Oral Cancer News – Page 246 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

House Committee convenes hearing on smokeless tobacco

Source: Cancer.gov Author: Staff The House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, held a hearing on April 14: “Smokeless Tobacco: Impact on the Health of Our Nation's Youth and Use in Major League Baseball.” NCI’s Deputy Director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Dr. Deborah Winn testified before the committee, as did Dr. Terry Pechacek, associate director for science in the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. The full panel of witnesses included representatives of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA); Dr. Greg Connolly, a dentist and Harvard professor who has conducted research on smokeless tobacco for more than 20 years; Gruen Von Behrens, an oral cancer survivor and tobacco prevention advocate; and baseball legend Joe Garagiola, Sr., who continues to work as an MLB announcer and is a vocal advocate for ridding MLB of smokeless tobacco. Dr. Winn’s testimony recognized smokeless tobacco, which includes snuff and chewing tobacco, as an established cause of oral, pharyngeal, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, and stressed that there is no safe level of tobacco use. She also addressed questions from members of the committee regarding MLB players using smokeless tobacco on the field, and therefore on television. Media depictions of tobacco use have been shown to contribute to an increase in youth tobacco use, explained Dr. Winn. NCI’s “Monograph 19: The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use” provides additional information on this topic. Dr. Pechacek provided an overview of current [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-21T12:49:53-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Enzyme predictive of head and neck cancer survival

Source: www.insidermedicine.ca Author: staff Scientists have identified an enzyme that may predict survival from head and neck cancer, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Researchers analyzed tissue samples from over 100 squamous carcinoma patients, finding that those with low levels of the enzyme ERCC1 had increased chances of surviving the cancer following adjuvant therapy.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T12:16:16-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Radiotherapy: the unsung hero of cancer care, say experts

Source: news.oneindia.in Author: staff Experts at the world's leading cancer charity have said that radiotherapy, which is a crucial cancer treatment, is often the unsung hero of cancer care. Although surgery is often the first-line of treatment and anti-cancer drugs make more headlines, radiotherapy zaps cancer cells, complements chemotherapy, relieves symptoms and shrinks tumors before surgery. In fact, four out of ten cancer patients who have beaten the disease receive the treatment at some point - and 120,000 people in the UK benefit from radiotherapy every year. But despite its benefits, it still has a slightly scary reputation, possibly because as it destroys cancer cells with a beam of high-energy rays, radiotherapy - like other cancer treatments - can also damage healthy cells. The treatment can lead to unpleasant reactions on the skin, tiredness, hair loss and mouth ulcers. But over the last 20 years huge strides have been made to improve radiotherapy and reduce these side effects. According to Cancer Research UK, decades of research into improving radiotherapy have made it more effective, sophisticated and targeted than it has ever been - and side effects have been reduced. Just last year, Dr Chris Nutting presented early results from a Cancer Research UK-funded radiotherapy trial called PARSPORT, run by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital. The trial tested a new cutting edge radiotherapy technique called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), as mentioned in the video above. Doctors found they were able to target the tumour more accurately [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T08:34:47-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco mints and poisoning: shaped like cell phones

Source: Author: When I was a child I used to have candy cigarettes, people now argue that giving them to children could lead to them smoking when older – well I do not smoke and never intend too. But parents should worry about giving their children smokeless tobacco mints, as there is now research that it could be poisoning them. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that parents give them to their children, but they need to make certain that they never try these products. They look like cell phones, which is why children love to try them, but as they are laced with nicotine, they are a danger to young children. According to Oral Cancer News almost 600 kids a year accidentally consume smokeless tobacco products, and there are fears that this number will grow as more dissolvable tobacco products are released. It does seem strange how these companies are able to get around tough-new anti-smoking laws. These companies should be forced to not make their tobacco products look like candy, or even cell phones – it is for this reason why they are drawing the attention of young children.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T08:24:04-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Epidemiology and cost analysis for patients with oral cancer in a university hospital in China

Source: 7thspace.com Author: Sheng et al. Although several studies have reported the direct cost of oral cancer (OC), little research has invested the factors that could influence the costs of OC patient. This study analyzes the epidemiological characteristics and the direct cost of OC. More specifically, the study examines the relationship between patients' medical costs and influencing factors of epidemiology. Methods: All patients encountered from January 2007 to December 2007 at the School of Stomatology of the Fourth Military Medical University (FMMU) in China with diagnosis of oral cancer have been selected. Medical hospitalization days (MHD) and cost per patient (CPP) of the samples have been calculated for different patient groups, and the results have been compared using statistical methods. Results: A total of 456 oral cancer patients have been selected in this study. The epidemical characteristics are as follows: female/male 176/280; squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) /adenocarcinoma /sarcoma /lymphoma /other types 246/127/40/27/16; stage I/ II/ III/ IV 90/148/103/115; smoker/non-smoker 136/320; rural/urban patients 82/374. Of all the patients, 82.24% were over 40 years of age. Rural patients were significantly younger than urban patients. SCC was the majority histology in older patients, while sarcoma was more common in younger patients. 372 of the patients received treatment and 84 gave up any treatment after diagnosis. Treatment cost accounted for majority of the payment. The CPP and MHD of patients in late clinical stage were higher than that of patient in early stage. Conclusion: Gender, smoking habit and age older than 40 years are [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T08:16:15-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Can dentists commit malpractice?

Source: www.livegreenlivestrong.com Author: linkvine Dentists, like other kinds of health professionals, are accountable for maintaining the highest standards in the service they give to their clientele. Because dentists are also health professionals, when they err or breach their obligations, they too can be shown to have committed medical malpractice. While not quite on the same level as cutting off the wrong leg or leaving surgical instruments behind in the body cavity, Dental Malpractice Lawyers can still carry some severe repercussions in the event that it occurs. First, dentists are the first line of defense against cancers of the mouth. Usually before someone notices anything is not right or feels anything, there will be symptoms evident in the mouth that look abnormal. Since dentists practice such an up close and personal relationship with all of the parts of the mouth, they should see things like tumors or pre-tumors in the mouth. As a consequence, a dentist may offer a patient with very early signals or early vigilance or early suspicion of cancer. This can make a world of difference in the treatment needed and how much tumor has to be eliminated from the mouth. It also lessens the chances that the cancer will spread throughout the body. Oral surgeons, who are in addition dentists, are also able to be liable for Dental Malpractice Lawyers. Oral surgeons are slightly more at risk because they are engaged in surgery.It would be tough for an oral surgeon to leave an instrument in the mouth [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T07:04:02-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Screen play: Take steps to prevent oral cancer

Source: www.pnwlocalnews.com Author: Dr. Stuart Rich, DDS. April is National Oral Cancer Awareness Month. More than 35,000 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed in the United States annually, and more than 45 percent of those will not be alive in five years. To put it another way, oral cancer kills one person every hour, 24 hours per day, seven days per week in the U.S. You can you avoid becoming a statistic for this deadly disease by abstaining from tobacco and alcohol use, since 75 percent of all oral cancers are diagnosed in people who use tobacco products. Those who use tobacco and alcohol have an even higher risk. However, there has been a 60-percent increase over the past decade in the number of oral cancer diagnoses in people under the age of 30 with none of the classic risk factors listed, due to a connection with the HPV virus. Everyone must be screened. While the rates of colon, cervical and prostate cancer have seen major declines in recent years due to early detection through professional screening, the oral cancer survival rate has not increased significantly in the last 50 years. However, if oral cancer is detected and treated in its early stages, the five-year survival rate climbs to 80-90 percent. Areas of highest risk for oral cancer are the side of the tongue, floor of the mouth and back of the throat, so regular dental visits must include a comprehensive examination of the soft tissues at least annually. All [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T06:58:24-07:00April, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco ‘mints’ tied to kids’ poisoning

Source: msnbc.com Author: JoNel Aleccia Smokeless, flavored tobacco products that look like candy and come in packages shaped like cell phones may be contributing to accidental poisonings in very young children, new research suggests. Nicotine-laced pellets, strips and sticks that dissolve completely in the user’s mouth — dubbed “tobacco candy” by critics — have joined chewing tobacco and snuff to become the second-most common cause of unintentional tobacco ingestion in kids younger than 6. Between 2006 and 2008, nearly 1,800 U.S. youngsters — almost 600 a year —accidentally consumed smokeless tobacco products, according to an analysis of 13,705 tobacco-related reports to the nation’s poison control centers. That’s a fraction of the nearly 3,600 poisonings a year that involved cigarettes and filter tips, but it worries authors of the new study published in the journal Pediatrics. "Novel smokeless tobacco products, including dissolvable, compressed tobacco products ... are now of major concern, with their discreet form, candy-like appearance and added flavorings that may be attractive to children," the authors write. Potential poisonings add to the growing list of worries from those who fear that tobacco makers thwarted by anti-smoking laws are trying to peddle their addictive products to a new generation of users. Tasty flavors and packaging that resembles Tic Tac mints could be a powerful draw to young users, critics say. “Our response has been one of dismay,” said Cathryn Cushing, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Tobacco Prevention & Education Program. Oregon is one of three states, along with Ohio and [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T11:31:12-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Diffuse reflection spectroscopy: an alternative to autofluorescence spectroscopy in tongue cancer detection

Source: Applied Spectroscopy, Vol. 64, Issue 4, pp. 409-418 (2010) Authors: Rupananda Jayachandra Mallia et al. Laser-induced autofluorescence (LIAF) and diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) are two emerging noninvasive optical tools that have shown immense potential to detect oral cavity pre-cancer. In a recent study, we have used spectral ratio reference standards (SRRS) of LIAF intensity ratios F500/F635, F500/F685, and F500/F705 for grading of tissues belonging to sites other than dorsal side of tongue (DST), lateral side of tongue (LST), and vermillion border of lip (VBL) that exhibited similar spectral shape for normal and abnormal tissues. This led to dismal diagnostic accuracies, and for the three LIAF-SRRS, normal tissue values were often misclassified as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which means that the true negatives were being wrongly identified as true positives. This study examines the applicability of the site-specific diffuse reflection spectral intensity ratio (R545/R575) of the oxygenated hemoglobin bands to classify different DST lesions and compares the results obtained with those obtained using LIAF-SRRS. DRS-SRRS of R545/R575 differentiated benign hyperplastic DST tissues from normal tissue with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 80%, which were indistinguishable using LIAF-SRRS. Further, in distinguishing hyperplastic tissues from premalignant dysplastic lesions, DRS-SRRS gave a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 86%, as compared to sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 72% shown by the three LIAF-SRRS together. The diagnostic accuracy and statistical adequacy of the two techniques were assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-Curve) analysis. Three LIAF ratios gave a low [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-19T09:54:57-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Adenosine deaminase in saliva as a diagnostic marker of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue

Source: Clin Oral Investig. 2010 Apr 9 Authors: Rai B, Kaur J, Jacobs R, Anand SC. Tongue cancer is amongst the most common and fatal types of cancers in the world. The abnormalities in purine metabolism are characteristic features of many human tumors. Little is known about the correlation between the activities of key enzymes of purine nucleotide pathway and clinical indicators of tongue cancer invasiveness and aggressiveness. Fifty patients (M: F 25:25; mean age: 55.6 years (range 45-60; SD 1.8)) with diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (test group) and 30 normal subjects (M: F 15:15) without any systemic disease (control group) were recruited after obtaining informed consent. All patients were staged by the TNM classification. Salivary adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was assessed in cancerous patients (test group) and normal healthy subjects (control group). Statistically significant differences between test and control groups were observed in salivary ADA (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-19T09:48:13-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|