oral cancer foundation – Page 5

World’s largest oral cancer support group is helping thousands worldwide

Source: www.mdnews.com Author: staff It's no secret that people don't want to hear their name and cancer in the same sentence. When Oral Cancer Founder Brian Hill was diagnosed with oral cancer in 1999, he had a lot of questions. Brian recalls, "When I was going through treatment I remember thinking, 'When am I going to get rid of all these sores in my mouth? What about tasting things again?' I was desperate to find someone to talk to who had gone through the same thing I was experiencing but there was nowhere to go." Brian decided to take matters into his own hands and become a student of the disease. With a small budget, he founded the non-profit Oral Cancer Foundation, and launched a Patient/Survivor Support Forum shortly after completing treatment for the disease. Today, eleven years after Brian faced dim prospects as a stage 4 cancer patient, the Foundation's Survivor/Patient forum is the world's largest support group for oral, head and neck cancers. The message boards have thousands of individuals involved; survivors, patients and caregivers, as well as doctors and nurses - posting real-time, asking for, or providing information and support to those just starting on this path. The OCF forum is a free, anonymous, safe environment for patients to get the answers and support they need 24/7/ 365 days a year. Patients and caregivers worldwide are interacting with each other. Currently more than 7,650 members on the forum interact with one another on a daily basis; tens [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-12-27T20:31:16-07:00December, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Ann Layvey: outreach underpins academic fulfillment

Source: www.dental.upenn.edu/ Author: staff Ann Layvey was raised to ‘give back,’ so it seems natural that her academic career at Penn Dental Medicine has been underpinned by community service. “My mom always helped me to see the importance of outreach,” says Ann, who, from an early age, was involved in helping her community in New York by serving those in need. During her undergraduate experience, she volunteered at the New York University Hospital, and has consistently supported community service at Penn Dental Medicine, where it is also an integral part of the School’s curriculum. “By dealing with what concerns others, we define our own humanity,” she says. Tapping into that ingrained altruism, Ann teamed with fellow students to help organize a new outreach program for the School that complimented their studies. In spring 2009, she co-coordinated Penn Dental Medicine’s first Oral Cancer Walk, garnering attention to oral cancer and over $16,000 in donations for the Oral Cancer Foundation. “We modeled this walk on the ones done in New York, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., and were thrilled beyond expectations for our first year,” she says. Nearly 300 participated in the walk, and 75 people came out for oral cancer screenings, effectively raising the community service profile of Penn Dental Medicine and building public awareness about how oral cancer screenings save lives. “This was our first year for this walk, and our goal is to keep it going,” she says. In addition to helping the community in Philadelphia, Ann also put her [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-12-26T09:28:17-07:00December, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Penthouse Founder Bob Guccione Dead at 79

Source: ThirdAge News Penthouse founder Bob Guccione died on Wednesday in Texas after a long bout with lung cancer, his family said. He was 79 years old. Guccione also suffered from oral cancer, the Oral Cancer Foundation says. “My cancer was only a tiny tumor about the size of an almond at the base of my tongue,” he explained in an intervie with New York Magazine. “The cure is probably every bit as bad as the disease. It’s affected my ability to swallow . . . the mobility of my tongue . . . it makes it very difficult for me to talk...” The Wall Street Journal reported his family said in a statement Guccione died at Plano Specialty Hospital in Plano. Guccione created Penthouse in 1965, immediately setting it apart from Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine through its more graphic photos of unclothed women and less reliance on the written word. If Playboy was the publishing world's version of the Beatles, Penthouse was the Rolling Stones. "Unlike his future arch-rival Hugh Hefner, he did not suffer from sexual shyness and repression," John Heidenry, a former Penthouse Forum editor wrote in his book "What Wild Ecstasy." "He liked girls, pure and simple, like any average healthy Italian boy from New Jersey, and he was no virgin." Guccione diversified into other magazines, movies and other ventures and his fortune at one time was estimated at $400 million but Penthouse's popularity waned with the advent of Internet pornography.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-22T08:48:47-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

High-risk HPV in the oral cavity of women with cervical cancer, and their children

Source: 7thSpace Author: Rajan SainiTan Association of High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) with oral cancer has been established recently. Detecting these viruses in oral cavity is important to prevent oral lesions related to them. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HR-HPV in the oral cavity of women with cervical cancer, and their children. A total of 70 women, previously diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 46 children of these women, born by vaginal delivery only, were selected for this study. Buccal swabs were collected from their oral cavity and HPV detection was carried out using Hybrid Capture 2 high-risk HPV (HC2 HR-HPV) detection system. Results: Out of 70 women with cervical cancer, four (5.71%) were found to be positive for HR-HPV in their oral cavity. No association of HR-HPV was found with sociodemographic profile, marital status, reproductive history, tobacco and alcohol usage, contraceptive pills usage, and presence of oral lesions (p>0.05). Among children, HR-HPV in the oral cavity was detected in only 1 of the 46 subjects examined (2.17%). Clinically healthy oral mucosa, without any oral lesions, was observed in all the HR-HPV positive subjects. Conclusion: The result of this study showed that there is low, if any, risk of HR-HPV infection in the oral cavity of women with cervical cancer. Further, our study suggests that there is very low risk for children of women with cervical cancer, to acquire and sustain HR-HPV in their oral cavity until childhood or adolescence. Author: Rajan SainiTan KhimSarah RahmanMazian IsmailThean [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-16T11:53:33-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

New oral cancer data could prompt new treatments

Source: The Columbus Disbatch Author: Misti Crane Doctors are focusing increasingly on the role that human papilloma virus plays in oral cancer, and new research is prompting hope that treatments can be better tailored to patients. People with oral cancer have a better chance of surviving if the cancer is linked to HPV, according to a new study led by an Ohio State University researcher. Dr. Maura Gillison and her colleagues found that 82 percent of those with HPV-positive tumors in the back of their mouths survived at least three years, compared with 57percent of those with mouth tumors not tied to HPV. Their study included 323 oropharyngeal cancer patients. HPV, which is spread by sexual contact, is the virus that also causes cervical cancer. It can cause cancer of the mouth through oral sex. The research took into account other risk factors such as tobacco use. It was published online yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study should prompt more studies and advances in treatment, Gillison said. For example, it could be that patients with a better prognosis could have less radiation and suffer fewer side effects, she said. Side effects of treatment include trouble swallowing, dental problems, difficulty speaking and inflexibility in the neck. Gillison also presented new data yesterday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. The data showed a worse outcome for smokers who have HPV-positive cancers than for patients with the same type of cancer who don't smoke. The risk [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-06-09T10:00:14-07:00June, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

First-time walk raises awareness of oral cancer

Source: indarticles.com Author: staff A support group for people with oral and head and neck cancer is looking to send a message Saturday with its inaugural Oral Cancer Awareness Walk, co-sponsored by the Oral Cancer Foundation. "Last year approximately 35,700 new cases were diagnosed in the United States, and there were about 7,600 deaths," walk organizers said in a news release. "Sixty percent of people aren't diagnosed until the cancer has progressed to Stage III or IV, and almost half of those victims die within five years. But if caught early, oral cancer has one of the highest overall treatment and survival rates." Organizers hope the walk will call attention to the importance of early detection and prevention, not only to the general public but to dentists, who spot problems. Perhaps the highest-profile patient is movie critic Roger Ebert, who has recently detailed his battle with oral cancer. Locally, Jeanna Richelson, an engineer at Siskin Steel, has shared her story. Now cancer-free, she is spearheading the support group, known officially as the Chattanooga Chapter of Support for People With Oral and Head and Neck Cancer. "When I was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2001, I had no idea how my life would be changed forever," she said in the news release. "If I can save one life or keep one person from having to go through the hardships that me and so many others have gone through, it will be worth it." Registration for the walk begins at 10 a.m. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-18T10:29:09-07:00April, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Oral Cancer Foundation donates screening devices to West Virginia Free Clinics

Source: www.prnewswire.com Author: press release In 2009 the Oral Cancer Foundation initiated a program of donating VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening Systems to free clinics. The most recent recipients of this program are two West Virginia clinics: WV Health Right in Charleston, and the Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic in West Milford. "Our intent is to identify free clinics in areas that have a high concentration of people who are both at risk for oral cancer and without the financial means to pay for comprehensive oral exams," said Oral Cancer Foundation founder and executive director Brian Hill. "It is difficult to think of an area that better fits those criteria than West Virginia." The state ranks highest in the country in tobacco usage, and next-to-last in per capita income. In identifying free clinics to be potential recipients of the device which identifies loss of tissue auto-fluorescence, an indicator of abnormal tissues, the Oral Cancer Foundation is careful to ensure that each candidate clinic has at least one dentist on staff who can be trained to use the device and can train other staff members. Oral cancer belongs to the head and neck cancer group, and is often referred to by other names such as; tongue cancer, mouth cancer, tonsil cancer, lip cancer, and throat cancer. While some people think this is a rare cancer, it is not. Approximately 100 people in the U.S. will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer each day, and it takes a life in the U.S. every [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-02-23T12:46:22-07:00February, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

IBG wine tasting: affordable and fabulous

Source: www.prlog.org Author: press release For many of us, extravagant prices for wine with dinner on an average Wednesday night have gone the way of large holiday bonuses. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t still treat yourself to fabulous wine. Please join IBG Inc. for a wine tasting and silent auction on January 23, 2010 at the Wilshire Art Gallery in Beverly Hills where you can sample wines from around the world. These wines are unique, interesting and affordable. In addition to exploring these wines, attendees are eligible to bid on items donated by our generous sponsors, including items from Dior Beauty, modcloth.com, Louden Swain, “The Bonnie Hunt Show”, “The Soup” with Joel McHale, The Cheesecake Factory, Sprinkles and others. The best part? The $25 entrance fee and all proceeds from the silent auction will go to support IBG Inc’s charitable efforts throughout the year. Our planned support programs for the first half of 2010 include support for organizations on the front lines dealing with catastrophic illness, education, arts and culture and social services. Events, auctions and awareness campaigns are planned for the PKD Foundation (Polycystic Kidney Disease), Art Aids Art, the Oral Cancer Foundation, Children of the Night, Fezeka Scholoarship Fund, Kids Defense Team, Off The Street Kids and the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. Founded in late 2008, IBG (http://www.ibginc.org) established a non-profit focusing on utilizing the power of philanthropy through the arts to benefit a broad range of charities worldwide. We act as [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-01-17T15:31:44-07:00January, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Philip Morris expects FDA regulation will be a perk

Source: Richmond Times Author: David Ress Jun 23, 2009 (Richmond Times-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- One of the real tests of how federal regulation will affect tobacco use could be something you'll spot at a convenience store counter. A new law signed by President Barack Obama yesterday will, among many changes, move all tobacco products -- snuff and cigars as well as cigarettes -- behind the counter. How they share space back there could clear the way for more competition in a market now dominated by Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. It's competition that Chesterfield County-based Swedish Match North America is hoping for, and a rule it believes could lead to something it's long wanted: more space on retailer's shelves for its snuff and chewing tobacco. "It's back to old fashioned blocking and tackling, how to be more competitive -- including against cigarettes," said Gerry Roerty, Swedish Match's president and general counsel. Both Richmond-area tobacco companies broke with most of the rest of the tobacco industry in supporting the regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "We have consistently advocated for federal regulation that recognizes the serious harm caused by tobacco products," said Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman and chief executive of Altria, parent of Philip Morris USA, the largest cigarette-maker. But critics say Altria's nearly decade-old support of regulation is a way to lock in its dominant share of the U.S. market -- both for cigarettes and now oral tobacco, after buying the nation's No.1 smokeless tobacco-maker this [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-06-23T12:25:44-07:00June, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

University benefits the environment and the Oral Cancer Foundation

Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation Author: John Pohl Re-Cell-a-Thon Raises Funds by Recycling Cellphones At one of America’s most scenic and historic universities, a conscientious and industrious group of students, faculty and administrators recently formed a Greening Committee dedicated to raising awareness of the many things that can and must be done to protect the environment. So where is this university located: Vermont? Colorado? Oregon? Not quite; actually, the location is New York City. The Greening Committee is a collaborative effort between New York University’s College of Dentistry and College of Nursing. Formed in the fall of 2007, the roughly 20 committee members decided that they would show their support for Earth Day 2009 by organizing a 4-week-long Re-Cell-a-Thon to recycle cell phones. Not only that, they decided that the funds raised would be donated to the Oral Cancer Foundation. According to Theresa Rinaldi, who chaired the Re-Cell-a-Thon’s Public Relations sub-committee, “We knew that NYU has a wonderful relationship with Brian Hill and the Oral Cancer Foundation, and we couldn’t think of a better organization to donate our proceeds to.” According to Ms. Rinaldi, who is Alumni Outreach Administrator at the College of Dentistry, over 170 phones were collected at seven locations within the two colleges. The Greening Committee partnered with CollectiveGood, a non-profit organization that recycles donated cellphones and PDAs back into reuse. According to CollectiveGood, there are more than 1 billion used mobile phones in the US sitting on shelves or in landfills, and another 125 million will [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-06-25T18:18:42-07:00June, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|