Oral Cancer News – Page 4 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

How this startup uses AI to give speech-impaired people their voice back

Source: thenextweb.com Author: Linnea Ahlgren There is big tech — and then there is smaller tech with big impact. Dutch AI startup Whispp is using assistive voice technology to convert speech diminished by ailments such as stuttering, throat cancer, vocal cord paralysis, and ALS, into the person’s original, natural voice. The startup, based in Eindhoven, just secured a €750,000 seed funding round led by LUMO Labs to launch its assistive voice technology and its first paid and subscription-based calling app. Whispp will also use the funds raised to expand into European and US markets. Furthermore, the company is one of this year’s CES 2024 Innovation Award honourees. Voice distortions from stuttering or following afflictions such as throat cancer or ALS affect over 300 million people worldwide. Whispp’s proprietary technology uses recordings of a person’s “old” healthy voice to turn their real-time, affected speech into a clear voice. This is then modified with the intended intonation, modulation, and emotion. Those who still have a natural voice but for instance stutter, can simply record their current speech with the app. This audio-to-audio-based approach eliminates the typical latency of 2-3 seconds for text-to-speech technologies, which can create barriers and disrupt communication. The technology also builds on the fact that for several voice and speech disorders it is helpful to deliberately steer the voice towards whispering, due to neurological changes in the speech system. “Our big bold dream is to have Whispp’s assistive voice technology available on every smartphone and laptop worldwide to create [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-10T14:39:00-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Predicting loss of tongue tip sensation following partial glossectomy for OTC based on resection depth

Source: www.physiciansweekly.com Author: staff The following is a summary of “Depth of resection predicts loss of tongue tip sensation after partial glossectomy in oral tongue cancer: A pilot study,” published in the December 2023 issue of Oncology by Cortina, et al. For a study, researchers sought to identify predictors of loss of tongue-tip sensation (LoTTS) and characterize alterations in sensory function after partial glossectomy for oral tongue cancer (OTC). 64 individuals who had undergone partial glossectomy for primary oral topography and had been followed up for at least three months were included in the study. Qualitative tongue feeling evaluations, as well as objective tongue sensory examinations of the native tongue tip, were carried out. The information gathered included information on the pathological stage, surgical reconstruction, and oncologic resection. 10 patients reported having LoTTS, which is 15% of the total. In multivariate analysis, increasing depth of resection (DOR) was shown to be an independent predictor of LoTTS. At a threshold DOR of 1.3 cm, the risk of LoTTS rose when it was present. Additionally, during the qualitative tongue evaluation, LoTTS was shown to be connected with a worse subjective quality of life and a poorer perceptive speaking performance. DOR is a significant prognostic feature essential for predicting post-treatment performance, according to the research findings. The patients who were at the highest risk of LoTTS and the morbidity that is linked with it were those who had a DOR that is elevated, especially over 1.3 cm. Several potential applications for [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-08T11:18:25-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Does drinking alcohol cause cancer? Learn about the risks

Source: www.mskcc.org Author: Jim Stallard, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center The public is largely unaware of the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Mixed messages from experts may have added to the confusion. There is strong and consistent evidence that drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing a cancer, based on a growing body of research. Alcohol is estimated to account for 6% of cancer cases in the U.S. — more than 75,000 per year — and nearly 19,000 cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Alcohol is the third biggest controllable risk factor for the disease, after tobacco smoking and excess weight. But most Americans aren’t aware of this link, thanks to seemingly contradictory research and mixed messaging from public health experts. A study published in 2023 found widespread mistaken beliefs that the risk varies by beverage type, with the lowest cancer risk assigned to wine. Another study published in 2021 showed that nearly 70% of people did not even know that alcohol was a cancer risk factor. It’s disturbing that most people aren’t aware of the connection,” says Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) psychologist Jennifer Hay, PhD, who studies how people perceive various cancer risks. “It’s startling, given that many members of the general population are genuinely concerned about their cancer risks. We clearly have a lot of work to do to raise awareness and change the perception.” More cancers could be prevented, she says, if people fully understood the risks of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-04T09:57:07-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Dry January might help reduce your risk of cancer

Source: www.iflscience.com Author: Holly Large, Editorial Assistant If one of your New Year’s resolutions happens to be staying sober, scientists at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have some good news for you: not drinking alcohol, or even just cutting back on the bevs, can reduce your risk of some cancers. There’s already evidence to suggest that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of some cancers; according to WHO estimates, more than 740,000 global cancer cases in 2020 were caused by alcohol use. But as report author Farhad Islami told STAT News, “[W]e wanted to know, what if people stop drinking?” Islami was part of a group of 15 scientists investigating the impact of reducing or ceasing alcohol intake on cancer risk, reviewing over 90 published studies over the course of four months. From this data, the team discovered that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that cutting back on alcohol could be linked to a reduced risk of oral and oesophageal cancers. There was also limited evidence of a reduction in risk for laryngeal, colorectal, and breast cancers. One of the key contributors to risk, the researchers found, was a toxin called acetaldehyde. Also known as ethanal, acetaldehyde is produced by the breakdown of alcohol in the liver. It plays a role in nasty hangovers and, as the studies suggested, increases someone’s risk of cancer. Drinking less alcohol reduces exposure to such a carcinogen and thus, the risks that come with it. In [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-03T07:40:47-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Incidence of second primary cancers in adult cancer survivors

Source: ascopost.com Author: Matthew Stenger In a Danish population-based retrospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kjaer et al identified the cumulative incidence of second primary cancers among cancer survivors aged ≥ 40 years who were alive 1 year after diagnosis. Study Details The study involved data from 457,334 patients diagnosed with 27 types of cancer between January 1997 and December 2014. Follow-up was from date of first cancer diagnosis and lasted up to 24 years, ending in December 2020. Key Findings Among all survivors, the cumulative incidence of second primary cancer was 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.2%–6.4%) at 5 years after diagnosis, 10.5% (95% CI = 10.4%–10.6%) at 10 years after diagnosis, and 13.5% (95% CI = 13.4%–13.7%) at 15 years after diagnosis. The highest cumulative incidence of second primary cancer at 10 years after diagnosis was among survivors of laryngeal cancer (21.8%), oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer (19.5%), and bladder and urinary tract cancer (18.5%). Most cancer types (17 of the 27 investigated) were associated with a 10-year cumulative incidence of second primary cancer between approximately 10% and 15%. Survivors of liver (2.5%), pancreatic (2.5%), and lung cancer (3.9%) had the lowest 10-year cumulative incidence of second primary cancer. Lung cancer was the most frequent or second most frequent second primary cancer for 7 of the 10 primary cancer types associated with the highest 10-year cumulative incidence of second primary cancer. The sites of second primary cancer varied among patients with the remainder of the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-03T07:33:47-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Going sober beyond Dry January will help you avoid cancer: study

Source: themessenger.com Author: Mansur Shaheen More than half of 18- to 34-year-olds believe drinking in moderation is bad for your health. Getty Images Having a Dry January may feel great, but going sober forever could significantly drop your risk of developing multiple types of cancer, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) study. In a massive meta-analysis of 91 studies, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found long term sobriety could significantly reduce risk of oral or esophageal cancer. They also found relatively small and inconclusive drops in larynx, colorectal or breast cancer risk. The WHO considers alcohol a carcinogen, saying that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.” It says that even light use of alcohol is linked to an increased risk of a host of diseases, including cancer, liver issues, Alzheimer’s and more. On the flip side, quitting alcohol can help a person reduce their risk of developing disease. In the new study, the WHO researchers found that people who stopped drinking for five to nine years were 34% less likely to develop oral cancer. If they kept it up for 10 to 19 years, the risk would drop 55%. For esophageal cancer, the risk drops 15% after going sober for five to nine years, and 65% for 10 to 19 years. The researchers blame the cancers linked to alcohol consumption on ethanol, a type of alcohol. When the body consumes [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-30T11:26:11-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

Improving craniomaxillofacial tumor surgery using 3DP surgical guides

Source: www.todaysmedicaldevelopments.com Author: Elizabeth Engler Modic 3D printing enables virtual surgical planning, enabling surgery predictions and a better transplant fit for the patient.CREDIT: Business Wire The University Hospital Birmingham in England is delivering improved outcomes for head and neck cancer patients, with the hospital reporting reduced surgery times of up to three hours using tailored, 3D printed cutting guides. J5 MediJet™ 3D Printer This success is attributed to the integration of a Stratasys J5 MediJet 3D printer that enables the hospital to create highly accurate, patient-specific cutting guides ahead of operations, transforming the way tumors are removed from head and neck cancer patients. Previously, these would have been created by cutting and bending a piece of metal by hand while the patient was on the operating table, resulting in a time-consuming process with a large margin for error. Using 3D printing, the surgical team can now produce highly accurate devices using patient scans, with a resolution of within 150 microns, helping to support surgical outcomes. These are produced in Biocompatible Clear MED610; a rigid, transparent resin suitable for applications requiring long-term contact (more than 30 days) with intact skin and limited contact (up to 24 hours) with tissue, bone, or mucosal membranes. “In addition to saving up to three hours of surgery time, 3D printing also enables much better surgical planning,” says Stefan Edmondson, consultant clinical scientist (reconstructive science) at the hospital. “Using patient scans, the team can create 3D visualizations based on the distinct [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-26T20:19:49-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

Diabetes increases mortality risk for long-term cancer survivors

Source: www.curetoday.com Author: Alex Biese A population-based study of nearly 7,000 long-term cancer survivors found that diabetes among long-term cancer survivors “was associated with cancer site, older age, lower education, higher socioeconomic deprivation, higher body mass index, physical inactivity, other comorbidities, and poorer prognosis,” with cancer survivors who also have diabetes facing a risk of death that is 29% higher than that faced by survivors who do not have diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Cancer. The study, conducted by a team of German researchers, drew on information from 6,952 long-term cancer survivors who had received diagnoses of breast, colorectal or prostate cancer between 1994 and 2004, were recruited for participation between 2008 and 2011 and were then followed until 2019, with 962 (13.8%) of long-term cancer survivors reporting that they had diabetes at the start of the study and 1,828 cancer-free individuals serving as controls in the study. While the study found that diabetes was as prevalent in cancer-free participants as it was among long-term cancer survivors who had survived at least five years after receiving their diagnosis, researchers were sure to put those findings in context. “We want to stress that our finding of no increased prevalence of (diabetes) in (long-term cancer survivors) should not be interpreted as an indication of a lower risk of (diabetes) in this population,” researchers wrote. “Rather, it highlights the potentially poor prognosis in cancer patients with diabetes and survivors, and the need for an improved care to reduce the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-26T20:01:26-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

“Unclear” whether opioids are effective at treating cancer pain

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: Peer-reviewed publication, University of Warwick The world’s largest review on opioid medicines for cancer pain has found it is unclear whether some commonly used opioid medicines are better than a placebo and suggests that non-opioid medicines, including aspirin, may be as effective as opioids. Researchers examining the data on opioids for pain caused by cancer have found surprisingly large gaps in evidence regarding the true benefits of these medicines for cancer pain. The study challenges the commonly held view that opioids are the most powerful pain relievers. The study, led by The University of Sydney and including The University of Warwick highlights that there is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment approach for cancer pain, urging health professionals and patients to carefully weigh up the evidence when deciding on a suitable pain management plan. Opioid pain relievers are the most common treatment for cancer pain management. Many international guidelines including the World Health Organization, recommend opioid medications to manage background cancer pain (constant pain) and breakthrough cancer pain (temporary flare-ups of pain in addition to background pain). However, the study found very few trials have compared commonly used opioid medicines with placebo. This included morphine, oxycodone and methadone. The study did not find convincing evidence that morphine was better or safer than other opioid medicines for background cancer pain outside of end-of-life care. This is despite morphine being widely viewed as the ‘gold standard treatment’ for cancer care by physicians and recommended in many international clinical guidelines [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-19T12:32:24-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

Clinical trial gets oral cancer survivor through ‘mean’ cancer

Source: web.musc.edu Author: Leslie Cantu Brittany Person was reluctant to enroll in the clinical trial that her oncologist, John Kaczmar, M.D., recommended. Not because she was afraid of taking part in research, but because she just couldn’t deal with any more side effects. She'd already had every one in the book after being treated for a tongue cancer that had returned – and then returned again. “I was just coming off the tail end of chemo, where I had the worst side effects from the chemo and radiation. My body was just tired and beat up and scarred,” she said. When Kaczmar outlined the potential side effects of the investigational drug, she thought, “I just really don't want to do that again. That didn't sound like something I wanted to put myself through.” As she and her husband, Patrick Wilkin, drove from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center to Duke Cancer Institute for a second opinion, Person told Wilkin, “They need to tell me something crazy in order for me to do this trial.” That’s pretty much what they did. “The lady at Duke told me if I didn’t do anything, I would have six months to live,” Person said. “When we got the whole ‘six months to live’ talk, if you do nothing, or two years, if you do the standard immunotherapy, and that the experimental trial is your best shot at actually beating the thing, that's when Brittany and I were like, ‘Yeah, let's do this experimental trial,’” Wilkin said. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-15T07:49:56-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|