chemotherapy – Page 8 – Oral Cancer News

Possibility of cure For HPV positive throat cancer patients—new research

Source: au.ibtimes.com Author: Samantha Richardson A new research conducted by Dr. Sophie Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada revealed that throat cancer caused by the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) can possibly be cured. The research is of utmost importance as it is the first to provide substantial evidence to prove that patients suffering from oropharynx cancer can be healed. The disease also spreads to other parts of the body. The press release disclosed that the tumours remain passive and go undetected for over two years in most case, which makes it incurable. The research was presented at the 5th International Conference on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO) on Friday. She states that cure is possible among patients suffering from oropharyngeal cancer is possible for the first time. "Our research, the largest study to date to explore survival predictors for metastatic HPV+ and HPV- oropharyngeal cancer patients,” says Dr. Huang. For the research, 934 patients suffering from HPV+ OPC were studied. All subjects were patients treated at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre between 2000 and 2011. The researchers found two types of distinct metastases or tumours in other parts of the body away from the source in HPV+ patients: "explosive" and "indolent" metastases. The former grows and spreads quicker while the latter is slower and manifests itself as oligometastasis. However, they found the lung as the most common metastatic site in both HPV+ and HPV- patients. According [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:44:17-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Band Announces Iron Maiden Singer is Battling Tongue Cancer

Source: usatoday.comAuthor: Maria Puente Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is being treated for cancer of the tongue, the heavy metal band announced on its website Thursday. But it was caught early, seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation have just been completed, and a full recovery is expected, the announcement said. "Bruce is doing very well considering the circumstances and the whole team are very positive," it concluded. The announcement said that before Christmas, Dickinson visited his doctor for a routine check-up. This led to tests and biopsies, which revealed a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. "As the tumor was caught in the early stages, the prognosis thankfully is extremely good," the announcement said. "Bruce's medical team fully expect him to make a complete recovery with the all-clear envisaged by late May. "It will then take a further few months for Bruce to get back to full fitness. In the meantime we would ask for your patience, understanding and respect for Bruce and his family's privacy until we update everyone by the end of May." Dickinson, 56, joined the British megastar band in the early 1980s, and is also a commercial airline pilot. Iron Maiden's hits include Run to the Hills and The Number of the Beast. Last year, the band announced that Clive Burr, former drummer with Iron Maiden, had died in his London home in March. He was 56 and had multiple sclerosis. *This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2015-02-20T11:59:27-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

New research shows possibility of cure for HPV positive throat cancer patients

Source: Eurek Alert! The Global Source for Science News Nice, France: Patients with cancer of the throat caused by the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) have a better prognosis than those who are negative for the virus (HPV-). Now, for the first time, researchers have shown with convincing evidence that a group of patients with HPV+ cancer of the oropharynx (the part of the throat located behind the mouth, that makes up the region of the tonsils and the back part of the tongue where it connects to the swallowing part of the throat), can be cured in some cases even after disease has spread to distant organs in the body, like the lungs. Dr Sophie Huang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada, will tell the 5th International Conference on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO) today (Friday) that her research has shown that, following intensive treatment, certain patients with HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and distant metastases (tumours appearing in an organ not directly related to the primary cancer site) can survive for more than two years without further evidence of disease. Such cancers are usually considered to be incurable, and the goal of treatment is usually limited to symptom control. "Our research, the largest study to date to explore survival predictors for metastatic HPV+ and HPV- oropharyngeal cancer patients, has shown that cure is a realistic goal in those patients with oligometastasis - metastases involving five or fewer [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-13T08:37:16-07:00February, 2015|OCF In The News|

Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer

Source: www.npr.org Author: staff When Barbara Marder was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, she had part of her right lung removed, went through a round of chemotherapy and tried to move on with her life. "I had hoped that everything was fine — that I would not create difficulty for my children, that I would get to see my grandchildren grow up," says Marder, 73, of Arnold, Md. But a routine scan a year later found bad news: The cancer was back — this time in her other lung. "I was very disappointed," says Marder. She knew her prognosis was grim. "I decided at that point that ... I should think about the fact that perhaps this was going to advance rapidly at this point. And check and make sure: Is my will in order? What should I do so that my children aren't left with a mess to clean up in my house?" But Marder didn't give up. She started exploring her options, which eventually brought her to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where doctors are testing a new type of cancer treatment known as immunotherapy. "Immunotherapy for cancer means developing treatments to harness your immune system and using your own immune system to fight the cancer," says Dr. Julie Brahmer, an associate professor of oncology and Marder's doctor. Scientists have been trying to do this for decades. After all, our immune systems can fight off all kinds of health threats. So, why not cancer? But nothing seemed [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-11T08:10:05-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Patients undergoing radiation therapy benefit from animal assisted therapy

Source: radiationtherapynews.com Author: staff According to a recent study published in the Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, therapy dogs can help improve the emotional state of some cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. The study, developed by Mount Sinai Beth Israel researchers, found that cancer patients who are undergoing intensive multi-modal concomitant radiation therapy together with chemotherapy for gastrointestinal, head and neck cancers, benefited from therapy dog’s visits in terms of their emotional well-being and life quality, even during therapy phases where physical decline was more pronounced. This research was funded by The Good Dog Foundation, a provider of professionally trained therapy dogs, Zoetis, an animal health company and the Pfizer Foundation. “This study is the first such definitive study in cancer, and it highlights the merits of animal- assisted visits using the same scientific standards as we hold for the cancer treatment itself. It shows the importance of an innovative environmental intervention during cancer treatment,” Stewart B. Fleishman, MD, principal investigator and Founding Director of Cancer Supportive Services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, said in a news release. “Having an animal-assisted visit significantly improved their quality of life and ‘humanized’ a high-tech treatment,” he said. “Patients said they would have stopped their treatments before completion, except for the presence of the certified Good Dog Foundation therapy dog and volunteer handler.” “Thanks to this rigorously designed study, we now have strong evidence that pet therapy is an effective tool to help cancer patients get through challenging treatments,” added Gabriel A. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-01-17T12:32:13-07:00January, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Antacids linked to better survival in patients with head and neck cancer

Source: www.oncologynurseadvisor.com Author: Kathy Boltz, PhD Patients with head and neck cancer who used antacid medicines to control acid reflux had better overall survival, according to a new study. Reflux can be a common side effect of chemotherapy or radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Doctors at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor frequently prescribe two types of antacids, proton pump inhibitors or histamine 2 blockers, to help treat this side effect. The researchers reviewed 596 cases of head and neck cancer. More than two-thirds of the patients took one or both types of antacid medication after their diagnosis. Patients who were taking antacids had significantly better overall survival than those who did not take them. Proton pump inhibitors, including drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid, had the biggest effect: a 45% decreased risk of death compared with patients who did not take antacids. Patients taking histamine 2 blockers, such as Tagamet, Zantac, or Pepcid, saw a 33% decreased risk of death. "We had suspicions that these medications somehow had a favorable impact on patient outcomes. This led us to review our large cohort of patients and screen them for common medications, focusing on antacids. In fact, our study did show that people taking antacids are doing better," said lead study author Silvana Papagerakis, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School and an adjunct clinical assistant professor at the U-M School of Dentistry. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-12-31T06:18:03-07:00December, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Revolutionary new approach uses advanced technology to remove head and neck cancer tumors

Source: www.news-medical.net Author: staff In a groundbreaking new study, UCLA researchers have for the first time advanced a surgical technique performed with the help of a robot to successfully access a previously-unreachable area of the head and neck. This pioneering method can now be used safely and efficiently in patients to remove tumors that many times were previously thought to be inoperable, or necessitated the use of highly-invasive surgical techniques in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Developed by Dr. Abie Mendelsohn, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member and director of head and neck robotic surgery at UCLA, this new approach provides the surgical community with a leading-edge technology roadmap to treat patients who had little or no hope of living cancer-free lives. "This is a revolutionary new approach that uses highly advanced technology to reach the deepest areas of the head and neck," said Mendelsohn, lead author of the study. "Patients can now be treated in a manner equivalent to that of a straightforward dental procedure and go back to leading normal, healthy lives in a matter of days with few or even no side effects." A New Approach to Saving Lives The parapharyngeal space is pyramid-shaped area that lies near the base of the human skull and connects several deep compartments of the head and neck. It is lined with many large blood vessels, nerves and complex facial muscles, making access to the space via traditional surgical options often impossible or highly invasive. Current surgical techniques can necessitate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-12-11T09:25:46-07:00December, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Critical Outcome Technologies and MD Anderson Cancer Center to evaluate COTI-2 in treating head and neck cancers

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. ("COTI"), the bioinformatics and accelerated drug discovery company, announced today that it recently executed a material transfer agreement ("MTA") with Dr. Jeffery Myers, MD, PhD, FACS of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for the continued evaluation of COTI-2 in the potential treatment of patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer ("HNSCC"). There are approximately 500,000 new cases worldwide of HNSCC a year, making it the sixth leading cancer in terms of new cases. In the United States, HNSCC is considered to be a rare disease and therefore represents a second "Orphan Disease" opportunity for COTI-2. If HNSCC is caught at an early stage, current therapies, which include surgery and radiation followed by chemotherapy, can be effective. Unfortunately, HNSCC tumors with p53 mutations tend to be more difficult to treat with such mutations occurring in 30-70% of HNSCC tumors. These mutations are associated with poorer patient outcomes as traditional chemotherapy, using the current first line chemotherapy, cisplatin, is often ineffective. The overall five-year survival rate of patients with HNSCC is 40-50%. As a small molecule activator of misfolded mutant p53 protein, COTI-2 has demonstrated in preclinical studies its ability to restore p53 function and thus induce cancer cell death for many common p53 mutations. As previously announced, the Company is planning a Phase 1 study in gynecological cancers (ovarian, cervical and endometrial) at MD Anderson with Dr. Gordon Mills and his team and these studies in HNSCC with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-10-23T06:30:17-07:00October, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Many head and neck cancer patients can avoid neck surgery

Source: medicalxpress.comAuthor: Staff A new study shows that patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) – the same virus associated with both cervical and head and neck cancer – positive oropharyngeal cancer see significantly higher rates of complete response on a post-radiation neck dissection than those with HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer. Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers presented the findings at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 56th Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 17. "For patients that achieve a complete response, neck surgery is probably unnecessary," says Thomas J. Galloway, MD, Attending Physician and Director of Clinical Research at Fox Chase and lead author on the study. After radiation and chemotherapy to remove tumors from the tonsils or back of the tongue, many head and neck cancer patients still have persistent lumps in their neck, albeit perhaps smaller than when they were first diagnosed. "The question is: Do we need to remove those lumps, as well, or can we just let them dissolve on their own?" asks Dr. Galloway. To investigate, he and his colleagues reviewed the medical records from 396 patients whose oropharyngeal tumors had spread to at least one lymph node. Within 180 days after completing radiation therapy, 146 patients underwent neck surgery. For 99 patients, their records indicated whether or not their tumors had likely been triggered by HPV. Interestingly, patients with HPV often respond better to treatment for their oropharyngeal tumors than those without. The researchers noted the same trend here – people who tested positive for HPV (measured by the presence of a protein called [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-09-18T10:27:59-07:00September, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Many throat cancer patients can skip neck surgery

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: Fox Chase Cancer Center A new study shows that patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) – the same virus associated with both cervical and head and neck cancer – positive oropharyngeal cancer see significantly higher rates of complete response on a post-radiation neck dissection than those with HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer. Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers presented the findings at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 56th Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 17. "For patients that achieve a complete response, neck surgery is probably unnecessary," says Thomas J. Galloway, MD, Attending Physician and Director of Clinical Research at Fox Chase and lead author on the study. After radiation and chemotherapy to remove tumors from the tonsils or back of the tongue, many head and neck cancer patients still have persistent lumps in their neck, albeit perhaps smaller than when they were first diagnosed. "The question is: Do we need to remove those lumps, as well, or can we just let them dissolve on their own?" asks Dr. Galloway. To investigate, he and his colleagues reviewed the medical records from 396 patients whose oropharyngeal tumors had spread to at least one lymph node. Within 180 days after completing radiation therapy, 146 patients underwent neck surgery. For 99 patients, their records indicated whether or not their tumors had likely been triggered by HPV. Interestingly, patients with HPV often respond better to treatment for their oropharyngeal tumors than those without. The researchers noted the same trend here – people who tested positive [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-09-17T18:59:34-07:00September, 2014|Oral Cancer News|