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Morning smoking linked to higher risk of head and neck cancer

Source: www.nursingtimes.net Author: staff Smokers who light up first thing in the morning have a higher risk of developing head and neck cancer than those who wait that little bit longer for their first cigarette of the day, a study has suggested. A research team from the Penn State College of Medicine in America investigated whether nicotine dependence, as characterised by the time smokers take to have their first cigarette after waking, affects smokers’ risk of lung, head and neck cancers independent of cigarette smoking frequency and duration. They analysed 1,055 people with head and neck cancers and 795 who did not have cancer, all of whom were cigarette smokers. Individuals who smoked 31 minutes to an hour after waking were 1.42 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer than those who waited more than hour before having a nicotine fix. Those who waited less than half an hour to have their first cigarette of the day were 1.59 times as likely to develop head and neck cancer. According to Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society, the results of the study may help identify smokers who have an especially high risk of developing cancer and would therefore benefit from targeted smoking interventions. Dr Joshua Muscar, lead researcher, said: “These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more.”

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-08T09:05:20-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Are lozenges and other smokeless products safer alternatives to smoking?

Source: Pennsylvania's Fox News Tobacco company rep David Howard waxes enthusiastic when he talks about a new product his employer, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., has developed: a pellet of finely cured tobacco, binders and flavoring that dissolves in the mouth in 10 minutes. Under test market in two U.S. cities — Denver and Charlotte, N.C. — Camel Orbs will join two dissolvable tobacco lozenges already on the market if it graduates to broader distribution. And Howard is optimistic it will. "These products provide smokers with an option to enjoy the pleasure of nicotine without bothering others," Howard said. "No secondhand smoke. No spitting. No cigarette butt." Dissolvable tobacco consists of small pieces of compressed, finely ground tobacco powder, binders and flavorings that are shaped into pellets, sticks or strips. When placed in the mouth, they dissolve within minutes, providing a nicotine hit. The tobacco industry says that the products contain far fewer cancer-causing chemicals such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines and are a "harm reduction" strategy that, like electronic cigarettes, might help people turn to less risky tobacco habits or eventually quit smoking. But public health officials and anti-smoking advocates fear that the products will help initiate a new generation of smokers. The flavoring and packaging appeal to children, they argue, and teenagers will gravitate toward a product they can easily hide. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration will take up the issue with an advisory committee hearing on the effect of dissolvable tobacco products on public health. "Tobacco companies are [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-07-22T10:44:37-07:00July, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Cigarette ads, packages must include oral cancer warnings, says FDA

Source: http://www.healthcanal.com/ Author: Craig Palmer, ADA News staff The Food and Drug Administration will require use of a “cancerous lesion on lip” image in cigarette advertising and packaging for its potential to motivate positive behavioral change, influence youth and young adults in particular and inform the public that cigarettes cause oral cancer. Flexing its regulatory muscle on the second anniversary of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law June 22, 2009, the FDA unveiled nine graphic health warnings to be placed on all cigarette packs, cartons and ads no later than Sept. 22, 2012. “The nine new health warning statements and the accompanying graphic images selected by FDA convey information that is factual and uncontroversial,” the agency said in the regulatory notice. The FDA simultaneously announced a public inquiry and request for comments on the public health impact of modified risk tobacco products sold or distributed for use to reduce harm or the risk of tobacco-related disease associated with commercially marketed tobacco products. The FDA scheduled a public forum Aug. 25-26 to obtain information on “the scientific issues associated with assessment and ongoing review of MRTPs.” These include smokeless and other products promoted as alternatives to cigarette smoking. The Association supported the 2009 tobacco control law, and has advised the FDA on using the law to shape public tobacco policy. “Dentists are the first line of defense in the war against oral cancer and many other tobacco-related diseases,” the Association told the FDA in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-06-25T08:30:12-07:00June, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

FDA issues graphic cigarette labels

Source: apnews.myway.com Author: Michael Felberbaum In the most significant change to U.S. cigarette packs in 25 years, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released nine new warning labels that depict in graphic detail the negative health effects of tobacco use. Among the images to appear on cigarette packs are rotting and diseased teeth and gums and a man with a tracheotomy smoking. Also included among the labels are: the corpse of a smoker, diseased lungs, and a mother holding her baby with smoke swirling around them. They include phrases like "Smoking can kill you" and "Cigarettes cause cancer" and feature graphic images to convey the dangers of tobacco, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths in the U.S. a year. Each label includes a national quit smoking hotline number. The labels will take up the top half of a pack of cigarette packs. Warning labels also must appear in advertisements and constitute 20 percent of an ad. Cigarette makers have until the fall of 2012 to comply. Mandates to introduce new graphic warning labels were part of a law passed in 2009 that, for the first time, gave the federal government authority to regulate tobacco, including setting guidelines for marketing and labeling, banning certain products and limiting nicotine. The announcement follows reviews of scientific literature, public comments and results from an FDA-contracted study of 36 labels proposed last November. In recent years, more than 30 countries or jurisdictions have introduced labels similar to those being introduced by the FDA. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-06-21T04:52:43-07:00June, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

House GOP targets tobacco programs

Source: www.desmoinesregister.com Author: Tony Leys Iowans no longer would face gruesome photos of mouth cancer or TV portrayals of smarmy cigarette salesmen if House Republicans get their way. GOP leaders want to end to the "Just Eliminate Lies" program, which sponsors graphic anti-tobacco ads and organizes youth conferences to battle smoking. Linda Upmeyer, a Garner Republican set to become majority leader, said Just Eliminate Lies often spends money on superfluous activities, such as merchandise giveaways. "If we're going to do smoking cessation, I don't think Iowans want to buy backpacks and T-shirts," she said. House Republicans proposed junking the program this week as part of a large package of budget cuts. They also proposed ending a program called Quitline Iowa, which provides telephone counseling to people who want to quit smoking. Upmeyer said she'd heard that callers often did not get prompt responses from the contractor that runs Quitline. "These are ineffective programs," she said, and they should not be a priority in a tight budget year. Organizers denied the allegation. Cathy Callaway, who is chairwoman of the Iowa Tobacco Prevention and Control Commission, said she hadn't heard of major problems with Quitline Iowa. She also noted that the percentage of Iowa high-schoolers who smoke regularly dropped to 20 percent in 2008 from 31 percent in 2000, when Just Eliminate Lies started. She said she believes the program was targeted because of its controversial ads. A 2008 analysis of the program showed that teen smoking had declined, but it also [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-01-05T09:36:07-07:00January, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Maternal use of swedish snuff (Snus) and risk of stillbirth

Source: www.bioportfolio.com Author: Wikström, Anna-Karin Background: Swedish snuff has been discussed internationally as a safer alternative to tobacco smoking. International cigarette manufacturers are promoting new snuff products, and the use of Swedish snuff is increasing, especially among women of childbearing age. The effect of Swedish snuff on pregnancy complications is unknown. Methods: In this population-based cohort study, we estimated the risk of stillbirth in snuff users (n = 7629), light smokers (1-9 cigarettes/day; n = 41,488), and heavy smokers (>/=10 cigarettes/day; n = 17,014), using nontobacco users (n = 504,531) as reference. Results: Compared with nontobacco users, snuff users had an increased risk of stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio = 1.6 [95% confidence interval = 1.1-2.3]); the risk was higher for preterm (<37 weeks) stillbirth (2.1 [1.3-3.4]). For light smokers, the adjusted odds ratio of stillbirth was 1.4 (1.2-1.7) and the corresponding risk for heavy smokers was 2.4 (2.0-3.0). When we excluded women with preeclampsia or antenatal bleeding and infants who were small for gestational age, the smoking-related risks of stillbirth was markedly attenuated; the elevated risk for snuff users remained the same level. Conclusions: Use of Swedish snuff during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of stillbirth. The mechanism behind this increased risk seems to differ from the underlying mechanism in smokers. Swedish snuff does not appear to be a safe alternative to cigarette smoking during pregnancy. Source: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) Authors Affiliations: a Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; b Department of Women's and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-11-21T12:54:01-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Congress approves bill curbing internet tobacco sales in victory for kids and taxpayers

Source: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Author: Matthew L. Myers Voting 387 to 25, the U.S. House of Representatives today gave final congressional approval to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, legislation to curtail the growing sales of tax-evading, low-cost cigarettes and other tobacco products over the Internet and through the mail. Passage of this legislation is a milestone in the fight to keep kids from smoking and prevent tax evasion that costs state and federal taxpayers billions each year. We applaud Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), the chief House sponsor, and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), the Senate sponsor, for their leadership and persistence in pursuing this legislation and winning its approval. The Senate unanimously approved the bill onMarch 11. We look forward to President Obama continuing his strong leadership on tobacco control by signing the PACT Act into law. Internet sales of tobacco products are a serious and growing problem that keeps prices down and smoking levels up. Such sales make it easier and cheaper for kids to buy cigarettes, facilitate tax evasion and cost federal and state governments billions in revenue. Many vendors that sell cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products over the Internet or through other mail-order sales do not pay applicable tobacco taxes and do not have sufficient safeguards to prevent sales to children, such as effective policies to verify a purchaser's age. The PACT Act will: Require Internet sellers to pay all federal, state, local or Tribal tobacco taxes and affix tax stamps before delivery to any customer; Mandate that the [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-14T20:16:19-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers: B6 may cut cancer risk for smokers by 50%

Source: allyoucanreadbusiness.com Author: staff People who smoke and have a high level of vitamin B6 and other essential proteins and vitamins in their body will cut their chance of contracting lung cancer by fifty percent. According to a study by scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cigarette smoking causes many kinds of diseases like heart attack, throat cancer and so on. However, the major disease caused by smoking is lung cancer.This disease is very common and is seen in non-smokers. Deficiency in vitamin B6 and methionine is the major cause for lung cancer. Over 1.2 million people fatally fall victim to lung cancer every year. Vitamin B6 is very prevalent in vegetables, meat, nuts, and other high protein nutrient foods. Thus, taking in more vitamins and proteins daily will lessen the chance for smokers to develop lung cancer. Eighty percent of all lung cancer diagnoses are related to smoking cigarettes.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-19T12:30:56-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Incidence of oral cancer in relation to nickel and arsenic concentrations in farm soils in Taiwan

Source: 7thspace.com Author: staff Purpose: To explore if exposures to specific heavy metals in the environment is a new risk factor of oral cancer, one of the fastest growing malignancies in Taiwan, in addition to the two established risk factors, cigarette smoking and betel quid chewing. Methods: This is an observational study utilized the age-standardized incidence rates of oral cancer in the 316 townships and precincts of Taiwan, local prevalence rates of cigarette smoking and betel quid chewing, demographic factors, socio-economic conditions, and concentrations in farm soils of the eight kinds of heavy metal. Spatial regression and GIS (Geographic Information System) were used. The registration contained 22,083 patients, who were diagnosed with oral cancer between 1982 and 2002. The concentrations of metal in the soils were retrieved from a nation-wide survey in the 1980s. Results: The incidence rate of oral cancer is geographically related to the concentrations of arsenic and nickel in the patients'residential areas, with the prevalence of cigarette smoking and betel quid chewing as controlled variables. Conclusions: Beside the two established risk factors, cigarette smoking and betel quid chewing, arsenic and nickel in farm soils may be new risk factors for oral cancer. These two kinds of metal may involve in the development of oral cancer. Further studies are required to understand the pathways via which metal in the farm soils exerts its effects on human health. Notes: 1. Authors: Che-Chun SuYo-Yu LinTsun-Kuo ChangChi-Ting ChiangJian-An ChungYun-Ying HsuIe-Bin Lian 2. Source: BMC Public Health 2010, 10:67

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-02-13T10:17:43-07:00February, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Packing a heavier warning

Source: www.washingtonpost.com Author: Ranit Mishori Coming soon to the lives of American smokers: cigarette labels that go far beyond a simple warning. Imagine gruesome color photographs showing a mouth riddled with cancer, lungs blackened, a foot rotten with gangrene. If the images sound sickening, well, that's the point. Under a law signed by President Obama on June 22 -- the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act -- tobacco companies will be required to cover 50 percent of the front and rear panels of cigarette packages with color graphics showing what happens when you smoke and bold, specific labels saying such things as: "WARNING: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease." "WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children." "WARNING: Smoking can kill you." The first U.S.-mandated label in 1965 tentatively suggested "Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health." Although the language changed over time, critics have long dismissed U.S. labeling as anemic and ineffective. Indeed, the inspiration for the new labeling standards comes from abroad. Canada started the trend in 2000 with a label that showed a picture of mouth cancer. "It's the one that smokers remember more than anything else. Even after nine years," says David Hammond, a researcher from the Department of Health Studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Since then, he says, more than two dozen countries have picked up on the idea. A sampling of how explicit the labels can be: Malaysia's cigarette packs bear a photo of a diseased lung; some in Brazil show [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-05T04:48:03-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|