detection – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Increased frequency of unknown primary SCC linked to HPV–positive disease

Source: www.healio.com Author: staff The occurrence of HPV–positive unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has significantly increased in recent years, according to the results of a retrospective study. HPV–positive unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma (UPSCC) appeared most prevalent among younger men. UPSCC of the head and neck is comparatively rare, accounting for approximately 4% of squamous cell carcinomas. Trends, frequency and detection rates of UPSCCs have not been studied in the context of HPV tumor status. Carole Fakhry, MD, MPH, associate professor of oncology and otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to observe the frequency of UPSCC over time, and to evaluate the proportion of UPSCCs that are HPV positive. Researchers accessed a case series of 84 patients (mean age, 57.3 years; range, 29-80; 88.1% men) with UPSCC treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital between January 2005 and June 2014. They determined HPV tumor status through p16 immunohistochemical analysis or through high-risk HPV DNA in situ hybridization, when clinically available. The researchers observed an increase in the frequency of UPSCC over time (P for trend = .01). The trend appeared significantly higher during the most recent calendar periods (14 cases during 2005-2008 vs. 39 cases during 2012-2014; P = .03). A total of 90.7% of patients (n = 69) had HPV–positive tumors. These patients appeared more likely to be men (91% vs. 42.9%; P = .005) and younger (56.1 years vs. 67.7 years; P = .002) than [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-04-11T07:26:51-07:00April, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

Indo-US researchers developing solar-powered oral cancer detector for remote areas

Source: www.domain-b.com Author: staff A handy solar-powered device is being tested in India and US for early detection of oral cancer. The device could be integrated with mobile technology, enabling faster and accurate diagnostics in rural areas, IANS reported. The device has been designed by the Beckman Laser Institute (BLI), University of California-Irvine (UCI) and the Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre (MSCC) in Bengaluru and is slightly larger than a shoe box. It has been specially adapted for India, which accounted for one of the highest rates of head and neck cancers in the world and the highest rate among women. Its light-weight and user-friendly features meant even health care workers with minimal education could use it in the field. The solar energy-driven device would capture images of the patient's oral cavity and transmit them via a mobile phone to experts at the centre. "India is the first country in which we are using the device - it was specifically designed to meet conditions and needs there. The final device will have a solar option," Petra Wilder-Smith of BLI told IANS in an email interaction. According to Wilder-Smith, which is recognized as a pioneer in the application of optics and lasers in oral diagnosis, the device was based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) - an imaging technology similar to ultrasound, except that it used light (a laser). Oral cancer was the most common cancer in India, accounting for 40 per cent of all cancers overall and for over 50 per cent [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-12-13T08:58:13-07:00December, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

B.C. detection test being used to catch oral cancer in early stages

Source: www.cbc.ca Author: staff Doctor says oral cancer is among the deadlier diseases yet rarely talked about. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 4,400 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. The deadly disease can often go undiagnosed because it is tough to screen for dormant symptoms. But now, researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) are developing a new test that will be able to detect oral cancer at a much earlier stage. Dr. Catherine Poh, an oral pathologist who also teaches dentistry at UBC, spoke with the Early Edition's Rick Cluff about the latest developments. What can you tell us about this new brushing test you're working on? We are a proposing a non-invasive approach to analyse genetic material collected from patients mouths using a simple brush. This can be done by a dentist or at a family doctor's office. This test would detect genetic change that happens in human genomes from the cells collected from the mouth. We have shown that it has prediction value for the risk for oral cancer development. How does your test compare to how oral cancer is detected right now? Right now the majority of oral cancer has been screened by dentists because many of the oral cancer [diagnosis] come with no pain or no symptoms. Through the dental regular checkups it can be detected early, otherwise patients come with a sore in their mouths that is essentially a delay in the diagnosis. What symptoms should people look out for? [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-07-22T04:48:50-07:00July, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

LED Dental Joins With the Oral Cancer Foundation to promote oral cancer early detection initiative

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release LED Dental Inc. has announced that the company will be serving as a strategic partner in the Oral Cancer Foundation's "Be Part of the Change"(TM) program, seeking to promote the importance of routine comprehensive oral screenings and early detection in the fight against oral cancer. The Oral Cancer Foundation initiated the "Be Part of the Change"(TM) campaign to help promote a shift in paradigm with regard to the screening for oral cancer, creating a movement toward earlier detection of oral disease. While regular oral screenings are a key tool in the early detection of oral cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, many patients are not receiving routine oral examinations that could potentially locate a serious oral health concern. The Oral Cancer Foundation is working to change the mindset of the oral healthcare industry, making improved oral screening protocols a priority in every dental practice. "The best defense any patient has against oral disease and oral cancer is early detection, which is where dental practitioners can effect change," said Brian Hill, founder and executive director of the Oral Cancer Foundation. "When oral cancer is located in earlier stages, there is higher probability for reduced treatment related morbidity and improved patient outcomes. Our goal is to get healthcare professionals to commit to performing routine comprehensive oral examinations on every patient, especially during hygiene visits and recall appointments." As the manufacturer of the market-leading VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment, LED Dental has joined the Oral Cancer Foundation's cause, providing a free [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-18T22:22:16-07:00April, 2015|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Coupling head and neck cancer screening and lung cancer scans could improve early detection, survival

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff Adding head and neck cancer screenings to recommended lung cancer screenings would likely improve early detection and survival, according to a multidisciplinary team led by scientists affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), a partner with UPMC CancerCenter. In an analysis published in the journal Cancer and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the team provides a rationale for a national clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of adding examination of the head and neck to lung cancer screening programs. People most at risk for lung cancer are also those most at risk for head and neck cancer. "When caught early, the five-year survival rate for head and neck cancer is over 83 percent," said senior author Brenda Diergaarde, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health and member of the UPCI. "However, the majority of cases are diagnosed later when survival rates generally shrink below 50 percent. There is a strong need to develop strategies that will result in identification of the cancer when it can still be successfully treated." Screening patients for head and neck cancer and lung cancer could improve early detection and survival. Head and neck cancer is the world's sixth-most common type of cancer. Worldwide every year, 600,000 people are diagnosed with it and about 350,000 die. Tobacco use and alcohol consumption are the major risk factors for developing the cancer. The early symptoms are typically a lump or sore in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-01-07T19:39:34-07:00January, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Quick, low-cost blood test detects early signs of oral cancer

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: DrBicuspid Staff Australian researchers have developed a quick, low-cost blood test to detect the early signs of oral cancer. The diagnostic test examines the profile of small molecules called microRNA in the blood and can be done at the same time as other routine checks, such as for cholesterol. At present, no routine screening tests for oral cancer are on the market. The researchers hope that a simple blood test could change that and, in doing so, help stem the global increase of various oral cancers. About 300,000 new cases of oral cancer were reported globally in 2012, according to the researchers. The main barriers to treatment remain late detection and low disease awareness. Warning symptoms include pain, swelling, a hoarse voice, and difficulty swallowing -- symptoms that are often dismissed or misdiagnosed as a common cold. The test, called miLIFE, was developed by researchers Nham Tran, PhD, and doctoral candidate Samantha Khoury from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Centre for Health Technologies. The blood-based test can be administered by healthcare providers to screen microRNA to reveal the oral cancer's early warning signs. The turnaround time for the test is about 48 hours at present. The levels of five specific microRNA molecules are detected with miLIFE and compared with those of healthy, noncancerous individuals. An overabundance or expression of these specific microRNAs would designate people at high risk for oral cancer. These patients would then be referred to a specialist for further examination. "You don't need [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-08-02T11:12:24-07:00August, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Study shows Vigilant Biosciences’ simple “rinse and spit” test effective in detecting oral cancer

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release A new "rinse and spit" test for oral cancer is capable of early detection of tumors across "a racially and ethnically diverse population," according to results of a study conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Coinciding with Oral Cancer Awareness month, results from the largest oral cancer marker study of its kind in the U.S. were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. and the American Head and Neck Society annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The test, developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and exclusively licensed to Vigilant Biosciences, Inc. (Vigilant), will be available as a low-cost, point-of-care "rinse and spit" screening test for the early detection of oral cancer. The study of 300 subjects, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, employed a case-control design ensuring cases (oral cancer patients) and controls (volunteers without cancer) were similar with respect to other important factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, age and race. The study was conducted by principal investigator Elizabeth Franzmann, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a member of the University's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. "There is a tremendous need for a simple and painless test for early detection of oral cancer because the majority of patients present in late stage when cure rates reach only 40 percent," said Dr. Franzmann. "Since minority patients and those of low socioeconomic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T08:14:23-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer breakthrough

Source: cancertreatmentmx.com Author: staff UCLA scientists have come up with a revolutionary new way of identifying oral cancer. Funded by the National Institute of Dental and Cranial Facial Research, they developed a simple saliva test that makes detecting oral cancer easy. No longer must patients wait until they find an unusual sore in their mouth or make a routine trip to their dentist:

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-03T08:50:11-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Compound discovery may lead to earlier oral cancer detection

Source: www.dentalplans.com Author: staff A biomarker found in the mouth may help dental care specialists diagnose patients with cancer of the mouth and gums at earlier stages, according to a study published in the web-based journal, PLoS ONE. One of the first signs of oral cancer is the development of white or red sores on the inside of the mouth, which commonly go untested because they are typically cancer-free. However, if cancerous lesions go untreated, the disease can progress to later stages. In an effort to improve oral cancer detection, a team of researchers conducted a series of tests, and discovered the hBD-3 biomarker, which improves immune system health in the mouth. The location of the compound is what has made these results important, as they were found in the lining of the mouth where cancerous cells begin to grow. Because they were able to discover where the hBD-3 biomarker develops, the investigators concluded that these findings could lead to the development of diagnostic equipment that could detect oral cancer sooner. "Using the biomarker to detect oral cancer holds potential for saving lives when the cancer is most curable. Annually some 10,000 people die from this cancer," said Ge Jin, assistant professor of biological sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-07-14T21:09:32-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Walk to raise awareness for oral cancer Saturday

Source: www.dailypennsylvanian.com Author: Miriam Nareem Penn Relays won’t be the only on-foot event on campus this weekend. Founded and run by students, the Oral Cancer Awareness Society will be holding their second annual 3.1 mile-long walk on April 24. The walk loops around University City and West Philadelphia. The event has drawn students from Penn, Temple University and other surrounding universities, as well as community members and cancer survivors. Individuals can register to walk or sponsor another participant. All walker registration fees and the majority of sponsorship money goes to the Oral Cancer Foundation. So far approximately $5,000 has been raised. The group will be holding free oral cancer screenings at on Locust Walk with faculty from the school. Additionally, the event will be attended by oral cancer survivors themselves who can share their experiences. Last year, the post-walk festivities featured live entertainment from School of Dental Medicine students. Between classes and extracurriculars, most Penn students do not have time for dental screenings as regularly as they should, Anna Yuan, a Penn Dental student and one of the walk’s organizers wrote in an e-mail. With a disease like oral cancer, regular visits to the dentist are crucial in detection and diagnosis — the same visits most Penn student’s either don’t have the time or resources to make. “When diagnosed early, oral cancer is highly treatable,” Yuan wrote. Missing dental appointments is an even bigger issue for international students who don’t have dental insurance in this country. College freshman Humna Bhojani [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-25T06:16:10-07:00April, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|