National Cancer Institute

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is on the rise in young caucasian females, age 18 to 44 years

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology Abstract Purpose To evaluate the incidence of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) in young white women, age 18 to 44 years. Patients and Methods We analyzed incidence and survival data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute from 1975 to 2007 for OCSCC and OTSCC. Three cohorts were examined: all ages, age 18 to 44 years (ie, “young”), and age > 44 years. Individuals were stratified by sex and/or race. Percentage change (PC) and annual percentage change (APC) were calculated. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to examine trend differences. Results Overall, incidence of OCSCC was decreasing for all ages. However, incidence was increasing for young white women (PC, 34.8; APC, 2.2; P < .05). Incidence of OTSCC was decreasing for all ages except in the age 18 to 44 years group (PC, 28.8; APC, 1.8; P < .05). Young white individuals had increasing incidence trends of OTSCC (white women: PC, 111.3; APC, 4; P < .05; young white men: PC, 43.7; APC, 1.6; P < .05). The APC of OTSCC was significantly greater in young white women compared with that in young white men (P = .007). Furthermore, incidence of SCC in all other subsites of the oral cavity was decreasing. Nonwhites had a decreasing incidence of OCSCC and OTSCC. Cause-specific survival was similar among whites age 18 to 44 and individuals older than age 44 years. Conclusion OTSCC [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-04-10T17:26:36-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Assessment of human papillomavirus in lung tumor tissue

By: Journal of the National Cancer Institute Affiliations of authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD (JK, MR, AKC, AMG, AH, PRT, SW, MTL, NEC); Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (MLG, HS); DDL Diagnostic Laboratory, Voorburg, the Netherlands (L-JVD, WGVQ, LS); EPOCA Research Center, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy (LT, PAB); Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milan, Italy (LT, PAB) Background Lung cancer kills more than 1 million people worldwide each year. Whereas several human papillomavirus (HPV)–associated cancers have been identified, the role of HPV in lung carcinogenesis remains controversial. Methods We selected 450 lung cancer patients from an Italian population–based case–control study, the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology. These patients were selected from those with an adequate number of unstained tissue sections and included all those who had never smoked and a random sample of the remaining patients. We used real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to test specimens from these patients for HPV DNA, specifically for E6 gene sequences from HPV16 and E7 gene sequences from HPV18. We also tested a subset of 92 specimens from all never-smokers and a random selection of smokers for additional HPV types by a PCR-based test for at least 54 mucosal HPV genotypes. DNA was extracted from ethanol- or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue under strict PCR clean [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-02-04T18:07:12-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Does chocolate hold the key to cure HPV?

Source: Yahoo News Indulgent chocolate treats may be the best-known and most widely appreciated product of the cacao tree, but new scientific research from New York Based Cacao Biotechnologies is uncovering potential new applications for the antioxidant-rich beans which could spur an innovative approach to treating human papillomavirus (HPV), a precursor to cervical cancer. The human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, with an estimated 24 million active cases and 5.5 million new cases each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer in woman with more than 12,000 cases reported in the U.S. each year. HPV vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration are available, but they are not a cure and they can’t effectively prevent all strains of HPV infection in those who are sexually active. Existing vaccines are only proven effective against a small number of high-risk, cancer-causing HPV strains and are not free of serious side effects including convulsions and paralysis. While condoms can reduce the risk of HPV infection, the virus can still be transmitted simply through skin contact of areas not covered by the condom. Vaccination will not cure someone who is already infected with the virus, so even with massive public health education campaigns, HPV will not soon be eradicated because it is so widely spread in the adult population. According to Penny Hitchcock, Chief of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Branch of the U.S. government’s National Division of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-02-04T12:16:39-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Zometa aids patients with head and neck cancer

Source: DrBicuspid.com Zoledronic acid, a drug currently approved for osteoporosis treatment, has been shown to reduce bone loss in a study of mice with oral cancer, suggesting it could serve as a supplemental therapy in patients with head and neck cancers that erode bone (Cancer Research, November 1, 2010, Vol. 70:21, pp. 8607-8616). The drug, known by the brand name Zometa, is designed to inhibit bone resorption. Oral squamous cell carcinoma accounts for about 90% of all tumors in the mouth, according to the National Cancer Institute. The five-year survival rate for this form of cancer is 61% for all stages combined. When these tumors form in the gums, their growth in the mouth leads to bone loss in the jaw. In turn, bone erosion stimulates the cancer to grow. Scientists call this phenomenon, driven in part by the release of cancer stimulatory compounds from bone, a vicious cycle that occurs in this and other forms of cancer. Even though the bone loss itself is not life-threatening, loss of bone means the tumor is continuing to grow. "The goal is to stop the vicious cycle," said Thomas Rosol, DVM, PhD, professor of veterinary biosciences at Ohio State, in a press release. "Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery are all used to treat head and neck cancers. Zoledronic acid is a very safe drug and all it does is block bone resorption, so patients could receive all of the standard treatments, and this drug could be added as an additional benefit. That's the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-12-15T11:16:48-07:00December, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Large Thyroid Nodules Linked to High Malignancy Risk

Elsevier Global Medical News Author - MG Sullivan PARIS (EGMN) - Patients with a non-decisive fine-needle aspiration for large non-diagnostic thyroid nodules or lesions of undetermined significance should be considered for surgery because more than half of these large nodules can be malignant. In a review of 156 patients with non-decisive fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), nodule size was a major determinant in surgical referral, Dr. Susana Mascarell said at the International Thyroid Congress. "Nodules of this size were associated with a malignancy rate of up to 60%," said Dr. Mascarell of the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago. FNA is considered the main diagnostic tool in deciding which patient to refer to surgery. "However," Dr. Mascarell said, "the FNA results may not be helpful when the cytology specimen is non-diagnostic or qualifies as a follicular lesion of undetermined significance - both classifications that are part of the new six-level FNA classification system suggested by the National Cancer Institute." When an FNA comes back as non-decisive on such specimens, the clinician must choose between surgery and clinical follow-up as the next step. Unfortunately, said Dr. Mascarell, there are no hard-and-fast rules about which management path to choose. Molecular markers are becoming more important in the decision, but can't be relied upon in every patient, she said. "When these markers are present in high concentrations, they are up to 99% accurate in identifying malignant nodules and so are a very helpful tool. But only 40% of nodules are positive for [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-26T13:38:00-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Government Certified: What’s Causing Cancer — Research Summary

CANCER-INSIDE AND OUT: Cancer is one of the most prominent diseases in the world. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cancer is a renegade system of growth inside the human body. The changes that must occur inside for cancer to flourish are genetic changes, but factors outside the body also play a role." Outside factors, such as: diet, smoking, alcohol use, hormone levels, and even exposure to certain chemicals and viruses over time, can all work together to create defects and maturation in cells. Furthermore, they go on to explain that environmental, in science, means, everything outside the body, in the environment, that enters and interacts with it. This type of exposure can also include things such as: sunshine, rain, water, food intake, and workplace environment. Researchers have concluded approximately 67 percent of all cancers are due in some part to the environment. Feeling like you can't go anywhere now without being faced with cancer? The good news is these risks can decrease significantly if lifestyle changes are made. The National Cancer Institute suggests about one third of all cancer deaths could have been prevented if lifestyle changes were made, such as avoiding or completely eliminating tobacco and alcohol use. NOT JUST ON THE OUTSIDE: Environmental factors are not the only culprit when it comes to cancer. A lot of cancer is gene related and based on our composition from within. Random gene changes occurring now, as well as gene changes that occur from cell growth and division, accumulate and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-08T11:32:47-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

A tough one to chew on: smokeless tobacco and teens

Source: Medscape Today Author: Mary E. Muscari, PhD, CPNP, APRN-BC, CFNS Introduction One would think that the mere image of a bulgy cheek spewing brown, foul-smelling goo would be more than enough to turn anyone, especially appearance-conscious teens, off of using smokeless tobacco (ST). But then, these media-savvy adolescents probably have discovered snus, a smoke- and spit-free tobacco. According to a recent article in Reuters,[1] the use of ST is on the rise among US teens, reversing a downward trend in tobacco product use by adolescents. The Reuters article cites comments made by Terry Pechacek, PhD, Associate Director for Science, Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a report to a US Congressional Panel. Among his comments is the suggestion that ST-using Major League Baseball® (MLB) players may be influencing young men to take up the cancer-causing habit. In his report, Dr. Pechacek noted that "the recent increases in ST use by adolescent boys and young adult men and the increasing dual use of cigarettes and ST products may portend a leveling off or even a reversal in the decline in smoking, the perpetuation of nicotine dependence, and continuing high levels of tobacco-related disease and death in the country."[2] Given this grim outlook, healthcare professionals need to kick up their fight against teen tobacco use by increasing their focus on smokeless forms of tobacco. Smokeless Tobacco ST (also known as spit, plug dip, chaw, rack, spits, grizz, [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-10T06:34:38-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Could HPV be transmitted orally?

Source: Bright Hub Author: Kira Jaines Can a kiss transmit HPV? Or oral sex? Studies conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that not only can human papilloma virus be transmitted orally, it can also increase the risk of oropharyngeal cancer. Can HPV Be Transmitted Orally? In a word, yes. Once thought to be uncommon, the oral transmission of human papilloma virus (HPV) through oral sex and even French kissing has been documented and linked to an increasing rate of oropharyngeal cancer. The oropharynx consists of the base the tongue, the tonsils, the back of the mouth and the walls of the throat. Results of a study by Johns Hopkins researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 linked HPV exposure and infection to an increased risk of cancer of the mouth and throat. HPV infection has rapidly caught up with tobacco and alcohol as a risk factor for oral cancer, and has, in fact, become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, independently of smoking and drinking. About HPV Over 120 different HPV viruses have been identified, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Different types of HPV infect different parts of the body. Some cause warts on the skin. Some cause warts on the genitals. Some are harmless. Some cause cancer. The HPV virus is easily passed via skin-to-skin contact or sexual contact. HPV viruses cause no early identifiable symptoms and most are fought off by the body’s immune system. In fact, sexually-active adults have a [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-11T16:10:45-07:00July, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Environmental cancer risks may be more dangerous than you think

Source: LA Times Author: Jill U Adams Pollutants and other chemicals in your environment — your home, your frontyard, your workplace — may be more toxic to your health than you know, according to a report released earlier this month. The President's Cancer Panel, an advisory group charged with monitoring the war on cancer, proposed in its May 5 report that environmental chemicals might contribute to a larger share of deaths from cancer than the 1% to 5% figure cited by the National Cancer Institute. Skeptical reactions to the report, most notably from the American Cancer Society, say that the report's focus on potential environmental risks may distract from known risks with much larger effects, such as smoking, sun exposure, diet and exercise. But others, such as David Kriebel, an epidemiologist at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell who testified before the panel in 2008, say the risks associated with environmental exposures are unclear and could easily be larger than assumed. "Isn't it disappointing that we don't know how much larger?" he asks. "It is always worth making the point that tobacco is the most important exposure to try to eliminate," but that message shouldn't preclude investigation of other exposures, says Shelia Hoar Zahm, deputy director of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute. The report, with its focus on the admittedly incomplete science on environmental cancer risks, helps the U.S. government to keep the broad picture in mind as it continues its war on cancer, she says. [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-25T15:17:24-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

End of cervical cancer is possible

Source: The News and Observer Author: Martha Quillin May 19--RALEIGH -- North Carolina could be among the first states to eliminate cervical cancer, according to a group of health care experts who launched an effort Tuesday with that goal. More than 100 clinicians, researchers, community activists and some cancer survivors attended the launch of the Cervical Cancer-Free Initiative at a Raleigh hotel. That's almost as many women -- 114, on average -- who die of cervical cancer in North Carolina each year. While the number of deaths from the illness has dropped over three decades in the state and across the nation, all cervical-cancer deaths are preventable, said Noel T. Brewer, director of the initiative. Brewer is also an associate professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, which is a partner with the N.C. Division of Public Health, in the initiative. "This is an illness that kills people in countries where people don't have access to health care," Brewer said. In the United States, 4,070 women died of the disease last year, according to the National Cancer Institute. "We are a rich country," Brewer said. "This shouldn't be happening here." Participants talked about ways to get more girls vaccinated against HPV, or human papillomavirus, which is present in every case of cervical cancer, and to increase screening for cervical cancer in women who weren't vaccinated. Those two steps could prevent most of the deaths, Brewer said. In North Carolina, only a third of girls aged 13 to [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-20T12:20:57-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|