mouth cancer

Curt Schilling Reveals his Diagnosis of Oral Cancer and Believes Chewing Tobacco was the Cause

Source: boston.comAuthor: Steve Silva Curt Schilling, the former Red Sox pitcher and ESPN analyst, announced today during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon that he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma -- which is cancer in the mouth -- in February. "This all came about from a dog bite," Schilling said. "I got bitten by a dog and I had some damage to my finger and I went to see a doctor, and the day that I went to see the doctor, I was driving and I went to rub my neck and I felt a lump on the left side of my neck. And I knew immediately it wasn't normal. So there happened to be an ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat] right next door to the hand doctor, and I thought what the heck, let me just stop in and see and so I waited in the office and went in there and they did the biopsy, and two days later, they diagnosed me with squamous cell carcinoma. "You know what the amazing thing was? And I was just dumbfounded by it. You've just been told you have cancer and you walk out into the public and the world's still going on and it was really a challenge to wrap my head around that. My second thought was, 'Yeah, really, you think I can handle this too?' So after a couple of tests, I got sent over to Brigham and Women's and Dana-Farber and that's where I met Dr. Haddad [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-08-20T11:31:16-07:00August, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Tony Gwynn makes statement regarding spit tobacco use weeks before death

Author: Michael ChenSource: 10news.com SAN DIEGO - One of Tony Gwynn's last acts was issuing a simple message about the habit he blamed for his cancer. About two and half months ago, Gwynn received a request from the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society – known as PBATS – to do a taped interview on the dangers of spit tobacco to be shown to players. "It came back that Tony was entirely sick to do that," said Neil Romano, adviser to the PBATS. Romano says Gwynn's agent then called, saying Gwynn felt bad for not taking part. Gwynn blamed his decades-long use of chew tobacco for his mouth cancer. On May 28, less than three weeks before Gwynn's death, the group got final confirmation through his agent that they could use an emailed statement. Gwynn's message: "My advice to anyone would be if they aren't using spit tobacco, please don't start. And if you are using, try to quit, if not for yourself then do it for the people you love." "The fact that this was one of his last acts goes to his class, his character as a person, and frankly, his love for the game and the players," said Romano. When Gwynn was first diagnosed, Major League Baseball banned players from putting tins in pockets and using during interviews, but usage during games is still allowed. Mark Grudzielanek retired in 2010 after a 15-year career. He never used but said when he started, it was readily available through clubhouse staff. "Whatever [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-06-30T15:40:50-07:00June, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Tony Gwynn’s untimely death, baseball contemplates issues with tobacco

Source: USA TODAYPublished: June 20, 2014By: Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports OAKLAND – Tony Gwynn's multitude of accomplishments, career batting average of .338 and his pioneering use of video earned him the rapt attention of players whenever he talked baseball. Major League Baseball hopes an even more important message he's delivering posthumously sinks in as well. Gwynn, who died of mouth cancer Monday at 54, speaks out against smokeless tobacco use in a taped segment of an informational video MLB is producing and plans to release this season. The Hall of Fame outfielder believed he developed cancer because of his years-long habit of using spit tobacco, although that was never medically confirmed. Whether Gwynn's untimely death and his stance against smokeless tobacco will curtail its use among players remains an open question. Research by the Pro Baseball Athletic Trainers Society revealed the number of major leaguers who use spit tobacco has declined from about 50% to 33% in the last 20 years. However, that's still about 10 times the amount in the general population, according to the American Cancer Society, whose data from 2012 showed 3.5% of Americans 12 and older – or 9 million – use the highly addictive product. "It's definitely ingrained and something that's part of our baseball culture, but it's not exclusive to baseball,'' said Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss, a non-user. "You would hope a figure like (Gwynn), something tragic like that happening, would be a wake-up call for everyone, not just those [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-06-20T12:19:11-07:00June, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

After-effects of oral cancer surgery forces patients into unemployment and depression

Source: economicvoice.comAuthor: Economic Voice Staff Cancer Patients are being forced into unemployment due to the after-effects of surgery and higher levels of depression. Research into head and neck cancer patients discovered the rate of those employed fell by more than 40 per cent five years after diagnosis, where only one in three managed to secure work. They also reported unemployed cancer survivors had lower social well-being and higher depression scores For those cancer sufferers out of work prior to diagnosis, their reasons for not returning to work also included the knock-on effect of surgery as well as dangerous levels of alcohol consumption. Figures from Cancer Research UK reveal more than 331,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2011 – around 910 every day. According to mouth cancer campaigners, the problems are exacerbated for mouth cancer patients. Previous research identified mouth cancer survivors face a diminished quality of life. Survivors reported poor oral function, resulting in persistent eating problems and long term depression. More than half of respondents (51.6 per cent) reported problems with eating, while on average one in four survivors who lived for five or more years still experienced speech problems. It was a similar story when it came to a patient’s physical and mental health, with more than a third (36.7 per cent and 39.3 per cent respectively) recording low functionality after the five year analysis. According to Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, the study highlights the problems mouth cancer sufferers face on a daily basis. Dr [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-03-31T15:05:13-07:00March, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

No increased risk of infection for long-term sex partners of people with HPV-related oral cancers

June 1, 2013 in Cancer Source: Medical Express Spouses and long-term partners of patients with mouth and throat cancers related to infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV) appear to have no increased prevalence of oral HPV infections, according to results of a multicenter, pilot study led by Johns Hopkins investigators. The study's results suggest that long-term couples need not change their sexual practices, say the scientists. "While we can't guarantee that the partners of patients will not develop oral HPV infections or cancers, we can reassure them that our study found they had no increased prevalence of oral infections, which suggests their risk of HPV-related oral cancer remains low," says Gypsyamber D'Souza, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is expected to present the results of her study June 1 at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. HPV-related oral cancers are rising in prevalence among white men in the United States, and fear of transmitting the virus can lead to anxiety, divorce, and curtailing of sex and intimacy among couples, says D'Souza. Persistent oral HPV infections are a risk for developing oropharyngeal cancers, located at the base of the tongue, tonsils, pharynx and soft palate. At the Johns Hopkins Hospital and three other hospitals, researchers conducted surveys and took oral rinse samples from 166 male and female patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers and 94 spouses and partners. The scientists also studied patients' tumor samples and performed visual [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-06-03T10:07:24-07:00June, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Professor of dentistry told woman suffering from tumour in her jaw to chew sugar-free gum and misdiagnosed 32 others, tribunal hears

Source: mailonline.comAuthor: Steve RobsonDate: February 19, 2013 Blunders: Professor Philip Lamey is accused of misdiagnosing 33 patients at Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast A professor of dentistry misdiagnosed patients who had cancer - prescribing one with sugar-free chewing gum when she had a tumour in her jaw and another with iron supplements for skin cancer - a tribunal has heard. Philip Lamey allegedly misdiagnosed seven people with mouth cancer - four of whom later died - at the School of Dentistry in Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. In total 135 patients were recalled after doubts were raised about their biopsy results, a hearing of the General Dental Council (GDC) in London was told today. Professor Lamey, who is being represented by lawyers at the hearing, faces 46 charges after concerns were raised about his diagnosis of 33 patients. David Bradly, counsel for the GDC, said on one occasion the dentist's blunders caused a patient to be rushed to hospital after a wrong diagnosis. The patient was told she had temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) - chronic jaw pain - when she in fact had a tumour in her jawbone. Mr Bradly said: 'Professor Lamey gave a diagnosis of TMD and prescribed sugar-free chewing gum for treatment and said he would see her in three months. 'She actually had a tumour in the mandible and was admitted to hospital. She had a squamous cell carcinoma - a type of skin cancer - and had radiotherapy following an operation.' On another occasion he diagnosed an elderly [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-02-25T12:38:47-07:00February, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Part of jaw removed after mix-up

Source: 3news.co.nz A lab mix-up is being blamed for an operation on the wrong patient at an Otago dental hospital An Otago dental hospital has apologized to a woman who had part of her jaw removed after being wrongly diagnosed with mouth cancer. The misdiagnosis happened after a laboratory worker at Medlab Dental, part of the University of Otago Dental Hospital, dropped two samples on the floor and mixed them up, the Otago Daily Times reports. As a result the 63-year-old patient was wrongly diagnosed with cancer and had the right side of her upper jaw removed. An area on the woman's lower leg where bone and blood vessels were taken to reconstruct her jaw later became infected and she had trouble walking. "I can't for the life of me understand how you can get tissue samples mixed up," Nelson oral surgeon Iain Wilson, the woman's dentist, told the newspaper. "I am astonished and horrified by these lab mix-ups." University faculty of medicine dean, Professor Peter Crawford, says the university has apologized to the patient. "We have taken this incident very seriously, and have already taken all appropriate measures to minimise the likelihood of any such incidents occurring again," he said. "The patient was contacted very soon after the incident was discovered, and we offered a full apology at that time." The case is being investigated by the Health and Disability Commissioner and the patient has consulted a lawyer about compensation. The patient was one of six who had [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-06-11T10:07:33-07:00June, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco use and baseball

Source: www.quitsmokingforyou.com Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco), cause mouth cancer, gum disease, and heart disease. Yet many think that chewing tobacco is safe or less so than smoking. This is not true! In 1986, the Surgeon normal closed that the use of smokeless tobacco “is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It can cause cancer and a whole of noncancerous conditions and can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence.” Since 1991, the National Cancer institute (Nci) has officially recommended that the group avoid and desist the use of all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco. Nci also recognizes that nitrosamines, found in tobacco products, are not safe at any level. Chewing tobacco and baseball have a long tight affiliation, rooted in the cultural confidence among players and fans that baseball players chew tobacco and it is just part of the grand old game. This mystique is slowing changing with campaigns by ballplayers who have had or have seen friends with mouth cancer caused by chewing tobacco use. Jeff Bagwell Jeff Bagwell, retired first baseman with the Houston Astros and Joe Garagiola, a previous baseball player and commentator, campaign against tobacco use among children and addicted adults. In 1993, when Bagwell was 25-years-old, his dentist discovered leukoplakia, a whitish pre-cancerous sore in his mouth where he continually located chewing tobacco. About 5% of leukoplakias institute into cancer. Fortunately this did not happen to Jeff Bagwell due to the early detection by his dentist. Rick Bender, The Man Without [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-06-04T20:47:24-07:00June, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Study Finds- Fewer Dying from Throat & Mouth Cancer in the U.S.

Source: HealthDay News, US News and World Report Author: Staff Death rates improved most for patients with more than 12 years' education Death rates for U.S. patients with throat and mouth cancers decreased between 1993 and 2007, a new study shows. The finding comes from an analysis of National Center for Health Statistics data on white and black men and women, aged 25 to 64, in 26 states. The researchers also found that the largest decreases in death rates for mouth and throat (pharynx) cancers were among black patients with at least 12 years of education. The study appears in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery. Death rates increased among white men with fewer than 12 years of education, according to Dr. Amy Y. Chen, of Emory University School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society, and colleagues. Another study in the same issue of the journal found that poor overall quality of life, pain and continued tobacco use seem to be associated with poorer outcomes and a higher death rate two years after diagnosis for patients with head and neck cancer. The study included 276 patients diagnosed between September 2001 and September 2008. The overall survival rate two years after diagnosis was 90.8 percent. The likelihood of death within two years of diagnosis was: four times higher for those who reported low quality of life than for those who reported a high quality of life; four times higher for those who continued [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-11-22T09:05:47-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Although Most Smokers Want to Quit… Only a Fraction Actually Do

Source: The Wall Street Journal Author: Betsy McKay More than two-thirds of American smokers want to quit, but only a fraction actually do, underscoring a need for more services, messages, and access to medications to help them kick the habit, according to a new government report out today. Nearly 69% of adult smokers wanted to quit in 2010 and more than half tried, but only 6.2% succeeded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who try to quit can double or triple their chances with counseling or medications, but most of those who did try to quit in 2010 didn’t use either. Nor did they receive advice on how to quit from a doctor. The findings suggest more needs to be done to help smokers quit — particularly certain segments of the population with low quit rates, said Tim McAfee, director of the public health agency’s Office on Smoking and Health, in an interview. Nearly 76% of African-American smokers wanted to quit last year, and 59% tried — well above the national average, said McAfee. But a mere 3.2% succeeded, which is the lowest rate among measured races and ethnicities. American smokers with college degrees had a far higher rate of success at quitting — 11.4% — than smokers with fewer than 12 years of schooling, who had only a 3.2% success rate. Still, McAfee said, there are some encouraging signs. For example, the percentage of young adults between the ages of 25 and 44 who want to [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-11-11T15:22:32-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|