human papillomavirus – Page 13

HPV Persistence Predicts Poor Prognosis in Head/Neck Cancer

Source: www.medscape.comAuthor: Roxanne Nelson, RN, BSN Among patients with human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC), persistence of HPV following treatment is associated with a poorer prognosis. Results of a new study show that the persistence of HPV16 DNA, detected in oral rinses after treatment has ended, may be predictive of disease recurrence. In a cohort of 124 patients with HPV-OPC, HPV16 DNA was detected in oral rinses from 54% (n = 67) of patients at the time of their diagnosis. Following treatment, it was detected in only six patients after treatment, including five patients with persistent oral HPV16 DNA that was also detected at diagnosis. All five patients with persistent HPV16 experienced disease recurrence, with three eventually dying of their cancer. Conversely, only nine of 119 patients without persistent oral HPV16 DNA developed recurrent disease. "Our findings indicate that persistent HPV16 DNA in oral rinses may be a useful early marker of disease that has either recurred or never fully responded to treatment," said first author Eleni Rettig, MD, of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. "In the clinical setting, this could one day be a part of routine surveillance after treatment for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers, in addition to clinical examination and imaging," she told Medscape Medical News. The study was published online July 30 in JAMA Oncology. Biomarker Potential? In an accompanying editorial, Julie E. Bauman, MD, MPH, and Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, both of the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-07-30T17:19:55-07:00July, 2015|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine now free for ‘at-risk’ boys and men under 26

Source: www.vancitybuzz.com Author: Jill Slattery The government of B.C. announced this week the HPV vaccine for human papilloma virus will now be available free of charge to boys and men under age 26 who classify as ‘at-risk’. Beginning in September, the free HPV vaccine program currently only available to young women will become available to men who have sex with males or who are “street-involved”. “Providing the vaccine for all girls protects heterosexual boys as well, but leaves at-risk boys and young men unprotected. This change will address that gap,” said the province in a media release. “The human papilloma virus is the most common sexually transmitted infection,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “It can lead to serious health problems and could develop into an HPV-related cancer. Our vaccination program will help protect all young British Columbians from cancers and other diseases caused by HPV infection.” HPV can be contracted by having sex with another person infected by the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV is “spread easily during anal or vaginal sex, and it can also be spread through oral sex or other close skin-to-skin touching during sex. HPV can be spread even when an infected person has no visible signs or symptoms.” While HPV may cause little to no symptoms in some, it can lead to genital warts and certain kinds of cancer. In men, oropharyngeal cancers (cancers at the back of the throat) are the most common. “In general, HPV is [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-07-10T12:36:14-07:00July, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Single Dose of HPV-16/18 Vaccine Looks to Be Sufficient

Source: www.medscape.comAuthor: Jenni Laidman A single dose of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) may prevent cervical cancer as effectively as the standard three-dose regimen, researchers concluded after analyzing the combined results of two large vaccine trials. The HPV vaccine in these studies was Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline), which is effective against HPV strains 16/18. If randomized controlled trials ultimately support the result of this post hoc analysis, it could broaden protection against cervical cancer in areas of the world where vaccination programs are hardest to administer and where cervical cancer is disproportionately burdensome, the study authors say. "Even if you ignore the expense, the feasibility of implementing and getting back to individuals for a second and third dose is quite challenging, especially in places where there is no infrastructure," coauthor Cosette Wheeler, PhD, Regents Professor, Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, told Medscape Medical News. The studies are published online June 10 in the Lancet Oncology. The possibility of a single-dose HPV vaccine is "a huge public health win," coauthor Aimée R. Kreimer, PhD, Investigator, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, told Medscape Medical News. "Even if one dose protects only against HPV types included in the vaccine formulation, if we vaccinated most girls, we would have the chance to reduce cervical cancer by around 75%." That's the exciting part, Dr Wheeler added. "If we're able to achieve success with one dose, or frankly even with two doses, that makes the possibility [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-15T12:33:51-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Public speaker back to work after tongue cancer surgery

Source: www.komonews.com Author: Molly Shen Local doctors are seeing an alarming rise in the number of tongue cancer cases in people who never smoked or chewed tobacco. The Human Papillomavirus is a possible cause, but sometimes there's no viral or obvious reason. Robert Hasse was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2013. He writes a blog called "Not What You Had Planned." And he knows all about life going off schedule. A successful public speaker, he was sidelined by the news he had cancer and to save his life, he would lose half of his tongue. "I couldn't fathom not being able to speak," Haase said. "And that was a possibility if the nerve was cut incorrectly or if the doctor didn't do it right, I wouldn't ever be able to speak again." Doctors were able to rebuild Haase's tongue with tissue from his forearm. He was determined to speak, documenting his first attempt, two weeks later, two months later and most recently, 18 months after surgery. Dr. Stephen Bayles has done several hundred tongue reconstructive surgeries at Virginia Mason Medical Center. He says while patients lose most of the ability to taste food, he can restore movement, blood flow and some sensations like the ability to distinguish heat and cold. He said Haase's attitude was inspiring. "He came straight out of the operation with a thumbs up attitude and was already communicating to people how well he was doing and that he was already on his road to recovery," Dr. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-24T08:37:13-07:00May, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

The case for extending the HPV vaccine is clear and urgent

Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk Author: Dr Shaun Griffin Last month the world marked Immunization Week, an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of routine life-saving immunizations and how they have transformed our approach to public health over the course of centuries. Close the Immunization Gap was this year's theme by the World Health Organisation. Progress towards global vaccination targets for 2015 is far off-track, according to the WHO one in five children still miss out on routine life-saving immunizations that could avert 1.5 million deaths each year from preventable diseases. The immunization gap also extends to gender, age and sexuality. A vaccination programme against the human papillomavirus (HPV) began in 2008 in the UK for girls aged 12-13 to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer, which is caused by HPV. However, emerging research over the past eight years has found that cancers of the head, mouth, throat, penis and anus can also be caused by strains of the virus. The incidence rate of anal cancer in men who have sex with men (MSM) is increasing. Anal cancer incidence rates in MSM are equivalent to the rates that existed for cervical cancer in women before 1988, when the Government introduced the cervical cancer screening programme. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) estimated incidence rate of anal cancer is 78 per 100,000 per year in HIV-positive MSMs who are on HAART (anti-retroviral treatment), compared with 5 per 100,000 per year in HIV-negative MSMs. Around 5,500 men were diagnosed with oral, penile or anal cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-06T14:07:25-07:00May, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Nova Scotia to include boys in HPV vaccination schedule

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com Author: Kelly Grant, Health Reporter Boys in Nova Scotia will begin receiving free vaccinations against the human papillomavirus next fall, a move that makes the Maritime province only the third in Canada to extend public funding of the cancer-thwarting shot to all children, regardless of gender. In the budget unveiled on Thursday, Nova Scotia’s Liberal government announced it would make the HPV vaccine available to Grade 7 boys as part of the regular school-based immunization program. The expansion is expected to cost $492,000 a year. Every province in Canada already covers the HPV vaccine for girls in an effort to prevent genital warts and cervical cancer, both of which can be caused by some strains of the virus, which is transmitted through sex and skin-to-skin contact. But in recent years, oncologists and major health organizations – including the Canadian Cancer Society and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization – have begun calling for HPV vaccinations for boys, too. Until this week, only Prince Edward Island and Alberta had heeded that call with a publicly funded program. HPV can lead to cancers of the penis, anus, oral cavity and throat in men, as well as genital and anal warts. “We have a vaccine. It can prevent cancers in men and women, so we want Canadians to be vaccinated against it, because we can actually prevent cancers from starting in the first place,” said Robert Nuttall, the assistant director of cancer control policy at the Canadian Cancer Society. Nova Scotia’s [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-04-12T07:33:38-07:00April, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers propose new staging model for HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: Donna Domino Researchers are proposing a new tumor-staging model for predicting the outcomes and guiding treatments for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Since HPV-related cancer differs significantly from smoking-related cancer, less intensive treatment strategies may be more appropriate, the study authors concluded. Treatment regimens for oropharyngeal cancer have intensified over time and carry a toxicity burden, the Canadian researchers noted. In the last few years, research has found that oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV behaves differently than OPC caused by smoking and alcohol, yet both cancers use the same tumor classification model. Therefore, regardless of whether the OPC was caused by HPV or smoking, the treatment and perceived prognosis based on tumor staging has remained the same, even though patient outcomes vary considerably, the study authors noted (Journal of Clinical Oncology, February 10, 2015, Vol. 31:5, pp. 543-550). A new tumor-staging model will help separate patients with promising prognoses from those with negative ones to design the most appropriate treatment strategies for each group, according to the researchers from Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The researchers analyzed 899 oropharyngeal cancer patients, including 505 (56%) patients with HPV who had been treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy from 2001 to 2009. The HPV-positive patients (382) had higher recurrence-free survival rates after about four years compared with HPV-negative patients (123). Disease recurrence was 16.7% (64) among HPV-positive patients; 38.2% among HPV-negative patients (47). The tumor staging [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-25T08:55:13-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Clinician support critical to HPV vaccination

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection continues to lag behind rates for other vaccine-preventable diseases, primarily because of lost opportunities in the clinic, according to participants in a national conference. Primary care providers have yet to get onboard with HPV immunization with their critical recommendation to patients or parents. Enthusiasm for HPV vaccination also has taken a hit because of its portrayal as a means to prevent a sexually transmitted disease (STD) instead of a vaccine to prevent cancer, speakers said during an HPV vaccination "summit" at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. "The most important problem is that many healthcare providers are not making a strong recommendation for the vaccine in the same way that they recommend other recommended vaccines," said Melinda Wharton, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. "That's fundamentally what we think the biggest problem is." "We're hurting ourselves by approaching it differently and talking about it differently than we're talking about the other vaccines," said Ailis Clyne, MD, of the Rhode Island Department of Health, which has mounted one of the more successful HPV immunization campaigns in the U.S. Not only have the primary "pitch men" not been getting the message out about HPV, too often the sales pitch has focused on the wrong disease, said Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS). "We need to start talking about [the vaccine] as a cancer vaccine, instead [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:32:41-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Number of immune cells in tumors could soon help predict and treat cancers

Source: www.science20.com Authors: Emma King, University of Southampton and Christian Ottensmeier, University of Southampton Immune cells in the blood primarily defend us against infection. But we’re now learning that these cells can also keep us free from cancer. Patients with less efficient immune systems such as organ transplant recipients or those with untreated HIV, for example, are more susceptible to cancers. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that we can use immune cells to predict survival in people who do develop cancer. And that, in fact, there are immune cells within cancers. Head and neck cancer underway The number of immune cells inside a tumor can hugely vary: some patients have vast numbers while some have very few. In a recent study, we showed that in head and neck cancers, the survival of a patient depends on how many immune cells are within the tumor. This could be a valuable way of individualizing cancer treatments. Patients with lots of immune cells, for example, could be offered less toxic cancer treatment while those with few immune cells may need more aggressive treatment to improve their chances of survival. Not all immune cells within the tumor are able to “attack” the cancer. By looking at specific cell markers – proteins on the cell exterior that allow us to see whether, for example, cells are exhausted – we can determine which individual immune cells in the tumor will be effective in tackling the cancer, or if they are exhausted and not [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-09-26T06:21:57-07:00September, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Update on head and neck cancers, HPV: creating public awareness

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS Public awareness of head and neck cancer (HNC) is limited, with the lack of awareness including the term head and neck cancer and common symptoms and risk factors, such as tobacco use and human papillomavirus (HPV).1 The online survey of 2,126 randomly selected adults in the United States. Most respondents lacked understanding of the organs or tissues affected by head and neck cancer, with 21% incorrectly identifying brain cancer as head and neck cancer. Only 0.8% of respondents identified HPV infection as a risk factor for mouth and throat cancer, but more were aware of the vaccine. The investigators projected that extensive HPV vaccination could prevent almost 9,000 cases of oropharyngeal cancer yearly. The conclusion was that self-reported and objective measures indicate that few American adults know much about HNC including risk factors such as tobacco use and HPV infection and common symptoms. Strategies to improve public awareness and knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors may decrease the disease burden of HNC and are important topics for future research. The American Dental Association has a pamphlet titled “Get the Facts About Mouth and Throat Cancer.”2 Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) is a major contributory factor in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The detection of primary OPSCC is often delayed due to the complicated anatomy of the oropharynx. One study examined the possibility of HPV-16 DNA detection in pretreatment and posttreatment plasma and saliva and its possible role as a marker of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-09-17T19:26:13-07:00September, 2014|Oral Cancer News|