7/6/2004 STEWARDSON, IL by Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff The Boston Globe As a teenager, Gruen Von Behrens was a handsome lad who hit .400 for the local Comets and wanted to play for the Chicago Cubs. Ryne Sandberg was his hero. "The only things I cared about were baseball, food, and women, in that order," he said. At the high school field he still can point out the houses in the neighborhood beyond the center-field fence that he hit with home runs. But hitting homers was not his biggest habit. Spit tobacco was, and it almost cost him his life. Von Behrens was on an overnight camping trip when a friend offered him some spit tobacco. It was stolen from his friend's father's dresser drawer. "I thought, `Why not?' " he said. "I was 13. I had not a care in the world. So I took a dip. "At first it made me kind of sick and real dizzy. Next thing I knew I was addicted. I had to have it in my lip when I was playing baseball. I liked it. I liked the way it made me feel. I liked the way it tasted. "It was a game at first to see who could take the biggest dip and hold it in their mouth the longest and get the most juice out of it. To see who it would make get sick and then make fun of that person. And then entice them to chew more. That game [...]

7/6/2004 Bostaon, MA By Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff Boston Globe For Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling it is harder than firing a split-fingered fastball past Alex Rodriguez. Harder than beating the Yankees. "It's obviously the hardest thing I've ever tried to do. Quit," said Schilling about his greatest opponent, smokeless tobacco. "And I still haven't done it yet." It is an uncomfortable subject. Schilling has battled the demons of smokeless or spit tobacco since he was 15, when a high school classmate dared him to try it. He liked it and was hooked. Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents, according to the National Cancer Institute. It has been linked to oral cancer, tooth and gum decay, and possibly heart disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The Surgeon General has testified before Congress that "smokeless tobacco does cause cancer." It also contains highly addictive nicotine. In March 1998, Joe Garagiola, the former major league catcher and current chairman of Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP), brought an oral health team to the spring training site of the Phillies, for whom Schilling was plying his trade at the time. "Schilling was in a line to get checked," said Garagiola. "I could see that he was getting very edgy because he was thinking about the exam. I practically held him by the hand making sure he wouldn't leave. We were talking umpires and Yogi [Berra] stories, anything I could to keep him there. He comes out and he's as [...]

7/5/2004 Liverpool, UK By Mark Hookham Liverpool Daily Post A father who died of cancer before he could be reunited with his daughter features in a hard-hitting NHS anti-smoking advert launched today. Anthony Hicks, from Bootle, Merseyside, was filmed from his hospital bed talking about the impending visit of his daughter, Alexandra, who lives in the United States. The father-of-two is barely audible, and with a visible hole or stoma in his throat following a laryngectomy operation to remove his voicebox. His final words to camera are: "I will be alive to see that" - but the subtitles reveal he died 10 days after filming in September last year and never got to see his daughter. Mr Hicks was a 20 to 40-a-day smoker and developed three independent cancers in his larynx, mouth and lung, all of which were caused by smoking. The advert is part of the Department of Health's Don't Give Up Giving Up campaign, and aims to raise awareness of head and neck cancer. It will launch on television today and on radio from next week. Mr Hicks's consultant, Shaun Jackson, head and neck cancer surgeon at University Hospital in Aintree, said: "There is some public awareness of throat and oral cancer, but few people realise that cancer can actually occur in any of the tissues and organs in the head and neck. "Often the symptoms can be gradual and can take many months to become apparent, lying virtually dormant until your 40's or 50's". "Smoking is [...]

7/3/2004 Tasmania, Australia By HEATHER LOW CHOY The Mercury Dental hygienist Georgina Wright deals with the terrible consequences of smoking every day. Miss Wright, a Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) national councillor, says many smokers do not realise what a disastrous impact it has on their oral health. "Heavy smokers are actually six times more likely to develop oral cancer," Miss Wright said. "Extensive studies have proved clear links between smoking and periodontal disease, which leads to tooth loss. "In comparison to non-smokers, smokers are four times more likely to have periodontal disease, twice as likely to lose some teeth and four times more likely to lose all teeth." Smokers often remained unaware of their poor dental health because the effects of nicotine masked the most obvious symptoms, Miss Wright said. "Nicotine ingestion restricts the blood supply to the gums, which decreases signs of inflammation," she said. Miss Wright said smokers were also more prone to leukoplakia, a white patch inside the mouth that could not be wiped off. "This lesion can develop into cancer," she said. Smokers were far more likely than non-smokers to have a "hairy" tongue, altered taste sensation, dry mouth, stained teeth and bad breath, Miss Wright said. She said giving up smoking could improve oral health almost immediately. "Two days after quitting, former smokers will have an improved taste sensation," Miss Wright said. Long-term benefits of quitting included reduced risk of periodontal disease and tooth loss and decreased risk of oral cancer, Miss [...]

7/2/2004 Karis K. F. Kwong Cancer Nurse, 27(3):183-205, 2004 Abstract and Introduction Oropharyngeal mucositis is an acute and distressing toxic effect of chemotherapy and head and neck irradiation. This oral sequela significantly impairs the daily functioning and quality of life of patients. The biological basis of mucositis is quite complex, involving sequential interaction of chemotherapeutic drugs or irradiation on mitosis of proliferating epithelium, a number of cytokines, and elements of oral microbial environment. Various interventions based on biological attenuation have been tested for mucositis. Such interventions have been reviewed elsewhere; however, most reviews focus on biomedical outcomes. Little attention has been paid to mucositis outcomes with oral morbidity or psychosocial aspects. The purpose of this article is to review the current research studies on the prevention and treatment of oropharyngeal mucositis following chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation with an emphasis on biomedical, oral symptomatic, and functional impairment outcomes. In addition, further avenues of mucositis management, including psychotherapeutic intervention and integrated and stage-based treatment approaches are discussed. Oropharyngeal mucositis is a significant clinical problem afflicting most patients in cancer therapy. Its manifestations may range from generalized erythema to pseudomembranous degeneration, frank ulceration, and hemorrhage. Considerable effort has been expended in the past 10 years to identify etiopathophysiology and develop strategies to alleviate such an oral sequela. Various interventions based on biological attenuation have been investigated with different types of cancer patients. However, the majority of studies are tarnished by methodological shortcomings. At present, no intervention has been shown to be [...]

7/1/2004 New York, NY By Amy Norton Reuters Health Many healthy people who smoke or drink may have a genetic alteration in the cells of the mouth and throat that could signal an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at the University of Hong Kong. The genetic alteration affects the p15 gene, which is involved in the process that normally kills off cells when they go haywire. In many cancers, the p15 gene is methylated, meaning that it is turned off and is unable to perform its "tumor suppressor" function. The researchers' study of healthy adults and patients with head and neck cancers found that 68 percent of healthy smokers and drinkers showed methylated p15 in some of their oral cells. The same was true of 48 percent of the cancer patients, but only 8 percent of healthy adults who were non-smokers and drank only occasionally or not at all. The investigators say it is unclear whether the healthy men and women who showed signs of p15 methylation are in fact at increased risk of developing head and neck cancer, a group of diseases that includes cancers of the mouth, nasal cavity and throat. However, the findings do support the idea that "these p15 methylation changes are present in the very early stages of head and neck cancer development," study co-author Dr. Anthony Po-Wing Yuen told Reuters Health. He and his colleagues report on the study in the July 1st issue of the journal Cancer. That smokers and [...]

7/1/2004 Atlanta, GA By BD Powe and R Finnie Oncol Nurs Forum ; 31(4): 785-91. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge of oral cancer risk factors among African Americans. DESIGN: Descriptive; guided by the Patient/Provider/System Theoretical Model for cancer screening. SETTING: Community-based primary care center in a southern state. SAMPLE: 141 African Americans. The majority were female, had a 12th grade education, and had an income less than $10,000; 25% were smokers. METHODS: Participants were asked to identify whether each of 15 factors (i.e., seven risk factors and eight nonrisk factors) increased risk for oral cancer. One point was added for each correct response; therefore, scores could range from 0-15 points. Demographic data were collected. Research was designed to test knowledge of, and misconceptions about, oral cancer. FINDINGS: Only six participants correctly identified all of the risk factors. The majority recognized tobacco, but were not as aware of the effects of the sun, alcohol, and diet. Many erroneously identified factors such as hot beverages, poor oral hygiene, spicy foods, dentures, and mouthwash as risk factors. Those with higher incomes and those who visited their dentists in the prior year had more knowledge of risk factors. No differences were found in knowledge based on age, gender, education, or smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: Some patients are less likely to routinely visit a dentist and are less knowledgeable about the risk factors for oral cancer. Many of these risk factors are modifiable; therefore, patients need to be aware of the risks and have access to [...]

7/1/2004 By  Gina Shaw, Reviewed By Brunilda  Nazario, MD WebMD We've long known that aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes while increasing your chances of surviving them. But now this household drug may protect you in other ways, too. Newer evidence indicates that aspirin can also reduce the risk of cancer of the colon, esophagus, stomach, rectum, and prostate. And most recently, the humble aspirin has offered the tantalizing possibility that it may help protect against Alzheimer's disease. With all of these potential benefits, why aren't we dumping aspirin in the water as we do with fluoride? "Aspirin is the one drug I would take to a desert island with me," says Mark Fendrick, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. "It costs two cents a day and its benefits are amazing. And if it had no side effects at all, we could give it to everybody." But Dr. Fendrick worries that the ever-growing list of diseases and disorders that aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) seem to combat drowns out information about the risks of this "wonder" drug. "When you take aspirin, the level of stomach protection is decreased and you're more likely to bleed. Thus, people who take aspirin regularly -- even in a buffered or coated form -- will have roughly double the likelihood of having a perforated ulcer or bleeding in the GI tract," explains Fendrick. "Relatively little attention is paid to this problem that [...]

6/30/2004 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC LL Patton, R Agans, JR Elter, JH Southerland, RP Strauss, and WD Kalsbeek J Public Health Dent, June 1, 2004; 64(3): 173-80 OBJECTIVE: This study assesses knowledge of oral cancer risk factors, clinical signs, and oral cancer examination experience among North Carolina adults. METHODS: A statewide random digit dial, computer-assisted telephone interview was conducted in 2002. Data from 1,096 respondents, with a response rate of 62 percent, were poststratified to 2000 census data by sex, race, and age group to produce population-based estimates. Knowledge of one sign of oral cancer, four or more risk factors for oral cancer, and having ever had an oral cancer examination were compared in logistic regression models using normalized weights. RESULTS: Fourteen (95% confidence interval [CI] +/-2) percent of adults had never heard of oral or mouth cancer. Risk factor knowledge was high for 56 percent (95% CI+/-3) and associated in a logistic regression model with younger age, feeling personal factors cause cancer, and nonuse of snuff. One sign of oral cancer (sore/lesion, red or white patch in mouth, and bleeding in the mouth) was correctly identified by 53 percent (95% CI+/-3) with significantly more correct responses from younger people, nonsmokers, and some college education. Only 29 percent (95% CI+/-3) reported ever having had an oral cancer examination when this procedure was described. Most respondents reported exams performed by dentists. In a weighted logistic regression model, older age, being dentate, nonsmokers, alcohol users, and those with some [...]

6/30/2004 FDA press release Food and Drug Administration News Laetrile - A Quack Medication to Treat Cancer Patients. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the outcome of its investigative efforts by the Office of Criminal Investigations, conducted jointly with the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), to bring to justice a businessman who had victimized cancer patients by heavily advertising and selling Laetrile, a highly toxic product that has not shown any effect on treating cancer. Jason Vale, president of the New York-based Christian Brothers Contracting Corp., was sentenced on June 18, 2004 to 63 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release by a United States District Court in the Eastern District of New York. "There is no scientific evidence that Laetrile offers anything but false hope to cancer patients, some of whom have used it instead of conventional treatment until it was too late for that treatment to be effective," said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, Acting FDA Commissioner. "This sentence sends a strong message that we will not tolerate marketing of bogus medicines." Following the investigation by FDA, the USAO, and the USPIS, the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of New York placed Vale's illegal sales and promotion of Laetrile -- also known as amygdalin, "Vitamin B-17", or apricot pits -- under injunction in April 2000. Defying the court order, Vale set up a shell [...]