokers who don’t want to smoke at all, rather than using the product as a fill-in to cigarettes, the report stated. For this reason, the company identified a key target group in parents who worry about secondhand smoke at home, Flaherty said. In addition, the focus on niche consumer groups rather than the general tobacco market is a reason why General isn’t appearing in convenience stores. Instead of fighting for shelf space with two of the toughest competitors in [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-27T07:48:07-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Fentanyl buccal soluble film (FBSF) for breakthrough pain in patients with cancer: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Source: Oxford Journals Author: Dr A. L. Finn Abstract Background: Fentanyl buccal soluble film (FBSF) has been developed as a treatment of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of FBSF at doses of 200–1200 μg in the management of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer receiving ongoing opioid therapy. Patients and methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-crossover study that included opioid-tolerant adult patients with chronic cancer pain who experienced one to four daily episodes of breakthrough pain. The primary efficacy assessment was the sum of pain intensity differences at 30 min (SPID30) postdose. Results: The intent-to-treat population consisted of 80 patients with ≥1 post-baseline efficacy assessment. The least-squares mean (LSM ± SEM) of the SPID30 was significantly greater for FBSF-treated episodes of breakthrough pain than for placebo-treated episodes (47.9 ± 3.9 versus 38.1 ± 4.3; P = 0.004). There was statistical separation from placebo starting at 15 min up through 60 min (last time point assessed). There were no unexpected adverse events (AEs) or clinically significant safety findings. Conclusions: FBSF is an effective option for control of breakthrough pain in patients receiving ongoing opioid therapy. In this study, FBSF was well tolerated in the oral cavity, with no reports of treatment-related oral AEs.

Charlotte Parker2010-05-26T10:45:17-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|