HPV16 – Page 3 – Oral Cancer News

Nearly 6 Percent Of Lung Cancer Tissue Samples From Non-Smokers Show Signs That HPV May Have Triggered The Tumors

Article Date: 12 Apr 2013 - 1:00 PDT Source: Medical News Today A common virus known to cause cervical and head and neck cancers may also trigger some cases of lung cancer, according to new research presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013. Examining tissue samples from lung cancer patients, the researchers found that nearly 6% showed signs they may have been driven by a strain of human papillomavirus (HPV) known to cause cancer. If HPV indeed plays a role in lung cancer in some patients, the next step is to better understand those tumors so they can be treated more effectively. "The ultimate goal," says study author Ranee Mehra, MD, attending physician in medical oncology at Fox Chase, "is to determine if we can target our therapies to the specific characteristics of these tumors." Studies from Asia have shown that lung tumors are frequently infected with HPV. The pattern makes sense, explains Mehra - the lungs are located very near the head and neck, which are known to be at risk of tumors upon exposure to some strains of HPV. To investigate, she and her colleagues examined 36 tissue samples from people diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer who had never smoked, part of the Fox Chase Cancer Center Biosample Repository. The reason they chose non-smokers, Mehra explains, is that smoking is a major cause of lung cancer - but in non-smokers, the explanation is often less obvious. The researchers found that 4 out [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-05-09T15:55:12-07:00May, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Actor’s Diagnosis Puts Spotlight on Oral Cancer

Source: DrBicuspid.com May 9, 2012 -- Actor Michael Douglas' recent revelation that he has stage IV oropharyngeal cancer has highlighted the growing incidence of oral cancer, and experts say dentists can help stem the alarming increase of the disease by checking for it during routine examinations. The actor's cancer includes a walnut-sized tumor at the base of his tongue, and he will require radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Douglas says his doctors told him he has an 80% survival rate if it hasn't spread to his lymph nodes. While tobacco was the prime cause of oral cancer in the past, recent studies have attributed the steady increase of the disease to the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are approximately 130 versions of HPV but only nine cause cancers, and the HPV16 version causes almost half of the oral cancers in the U.S., said Brian Hill, executive director of the Oral Cancer Foundation. "Tobacco is no longer the only bad guy," he told DrBicuspid.com. “HPV16 is increasing in incidence as the causative etiology, and if it continues on this trend line, it will replace tobacco as the primary cause of oral cancers." Dentists can play a key role in catching the disease in its early stages if they check for it during examinations, Hill pointed out. "But many dentists think it's such a rare disease that they don't bother to screen for it," he said. "Most Americans have never even heard of oral cancer, but it's not as rare or uncommon as [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-17T09:43:19-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

April: Oral Cancer Awareness Month

Source: Aspen Dental April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. According to Brian Hill, founder and executive director of the Oral Cancer Foundation, as many as 40,000 people in the United States will be told they have oral or pharyngeal cancer in 2012. Some of them may be sitting in your dental chair today. With one person dying of oral cancer every hour of every day, and more than 50% of those diagnosed not living more than 5 years, this is a reminder to screen every patient yourself, and encourage your dental hygiene staff to do the same. The Statistics About 100 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every day in the United States. Few people are aware that the death rate for oral cancer is higher than for many other types of cancers, which is because oral cancer often is not discovered until it has reached later stages. This is particularly true for human papilloma virus number 16 (HPV16)-related oral cancer, which occurs most frequently in the posterior areas of the mouth—at the base of the tongue, around the tonsils, and in the oropharynx—where it’s harder to spot without a very thorough exam. To further complicate things, HPV16-related cancer does not always present the tell-tale physical characteristics, including lesions, that are easily distinguished from healthy oral tissues. This is not good news, because HPV16 has reached epidemic levels in the United States: of the 37,000 incidences of oral cancer, about 20,000 (up to 60%) can be linked to HPV, according [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-04-02T09:47:20-07:00April, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Combo HPV Diagnostic Test for Head and Neck Cancer Outperforms Other Tests

SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research PHILADELPHIA -- October 3, 2011 -- Researchers have determined that a combination of P16 immunohistochemistry and DNA qPCR to test for viral E6 can accurately determine the oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas which derive from human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. "This has immediate clinical applications as we consider recruitment to clinical trials designed to de-escalate the intensity of therapy based on HPV status" said lead researcher Andrew Schache, MD, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Dr. Schache said that the attention surrounding HPV, particularly in the last several years, has given rise to a number of diagnostic tests, but the evaluation of these tests has lagged behind. For the current study, researchers evaluated 8 possible combinations of known diagnostic tests on 108 cases of HPV16 derived oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. They used viral gene expression as the standard marker. "Viral gene expression has 100% specificity and sensitivity, but it requires very high quality tissue that is often not available," said Dr. Schache. After evaluating the tests, they found that a combination of DNA qPCR and P16 immunohistochemistry had 97% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Both of these assays are commercially available in proprietary and generic forms, so the combination test could be administered. "Getting the diagnosis right is extremely important because cases like this may receive less aggressive therapy based on a positive test," added Dr. Schache. "You do not want to withhold treatment from a more [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-10-15T07:37:14-07:00October, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Evaluation of Human Papilloma Virus Diagnostic Testing in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Sensitivity, Specificity, and Prognostic Discrimination

Source: Clinical Cancer Research Abstract Purpose: Human papillomavirus-16 (HPV16) is the causative agent in a biologically distinct subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) with highly favorable prognosis. In clinical trials, HPV16 status is an essential inclusion or stratification parameter, highlighting the importance of accurate testing. Experimental Design: Fixed and fresh-frozen tissue from 108 OPSCC cases were subject to eight possible assay/assay combinations: p16 immunohistochemistry (p16 IHC); in situ hybridization for high-risk HPV (HR HPV ISH); quantitative PCR (qPCR) for both viral E6 RNA (RNA qPCR) and DNA (DNA qPCR); and combinations of the above. Results: HPV16-positive OPSCC presented in younger patients (mean 7.5 years younger, P = 0.003) who smoked less than HPV-negative patients (P = 0.007). The proportion of HPV16-positive cases increased from 15% to 57% (P = 0.001) between 1988 and 2009. A combination of p16 IHC/DNA qPCR showed acceptable sensitivity (97%) and specificity (94%) compared with the RNA qPCR “gold standard”, as well as being the best discriminator of favorable outcome (overall survival P = 0.002). p16 IHC/HR HPV ISH also had acceptable specificity (90%) but the substantial reduction in its sensitivity (88%) impacted upon its prognostic value (P = 0.02). p16 IHC, HR HPV ISH, or DNA qPCR was not sufficiently specific to recommend in clinical trials when used in isolation. Conclusions: Caution must be exercised in applying HPV16 diagnostic tests because of significant disparities in accuracy and prognostic value in previously published techniques. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-10-04T11:21:58-07:00October, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

New Improved HPV Diagnostic Test for Head and Neck Cancer

Source: EurekAlert! Philadelphia -- Researchers have determined that a combination of P16 immunohistochemistry and DNA qPCR to test for viral E6 can accurately determine the oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a form of head and neck cancer, which derive from HPV16, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "This has immediate clinical applications as we consider recruitment to clinical trials designed to de-escalate the intensity of therapy based on HPV status" said lead researcher Andrew Schache, D.D.S., M.D., research fellow and surgeon at the University of Liverpool. Schache said that the attention surrounding HPV, particularly in the last several years, has given rise to a number of diagnostic tests, but the evaluation of these tests has lagged behind. For the current study, Schache and colleagues evaluated eight possible combinations of known diagnostic tests on 108 cases of HPV16 derived oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. They used viral gene expression as the standard marker. "Viral gene expression has 100 percent specificity and sensitivity, but it requires very high quality tissue that is often not available," said Schache. After evaluating the tests, they found that a combination of DNA qPCR and P16 immunohistochemistry had 97 percent sensitivity, a measure of accurate positive tests, and 94 percent specificity, a measure of accurate negative tests. Both of these assays are commercially available in proprietary and generic forms, Schache said, so the combination test could be administered. "Getting the diagnosis right is extremely important because cases [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-10-04T11:07:06-07:00October, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Increase in oral cancers linked to HPV

Source: thechart.blogs.cnn.com Author: Saundra Young - CNN Medical Senior Producer The human papillomavirus is contributing to the growing number of head and neck cancers in the United States, according to a new study Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study found that the number of cases of oropharyngeal cancer - cancers of the tonsil, back of the mouth (throat) and base of the tongue - has been on the rise since the mid-1980s. The study suggests that one reason could an increase in the number of people having oral sex resulting in oral human papillomavirus exposure. Researchers say these cancers fall into two categories–those caused by tobacco and alcohol and those caused by the sexually transmitted virus, HPV. They now believe approximately 70% of all oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV infection. "We used to think of oropharyngeal cancer as one cancer," said senior author Dr. Maura Gillison, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus. "Now we know the disease is comprised of two biologically and epidemiologically distinct cancers. This new understanding will increasingly enable us to improve and better personalize care for patients with each form of the disease." Researchers tested cancer tissue samples from almost 6,000 patients in Hawaii, Iowa and Los Angeles between 1984 and 2004. They found the HPV-positive cancers increased 225% while HPV-negative oropharynx cancers dropped 50%–most likely because of a reduction in smoking and tobacco use. Even so, patients with HPV-positive cancers live longer. "Patients with HPV positive cancers have [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-10-03T13:51:20-07:00October, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

HIM study looks at HPV infection and clearance in men

Medscape Oncology News By Nick Mulcahy March 1, 2011 — Half of all the men participating in a natural history study of human papillomavirus (HPV) were infected with some strain of HPV at some point during study period, according to the results of a new study published online March 1 in the Lancet. The HPV in Men (HIM) study, led by Anna Giuliano, PhD, from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, followed 1159 adult males for a median follow-up of 27.5 months. However, the prevalence of viral types for which there is a prophylactic vaccine is low — 6% for HPV16 and 2% for HPV18 (the 2 oncogenic types), and 7% for HPV6 and 1% for HPV11 (the 2 nononcogenic types). Data on HPV incidence and clearance from the HIM study have immediate uses, suggests the author of an editorial accompanying the study. "The HIM data on HPV incidence and clearance should be exploited to elaborate prevention guidance, and to minimize transmission and to aid management and associated concerns for couples," says editorialist Joseph Monsonego, MD, from the Institute of the Cervix in Paris, France. Men transmitting HPV to women is especially concerning, writes Dr. Monsonego, because "extrapolation from the HIM data strongly suggests that the natural history of HPV is different in men and women, with high infection and low disease rates in men and low infection and high disease rates in women." However, he points out that "the cost–benefit ratio of vaccinating men to protect women from [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-03-04T17:37:35-07:00March, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Oropharyngeal cancer epidemic and human papillomavirus

Source: www.foodconsumer.org Authors: Torbjörn Ramqvist and Tina Dalianis Abstract A growing body of research shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common and increasing cause of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Thus, the International Agency for Research against Cancer has acknowledged HPV as a risk factor for OSCC, in addition to smoking and alcohol consumption. Recently, in Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden, incidence of OSCC has increased, and an increase in the proportion of HPV-positive tumors was noted. On the basis of these data and reports indicating that patients with HPV-positive cancer have their first sexual experience at a young age and have multiple partners, we postulate that increased incidence of OSCC in the United States and some countries in northern Europe is because of a new, primarily sexually transmitted HPV epidemic. We also suggest that individualized treatment modalities and preventive vaccination should be further explored. Study In many countries, vaccines against some human papillomavirus (HPV) types are now administered to girls and young women with the goal of protecting them against HPV-induced cervical cancer (1,2). The introduction of HPV vaccines has also drawn more attention to the fact that HPV is associated not only with cervical cancer and genital warts but also with other tumors, such as head neck and anogenital cancers (3). We focus on the role of HPV in the increased incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the head and neck cancer in which HPV is most commonly found (4). [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-11-07T09:39:03-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

European Commission amends licence for Cervarix

Source: www.pharmpro.com Author: press release GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) confirmed today that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorisation to amend the licence for its cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix®. The approval from the European Commission is important as it recognises the extent of cervical cancer protection demonstrated by Cervarix®, which was not highlighted by the previous indication. The licence amendment is supported by data from the largest efficacy trial of a cervical cancer vaccine conducted to date, the PATRICIA study, and acknowledges that Cervarix® has shown efficacy beyond HPV 16 and 18, the two virus types contained in the vaccine. The summary of product characteristics (SPC) for Cervarix® will be updated to include the prevention of precancerous lesions and cervical cancer causally related to certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and will reflect data showing efficacy against the two vaccine types contained in the vaccine (HPV 16 and 18) and the three next most common cancer-causing virus types (HPV 31, 33 and 45).* Together these five HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33 and 45) account for 80 percent of all cervical cancers. Note: 1. Vaccine efficacy is different for each of the HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, and varies in different cohorts and endpoints.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-08-25T05:27:36-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|