HPV – Page 14 – Oral Cancer News

Restaging raises hope against HPV oral cancer

Source: atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com Author: Cady Schulman Jason Mendelsohn was diagnosed with Stage 4 tonsil cancer from HPV in 2014 after finding just one bump on his neck. He survived thanks to a variety of treatments, including a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection to remove 42 lymph nodes, seven weeks of chemotherapy, radiation and a feeding tube. But if Mendelsohn’s cancer had been discovered today, just four years later, it would have been classified as Stage 1. That’s because HPV-related oral cancers now have a high survival rate through a better response to treatment, said Meryl Kaufman, a speech pathologist specializing in head and neck cancer management who worked for Emory University’s department of head and neck surgery for 10 years. “Cancer staging is taking into account the HPV-related cancers,” said Kaufman, who now owns her own practice. “It was kind of all lumped together. The survival rates for people who have HPV-related cancers are much higher than the typical head and neck cancers associated with smoking and drinking.” For Mendelsohn, finding out that patients with HPV-related cancers likely face easier treatments and higher success rates made him extremely happy. “If I was diagnosed and I heard Stage 1 instead of Stage 4, while it’s still cancer, it would make me feel like I could beat it,” said Mendelsohn, who made a video for his children a month after his diagnosis with advice for their lives after he was gone. “When I hear Stage 4 to Stage 1, I think people have [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-07T13:07:45-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Doctors paying for sons to have cancer jab

Source: www.bbc.com Author: Anna Collinson, Reporter, Victoria Derbyshire programme Doctors and health professionals are regularly paying hundreds of pounds for their teenage sons to receive a vaccination against cancer that girls already receive for free on the NHS, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told. Is boys' health being put at risk? "Had the HPV vaccine been available when I was a boy, I believe I would not have developed throat cancer more than 30 years later," said Jamie Rae, 53. "I'm basing this on the overwhelming majority of research I have seen over the years and countless experts I have spoken to. "That's why I'm desperate for boys to be able to receive it." HPV is the name given to a large group of viruses. It is very common and can be caught through any kind of sexual contact with another person who already has it. Doctors say 90% of HPV infections go away by themselves - but sometimes infections can lead to a variety of serious problems. For boys, this includes cancer of the anus, penis, mouth and throat. Since 2008, girls aged 12 to 18 across the UK have been offered HPV vaccinations as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. It is currently not offered to boys of the same age, but it can be done privately, costing several hundred pounds. Mr Rae founded the Throat Cancer Foundation after the treatment he received in 2010. He said at the time there was little information on HPV [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-05-02T07:43:41-07:00May, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

With oral cancer on the rise, dentists can play an important role

Source: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com Author: Tammy Adams Today's dental professionals routinely see and deal with many issues and conditions that were not so common just a few short decades ago. For example, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of oral cancer in the United States, sparking the need for regular oral cancer screening as part of a preventive dental checkup. This additional screening is now routinely performed in many dental practices across the nation. The American Cancer Society estimates that around 50,000 Americans are infected with oral cancer each year. In past generations, oral cancer was mostly linked to smoking, alcohol use or a combination of the two. But even as smoking rates have fallen, oral cancer rates have risen (especially in men), and researchers have concluded that this is likely caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. Early diagnosis makes a difference Oral cancer is often only discovered when the cancer has metastasized to another location, most commonly the lymph nodes of the neck. Prognosis at this stage of discovery is significantly worse than when it is caught in a localized intraoral area. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, the best way to screen for HPV-related oral and oropharyngeal cancer is through a visual and tactile exam given by a medical or dental professional, who will also perform an oral history taking to ask about signs and symptoms that cover things that are not visible. Most of the symptoms of a developing HPV-positive infection are [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-27T13:08:03-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

What’s the link between HPV and head and neck cancer?

Source: blogs.bcm.edu Author: Dr. Michael Scheurer As a molecular epidemiologist, I’ve been conducting research on human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers since my dissertation work in 2003. While working with the clinical faculty here at Baylor College of Medicine, I’ve heard many questions lately about the possibility of the HPV vaccine “helping treat” head and neck cancer (HNC). It’s important to know the link between HPV and HNC because patients with HPV-positive tumors often have better survival rates than those with HPV-negative tumors. Check out these frequently asked questions to learn more about HPV and HNC. What is HPV? HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can infect the oral cavity, tonsils, back of throat, anus, and genitals. There are many types of HPV. Some types can cause cancer and other types can cause warts. HPV infection is very common in the U.S. with more than 50 percent of adults being infected at some point in their lifetime. There is no treatment for HPV infection. For some people, their HPV infection naturally clears while others develop cancer after many years. What is oropharyngeal cancer? Oropharyngeal cancer occurs in the tonsils and back of throat. In the U.S., HPV now causes most oropharyngeal cancers. Most doctors would recommend that oropharyngeal cancers be tested for HPV. Smoking and alcohol use can also increase risk of developing oropharyngeal cancer. How did I get HPV infection in my mouth or throat? The most likely route of exposure is by oral sex, although other routes may exist. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-17T08:28:50-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Accurately identifying aggressive head and neck cancers

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release The Case Western Reserve-led research team will analyze computerized images of tissue samples for patterns which could become "biomarkers," or predictors, for determining relative risk for recurrence in one particularly common type of head and neck cancers. Those tumors, known as oropharyngeal cancers, occur primarily at the base of the tongue and in the tonsils. Currently, however, oncologists tend to treat all of these tumors with the same aggressive level of therapy. This is the case even though many of the oropharyngeal tumors which are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) tend to have favorable outcome-regardless of treatment-while another subset of the tumors progress and metastasize, or spread. "Right now, it's a one-size-fits-all therapy for all of these patients with HPV head and neck cancers," said Anant Madabhushi, MD, the F. Alex Nason Professor II of Biomedical Engineering, founding director of the CCIPD at the Case School of Engineering and primary investigator in the new research. "There are currently very few validated biomarkers and approaches that are accurate enough to be able to identify which of these cancers are more aggressive or which ones are less aggressive," he said. "That has limited the ability of clinicians to even hold clinical trials to find out if they can de-escalate therapy for some of these patients-or who needs more aggressive therapy." The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently awarded a $3.15 million, five-year academic-industry partnership grant to Madabhushi and his team to pursue the research and build [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-03-27T13:01:32-07:00March, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Australia may become the first country to eliminate one form of cancer

Author: Brad Jones Date: March 8, 2018 Source: flipboard.com The International Papillomavirus Society has announced that Australia could become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer entirely. According to a new study, Australia's efforts to distribute a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for free in schools have been a resounding success. The sexually transmitted infection causes 99.9 percent of cases of cervical cancer. In 2007, the Australian federal government began offering the vaccine to girls aged 12-13, and in 2013 it was made available to boys, too. Girls and boys outside of that age bracket but under nineteen are also entitled to two free doses of the vaccine. Between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of Australian women aged between 18 and 24 who had HPV dropped from 22.7 percent to just 1.1 percent. Immunization rates have increased further since 2015, contributing to what's being described as a "herd protection" effect. Coupled with a more advanced screening test that was introduced by the Australian government in December 2017, there are hopes that no new cases of cervical cancer will be reported within ten or twenty years. THE WORLD ISN'T CATCHING UP In the US, the HPV vaccine is not free. It can cost as much as $450 for the full regimen, according to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, although financial assistance is often available. In 2016, 78.6% of 15-year-old Australian girls, and 72.9% of 15-year-old Australian boys were vaccinated - but only 50% of American girls between 13 and 17, and 38% of American boys between 13 and [...]

Charlotte Parker2018-03-08T14:10:27-07:00March, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

HPV is causing an oral cancer epidemic in men by outwitting natural defenses

Source: www.philly.com Author: Marie McCullough, staff writer Five years ago, when actor Michael Douglas candidly revealed that his throat cancer was linked to having oral sex, two things happened. He made headlines that mortified his family. And he helped publicize the fact that a pervasive, sexually transmitted virus called HPV was unleashing an epidemic of oral cancer among men. Since then, scientists have made headway in figuring out why HPV, the human papillomavirus, has this glaring gender bias. Men are four times more likely than women to be diagnosed with oral cancer, a hard-to-detect, hard-to-treat disease that has overtaken cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related malignancy in the United States. To be sure, changes in sexual norms over the last few generations have played a role in this alarming trend. But research increasingly shows the real problem is something men have practically no control over: their immune response. Compared with women, men are more likely to get infected with HPV — including “high-risk” cancer-causing strains. They also are less able to wipe out infection on their own, and more likely to get reinfected. The reasons are unclear. “There is good evidence that men acquire oral infections more readily than women, even if they have similar sex practices,” said Ashish A. Deshmukh, a University of Florida HPV researcher. “And more than the acquisition, it’s the persistence of the virus. The clearance rate is not that fast in men.” Michael Becker of Yardley has stepped up as the face of this [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-03-06T16:31:36-07:00March, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Biofilms in tonsil crypts may explain HPV-related head and neck cancers

Source: www.genengnews.com Author: staff Human papilloma virus (HPV) encased in biofilms inside tonsil crypts (pictured) may explain why the roughly 5% of HPV-infected people who develop cancer of the mouth or throat are not protected by their immune systems. Tonsil crypts with HPV are shown in green; epithelial and biofilm layers are shown in red. [Katherine Rieth. M.D.] How can human papilloma virus (HPV) be prevalent in otherwise healthy people not known to carry it? A just-published study concludes that the virus may be lurking in small pockets on the surface of their tonsils. Researchers from University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) found HPV encased in biofilms inside tonsil crypts, where HPV-related head and neck cancers often originate. HPV is shed from the tonsil during an active infection and gets trapped in the biofilm, where it may be protected from immune attack. In the crypts, the virus likely lays in wait for an opportunity to reinstate infection or invade the tonsil tissue to develop cancer. “The virus gains access to the basal layer of stratified squamous epithelium through structural breaks in the stratified epithelial superstructure,” the investigators reported in the study. “Tonsillar crypt reticulated epithelium itself has been shown to contain numerous small blood vessels and has a discontinuous basement membrane, which may facilitate this infection and reinfection process.” The URMC researchers said their finding could help prevent oropharyngeal cancers that form on the tonsils and tongue—and may explain why the roughly 5% of HPV-infected people who develop cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-02-01T09:46:22-07:00February, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

NHS immunises girls but not boys against potentially deadly HPV virus because its ‘not cost-effective’

Source: www.thesun.co.uk Author: Jacob Dirnhuber Girls aged 12 to 13 are already vaccinated for free against the HPV virus, which can cause deadly tumours in the throat and mouth, but boys have to do without. Experts believe it would take £22 million a year to vaccinate every boy in Britain against the deadly disease - a fraction of the vast £148 billion NHS budget. But low overall infection rates mean that bean-counters refuse to sign off on any additional funding - condemning thousands to months of expensive, agonising cancer treatment. Cambridge University Professor Margaret Stanley blasted: "You cannot protect against these cancers by only vaccinating half the population." She told the Mail on Sunday: "Not to immunise boys is classic Treasury short-termism. You may not spend so much now, but it will cost far more years later. "We are in the midst of an HPV pandemic." HPV is generally spread through genital and oral sex, and can also be transmitted by kissing - meaning that some people who contract it are virgins. Only a tiny minority of those infected go on to develop cancer, often decades after they contract the virus. An estimated 80 per cent of all adults in the UK have been infected at some point. Throat and cancer specialist Professor Christopher Nutting said: "My patients are being struck down by a preventable cancer that will affect them for the rest of their lives. "It's unfair that women are protected but men are not. The vaccine will work. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-29T07:18:30-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

HPV leads to increase In head and neck cancer In men

Source: www.nbcdfw.com Author: Bianca Castro The number of men diagnosed with head and neck cancer caused by human papillomavirus has skyrocketed. This report found that 11 million men and 3.2 million women in the United States are infected with some type of oral HPV and oncologists say it's leading to more head and neck cancer in men. "From the 1970's to today, the prevalence of this HPV-related head and neck cancer has increased by three to five percent per year from then until now, and it is continuing that same rate," said Oncologist Jerry Barker, Jr., M.D. at Texas Oncology. "This is a silent epidemic. Most patients who are exposed to this virus, they don't know it. They'll never have symptoms from it, but some of those patients will move on to develop a cancer," said Dr. Barker. Jeff Busby, of Weatherford, is one of those patients. The aerospace engineer and owner of Busby Quarter Horses says he was diagnosed with throat cancer in February of 2016. His wife Andrea, who documented their journey here, says they were both shocked. "We were just busy living life. You don't ever think that shoe is going to drop," said Andrea. Jeff says the symptoms began as pain in his ear which lead to pain in his throat. Nine months later, he had a biopsy done on what was a mass in his neck. "I had just been toughing it out and my partner said, 'hey, you can't just tough these kinds of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-01-17T08:36:28-07:00January, 2018|Oral Cancer News|