Oral Cancer News – Page 324 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Smoking impact images to appear on cigarette packs

Source: www.politics.co.uk Author: staff The government wants to shock smokers into quitting by putting graphic pictures of the damage caused by smoking on cigarette packs. From Wednesday picture warnings will begin replacing the written warnings currently on packets in a bid to improve on the 1.9 million fewer smokers seen since 1982. The new images show rotting teeth and lungs, throat cancer and a 'flaccid cigarette' – the "grim reality" of the effects smoking can have on health, as chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson says. "These new stark picture warnings emphasise the harsh health realities of continuing to smoke. I hope they will make many more think hard about giving up, and get the help they need to stop smoking for good." Britain is not the first country to use graphic warnings: Canada introduced them in 2001 and saw 31 per cent of ex-smokers claiming the pictures had motivated them to quit. Anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed the images, which come into force from October 1st. Action on Smoking and Health's (Ash) director Deborah Arnott backed existing evidence suggesting the images make smokers quit. And she called on the government to legislate to require the removal of pack branding to maximise their impact, as research shows this has the greatest impact. Cancer Research UK's head of tobacco control, Elspeth Lee, said her organisation would back an amendment to current EU legislation allowing picture warnings to be placed on the front as well as the back of packs, as in Australia [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:26:53-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Selective neck dissection effective for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with regional metastases

Source: www.docguide.com Author: Mary Beth Nierengarten Selective neck dissection, rather than comprehensive neck dissection, is an effective treatment for many patients with regional nodal metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, investigators reported here at the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) 2008 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO. Lead author Peter Shepard, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, presented the study findings in a poster session on September 21. In their study, Dr. Shepard and colleagues retrospectively evaluated 156 patients with clinically-positive regional nodal metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in whom neck dissection was part of the initial treatment. Of the 156 patients, 69 underwent selective neck dissection (SND) and 87 underwent radical or modified radical neck dissection (R/MRND). Most patients (81%) also received postoperative radiotherapy. Overall, regional recurrences occurred in 8.6% of patients who underwent SND and 22% of patients who underwent R/MRND. When adjusting for differences in nodal and primary tumour stage, year of surgery, primary tumour site, extracapsular spread, and postoperative radiotherapy, multivariate analysis showed a significantly lower regional recurrence rate in the SND group (P = .02). No statistically significant differences were seen in overall survival; 5-year overall survival for SND and R/MRND of 47% and 33%, respectively (P = .14). Similarly, no significant differences were found in local control or distant local control, with 3-year local control rates of 87% and 83% (P = .89) and distant control rates of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:26:35-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Improvements for patients with oral mucositis

Source: cancerfocus.net Author: staff New data show that Caphosol® (www.caphosol.com), an advanced electrolyte solution, significantly limits the occurrence and severity of oral mucositis (OM) in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The data, which contain the final results from a prospective observational study sponsored by EUSA Pharma, were presented today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), and demonstrate that Caphosol use is associated with high levels of medication compliance and patient and physician satisfaction. The latest findings expand upon the growing body of evidence of the benefits of Caphosol in the management of OM and related symptoms in patients with various types of cancer. "Oral mucositis is a common, debilitating side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, resulting from erosion of epithelial cells in the oral cavity (cells lining the surface of the throat and esophagus) during therapy," said principal investigator Marilyn L. Haas, PhD, RN, CNS, ANP-C, Nurse Practitioner, Carolina Clinical Consultant. "Patients with oral mucositis often experience severe pain, difficulty eating and swallowing, and greater susceptibility to infection. The registry data suggests that CAPHOSOL, a supersaturated electrolyte oral rinse, has a significant positive impact on the occurrence and severity of oral mucositis, and is highly regarded by patients and physicians." Dr. Haas and colleagues reported data from 68 patients with head and neck (HN) cancer enrolled in an open-label, observational registry maintained at 26 treatment centers in the U.S. The patients were considered at high risk of developing [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:23:42-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

HPV increases men’s risk for oral cancer, prompts calls for vaccine: pathology expert Dr. Shashi Pawar on HPV health concerns for men

Source: www.prweb.com Author: press release HPV, the human papillomavirus, is well known for its role in causing cervical cancer in women - so much so, in fact, that the National Institutes of Health recommend all girls be vaccinated against the virus when they are 11 or 12, prior to becoming sexually active. However, recent research shows that women are not the only ones at risk for developing HPV-related cancers. Oral cancers caused by the virus are increasing rapidly in men, and researchers suggest HPV may soon overtake tobacco use as the leading cause of these cancers of the mouth, tongue, throat and tonsils. "The human papillomavirus is one of the most insidious and dangerous sexually transmitted diseases for women, as it has been linked to a vast majority of cervical cancers," explains Dr. Shashi Pawar, PhD, FACMG, Director of Genetics at Acupath Laboratories. "We are now seeing the effects of HPV infection in men, and the marked increase in oral cancer - coupled with the well-known increased risk for penile and anal cancers - suggests that both sexes face equally serious health consequences from this virus," Dr. Pawar notes. Cumulative research spurs call for men's vaccine A benchmark study that tracked more than 30 years of oral cancer data from the National Cancer Institute found that the rate of oral cancer caused by the HPV virus, rather than lifestyle habits such as smoking or chewing tobacco, has risen steadily since 1973 and is now about even with the incidence rate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:27:18-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Free nicotine content and strategic marketing of moist snuff tobacco products in the United States: 2000–2006

Source: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Authors: H R Alpert, H Koh, G N Connolly Background: From 2000 to 2006, moist snuff sales have increased and now account for 71% of the smokeless tobacco market. Previous research has shown that major manufacturers of smokeless tobacco products manipulated free nicotine, the form most readily absorbed, to promote tolerance and addiction. Aim: This study examines the possibility that company-specific and brand-specific strategies of the major moist snuff manufacturers involve controlling free nicotine content and ease of dosing with products that are designed and targeted to specific groups. This study looks at the current total US moist snuff market with product design data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; moist snuff use from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health; market data from ACNielsen; and magazine advertising expenditures from TNS Media Intelligence. Results: (1) The levels of free nicotine of moist snuff products have increased over time for several major manufacturers; (2) the number and variety of sub-brands have increased over time; (3) changes in design, as reflected by variation in free nicotine associated with pH or tobacco leaf, or both, have enhanced the ease and uniformity of dosing; (4) marketing through price and advertising has increased; and (5) youth use has increased. Conclusion: A combination of factors including brand proliferation, control of free nicotine and product design has most likely resulted in the expanded consumption of moist snuff, particularly among young people.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:27:41-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Radiation treatments lead Omaha man to perform emergency tracheotomy on himsel

Source: www.naturalnews.com Author: David Gutierrez A man had no choice but to perform an emergency tracheotomy on himself with a steak knife when an allergic reaction caused his radiation-damaged throat to swell shut, suffocating him. Fifty-five-year-old Steve Wilder of Omaha, Neb., suffered from throat cancer several years ago, which would often cause his throat to become so swollen that he could not breathe. Although he underwent radiation treatment and has not had cancer or radiation for the past four years, scar tissue from the radiation remains in his throat, making it narrower than it once was. On the night of April 30, Wilder fell asleep while watching television and woke to feel himself suffocating. When the same thing had happened to him two years previously, he had been forced to cut his own throat open to survive. "They think I might have some kind of allergy," Wilder said. "The only time I get a shortage of wind is in the spring. It's seasonal." His wife called an ambulance, but Wilder was afraid that he would die before it arrived. "I thought they might get here fast enough that I wouldn't have to do that," he said. "But I couldn't breathe no more." Wilder ran into the kitchen, where he used a steak knife to cut a quarter-inch incision in his throat. "I didn't feel no pain. I was just trying to survive," Wilder said. "I got relief right away. There was a big gush of blood, and I was able [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:28:00-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Stars of Hollywood’s golden era were paid to promote smoking

Source: Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) Author: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich Top Hollywood stars in the 1930s and 1940s, among them Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey, Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Bette Davis, Betty Grable and Al Jolson, were paid by tobacco companies up to $75,000 a year (today's value) to promote specific brands of cigarettes, according to a study by US researchers published Thursday morning in the journal Tobacco Control. The companies contracted with actors, actresses and singers and paid them what totaled millions of dollars to endorse the Lucky Strike, Old Gold, Chesterfield and Camel brands of cigarettes - and the performers did it willingly, even though it was already known that tobacco was harmful to health. In all, almost 200 performers took part in the cigarette endorsements, including two-thirds of the top 50 box office Hollywood stars from the late 1930s through the 1940s. The continued presence of on-screen smoking in today's mainstream films is rooted in these "studio era" deals, according to study authors K.L. Lum, J.R. Polansky, R.K. Jackler and S.A. Glantz of the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University. The research team accessed cigarette endorsement contracts between tobacco companies and studio-controlled movie stars, as well as advertisements of the period, from university and major US newspaper archives. The period under investigation covered the years 1927 to 1951, from the advent of talking motion pictures to the rise of TV. In return for the paid testimonials of their stars in cigarette ads, major studios benefited from nationwide print [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:28:22-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Challenges in cancer survivorship

Source: CURE Magazine (www.curetoday.com) Author: Kathy LaTour When Julia Rowland, PhD, director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship at the National Cancer Institute, took the stage in Atlanta at the fourth biennial cancer survivorship research conference in June, she welcomed the more than 450 participants on behalf of the estimated 12 million cancer survivors in the country today. The 12 million, Rowland explained, represent the estimated number of individuals alive as of January 2007 with a history of cancer, “regardless of where they are in the illness trajectory—newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, suffering a recurrence, living with or dying of progressing illness.” For the next two days, the 12 million would be the central focus as researchers presented the latest results of studies on the unique physical, psychosocial, behavioral, and economic outcomes associated with having cancer to the assembled cancer professionals, researchers, and public health professionals. Also present were 20 patient/survivor advocates, attending as part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s Survivor-Researcher Mentor Program, which funded their attendance at the meeting so they could interact with researchers with the help of an assigned scientist-mentor. Rowland complimented the range of findings presented by the growing number of researchers in what is still a very new field of research, telling the assembled group that meeting organizers selected 12 abstracts for podium presentations from a record 220 submissions, revealing a wealth of new data and directions for future research. The conference, a collaboration of the NCI, LAF, and American Cancer Society, focused on interventions [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:28:42-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

SensiGen HPV assay enables major breakthrough in diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release SensiGen LLC, a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing proprietary gene-based molecular diagnostic tests announced today a new program to make the Company's AttoSense(TM) HPV assay available to head and neck cancer researchers worldwide after recent studies showed that the success or failure of various treatment options (chemotherapy, radiation, extensive surgery) are largely determined by the viral load of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in tissue samples from patients. These studies, carried out by the Head and Neck Oncology Team at the University of Michigan and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrate that head and neck cancer patients with higher concentrations of HPV, a virus long known to be associated with head and neck cancer, cervical cancer, and others, are much more likely to respond to organ-sparing chemotherapy than patients without high concentrations of the virus. This finding could offer significant hope for thousands of head and neck cancer patients facing uncertain and unpleasant treatments. "The data clearly show the importance of quantitative HPV testing in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer," said Dr. Thomas Carey, leader of the University of Michigan based team that reported the breakthrough results this summer. "With the AttoSense(TM) HPV test and other biomarkers, we may soon be able to pinpoint the right therapy for each patient and maximize the chance of success on the first try, thus reducing the number of people who must endure multiple costly and uncomfortable treatments." SensiGen's AttoSense(TM) diagnostic assays are capable of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-25T09:07:59-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Action is the key in new mouth cancer campaign

Source: www.dentistry.co.uk Author: staff Action speaks louder than words' is the message as Britain's leading oral health charity stages a November spotlight on the killer disease. Mouth Cancer Action Week takes place November 16 to 22, as the campaign organizers, the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF), takes a new stance against the disease. The new Action Week replaces the former Mouth Cancer Awareness Week name, as the Foundation and health professionals across the land take action a disease that kills more people than cervical and testicular cancer combined. Nearly 5,000 are diagnosed with mouth cancer in annually. The Foundation's Blue Ribbon Badge campaign will continue to promote awareness by sending badges and collection boxes to dental practices, doctor's surgeries, pharmacies and health centers across the country. Badges will then be sold to the public, raising funds and promoting the campaign. A key message is retained from previous campaigns: ‘if in doubt, get checked out.' Easily recognizable symptoms and regular check ups can boost survival rates to 90% with early detection. Survival rates once mouth cancer has spread are as low as 50%. Foundation chief executive Dr Nigel Carter said: 'Our slogan – if in doubt, get checked out – reinforces our call to action. We are encouraging the public and the health profession to wear their blue ribbons with pride, and not only talk about the mouth cancer but take positive steps.' He continued: 'Action can be as simple as visiting the dentist regularly to making lifestyle choices such as [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-28T21:29:12-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|