swallowing – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Radiation for head and neck cancer may cause problems years later

Source: www.usnews.com Author: Steven Reinberg Ten years after radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, some patients may develop problems speaking and swallowing, a new study finds. These problems are related to radiation damage to the cranial nerves, the researchers explained. The condition is called radiation-induced cranial neuropathy. "We had always thought that radiation did not damage cranial nerves because they get treated in every patient with head and neck cancer, and we do not see cranial neuropathy that commonly," said Dr. Thomas Galloway, of the department of radiation oncology at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "What our data is suggesting is that a small percentage of people do get cranial nerve damage from treatment, but it occurs after a long latency period," Galloway said. For the study, the researchers collected data on 1,100 patients who had radiation for head and neck cancer between 1990 and 2005. Among these patients, 112 were followed for at least 10 years. Of the 112 patients, 14% developed at least one cranial neuropathy. The median time until the condition was seen was more than seven years. It took some patients more than 10 years to develop the problem, the findings showed. Curing the initial cancer is the most important concern, Galloway said. But these patients need to be followed for the rest of their lives, if possible, he added. The report was published recently in the journal Oral Oncology.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-10-01T13:54:29-07:00October, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers: Favorable survival, fewer side effects after reduced therapy for HPV-linked head and neck cancer

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers reported that reducing the intensity of radiation treatment for patients with human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer produced a promising two-year progression-free survival rate and resulted in fewer side effects. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, were drawn from a phase II clinical trial that included 114 patients with HPV-linked head and neck cancer and a limited smoking history. The researchers reported that they saw a similar progression free survival rate, and that patients experienced fewer long-term side effects in the study compared with patients who received standard intensity treatment in previous studies. "A simple de-intensification strategy of reducing radiation and chemotherapy appears to be as effective at cancer control as the standard seven-week regimen," said UNC Lineberger's Bhishamjit S. Chera, MD, associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. "Furthermore, there were fewer toxicities." For the trial, patients received six weeks of treatment, including a reduced intensity of radiation therapy of 60 Gray with weekly low-dose chemotherapy of cisplatin. The standard of care regimen is seven weeks of treatment 70 Gray and high-dose chemotherapy. The main outcome that the researchers were studying was two-year progression-free survival. On the reduced regimen, researchers found that the two-year progression free survival was 86 percent, compared to a two-year progression free survival reported from other studies using standard treatment doses of 87 percent. Chera [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-09-14T09:18:38-07:00September, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Psychological impact of head and neck cancers

Source: pharmafield.co.uk Author: Emma Morriss Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), in partnership with patient groups The Swallows and the Mouth Cancer Foundation, have announced the results from a patient survey into the psychological impact of head and neck cancers. The research explored the long-term burden of treatment on head and neck cancer patients. After undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer, which can include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, many patients report an ongoing impact on their day-to-day life. However, 55% of the 118 patients surveyed indicated they did not receive the right level of information in preparation for the complications encountered from treatment. There are around 11,900 new head and neck cancer cases in the UK every year and the incidence of head and neck cancer has increased by 32% since the early 1990s. Following treatment, the survey showed 56% of patients had problems with simple things like swallowing, often experiencing severe pain, while two-thirds of patients experienced changes in their voice or speech. The survey also showed self-reported change from pre- to post- treatment in vital areas including a drop in the ability to communicate (37%), memory loss (21%), and trouble sleeping (20%). As well as physical symptoms, treatment can have severe implications on mental health too. 52% of patients reported feelings of anxiety before treatment, which only reduced to 48% following treatment. However, emotional and psychological support was only offered to 46% of patients. A majority of patients did receive access to a clinical nurse specialist, however there was still [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-07-31T19:42:04-07:00July, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Self-exams, early detection can save lives

Source: www.prnewswire.com Author: press release Because early detection of oral cancer offers a greater chance of a cure, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) is reminding the public during Oral Cancer Awareness Month of the importance of performing monthly self-exams. AAOMS promotes self-exams and screenings every April with the Oral Cancer Foundation, which predicts about 53,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed in 2019 in the United States – leading to more than 9,000 deaths. "A monthly self-exam takes only minutes and could potentially save your life," said AAOMS President A. Thomas Indresano, DMD, FACS. "If done on a regular basis, you're increasing the chances of identifying changes or new growths early. The survival rate for oral cancer is between 80 and 90 percent when it's found at early stages of development." Oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) encourage a six-step oral cancer self-exam that involves looking and feeling inside the mouth for suspicious sores and feeling the jaw and neck for lumps. Using a bright light and a mirror: First remove any dentures. Look and feel inside the lips and the front of the gums. Tilt the head back to inspect and feel the roof of the mouth. Pull the cheek out to inspect it and the gums in the back. Pull out the tongue and look at its top and bottom. Feel for lumps or enlarged lymph nodes in both sides of the neck, including under the lower jaws. Oral cancer symptoms may include [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-04-06T06:46:42-07:00April, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

How do speech-language pathologists support cancer patients?

Source: syvnews.com Author: Aundie Werner Question: What are speech-language pathologists and how do they support cancer patients? It is estimated that about 100,000 people will be diagnosed with a head, neck or thyroid cancer this year. Although this does not grab headlines as often as many other cancers, for those affected the disease and treatment can have a significant impact on their lives. In general, most people survive head and neck cancer; however, side effects of treatment can sometimes be a long-term problem. The support and guidance of a speech-language pathologist (SLP) can do much to help promote recovery and cope with the difficult symptoms of treatment. Ideally, the SLP becomes involved when the patient has been identified as having head and neck cancer before their surgery or before their chemotherapy/radiation protocol. Counseling and education are provided as to the functions of voice, speech and swallowing. Assessment is made to determine the patient’s baseline and to provide guidance as to the patient’s role in their rehabilitation. Frequently, the SLP works with patients who have difficulty eating and drinking. Treatment is based on the cause of the problem: anatomical changes from surgery, decreased saliva, changes in taste, difficulty opening the mouth due to trismus, and problems protecting the airway, which can result in coughing and choking during meals. Maintaining nutrition after surgery and during treatment is necessary to help the body heal. At times, the patient may need to have a feeding tube to help with nutrition when it becomes too [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-03-26T11:50:47-07:00March, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Suspect laryngeal cancer in patients with sore throat and hoarseness, GPs urged

Source: www.pulsetoday.co.uk Author: Isobel Sims GPs should suspect laryngeal cancer and consider urgent referral in patients who present with a persistent sore throat and hoarseness, according to a new study. A recurrent sore throat in combination with symptoms such as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing or ear pain increases the likelihood that a patient has laryngeal cancer and may warrant urgent referral, the authors said. The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, was carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and looked at primary care data for just over 800 patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, as well as just over 3,500 controls. The researchers found hoarseness carried the greatest individual risk, with those presenting with the symptom having a 2.7% likelihood of having laryngeal cancer – just under the NICE (National Institue for Health & Care Excellene) threshold of 3% for urgent referral. Patients presenting with a recurrent sore throat in combination with hoarseness had a 12% likelihood of having laryngeal cancer. The likelihood of cancer was also increased above the NICE threshold when recurrent sore throat presented with dysphagia, recurrent dyspnoea, ear pain and raised inflammatory markers, the researchers said. They found that, ‘unexpectedly’, neck lumps were not associated with laryngeal cancer. The authors said the findings back up the NICE recommendation to consider referring patients with persistent unexplained hoarseness, but that GPs should also be vigilant about symptoms not currently listed in the NICE guidance. The paper said: ‘This evidence supports some of the recommendations [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-03-06T15:03:59-07:00March, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Dad-of-two, 35, dies after being told he was too young to have throat cancer

Source: www.mirror.co.ukAuthor: Amber Hicks Ryan Greenan went to his doctor in Edinburgh in September after he started having trouble swallowing, eating and drinking. The 35-year-old from Scotland was advised his symptoms were most likely caused by reflux and anxiety, reports the Scotsman , despite his family having a history of throat cancer. Ryan's sister Kerry, 33, said her brother took this diagnosis at face value "because the general advice was that oesophageal cancer only really affected older people". However, the symptoms persisted and Ryan started to rapidly lose weight before collapsing at work in December. He was taken to hospital and it was then that a tumour was discovered in his throat and he was diagnosed with cancer on December 28. There was more heartache when it was revealed it had also spread to his lungs and liver and there was nothing that could be done to save him. Three weeks later Ryan sadly died. His sister is now calling on doctors to thoroughly test for the illness, even in younger patients. Kerry told the Scotsman : “When Ryan first went to the doctor, he was told it was anxiety and that he was too young for it to be cancer because he was only 35. “He just took that as his diagnosis and didn’t go back because the general advice was that oesophageal cancer only really affected older people. “If it had been picked up earlier, they could have operated, they could have given him chemotherapy, but after three months it had spread, there was [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-02-05T12:55:53-07:00February, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Living well with a feeding tube

Source: health.usnews.com Author: Lisa Esposito, Staff Writer Nearyly 450,000 Americans with swallowing or digestive problems manage tube feedings – also called home enteral nutrition – on their own. Some have temporary feeding tubes, while others leave the hospital with feeding tubes surgically placed for the foreseeable future. Veteran users or "tubies" accept long-term feeding tubes as the best or only way to nourish themselves. Many resume school, work and social lives that were once threatened by severe weight loss and malnutrition. For them, getting a feeding tube means getting their active lives back. Feeding Tube Benefits Feeding tubes can prevent weight loss, boost energy and bolster your immune system. They also offer important health benefits for people coping with the following health issues: Tube feeding for chronic swallowing challenges. For people with chronic health conditions that can cause swallowing difficulties, it helps keep them well-nourished. Neurologic conditions such as Parkinson's disease, stroke or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) can impair nerves, affecting swallowing ability. Tube feeding for oral and throat cancer. Inability to swallow food because of cancer of the mouth or throat is a major contributor to people receiving one, says Lisa Epp, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Tube feeding for nutrition during recovery. A patient who has a short-term eating problem likely to eventually resolve, such as someone recovering from a surgery, brain injury or stroke, may benefit from having one. Tube feeding for gastric problems. Gastric problems in which [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-01-06T09:28:05-07:00January, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Head and neck Cancer: Overcoming Challenges in Treatment

Source: www.curetoday.com Author: staff Itzhak Brook, M.D., M.Sc., shares the story of his initial diagnosis and treatment for cancer of the head and neck, outlining the challenges that came along with treatment, with fellow board member of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance Meryl Kaufman, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, BRS-S. Transcript: Meryl Kaufman, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, BRS-S: Dr. Brook, can you please share your story about your cancer diagnosis in 2006 and the treatment that followed and also the subsequent surgery that you went through? Itzhak Brook, M.D., M.Sc.: Once I learned I had cancer and my doctors removed it when they had to biopsy, I needed to receive radiation therapy. I did not get any chemotherapy, and the radiation therapy lasted six weeks, five days a week. It was very difficult to experience the radiation, and the side effects start to accumulate within a few days. And I had to deal with inflammation of the mouth, mucositis, difficulty in swallowing and pain in my throat, and I experienced a burning of the skin around the area of radiation, weakness and then difficulty maintaining intake of food. After a while, I could lose weight, and I tried to persevere because I knew that I had to receive the treatment to get better and soldier through it until it was over. Meryl Kaufman, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, BRS-S: Exactly. And some people have such severe side effects from the radiation that they actually require a feeding tube to support them during their treatment. In that case, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-09-04T13:05:32-07:00September, 2018|Oral Cancer News|

Can poor oral health cause falls in the elderly?

Source: www.medicalnewsbulletin.com Author: Viola Lanier PhD, MSc There is some research that indicates that, however unlikely it seems, poor oral health may contribute to the risk of falls. This question recently led researchers in Japan to investigate if poor oral health could in fact be associated with incident falls in the elderly. As the baby boomer population ages, incidental falls have increasingly become a major public health concern around the world. In England, 28-35% of those over 65 years of age experienced a fall in 2016, while in Japan falls and fractures accounted for 12.2% of senior citizens requiring long-term care. Though hip fractures and light bruises are the most common outcomes, the most unfortunate incident can cause death. Therefore, identifying risk factors that can be modified may serve as an intervention for reducing falls in the elderly. Examining oral health conditions and comparing incidental falls was important for researchers from the Graduate School of Dentistry at Kanagawa Dental University in Japan because the association between the two has been controversial in the research community. One study determined an association between a decrease in occlusal function and postural instability, whereas, a different study showed that occlusal disharmony is a risk factor for a decrease in balance function. Interestingly, a recent study that investigated 4,425 older community dwellers who had less than 19 teeth and lacked dentures, had a higher frequency of falls. The JAGES Project Longitudinal Study For this research study, panel data was used from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2018-04-30T10:41:06-07:00April, 2018|Oral Cancer News|