chemotherapy – Page 25 – Oral Cancer News

Hollywood star’s diagnosis highlights high risk of mouth cancer

Source: www.dentalhealth.org.uk Author: press release THE British Dental Health Foundation, which runs UK Mouth Cancer Action Month each November, is calling for more attention to be paid to mouth cancers reminding people that there is a death from mouth cancer on average every five hours in the UK. Oral health experts and the Foundation are advising the public to regularly check their mouths after news broke this week of actor Michael Douglas being diagnosed with oral cancer. The Academy Award winner has recently been diagnosed with a tumour in his throat, and now faces an eight–week cause of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This high profile case has brought oral cancers into the lime light, and oral health experts are keen to make the public more aware of the key risk factors and early warning signs. Douglas quit smoking in 2006, after a long ‘half a packet a day’ habit. Yet, the possibility of developing oral cancer remains higher for ex–smokers than non–smokers for 20 years after quitting. Tobacco is considered to be the main cause of mouth cancer, with three in four cases being linked to smoking. Drinking in excess is also a known factor, with those who both smoke and drink to excess being up 30 times more likely to be at risk. The Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter said: “It is crucial the public know about the risk factors and early symptoms as early detection can save lives. Survival rates can increase from [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-08-19T19:03:52-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

HPV-positive oropharnygeal cancer has better prognosis than tobacco-induced cancer

Source: www.enttoday.org Author: Alice Goodma Mounting evidence suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer has an improved prognosis compared with HPV-negative disease. The most recent supportive evidence comes from an analysis of a Phase III trial presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Our study showed that HPV status is as strong a predictor of outcome as cancer stage for patients with oropharyngeal cancers, even after considering other factors such as age and smoking history, said lead author Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Epidemiology, and Otolaryngology at Ohio State University in Columbus. Dr. Gillison said that tumor HPV status should now be part of the routine workup of patients with oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharyngeal cancers are mainly attributable to chronic tobacco use and smoking, or to HPV infection. Retrospective analyses, meta-analysis, and small trials have suggested that HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is a distinct entity, and the present Phase III study provides the most compelling evidence, she said, because it is the largest study to date. It is not clear why HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer has a better prognosis. In the trial, HPV-positive patients were younger, mostly Caucasian, and had improved performance status and smaller tumors. Dr. Gillison said that these factors could have a positive influence on survival. Survival Benefit The retrospective correlative analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0129, presented by Dr. Gillison, focused on outcome according to HPV status. The randomized study included 206 patients with cancers positive for [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-08-16T10:19:03-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Marginal misses after postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Source: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, July 23, 2010 Author: AM Chen et al. Purpose: To describe the spatial distribution of local-regional recurrence (LRR) among patients treated postoperatively with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer. Methods and materials: The medical records of 90 consecutive patients treated by gross total resection and postoperative IMRT for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck from January 2003 to July 2009 were reviewed. Sites of disease were the oral cavity (43 patients), oropharynx (20 patients), larynx (15 patients), and hypopharynx (12 patients). Fifty patients (56%) received concurrent chemotherapy. Results: Seventeen of 90 patients treated with postoperative IMRT experienced LRR, yielding a 2-year estimate of local regional control of 80%. Among the LRR patients, 11 patients were classified as in-field recurrences, occurring within the physician-designated clinical target volume, and 6 patients were categorized as marginal recurrences. There were no out-of-field geographical misses. Sites of marginal LRRs included the contralateral neck adjacent to the spared parotid gland (3 patients), the dermal/subcutaneous surface (2 patients), and the retropharyngeal/retrostyloid lymph node region (1 patient). Conclusions: Although the incidence of geographical misses was relatively low, the possibility of this phenomenon should be considered in the design of target volumes among patients treated by postoperative IMRT for head and neck cancer. Authors: AM Chen, DG Farwell, Q Luu, LM Chen, S Vijayakumar, and JA Purdy Authors' affiliaton: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-08-03T18:25:07-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Herpes virus used to treat cancer

Source: BBC News Author: Emma Wilkinson Doctors say they have used a genetically engineered herpes virus to treat successfully patients with head and neck cancer. A London hospital trial of 17 patients found that use of the virus alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy helped kill the tumours in most patients. It works by getting into cancer cells, killing them from the inside, and also boosting the patient's immune system. Further trials are planned for later in the year. Head and neck cancer, which includes cancer of the mouth, tongue and throat, affects up to 8,000 people every year in the UK. Study leader Dr Kevin Harrington, who is based at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said current treatments were effective if the cancer was picked up early but that many patients were not diagnosed until it was more advanced. The herpes virus, which is also being tested in patients with skin cancer, is genetically manipulated so that it grows inside tumour cells but cannot infect normal healthy cells. Once there it has a triple effect - it multiplies, killing tumour cells as it does so, it is engineered to produce a human protein that activates the immune system and it also makes a viral protein that acts as a red flag to immune cells. 'Potential weapon' In the 17 patients injected with the virus, in addition to their standard treatment, at the Royal Marsden Hospital, 93% showed no trace of cancer after their tumour had been surgically removed. More [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-08-03T15:24:00-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Herpes virus treats head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.healthcanal.com Author: staff A genetically engineered cold sore virus has been used to treat head and neck cancer patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial run by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The herpes simplex virus, known as OncoVEX and owned by BioVex Inc, had been modified so it multiplies inside cancer cells but not healthy cells. It bursts and kills tumour cells and, by expressing a human protein, it also helps stimulate patients’ immune systems. The virus was injected into 17 patients’ cancer-affected lymph nodes in up to four doses, and the patients were also given radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Head and neck tumour shrinkage could be seen on scans for 14 patients (82.3%), while 93 per cent of patients had no trace of residual cancer in their lymph nodes during subsequent surgery to remove them. After an average follow-up time of 29 months (19 to 40 months), 82.4 per cent of patients had not succumbed to the disease. Only two of 13 patients given the virus treatment at a high dose relapsed. “Around 35 to 55 per cent of patients given the standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment typically relapse within two years, so these results compare very favourably,” Principal Investigator Dr Kevin Harrington from the ICR and The Royal Marsden says. “This was a small study so the results should be interpreted with caution; however the very high rates of tumour response have led to the decision to take this [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-31T06:55:58-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Get moving: cancer survivors urged to exercise

Source: apnews.myway.com Author: Lauran Neergaard New guidelines are urging survivors to exercise more, even - hard as it may sound - those who haven't yet finished their treatment. There's growing evidence that physical activity improves quality of life and eases some cancer-related fatigue. More, it can help fend off a serious decline in physical function that can last long after therapy is finished. Consider: In one year, women who needed chemotherapy for their breast cancer can see a swapping of muscle for fat that's equivalent to 10 years of normal aging, says Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In other words, a 45-year-old may find herself with the fatter, weaker body type of a 55-year-old. Scientists have long advised that being overweight and sedentary increases the risk for various cancers. Among the nation's nearly 12 million cancer survivors, there are hints - although not yet proof - that people who are more active may lower risk of a recurrence. And like everyone who ages, the longer cancer survivors live, the higher their risk for heart disease that exercise definitely fights. The American College of Sports Medicine convened a panel of cancer and exercise specialists to evaluate the evidence. Guidelines issued this month advise cancer survivors to aim for the same amount of exercise as recommended for the average person: about 2 1/2 hours a week. Patients still in treatment may not feel up to that much, the guidelines acknowledge, but should avoid inactivity on their good [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-28T20:08:45-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer doesn’t silence North Carolina man

Source: The Cherokee Scout Author: Lizz Harold Marble – Switching out one form of tobacco for another, Rick Miller, 44, learned how to quit smoking and dipping the hard way. Miller went to a doctor in March to see if an ulcer inside his mouth could be removed. He expected a round of antibiotics or oral surgery. He figured he would be back to dipping as usual after it was taken care of. “I really didn’t have any symptoms. I got an ulcer underneath my tongue. They thought it was all it was,” Miller said. Miller’s wife, Nicolia, did what most people do when they suspect they have an ailment. She went online and did an Internet search. After doing her own research, she was convinced it was mouth cancer, and Miller decided to see a specialist to see if their suspicions were correct. “Everything happened so fast after that,” Miller said. Informed by the specialist that he had oral cancer, he was immediately set up with a chemotherapy and radiation doctor. The father of four, two who are twin toddlers, had to undergo bouts of chemotherapy – including days where it was pumping into him everyday. From dipping to smoking Eight years ago, he stopped a 21-year smoking habit and began dipping tobacco. After more than 30 years of combined tobacco use, Miller has been forced to give up his addiction. “I gave up smoking and needed something to fill the void,” Miller said. He said he got a [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-03T15:55:07-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Robotic tongue cancer surgery-Mayo Clinic

Fighting cancer is not easy. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can be very hard on your body. Take head and neck cancers, for example. These tumors are often hard to reach. Doctors have to cut through bones such as your jaw to reach them. Now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are using robots to access these cancers through your mouth, leaving face bones intact.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-26T19:14:12-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Nuggets’ coach again fighting cancer- this time of the throat

Source: ESPN Author: Ric Bucher Denver Nuggets coach George Karl informed his team Tuesday afternoon that he is in another fight for his life with cancer. Karl, who had been cancer-free since prostate surgery in July 2005, discovered a worrisome lump on his neck about six weeks ago. A biopsy determined that it was "very treatable and curable" form of neck and throat cancer, Karl said, but it will still require an intense program of radiation and chemotherapy that will probably force him to miss some regular-season games. "Cancer is a vicious opponent," he said. "Even the ones that are treatable, you never get a 100-percent guaranteed contract." Treatment will consist of 35 sessions over the next six weeks, for what the Nuggets Web site called squamous cell head/neck cancer. The sessions are expected to leave his throat extremely raw, requiring him to be fed through his stomach in the final weeks. "Keeping up your nutrition is a big part of the challenge," he said. While the condition is treatable, his doctor, Jacques Saari, said Karl faces a taxing treatment regimen. He said the chemotherapy was intended to make the cancerous cells in Karl's body more susceptible to the effects of radiation. Then, he said, "The idea is to really hit it hard with radiation therapy." But the radiation, to be administered continuously for five days a week for the next six weeks, will take a physical toll on Karl, especially during the latter portion of treatment, Saari said. "Coach [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-02-17T15:41:54-07:00February, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Induction chemotherapy before concomitant chemoradiotherapy improves outcomes of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer

Source: CancerConsultants Author: Staff Researchers from Italy have reported that induction (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy prior to concomitant chemoradiotherapy improves outcomes of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. The details of this Phase II randomized trial were published early online in the Annals of Oncology on December 23, 2009.[1] There have been several randomized and non-randomized clinical trials suggesting that the concomitant administration of platinum-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy is superior to radiotherapy alone for the treatment of patients with advanced head and neck cancer for local and regional control. Most trials, but not all, have also shown a survival advantage for combined treatment. Two randomized trials in the May 7, 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine documented the effects of adding platinum-based chemotherapy to post-operative radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with advanced head and neck cancers. A recent large randomized trial performed by the UK Head and Neck (UKHAN1) trial reported that concurrent chemoradiotherapy reduces recurrences and death in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. However, researchers are still attempting to determine the optimal way to administer radiotherapy and chemotherapy to improve outcomes of patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Previous Phase II non-randomized studies have suggested benefit from neoadjuvant induction chemotherapy prior to the administration of definitive concomitant chemoradiotherapy for treatment of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. The current study involved 101 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer who were randomly allocated to treatment with concomitant chemoradiotherapy alone or to [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-03-05T07:37:01-07:00February, 2010|Oral Cancer News|