oral sex – Page 8 – Oral Cancer News

Mouth cancer from HPV virus reaches all-time high

Source: www.digitaljournal.com Author: staff The British Dental Health Foundation is insisting that the government include boys among the recipients of the HPV vaccinations. The foundation cites the record high in mouth cancer, affecting more men than women. Mouth cancer is at an all-time high in the United Kingdom, and one of the likeliest culprits for the dangerous surge is the sexually-transmitted HPV virus. Additionally, mouth cancer affects more men than women - and these statistics are driving the British Dental Health Foundation to question the UK government on including boys among the recipients of the HPV vaccination that is currently administered only to girls. "The cancer virus is transmitted through oral sex, and is thought to contribute to the doubling of mouth cancers." Dentistry Magazine reported on Friday. HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted virus - and one of the most dangerous, as it exists in its hosts without symptoms for years, and many strains of HPV progress into full-blown cancers of the cervix, mouth, anus, vagina, and penis. The British Dental Health Foundation is responding to a large-scale study of 46,000 mouth cancer cases in the United States. The study found that the number of deaths from sexually-transmitted HPV virus has increased by 33 percent over the past 30 years - and is now at its highest point. "It is admirable that the government is taking such positive steps to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases for the women of the future but, with mouth cancer killing more [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-01T14:18:34-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Oral sex cause of throat cancer rise

Source: webmd.com Author: Salynn Boyles Changing sexual practices have led to a dramatic rise in throat cancer in the United States over the past two decades, and experts say they fear an epidemic of the disease. The comments were made Wednesday at a news conference held by the American Association for Cancer Research to discuss research into the role of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus ( HPV) in head and neck cancer. Increasing rates of HPV infection, spread through oral sex, is largely driving the rapid rise in oropharyngeal cancers, which include tumors of the throat, tonsils, and base of the tongue, said Scott Lippman, MD, who chairs the thoracic department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Studies of oropharyngeal tumor tissue stored 20 years ago show that only around 20% are HPV positive, Lippman said. Today it is estimated that 60% of patients are infected with the virus. “The percentage of oropharyngeal cancers that are HPV positive is much higher now than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “This is a real trend, and that is why there is concern of an epidemic given that fact that oropharyngeal cancer is increasing at an alarming rate.” Changing Face of Throat Cancer Smoking and alcohol abuse were once considered the only major risk factors for these cancers, but this is no longer the case. American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, said as many as half of the oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed today appear to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-30T19:16:32-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Doctors warn of HPV link to developing oral cancer

Source: Tampa Bay Online (www2.tbo.com) Author: staff Ten years ago, most of Brian Nussenbaum's oral cancer patients were men older than 60 who used tobacco and drank heavily. Today, his patients look different, as does the risky behavior that seems to be leading to their cancer. Nussenbaum, an ear, nose and throat doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, estimates 70 percent of his cancer patients have tumors on the back of their tongues and tonsils caused by human papillomavirus-16. Most of those patients are between ages 45 and 55. About half are women. And experts suspect that all of them - men and women - got the HPV from oral sex. "We know now that 98 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, and mostly HPV-16," he says. "But no one talks about how you can also get mouth cancer from it." Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center reported a link between HPV and these specific throat cancers in 2000. The increase in HPV oral cancer stems from a shift in sexual behaviors, combined with a dramatic decrease in the number of tonsillectomies performed. Cancer from the HPV virus often develops on the tonsils. In a Johns Hopkins study, researchers concluded that people with HPV infections were 32 times more likely to develop oral cancer than those without HPV. These findings have ramifications for anyone who is sexually active. Parents have another reason to think hard about whether they want their adolescent daughters, and perhaps even sons, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-11-16T08:03:40-07:00November, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

VELscope system featured on “The Doctors” television series

Source: www.dentaleconomics.com Author: staff LED Dental has announced that its VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System was featured on "The Doctors", a television program syndicated throughout the U.S. and Canada by CBS Television Distribution. The VELscope system received exposure in a segment focusing on the link between oral sex and oral cancer. The VELscope system was brought to the attention of "The Doctors" producers by Dr. Bill Dorfman, a frequent guest on the show and the cofounder of Discus Dental. Dr. Dorfman was also the featured dentist on "Extreme Makeover", a reality TV series on ABC. "The producers asked me what new oral cancer detection technologies the public needs to know about, and the first thing that came to mind was the VELscope," said Dr. Dorfman. "Now that we understand that oral cancer can be caused not just by tobacco and heavy drinking, but also by exposure to the sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus, dental practices need to take the lead in giving thorough oral cancer exams to all of their adult patients at least once a year." When Dr. Dorfman first became aware of the link between HPV and oral cancer, he began using an oral cancer screening technology that required rinsing with a vinegar-based solution and the use of messy blue dies. "Neither my patients nor I liked that technology, so I started to search for an alternative that was simpler, faster and less invasive, and that's when I discovered the VELscope system," said Dr. Dorfman. "Plus, in addition to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-11-05T08:22:26-07:00November, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

As head and neck cancer risks evolve, more treatment options emerge

Source: Eurakalert (www.eurakalert.org) Author: staff Advances in understanding head and neck cancer over the last decade have led to more treatment options and improved quality of life for patients, according to a review published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors are Dong M. Shin, MD, Frances Kelly Blomeyer Distinguished Professor and associate director of Emory University School of Medicine¹s Winship Cancer Institute, and Robert Haddad, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of its Head and Neck Oncology Program. At Winship, Shin is leading a head and neck cancer drug discovery program and conducting clinical trials aimed at preventing head and neck cancers from progressing or recurring. He and his co-workers recently showed that a compound from green tea enhances the effects of a FDA-approved drug (erlotinib) against head and neck cancer cells in animals, suggesting that it could work similarly in humans. The results are published in the September issue of International Journal of Cancer. The majority of head and neck cancers arise from the soft tissues of the mouth, throat, and voice box. Symptoms can include a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and a changing voice. Even successful treatment can result in changes in the appearance of the patient's face. However, over the last decade, techniques have been developed that allow doctors to better preserve organ function in cases of larynx or tongue cancers, Shin says. Because smoking and alcohol consumption are risk factors, most patients are middle-aged males [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-11T06:05:11-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|