Oral Cancer News – Page 308 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Gene study finds link to cancer of thyroid

Source: nytimes.com Author: Nicholas Wade Scientists have identified two genetic variations that account for 57 percent of cases of thyroid cancer, a finding that could lead to earlier detection among people at high risk for the disease. The report, from the Icelandic company Decode Genetics, may also lead to a resurgence of interest in the quest for the genetic roots of other common maladies like heart disease and schizophrenia. Genetic variants for many such diseases have been identified, but most have turned out to account for a disappointingly small percentage of cases. A scientific team led by Julius Gudmundsson of Decode Genetics reported Friday in the journal Nature Genetics that the two variants each lie at a site on the human genome near genes that control development of the thyroid gland. The variants are changes in a single chemical unit of the genome, which is some three billion units in length. Compared with people who have neither variant, “the risk associated with these variants was almost sixfold, which is quite extraordinary,” said Dr. Erich M. Sturgis, a head and neck surgeon at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who was not connected with the research. Dr. James A. Fagin, chief of endocrinology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said the new study was a significant advance, noting that the Decode Genetics scientists had bolstered their results by replicating the findings among Icelanders in two other populations of European descent, in Columbus, Ohio, and in Spain. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-08T18:21:44-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Regular aspirin use may reduce stomach cancer risk: researchers

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk Author: Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Aspirin is recommended for the prevention of heart attacks in people at high risk and some studies have suggested it may reduce the risk of colon cancer. New research based on 17 studies of a total of more than 300,000 people aged between 50 and 71, found taking the drug weekly or daily reduces the likelihood of some forms of stomach cancer. In the UK there are around 8,000 people diagnosed with stomach cancer each year and most occur in people aged over 50. Rates of the cancer have halved in the UK since the 1970s but it remains extremely lethal with only 15 per cent of people surviving for five years after diagnosis. Stomach cancer is mostly associated with a bacterial infection in the lining called Helicobacter pylori. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer also found a 36 per cent reduction in the cancer found in the middle or lower part of the stomach in people who had used aspirin at least once in the past year. People who used other drugs in the same class, called non-steriodial anti-inflammatory drugs, had a 32 per cent reduced risk of the cancer if they had taken them at least once in the past year. In contrast to results of previous studies, the researchers found that aspirin does not protect against oesophageal or throat cancer and cardia gastric cancer, which is cancer of the top of the stomach. The study authors acknowledge [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-07T13:56:08-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Avastin, Erbitux combo proves dangerous

Source: www.newsinferno.com Author: staff Combining Avastin and Erbitux with chemotherapy to treat colon cancer may actually make patients sicker, and cause their tumors to grow faster. According to a new Dutch study, using Avastin and Erbitux to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy is a complete failure, and could actually cut the survival time of patients by as much as a month. Avastin was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 to treat colon cancer, and in 2006, the agency approved it as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Last year, the FDA also approved Avastin as a breast cancer treatment. Avastin was the first approved therapy designed to inhibit angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels develop and carry vital nutrients to a tumor. Erbitux is indicated for the treatment of patients who have colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and whose tumor expresses a protein called an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. Erbitux was approved by the FDA to treat advanced colon cancer in 2004, and again in 2006 for treating squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck It was theorized that adding Erbitux and Avastin to chemotherapy could boost benefits, but unfortunately, the Dutch study has proven the opposite to be true. The study looked at 732 patients; 378 patients where treated with chemo plus Avastin. The remaining patients received chemo along with Avastin and Erbitux. Median progression-free survival was 10.7 months among those receiving only Avastin with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-07T13:44:11-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

A noninvasive genetic screening test to detect oral preneoplastic lesions

Source: Laboratory Investigation (2005) 85, 1481–1488. published online 29 August 2005 Authors: Jantine F Bremmer et al. Early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may have a major impact on survival and quality of life. Recent studies have shown that the majority of OSCC is preceded by precursor lesions characterized by genetic alterations. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a noninvasive screening test for oral preneoplastic lesions, based on genetic alterations as marker. Various methods to obtain a high yield of cells by brushing a small area of the oral mucosa were compared. A novel genetic assay, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), was applied that enables the measurement of gains and losses at 40 different chromosomal locations in one PCR reaction using 150 ng DNA. MLPA was performed on DNA of normal and dysplastic oral mucosa as well as of OSCC with the intention to select a specific probe set for accurate detection of precursor lesions in the oral cavity. The assay was correlated to loss of heterozygosity analysis using microsatellite markers, and evaluated on noncancer subjects and patients with oral leukoplakia. A noninvasive sampling method was developed with DNA yields ranging from 150 to 600 ng. Using 120 probes, we could detect large differences with MLPA in the number of alterations between normal vs dysplastic and dysplastic vs tumor tissue with P-values <0.001. A significant correlation was found between the number of alterations as detected by MLPA and the analysis for allelic loss. The [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-07T13:21:08-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

University of Texas device could take the pain out of skin cancer detection

Source: www.statesman.com Author: Mary Ann Roser A pen-size device that might one day be used to detect skin cancer without a biopsy is being developed at the University of Texas with the aid of grants and a company hoping to bring the device to market. The scanning device, reminiscent of the tricorder that Dr. McCoy waved over his patients in the "Star Trek" TV series, "is looking very promising," said Sampath Srikanth, president and CEO of DermDx of Fresno, Calif., the company that hopes to get the device on the market in about five years. James Tunnell, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at UT, received $500,000 in grants from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation of Miami, which funds research in biomedical engineering. Tunnell, who credits most of the work to UT doctoral candidate Narasimhan Rajaram, said UT shares in the rights and any future profits with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Tunnell did post-doctoral work. At MIT, Tunnell worked with emerging technology that used light to detect cancers of the esophagus, cervix and oral cavity. His device shines light through an optical fiber to scan the skin. "What the physician holds is like a pen, and it's connected to a cable that's attached to an instrument that's about the size of a mini-refrigerator," Tunnell said. "But you could shrink that mini-refrigerator down to a desktop computer." The computer measures the light's intensity — cancerous moles absorb light differently than noncancerous lesions. The device still needs Food and Drug [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T20:32:23-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Trimira launches oral-cancer screening system for early diagnosis by dentists

Source: bioopticsworld.com Author: press release Trimira LLC (Houston, TX) has introduced a small, cordless, handheld device that it says enables early diagnosis of oral cancer. Called Identafi 3000, the device uses a three-wavelength optical illumination and visualization system to allow dental professionals to identify otherwise-invisible early cancers. This affordable device will aid in mouth, tongue, and lip cancer screening--enabling diagnosis of afflictions that have reached epidemic levels, due in part to the lack of effective, broad-based early detection systems for oral cancer screening. Identafi 3000 uses white, violet, and amber wavelengths of light to excite oral tissue in distinct ways. Biochemical changes can be monitored with fluorescence, while morphological changes can be monitored with reflectance. This multiple wavelength technology identifies abnormal tissue with more accuracy than the single color approaches currently on the market, according to Trimira. The ability to read metabolic and physiologic differences makes it easier to distinguish between normal and abnormal tissue. The combined system of fluorescence and reflectance uses the body's natural tissue properties as an adjunctive tool for oral mucosal examination. Identafi 3000 is supported by a national team of trained sales representatives and is available through most major U.S. dental dealers. Trimira LLC is a subsidiary of Remicalm LLC, a privately held medical diagnostic and imaging device company. Other subsidiaries are working on screening and diagnostic devices for skin, cervical, gastrointestinal, and bladder cancers. Remicalm's core technologies are based on high-speed, high-resolution capabilities from its patented optical processing technology platforms and include the ability [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T20:26:13-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Médicos discutem a importância de novos exames de câncer de boca

Source: g1.globo.com Author: Laurie Tarkan Do 'New York Times' Apesar de relativamente raro, esse é um dos tipos de câncer mais fáceis de observar e diagnosticar. E, se tratado a tempo, é geralmente curável. Então, por que especialistas acham o câncer de boca tão problemático? Embora tenham ocorrido vários avanços na luta contra o câncer nas últimas décadas, as estatísticas sobre esse tipo da doença permanecem desalentadoras. Mais de 60% dos casos são diagnosticados nos estágios mais avançados, e a sobrevivência em cinco anos é de decepcionantes 59%. Além disso, o câncer de boca está aumentando em pessoas tradicionalmente de baixo risco, um fenômeno atribuído em parte ao aumento do papilomavírus humano, HPV, causador de câncer, que pode ser transmitido através do sexo oral. Agora, alguns dentistas – cujos exames visuais há tempos têm sido uma primeira linha de defesa contra o câncer de boca – estão usando aparelhos de imagem capazes, segundo eles, de ajudar a identificar cânceres e lesões pré-malignas. Porém, esses novos exames despertaram um debate sobre o custo-benefício. Especialistas estão divididos entre a possibilidade desses tais exames reduzirem a mortalidade por câncer de boca ou simplesmente levarem a uma onda de biópsias dispendiosas e desnecessárias. Números da doença Aproximadamente 35.300 americanos souberam ter câncer de boca no ano passado, e cerca de 7.600 morreram em decorrência da doença. Para os sobreviventes, o câncer de boca pode ser doloroso e desfigurador, e pode destruir a capacidade de saborear e apreciar alimentos. Considera-se que fumantes e pessoas que [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-05T15:07:48-07:00February, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Interaction between tobacco and alcohol use and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the international head and neck cancer epidemiology consortium

Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0347 Authors: Mia Hashibe et al. Background: The magnitude of risk conferred by the interaction between tobacco and alcohol use on the risk of head and neck cancers is not clear because studies have used various methods to quantify the excess head and neck cancer burden. Methods: We analyzed individual-level pooled data from 17 European and American case-control studies (11,221 cases and 16,168 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. We estimated the multiplicative interaction parameter ({psi}) and population attributable risks (PAR). Results: A greater than multiplicative joint effect between ever tobacco and alcohol use was observed for head and neck cancer risk ({psi} = 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-3.04). The PAR for tobacco or alcohol was 72% (95% confidence interval, 61-79%) for head and neck cancer, of which 4% was due to alcohol alone, 33% was due to tobacco alone, and 35% was due to tobacco and alcohol combined. The total PAR differed by subsite (64% for oral cavity cancer, 72% for pharyngeal cancer, 89% for laryngeal cancer), by sex (74% for men, 57% for women), by age (33% for cases <45 years, 73% for cases >60 years), and by region (84% in Europe, 51% in North America, 83% in Latin America). Conclusions: Our results confirm that the joint effect between tobacco and alcohol use is greater than multiplicative on head and neck cancer risk. However, a substantial proportion of head and neck cancers cannot be attributed to tobacco [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-04T08:54:19-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New oral cancer tests: crucial or wasteful?

Source: nytimes.com Author: Laurie Tarkan Though relatively rare, it is one of the easiest cancers to spot and diagnose. And if treated early, it is usually curable. So why do experts find oral cancer so vexing? Despite the many advances against cancer in recent decades, the statistics on this form of it remain discouraging: more than 60 percent of cases are diagnosed in the late stages, and the five-year survival rate is a disappointing 59 percent. Moreover, oral cancer is increasing in people traditionally at low risk, a phenomenon partly attributed to the rise of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can be transmitted through oral sex. Now some dentists — whose visual examinations have long been a first line of defense against oral cancer — are using screening devices that they say may help identify cancers and premalignant lesions. But these new tests have set off a debate over cost and effectiveness. Experts are divided on whether they will reduce mortality from oral cancer or simply lead to a wave of expensive and unnecessary biopsies. An estimated 35,300 Americans learned they had oral cancer last year, and about 7,600 died from the disease. For survivors, oral cancer can be painful and disfiguring, and can destroy the ability to taste and enjoy food. Smokers and heavy drinkers are considered at highest risk for the disease, but 25 percent of those who receive a diagnosis are neither. Still, the lifetime risk of oral cancer — about 1 in 99 — [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-03T20:50:30-07:00February, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

What is the adequate margin of surgical resection in oral cancer?

Source: Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, January 23, 2009 Authors: Richard W Nason et al. Objective: The "adequate surgical margin" has always remained an enigma in the minds of head and neck surgeons. This study systematically analyses the impact of the width of the clear surgical margin on survival in oral cancer. Study Design: A historical cohort of 277 surgically treated patients with oral cancer were followed for a median period of 36 months. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the independent effect of the clear surgical margin, in millimeters, on 5-year survival. Results: Patients with margins of 5 mm or more had a 5-year survival rate of 73% when compared to those with margins of 3 to 4 mm (69%) , 2 mm or less (62%), and involved margins (39%, P = .000). After controlling for confounding variables (age, gender, stage) each 1-mm increase in clear surgical margin decreased the risk of death at 5 years by 8% (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.86, 0.99; P = .021). Based on this model, patients with positive surgical margins had a 2.5-fold increase in risk of death at 5 years and those with close (

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-01T22:30:19-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|