human papilloma virus

FDA approves genetic test for identifying human papillomavirus

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Jacquelyn K. Beals, PhD A new test for human papillomavirus (HPV) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test, Cervista HPV 16/18 (Hologic Inc), is the first to rely on identification of DNA sequences specific to 2 high-risk HPVs that cause most cases of cervical cancer in the United States. Among more than 100 types of HPVs, many are low-risk viruses that cause warts or noncancerous growths. Other HPVs are considered high risk because their infections more frequently lead to cancer. More than a dozen types of sexually transmitted high-risk HPVs typically cause flat, hard-to-see growths on the cervix, but most of these infections resolve on their own without causing cancer. Persistent HPV infections, some lasting for many years with or without detectable symptoms, are the major cause of cervical cancer. Estimates in 2007 predicted that 11,000 US women would be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4000 would die from the disease. Worldwide, the annual mortality from cervical cancer is close to 250,000. Approximately 70% of all cervical cancers are caused by HPV types 16 and 18, and factors such as smoking or bearing many children further increase the risk for cervical cancer in women infected with high-risk HPVs. The newly approved test can identify DNA sequences from HPV 16 and HPV 18 in samples of cervical cells, even before definitive changes occur in cells of the cervix. The FDA also approved a second DNA test, the Cervista HPV HR test (Hologic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-03-21T08:30:33-07:00March, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

World renowned HPV expert joins OSU cancer program

Source: media-newswire.com Author: press release Leading human papilloma virus ( HPV ) expert Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, will join The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute on Jan. 1 as a professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology and a member of the Cancer Control and Viral Oncology Programs in Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. She will hold the Jeg Coughlin Chair in Cancer Research. Focusing on the role that HPV plays in the development of head and neck cancers, Gillison was the first to identify HPV infection as the cause of certain oral cancers and identified multiple sex partners as the most important risk factor for these cancers. At Ohio State, Gillison plans to build a program focused on identifying associations between infections and cancers, with the ultimate goal of applying discoveries to prevent and treat cancer. A frequent guest on national network newscasts and quoted extensively in cancer trade and national consumer publications, Gillison was recruited from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she was an associate professor and a member of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The American Society of Clinical Oncology named Gillison’s research on HPV-associated head/neck cancers as one of six major clinical cancer advances for 2007. “Recruiting Dr. Gillison is part of our aggressive and ongoing strategy to recruit the world’s best and brightest cancer researchers and clinicians to The Ohio State University,” said Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of Ohio State’s [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-11-13T16:00:01-07:00November, 2008|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

U.S. reported 25,000 cases of HPV-related cancers annually

Source: health.usnews.com Author: staff An estimated 25,000 cases of cancers associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) occurred in 38 states and the District of Columbia between 1998 and 2003, U.S. officials reported Monday. HPV is a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different types, more than 30 of which can be sexually transmitted. Most people with HPV infections don't develop symptoms or health problems, but some HPV types can cause cancer. In its report, which covers the period before the HPV vaccine was available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the most common sites for HPV-associated cancers were the cervix, head and neck, anus, vulva, penis and vagina. HPV-associated cancers occur most often in the cervix -- about 10,800 per year. Black and Hispanic women had higher rates of cervical cancer than white and non-Hispanic women, the CDC said. There were almost 7,400 HPV-associated head and neck cancers per year. These types of cancers increased 3 percent a year during the period examined in the study. Among the other findings: There were more than 3,000 HPV-associated anal cancers per year; about 1,900 occurred in women and 1,100 in men. Whites had the highest rates among women, while blacks had the highest rates among men. There were 2,300 cases of HPV-associated vulvar cancer each year. White women had higher rates than black and Asian/Pacific Islander women. HPV-associated penile cancer was diagnosed in about 800 men a year. Hispanic men were more likely than non-Hispanic men [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-11-09T18:45:16-07:00November, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Nobel laureate calls for HPV vaccine for boys

Source: ww.xtra.ca Author: Andrew Innis The Nobel Prize winning pioneer of human papilloma virus (HPV) research is calling for the vaccination of boys against HPV. Speaking at the MaRS Centre in Toronto on Oct 21, Dr Harald zur Hausen argued that vaccination against the viruses, which can lead to cervical cancer in women, is also important to men since they too are susceptible to developing cancers related to HPV. Zur Hausen said men, like women, need to be protected from the more dangerous strains of the virus, HPV-16 and -18, which can contribute to the development of anal and penile cancer. The announcement came hours before the release of a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which confirmed that after two years of clinical usage Gardasil remains safe for human use, citing no elevated risk for neurological complications. The vaccine was approved for use in both Canada and the United States two years ago. Philippe Brideau, media relations officer for Public Health Agency Canada, said Gardasil has been found to be, “effective and the vaccine is safe, and should be used.” He said there have been no major reactions reported. Health Canada estimates nearly 75 percent of sexually active men and women will be infected with HPV at least once in their lifetime. While most strains of the virus are of little danger, mainly producing genital warts, it can lead to the development of cancer in both males and females. Men who have sex with [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-29T20:36:27-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Public knowledge and attitudes towards Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination

Source: 7th Space (Johns Hopkins Medical Letter) Author: Charlotte Devereaux et al. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has undergone successful trials and has recently been approved for use for the primary prevention of cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Method: Semi-structured interview and questionnaire delivered in a street survey. Standardised HPV-related statements used to measure HPV knowledge and attitudes to vaccination. The setting was three different areas of Birmingham, to target a mix of social class and ethnicity. The sample population was composed of 16-54 year olds. Results: A total of 420 participants were recruited. Poor knowledge of HPV and its links with cervical cancer were observed. 81% had a knowledge score of zero. Knowledge about HPV was associated with different ethnic group and socio-economic group. The majority (88%) of participants were in favour of vaccination, with 83.6% indicating that they would allow a child under their care to be vaccinated. Conclusion: Initial responses to the proposed HPV vaccination within the UK public are favourable. However, knowledge levels are poor and media and health professional promotion are required to raise awareness. Authors: Charlotte Devereaux Walsh, Aradhana Gera, Meeraj Shah, Amit Sharma, Judy E Powell and Sue Wilson Source: BMC Public Health 2008, 8:368

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-26T17:08:08-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Louisville Researchers Make Breakthrough With HPV

Source: WLKY.com Author: staff Looking at Petri dishes and transferring chemical solutions may not look exciting, but if you understood what doctors Alfred Jenson and Shin-Je Ghim have discovered in doing just that, it could save your life. Now, the same scientists have made another discovery concerning the virus, and it could potentially save nearly 50,000 lives a year. "The reason it's so exciting is because we developed the vaccine for the cervical cancer because 100 percent of cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus," said Jenson. "Now it looks like during the last year, up to 50 percent of head and neck cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus." So having a vaccine that's 100 percent effective against the human papillomavirus means the same vaccine is going to be able to prevent both cervical cancer and head and neck cancer. HPV is known to be transferred by sexual intercourse and through the birth canal. So how did it manifest in the head and neck? Doctors linked it to oral transmission. "There has been a change in the cause of head and neck cancers since 1972, and it's just been realized in the last couple of years," said Jenson. Cancer specialists realized there was a sharp rise, particularly in cancer of the tongue and tonsils. U of L's research team at the cancer center, led by resident Payal Desai, looked at the last seven years of patients who had cancerous tissue in those areas. Twenty-eight percent of the samples [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-07-27T18:40:45-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Gardasil vaccine eradicating human papillomavirus infections

Source: news.com.au Author: Kate Sikora The new cervical cancer vaccine is expected to almost eradicate human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in Australian women by 2050 if the high rate of immunization amongst girls continues. Research to be released today by the Cancer Council NSW reveals the number of new HPV cases in women will fall by more than 50 per cent in the next two years. In 40 years, the number of cases will fall by 97 per cent. A national program launched last April has seen 3.7 million girls vaccinated with Gardasil, which has the potential to prevent up to 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Before the vaccination program, there were 108,000 new infections of HPV16 - responsible for 50 per cent of cervical cancers - every year, but that number is expected to fall to 47,000 by 2010. Dr Karen Canfell, lead author of the study, warned the reduction in HPV would only occur if girls continued to be vaccinated. "We expect to see a very fast reduction in the number of new HPV infections, largely due to the high school vaccination program, which we estimate has achieved high coverage of just over 80 per cent of 12-13-year-old girls," she said. "This reduction will only occur if we maintain this high vaccination coverage among younger age groups." Gardasil has attracted controversy over its rate of adverse reactions. Nationally, there have been 1013 reports of adverse side effects from Gardasil to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Girls have reported allergic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-07-24T21:12:24-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Presence of Human Papillomavirus Infection Has No Prognostic Value in Tongue Cancer Patients: Presented at AHNS

Source: Doctors Guide (www.docguide.com) Author: Arushi Sinha The presence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection does not appear to have any prognostic effect in patients treated for base-of-tongue (BoT) cancer, according to research presented here at the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) 7th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. Investigator Mary Reid, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, presented the findings in a poster session on July 20. According to Dr. Reid, HPV has been shown to be associated with oral and laryngeal carcinomas. Therefore, the research team conducted the study to identify characteristics of patients diagnosed with BoT carcinomas and outcomes in patients with or without HPV infection. The researchers studied patient charts for 87 patients with BoT; the majority of patients comprised Caucasians (93%) and males (87%). The average age of the study cohort was 59 years. Forty-seven percent of the study population were smokers, 29% were former smokers, and 24% had never smoked at the time of diagnosis. In addition, 24% of patients reported heavy alcohol use. Of the group, 98% were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and 74% had advanced stage IV disease. The researchers identified a smaller subset of 30 patients for whom tissue samples were used to detect the presence of HPV, specifically the HPV 16 strain, using polymerase chain reaction techniques. Twenty of the 30 patients (66%) tested positive for HPV infection. There were similarities among tested and nontested patients with respect to alcohol consumption, race, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-07-23T19:06:18-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|