oral cavity – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Head and neck cancer carries substantial comorbidity burden

Source: MedWire News People with head and neck cancer experience a high burden of both acute and chronic comorbidity, shows an analysis of a large Dutch population-based cohort. The researchers therefore advise clinicians to account for patients' comorbidity burden when assessing the risk-benefit profile for different treatment options. Sarah Landis (GlaxoSmithKline, London, UK) and co-workers analyzed information on 1499 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) living in the Netherlands. For each patient they calculated prevalence and incidence rates of eight comorbid conditions: cardiovascular disease, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), liver disease, diabetes, anemia, pneumonia, depression, and other malignant disease. Rates of the same eight conditions were also calculated in a control population of 5996 cancer-free individuals matched for age and gender. Writing in the journal Head and Neck, Landis et al report that the mean age of the SCCHN cohort was 62 years and two-thirds were male. The site of cancer was the oral cavity in 610 patients, the pharynx in 317, and the larynx in 572. The most prevalent comorbidities in patients with SCCHN were cardiovascular disease (41%) and asthma/COPD (12%); the other comorbidities were prevalent in less than 10% of patients. Notably, in the period of 12 months prior to the index date, patients with SCCHN were between two and four times as likely as cancer-free controls to have any of the comorbidities investigated, the authors remark. In terms of incidence, rates of all comorbidities (with the exception of other malignant diseases) were [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-06T10:16:32-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Lab-made tissue picks up the slack of Petri dishes in cancer research

New research demonstrates that previous models used to examine cancer may not be complex enough to accurately mimic the true cancer environment. Using oral cancer cells in a three-dimensional model of lab-made tissue that mimics the lining of the oral cavity, the researchers found that the tissue surrounding cancer cells can epigenetically mediate, or temporarily trigger, the expression or suppression of a cell adhesion protein associated with the progression of cancer. These new findings support the notion that drugs that are currently being tested to treat many cancers need to be screened using more complex tissue-like systems, rather than by using conventional petri dish cultures that do not fully manifest features of many cancers. "Research on cancer progression has been drawn largely using models that grow cancer cells in plastic dishes. Our research reveals a major shortcoming in the experimental systems used to study cancer development. When using simplified culture systems in which cells are grown on plastic, cancer cells grow as a two dimensional monolayer and lack the three-dimensional tissue structure seen in human cancer. As a result, complex interactions that occur between the cancer cells and the surrounding tissue layers are not accounted for," said first author Teresa DesRochers, PhD, a graduate of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, currently in the department of biomedical engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering. The researchers report that the three-dimensional network of cell interactions activates epigenetic mechanisms that control whether genes critical for cancer development will be [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-01-11T15:02:12-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Medical Students Knowledge in the UK

Source: HighWire- Stanford University There has been little improvement in the survival of patients with oral cancer despite advances in treatment, and late presentation of the disease is one reason for this poor outcome. Research and experience tell us that tuition in medical schools about examination of the oral cavity is poor. We aimed to ascertain the opinions and experience of students regarding this in our institution by dissemination of a web-based anonymous questionnaire that focused on education about examination of the oral cavity and experience in carrying it out. From a cohort of 600 students 458 (76%) responded. A total of 334 (73%) had not been taught how to examine the oral cavity, 372 (81%) had had no experience of doing so in patients, and only 13/86 (15%) felt confident to diagnose a carcinoma of the lip or oral cavity. Eighty-nine percent felt that the tuition given had not been adequate. Examination of the oral cavity cannot be considered part of the core clinical curriculum, and medical schools and departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery urgently need to embrace the introduction of the necessary skills. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-12-06T10:46:58-07:00December, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Predictors of survival in mucosal melanoma of the head and neck.

Source:MedScape.com Jethanamest D; Vila PM; Sikora AG; Morris LG Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. BACKGROUND: The head and neck is the most common site of mucosal melanoma, a cancer with poor prognosis. In contrast to cutaneous melanoma, mucosal melanoma of the head and neck (MMHN) is uncommon, with limited data regarding outcomes and prognostic factors drawn from small, single-institution case series. In order to identify factors predictive of survival, we analyzed MMHN outcomes in a large US cohort. METHODS: MMHN cases (n = 815) diagnosed in the USA between 1973 and 2007 were analyzed in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry, and cause of death was individually determined in 778 (95.5%) cases. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to analyze prognostic variables. RESULTS: Disease-specific survival status was determined in 778 (95.5%) cases. The 5- and 10-year rates of overall survival (OS) were 25.2 and 12.2%; disease-specific survival (DSS), 32.4 and 19.3%. On multivariable analysis, anatomic primary site was an independent predictor of OS and DSS, with tumors in the nasal cavity and oral cavity associated with survival superior to tumors in the nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses. Age > 70 years, tumor size, nodal status, and distant metastasis status were additional independent predictors of poorer survival. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of patients with MMHN, we have identified several novel factors robustly predictive of overall and melanoma-specific survival. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-11-14T18:04:18-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

HPV- Related Head and Neck Cancers Increase while Non-HPV Related Head and Neck Cancers Decrease in Canada

Source: SAGE Journals Online Abstract Objective: 1) Learn how the incidence of HPV-related and non-HPV-related Head and Neck Cancers (HNC) in Canada has changed in the time period 1992 to 2008. 2) Learn how the age at diagnosis and overall survival for these cancers in Canada has changed over that period. Method: We used Canadian Cancer Registry Data (1992-2008), categorizing HNCs into 3 groups: (High (HHPV), ie, oropharynx; Moderate (MHPV), ie, oral cavity; and Low (LHPV), ie, larynx); based on the probability that HPV causes the cancer. We calculated age-adjusted incidence, median age at diagnosis, and survival for each category. Results: HHPV cancers increased in incidence at an average annual rate (AAR) of 1.02% (P = .010); MHPV and LHPV cancers decreased at an AAR of 2.38% (P = .000) and 3.67% (P = .000) respectively. The median age at diagnosis for HHPV cancers decreased by an average of 0.23 years/year (P = .000). There was no change for MHPV and an increase for LHPV of 0.10 years/year (P = .008). Survival for patients with HHPV cancers increased by 2.1%/year (P = .000), compared with an increase of 1.6% per year for MHPV (P = .003) and a marginal increase in LHPV of 0.6% per year (P = .002). Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV-related head and neck cancers in Canada is increasing, while the prevalence of non-HPV–related head and neck cancers is decreasing. This has been accompanied by a decrease in both age at diagnosis and mortality in HPV related [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-05T09:01:50-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Convergence in Head and Neck Cancer

Source: Eurekalert.org Powerful new technologies that zoom in on the connections between human genes and diseases have illuminated the landscape of cancer, singling out changes in tumor DNA that drive the development of certain types of malignancies such as melanoma or ovarian cancer. Now several major biomedical centers have collaborated to shine a light on head and neck squamous cell cancer. Their large-scale analysis has revealed a surprising new set of mutations involved in this understudied disease. In back-to-back papers published online July 28 in Science, researchers from the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have confirmed genetic abnormalities previously suspected in head and neck cancer, including defects in the tumor suppressor gene known as p53. But the two teams also found mutations in the NOTCH family of genes, suggesting their role as regulators of an important stage in cell development may be impaired. "This adds a new dimension to head and neck cancer biology that was not on anyone's radar screen before," said Levi A. Garraway, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute, an assistant professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and a senior author of one of the Science papers. "Head and neck cancer is complex and there are many mutations, but we can infer there is a convergence on a cellular process for which we previously did not have genetic evidence. It shows that if you [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-07-28T13:36:56-07:00July, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Palifermin Decreases Severe Oral Mucositis of Patients Undergoing Postoperative Radiochemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology Purpose: Radiochemotherapy of head and neck cancer causes severe mucositis in most patients. We investigated whether palifermin reduces this debilitating sequela. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 186 patients with stages II to IVB carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx. Patients received 60 or 66 Gy after complete (R0) or incomplete resection (R1), respectively, at 2 Gy/fraction and five fractions per week. Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 was administered on days 1 and 22 (and on day 43 with R1). Patients were randomly assigned to receive weekly palifermin 120 μg/kg or placebo from 3 days before and continuing throughout radiochemotherapy. Trained evaluators performed oral assessments twice weekly. The primary end point was the incidence of severe oral mucositis (WHO grades 3 to 4). Overall survival and time to locoregional progression were also assessed. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results: Severe oral mucositis was seen in 47 (51%) of 92 patients administered palifermin and 63 (67%) of 94 administered placebo (P = .027). Palifermin decreased the duration (median, 4.5 v 22.0 days) and prolonged the time to develop (median, 45 v 32 days) severe mucositis. Neither patient-reported mouth and throat soreness scores nor treatment breaks differed between treatment arms. After median follow-up of 32.8 months, 23 deaths (25%) had occurred in both treatment arms, and disease had recurred in 25 (27%) and 22 (24%) of palifermin- and placebo-treated patients, respectively. Conclusion: Palifermin reduced the occurrence of severe oral mucositis in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-06-14T09:57:52-07:00June, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Is there a relationship between coffee and tea intake and head and neck cancers?

Source: EBD- Evidence Based Dentistry Data sources Pooled individual-level data from nine case–control studies of head and neck cancers, including 5,139 cases and 9,028 controls. Study selection Nine case-control studies were selected from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium pool of 33 studies, which included information on coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated) and tea drinking and cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. Seven studies also included information on laryngeal cancer. Data extraction and synthesis Data from individual studies were checked for inconsistencies and pooled in a standardised way into a common database, including a range of sociodemographic, behavioural, lifestyle and health information. Data on consumption across studies were then converted into cups of de/caffeinated tea or coffee per day. The association between head and neck cancers and caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea intake was assessed by estimating the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using a two-stage random-effects logistic regression model with the maximum likelihood estimator. Pooled ORs were also estimated with a fixed-effects logistic regression model. In addition, a test for heterogeneity among studies was conducted. Results Caffeinated coffee intake was inversely associated with the risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx: the ORs were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.98) for an increment of one cup per day and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.47–0.80) in drinkers of >4 cups per day versus non-drinkers. This latter estimate was consistent for different anatomic sites (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30–0.71 for oral cavity; [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-06-13T09:58:16-07:00June, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Two Elements Predict Swallowing Difficulties after Radiotherapy

Source: International Medicine News LONDON – Nonglottic cancer and the presence of dysphagia before treatment are highly predictive for severe acute and late swallowing difficulties after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, according to new data from the DAHANCA 6&7 randomized trial. Patients with nonglottic cancer were more likely than those with other cancer types to experience severe dysphagia at both 6 and 12 months. Dysphagia before treatment was also associated with both acute and late severe swallowing difficulties. "The peak incidence of dysphagia is seen during the first 6 months after radiotherapy," Hanna Rahbek Mortensen, Ph.D., reported in an analysis of the DAHANCA (Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group) 6&7 trial findings at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology Anniversary Congress. "After 1 year, however, there is no further increase in severity or prevalence," said Dr. Mortensen of the department of experimental clinical oncology at Åarhus (Denmark) University Hospital. The trial involved 1,478 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the glottic larynx, supraglottic larynx, pharynx, or oral cavity who were who were treated with five or six weekly fractions of radiotherapy in 1992-1999. The total dose of radiotherapy delivered was 66-68 Gy in 33-34 fractions. Efficacy data from the trial have already been published; they showed improved disease-specific but not overall survival of five vs. six fractions of radiotherapy (Lancet 2003;362:933-40). The aim of the present analysis was to use prospectively collected data from the trial to determine whether any factors could be used to establish which patients [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-05-18T13:29:04-07:00May, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Modest Drinking can Heighten your Risk for Cancer

Source: MedScape.org April 14, 2011 — "A considerable proportion of the most common and most lethal cancers is attributable to former and current alcohol consumption," concludes a large European study published online April 8 in BMJ. The researchers attribute about 10% of all cancers in men and about 3% of all cancers in women to previous and current alcohol consumption. The estimates come from an analysis of data from the huge ongoing European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer (EPIC) and from representative data on alcohol consumption compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO). The risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts. "This research supports existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and that the risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts," coauthor Naomi Allen, DPhil, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, United Kingdom, said in a statement. The original data in the EPIC study were collected from 1992 to 2000, so "the results from this study reflect the impact of people's drinking habits about 10 years ago," Dr. Allen noted. "People are drinking even more now than they were then, and this could lead to more people developing cancer because of alcohol in the future," she added. Data From 8 Countries The EPIC study, which is still ongoing, is one of the largest studies of diet and cancer ever conducted. It involved more than half a million people in Europe. For this analysis of alcohol and cancer, the researchers used EPIC data from 363,988 participants from 8 European countries — France, Italy, Spain, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-04-26T10:06:35-07:00April, 2011|Oral Cancer News|