head and neck cancer

Testimony by otolaryngologists in defense of tobacco companies 2009–2014

Source: www.onlinelibrary.wiley.comAuthor: Robert K. Jackler, MD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis To examine expert testimony offered by otolaryngologists in defense of the tobacco industry and to assess whether opinions rendered were congruent with evidence in the scientific literature. Methods Data sources include publically available expert witness depositions and trial testimony of board-certified otolaryngologists employed by the tobacco industry in defense of lawsuits brought by smokers suffering from head and neck cancer. The cases, adjudicated in Florida between 2009 and 2014, focused on whether smoking caused the plaintiff's cancer. Results The study includes nine legal cases of upper aerodigestive tract cancer involving six otolaryngologists serving as expert witnesses for the tobacco industry. Cancer sites included larynx (5), esophagus (2), mouth (1), and lung (1). Five of the six otolaryngologists consistently, over multiple cases, offered opinions that smoking did not cause the plaintiff's cancer. By highlighting an exhaustive list of potential risk factors, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), alcohol, asbestos, diesel fumes, salted fish, mouthwash, and even urban living, they created doubt in the minds of the jurors as to the role of smoking in the plaintiff's cancer. Evidence shows that this testimony, which was remarkably similar across cases, was part of a defense strategy shaped by tobacco's law firms. Conclusions A small group of otolaryngologists regularly serve as experts on behalf of the tobacco industry. Examination of their opinions in relation to the scientific literature reveals a systematic bias in interpreting the data relating to the role played by smoking in head and neck [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-07-31T14:00:43-07:00July, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

DNA shed from head and neck tumors detected in blood and saliva

Source: www.medicalexpress.comAuthor: Wang et al., Science Translational Medicine (2015) Schematic showing the shedding of tumor DNA from head and neck cancers into the saliva or plasma. Tumors from various anatomic locations shed DNA fragments containing tumor-specific mutations and human papillomavirus DNA into the saliva or the circulation. The detectability of tumor DNA in the saliva varied with anatomic location of the tumor, with the highest sensitivity for oral cavity cancers. The detectability in plasma varied much less in regard to the tumor’s anatomic location. Credit: Wang et al., Science Translational Medicine (2015) On the hunt for better cancer screening tests, Johns Hopkins scientists led a proof of principle study that successfully identified tumor DNA shed into the blood and saliva of 93 patients with head and neck cancer. A report on the findings is published in the June 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine. "We have shown that tumor DNA in the blood or saliva can successfully be measured for these cancers," says Nishant Agrawal, M.D., associate professor of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery—and of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "In our study, testing saliva seemed to be the best way to detect cancers in the oral cavity, and blood tests appeared to find more cancers in the larynx, hypopharynx and oropharynx. However, combining blood and saliva tests may offer the best chance of finding cancer in any of those regions." Agrawal explains that inborn genetic predispositions for most head and neck cancers are rare, but [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-25T16:43:35-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

HPV16 Antibodies Signal Even Better Oral Cancer Outcomes

Source: www.medscape.comAuthor: Neil Osterweil Another prognostic tool may be in the offing for clinicians to use in evaluating patients with oropharyngeal cancers, new research suggests. The presence in serum of three antibodies to human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) was predictive of better progression-free and overall survival in these patients, according to Kristina R. Dahlstrom, PhD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, and colleagues. Patients whose serum was positive for the presence of three specific antibodies to "early" (E) proteins involved in replication and growth of HPV16 had dramatically better rates of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with patients whose serum was negative for the antibodies, they reported online June 15 in Clinical Cancer Research. Specifically, for those patients whose serum was positive for any E antibodies, 5-year estimated OS was 87.4%, compared with 42.2% for patients whose sereum was negative for all E antibodies (P < .001). The respective 5-year PFS rates were 82.9% and 46.1% (P < .001). "These results hint at a prognostic stratification of patients with HPV-related oropharynx cancer reflecting humoral immune response to HPV type 16 E proteins and thus may help in choosing immunotherapy approaches for such patients in future," said senior author Erich M. Sturgis, MD, MPH, a surgeon at MD Anderson, in comments to Medscape Medical News. Currently, the serology results are not strong enough to be used as clinical decision tools for choosing current therapies, she added. Their findings also suggest that vaccine-based immunotherapy targeted [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-17T16:33:41-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

NIH-funded study finds new potential drug targets by uncovering a range of molecular alterations in head and neck cancers

Source: www.nih.govAuthor: Staff Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have discovered genomic differences — with potentially important clinical implications — in head and neck cancers caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States, and the number of HPV-related head and neck cancers has been growing. Almost every sexually active person will acquire HPV at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers also uncovered new smoking-related cancer subtypes and potential new drug targets, and found numerous genomic similarities with other cancer types. Taken together, this study’s findings may provide more detailed explanations of how HPV infection and smoking play roles in head and neck cancer risk and disease development, and offer potential novel diagnostic and treatment directions. The study is the most comprehensive examination to date of genomic alterations in head and neck cancers. The results were published online Jan. 28, 2015 in the journal Nature. TCGA is jointly supported and managed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both parts of the National Institutes of Health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved HPV vaccines should be able to prevent the cancers caused by HPV infection in head and neck cancers and elsewhere, including anal cancer, whose incidence has also been increasing. However, these vaccines work by preventing new infections, and the long interval between infection and cancer development make it [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-03-10T10:11:49-07:00March, 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|

Researchers discover genetic fingerprint of HPV virus in some head and neck cancers

Author: StaffSource: cancerreasearchuk.orgA large US study(link is external) has pinpointed genetic errors that mark out head and neck cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). If confirmed in further studies this could be used to develop potential new treatments. Head and neck cancers include tumours of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, larynx, salivary gland among other tissues and organs. Some are linked to tobacco or alcohol use, while others are caused by infection with HPV, more commonly associated with cervical cancers. Rates of HPV-linked head and neck cancers are on the increase. The US study, published in the journal Nature, was carried out as part of The Cancer Genome Atla (TCGA) project. Using cutting-edge DNA analysis, the team found several similarities between the DNA from head and neck tumour cells and other cancer types - as well as new subtypes of smoking-related head and neck cancer. The US team studied samples from 279 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) from untreated patients, around eight in 10 of whom were smokers. Most of the samples were oral cavity cancers and larynx cancers (61 per cent and 26 per cent respectively). The researchers found that specific alterations in genes called FGFR3 and PIK3CA – which produce important protein molecules that help cells grow – were common in many patients with HPV-related cancers. These genes are also present in a wider set of faults found in smoking-related tumours. But faults in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, which produces another important growth molecule, were rare among HPV-positive cancers, despite being frequently [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-01-30T10:22:47-07:00January, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Study finds Oral HPV Infection Lasts Longer in Older Men

Author: StaffSource: winnipegfreepress.com FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- One type of oral HPV (human papillomavirus) infection, HPV16, seems to last a year or longer in men over the age of 45 than it does in younger men, new research indicates. HPV16 is the form of HPV often associated with the onset of head and neck cancers (oropharyngeal), the study team noted. "Oral HPV16 is the HPV type most commonly found in HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancers, which have been increasing in incidence recently in the United States," said study author Christine Pierce Campbell in a American Association for Cancer Research news release. She is an assistant member in the department of Cancer Epidemiology and Center for Infection Research in Cancer at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. "We don't know how long oral HPV infection must persist to increase risk for head and neck cancer," she added, "but we assume it would be similar to cervical infection, where it is generally believed that infections persisting beyond two years greatly increase the risk of developing cervical cancer." The study was released online on Jan. 9 in Cancer Prevention Research. The researchers analyzed four years of samples from more than 1,600 men. The samples were collected every six months. During the study, 23 men had two or more positive oral HPV16 samples. Of these, 10 had HPV16 when the study began. In the group that had HPV16 at the start of the study, nine had infections that lasted a year or more. Additionally, [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-01-12T11:22:24-07:00January, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Study suggests that experience counts when it comes to head and neck cancer treatments

Source: medicalxpress.comAuthor: staff When it comes to specialized cancer surgery, it's generally true that the more experienced the surgeon, the better the outcome. The same might hold true for radiation therapy used to treat head and neck cancer, according to a new study led by researchers Evan Wuthrick, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James), and Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the OSUCCC - James. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with an accompanying editorial, the study compared survival and other outcomes in 470 patients treated with radiation therapy at 101 treatment centers through a clinical trial held from 2002 to 2005. The trial was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and organized by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). The findings indicated that patients treated at the less-experienced centers were more likely to have cancer recurrence (62 percent versus 42 percent at five years) and had poorer overall survival compared with those at the highly-experienced centers (51 percent versus 69 percent five-year survival, respectively). "Our findings suggest that institutional experience strongly influences outcomes in patients treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer," says Wuthrick, the paper's first author. "They indicate that patients do better when treated at centers where more of these procedures are performed versus centers that do fewer." Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer requires complex treatment planning that can vary considerably [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-12-09T12:06:48-07:00December, 2014|OCF In The News|

Green Day Guitarist Jason White Diagnosed with Tonsil Cancer

Source: billboard.comAuthor: Jocelyn Vena Send Green Day your well wishes. The band confirmed on Dec. 5 that guitarist Jason White was recently diagnosed with tonsil cancer. The band shared the news with their fans on their official website. "We have some news to report regarding our brother Jason White, and wanted you to hear it from us before word spread. Jason recently underwent a routine tonsillectomy, and his doctors discovered a treatable form of tonsil cancer," the statement reads. Rolling Stone first posted the statement. "Thankfully they caught it early and he should make a full and speedy recovery. Please join us in sending him love and positive healing vibes during this time." The 41-year-old has been playing with Green Day since the late 90's, serving as the band's touring guitarist. In 2012, with the release of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! he officially became a full-time member of the legendary punk band. He has also worked with lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong on the side project Pinhead Gunpowder. *This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Charlotte Parker2014-12-08T18:19:24-07:00December, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Immune-related gene may predispose to HPV-related cancer

Source: bcm.eduAuthor: Julia Parsons An international coalition of cancer specialists led by a researcher now at Baylor College of Medicine has identified an immune related gene called transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) that appears to play an important role in determining whether a person develops a cancer related to human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is, in particular, associated with anal cancer and cancers of the cervix, and the head and neck. Their findings appear in the journal Cancer Research. Until recently, head and neck cancer has been found primarily in smokers, but there has been a rise in HPV-associated head and neck cancer in nonsmokers. The head and neck cancer most-associated with HPV is oropharyngeal cancer, involving the tonsils and base of the tongue. HPV is also one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, with certain strains known to cause head and neck and/or cervical cancer. The National Cancer Institute predicts that HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer will likely surpass cervical cancer as the most common HPV-associated cancer in the United States by 2020. “The real mystery is that in western countries, pretty much everyone is exposed to HPV but only a small number of people get HPV-related cancers,” said Dr. Andrew Sikora, vice-chair for research in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Baylor. “We are trying to figure out what makes the people who actually get the cancer different from those who don’t, given that so many people are exposed.” Using data collected as part of [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-10-23T16:56:49-07:00October, 2014|Oral Cancer News|