Oral Cancer News – Page 53 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Examining the potential of preoperative CT lymphography with ICG in oral cancer

Source: www.cancernetwork.com Author: Leah Lawrence The majority of patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue had at least one sentinel lymph node (SLN) successfully identified and removed using preoperative computed tomography (CT) lymphography and intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence, according to a small study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. According to Kohei Honda, MD, of Hiigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, in Akita, Japan, and colleagues, this combined method “has the potential to provide clear visualization with high sensitivity, even if the SLN is located close to the primary injection site”. Traditionally, SLN detection is performed using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy with radioisotopes and intraoperative γ-probe detection with or without blue dye mapping. However, the use of radioisotopes has its disadvantages, including exposure to radiation, high cost, and masking of SLN because of shine-through radioactivity when close to the injection site. Honda and colleagues tested the usefulness of SLN biopsy with preoperative CT lymphography and intraoperative ICG. The study included 18 patients with previously untreated cN0 tongue cancer. All patients underwent CT lymphography prior to SLN biopsy. During biopsy, a minimum skin incision was made according to a predetermined location of SLN and SLN were excised under ICG guidance. Of the 18 patients, SLN could be mapped using preoperative CT lymphography in 16 patients (89%), in whom at least one SLN was identified and removed using intraoperative ICG. Metastases to SLN were found in 5 of the 16 patients (31%). There were two patients with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-07-19T04:22:19-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Precision Medicine Is Crushing Once-Untreatable Cancers

Source: Newsweek Date: June 16th, 2019 Author: David H. freedman For tens of thousands of patients, precision medicine is rewriting their cancer stories. Linda Boyed, for example, an energetic 52-year-old occupational therapist, was thrilled to be on vacation with her family in Hawaii, hitting the beaches and taking long walks. But she couldn't shake a constant feeling of fatigue. By the time she returned home, near Columbus, Ohio, her skin had yellowed. Her doctor passed her to an oncologist, who delivered the bad news: Cancer of the bile ducts in her liver had already spread too far for chemotherapy or surgery to do any good. He offered to help keep her comfortable for her final few months. Boyed's husband refused to accept that prognosis. He found a doctor at Ohio State's cancer center who was running studies of experimental drugs for gastrointestinal cancers. Boyed signed herself up. Genetic tests on her tumors revealed a mutation in a gene called FGFR (short for "fibroblast growth factor receptor"), which was likely spurring the cancer's growth. The doctor gave her an experimental drug, called BGJ398, to inhibit the action of the FGFR mutation. Boyed's symptoms cleared up, the tumors stopped growing, and she regained the weight she had lost. That was three years ago. These days Boyed gets downright bubbly when she tells the story. "I basically lead a normal life now," she says. "I just watched my son graduate from high school. I think I actually did more in the past [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-07-17T11:52:27-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

New guidelines for patients suffering from mucositis or oral ulcerations from head and neck cancer treatment

Source: business.financialpost.com Author: press release MedX Health Corp. announces it will initiate a targeted marketing campaign following an announcement by a worldwide coalition of researchers and clinicians who have agreed that light therapy is among the most effective interventions for the prevention of oral mucositis and painful ulcers in the mouth and throat resulting from cancer therapy. The Company said this represents a significant sales opportunity in Canada and the United States for MedX’s photobiomodulation therapy devices. The new guidelines from the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (“MASCC”) and International Society of Oral Oncology (“ISOO”), recently published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, present a significant upgrade in care guidelines for adult cancer patients worldwide (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31286228). More than 70,000 head and neck cancers are diagnosed annually in Canada and the United States, and it is documented that 100% of patients undergoing radiation therapy for these cancers will develop mucositis, which patients report as the worst side effect of their cancer treatment. Pain from the condition can slow or delay cancer treatment, and in severe cases require hospitalization. “Cancer patients can now benefit from this non-invasive, non-pharmacological treatment for a common, debilitating side effect of treatment,” said Dr. Praveen Arany, DDS, PhD, the current President of the World Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy (W.A.L.T.), a co-corresponding author on the MASCC/ISOO paper and assistant professor of oral biology and biomedical engineering at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. “Recent advancements in our understanding of mechanisms of low dose [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-07-17T06:24:34-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

They turn to Facebook and YouTube to find a cure for cancer — and get sucked into a world of bogus medicine

Source: The Washington Post Date: June 25th, 2019 Author: Abby Ohlheiser Mari pressed kale leaves through the juicer, preparing the smoothie that she believed had saved her life. “I’m a cancer-killer, girl,” Mari told her niece, who stood next to her in the kitchen. The pair were filming themselves for a YouTube video. Mari said she was in remission from a dangerous form of cancer, and the video was meant as a testimony to what she believed was the power of the “lemon ginger blast.” In went some cucumber, some apple, some bok choy, a whole habanero pepper. While she pressed, she preached. “I’m telling you, it’s anti-cancer,” Mari said. “It’ll kill your cancer cells.” The video, first uploaded in 2016, remains on YouTube, but there’s an “important update” attached to the video’s description. It was written by Liz, the niece, a year later. Mari’s cancer had returned, the note said, and she had died. When Mari’s cancer came back, Liz wrote, her aunt opted to do chemotherapy. Her smoothie recipe remains online, with 506,000 views and counting. “I will not take down her videos,” wrote Liz, who declined to comment for this story, in the description of a follow-up video, “as they continue to help people.” I found Mari’s videos without looking for them last fall, when a search for a smoothie recipe opened up an algorithmic tunnel to videos that claimed to know the secret to curing cancer. These tunnels, forged by Google searches and Facebook recommendations, connect [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-07-10T11:16:26-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Updated HPV vaccine recommendations follow big HPV infection drops shown in new study

Source: www.forbes.com Author: Tara Haelle A vial of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Adults up to age 45 are now recommended to discuss with their doctors getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which prevents 3% of all cancer in women and 2% of all cancer in men—an estimated 34,000 cancers a year in the U.S. Following confirmation from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the recommendations also extend the age in men from age 21 to age 26, the same as in women. The decision from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) July 26 came the same day The Lancet published the largest study to date on the vaccine’s effectiveness. The meta-analysis of 65 studies found drops of 31%-83% of HPV infections and genital warts in men and women, depending on age and diagnosis. HPV is responsible for nearly all cervical cancer, over 90% of anal cancer, 70% of oral, throat and neck cancers and over 60% of penile cancer. Though HPV is primarily transmitted through sexual contact, non-sexual transmission occurs as well. Previously, the HPV vaccine had been recommended for females and males in a series of two doses up to age 14 or three doses up to age 26 in women and age 21 in men. Men ages 22-26 could also get the vaccine. ACIP’s unanimous vote to extend the recommendation to age 26 in men corresponds to evidence showing the vaccine’s substantial benefits [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-07-05T06:35:12-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine benefits ‘exceed expectations,’ may lead to elimination of cervical cancer

Source: NBC News Date: June 27, 2019 Author: Katie Sullivan A new study suggests that the benefits of the vaccine extend to people who aren't vaccinated — meaning the more people who are vaccinated, the better. The HPV vaccine is far more effective than expected, with benefits extending beyond those who receive the vaccine, a study published Wednesday finds. The new study, published in The Lancet, suggests that the more people who receive the vaccine, the better. That’s because vaccination not only reduces rates of HPV infection and the presence of precancerous cells in the cervix in people who receive the vaccine, it also reduces rates of HPV-related diseases in people who were not vaccinated. The findings come as a U.S. federal advisory panel recommended Wednesday that the HPV vaccine be given to both men and women up to age 26. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the leading cause of cervical cancer. The virus can also cause other cancers, including cancers of the penis, head and neck, as well as conditions like genital warts. The HPV vaccine was first introduced in 2006. Since then, more than 115 countries and territories have implemented it in their vaccination programs. The World Health Organization recommends that girls ages 9 to 13 receive two doses of the vaccine. “The impact of the HPV vaccination has actually exceeded expectations,” said Lauri Markowitz, associate director of science for HPV at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked on the study. "The trials showed that HPV vaccines are very effective, and data [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-06-28T09:50:32-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons praise HPV vaccination study

Source: www.nationalhealthexecutive.com Author: staff The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) has welcomed new study findings from the two-year Cancer Research study in Scotland that the HPV vaccination for boys may substantially reduce head and neck cancer. BAOMS had been involved in successfully lobbying for the extension to the HPV to boys last year in England and Northern Ireland. Life-threatening HPV-related cancers can develop during middle age, but boys had been excluded from the national HPV vaccination programme. Currently the cost of treating HPV-driven mouth and throat cancer to the NHS is approximately £30m a year. Since the UK-wide immunisation scheme for girls aged 12 and 13 was introduced in 2008, data shows a reduction of up to 90% of pre-cancerous cells in the smear tests among women aged 20. BAOMS Chair, Patrick Magennis, said: “Between 2010 and 2012 nearly 2,000 men had HPV-related head and neck cancer. Over half of these oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV, and in the last decade alone the incidence of these cancers has doubled in the UK population. “Current evidence suggests that vaccination of boys in their teenage years will prevent them from developing HPV-related cancers in middle age, so the introduction of male vaccination is timely.” He welcomed the publication of the new study, which found that, over two years, in the 235 male patients in Scotland with head and neck cancer, HPV was present in 60% of cases. The findings follow an earlier report, which suggested routine vaccination of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-26T08:00:50-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

How dental professionals can help patients with xerostomia

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Jennifer Pettit, CRDH Xerostomia affects up to 65% of the population, according to the American Academy of Oral Medicine.1 Many patients might experience dry mouth and accept it as a part of their life without seeking treatment or mentioning it to a health-care professional. It is important to recognize the signs of xerostomia to help reduce patients' symptoms and prevent the consequences it carries. Xerostomia is the reduction of salivary flow. The majority of saliva is produced by the parotid gland, followed by the lingual and submandibular glands. Saliva plays multiple roles in the oral cavity. It carries enzymes to help us digest food. It moistens food to create a bolus for easy passage through the esophagus. It also carries buffering agents to neutralize the pH of the oral environment, which can help prevent demineralization of tooth structure and caries lesions. It protects the oral mucosa and tongue from irritants such as bacteria and fungus. Lastly, it cleanses the teeth of small food particles.1 Hyposalivation is associated with many factors. According to the American Dental Association, more than 400 medications cause dry mouth as a side effect.2 The most well-known prescriptions to cause dry mouth are antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, bronchodilators, and certain hypertension medications.2 Other factors contributing to low saliva flow are aging, smoking, radiation therapy to the neck and head, and some diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid dysfunctions, and Sjögren’s syndrome, just to mention a few.2 Oral manifestations of xerostomia include dry [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-26T06:15:59-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Meet the New York couple donating millions to the anti-vax movement

Source: The Washington Post Date: June 19th, 2019 Authors: Lana H. Sun & Amy Brittain A wealthy Manhattan couple has emerged as significant financiers of the anti-vaccine movement, contributing more than $3 million in recent years to groups that stoke fears about immunizations online and at live events — including two forums this year at the epicenter of measles outbreaks in New York’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Hedge fund manager and philanthropist Bernard Selz and his wife, Lisa, have long donated to organizations focused on the arts, culture, education and the environment. But seven years ago, their private foundation embraced a very different cause: groups that question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. How the Selzes came to support anti-vaccine ideas is unknown, but their financial impact has been enormous. Their money has gone to a handful of determined individuals who have played an outsize role in spreading doubt and misinformation about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. The groups’ false claims linking vaccines to autism and other ailments, while downplaying the risks of measles, have led growing numbers of parents to shun the shots. As a result, health officials have said, the potentially deadly disease has surged to at least 1,044 cases this year, the highest number in nearly three decades. The Selz Foundation provides roughly three-fourths of the funding for the Informed Consent Action Network, a three-year-old charity that describes its mission as promoting drug and vaccine safety and parental choice in vaccine decisions. Lisa Selz serves as the group’s president, but its public face [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-06-24T13:07:48-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Merck’s Keytruda wins FDA approval to treat head and neck cancer

Source: Reuters Date: June 11, 2019 Author: Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu; Editing by Shailesh Kuber (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a type of head and neck cancer. The drug was approved for use as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with a common chemotherapy regimen, to treat previously untreated patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, Merck said. The approval is based on results from a late-stage trial, where Keytruda showed a significant improvement in overall survival in cancer patients, Merck said. Keytruda, a type of immunotherapy called a PD-1 inhibitor, is already an approved treatment for several forms of cancer, including lung and skin cancers. Head and neck cancer includes tumors in the mouth, tongue, nose, sinuses, throat and lymph nodes in the neck. Merck estimates that there will be more than 65,000 new cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed in 2019 in the United States. Keytruda works by increasing the ability of patients’ immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells. The drug has been amassing approvals as a standalone therapy and in combination with other drugs to treat several forms of cancer. It is the leading immunotherapy for treating lung cancer, ahead of rival drugs from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and AstraZeneca. Keytruda, first approved for advanced melanoma in 2014, is Merck’s most important growth driver. It has overtaken Bristol’s Opdivo as the [...]

Brian Hill2019-06-12T09:48:16-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|