throat cancer

Study Finds- Fewer Dying from Throat & Mouth Cancer in the U.S.

Source: HealthDay News, US News and World Report Author: Staff Death rates improved most for patients with more than 12 years' education Death rates for U.S. patients with throat and mouth cancers decreased between 1993 and 2007, a new study shows. The finding comes from an analysis of National Center for Health Statistics data on white and black men and women, aged 25 to 64, in 26 states. The researchers also found that the largest decreases in death rates for mouth and throat (pharynx) cancers were among black patients with at least 12 years of education. The study appears in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery. Death rates increased among white men with fewer than 12 years of education, according to Dr. Amy Y. Chen, of Emory University School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society, and colleagues. Another study in the same issue of the journal found that poor overall quality of life, pain and continued tobacco use seem to be associated with poorer outcomes and a higher death rate two years after diagnosis for patients with head and neck cancer. The study included 276 patients diagnosed between September 2001 and September 2008. The overall survival rate two years after diagnosis was 90.8 percent. The likelihood of death within two years of diagnosis was: four times higher for those who reported low quality of life than for those who reported a high quality of life; four times higher for those who continued [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-11-22T09:05:47-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Valerie Simpson on Nick Ashford: ‘I’m not used to him not being here yet’

Source: The Chicago Tribune Valerie Simpson says she never really used to think much about posterity. After all, there was still so much work to be done with her musical partner and husband, Nick Ashford. But then Ashford died last August at age 70 of complications from throat cancer, and Simpson, 65, came to grips with mortality, both personal and artistic. "Nick's passing made me realize that one day we'll both be absent," she said in her first major interview since her longtime partner's death. "You see certain things that are happening now because of his passing, and I'm content to know that the music is everlasting. "I didn't think about it before, but now I realize this music has legs way beyond whatever we originally might have thought. The songwriting is the cornerstone of everything else we did. That's the hat we were most proud of wearing as a couple." Ashford's legacy will be honored Saturday when The HistoryMakers nonprofit group holds its annual gala at the Thorne Hall Auditorium at the Northwestern University School of Law. Simpson will be interviewed at the private event, which also will include performances by Patti Austin and Kindred Family Soul for broadcast in February, 2012 on PBS-TV. The HistoryMakers is building a digital archive of African-American innovators in a wide range of disciplines; it currently includes oral histories of more than 2,000 pioneers, said Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of The HistoryMakers in Chicago. “We can’t assume that time is on [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-11-17T11:36:08-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Although Most Smokers Want to Quit… Only a Fraction Actually Do

Source: The Wall Street Journal Author: Betsy McKay More than two-thirds of American smokers want to quit, but only a fraction actually do, underscoring a need for more services, messages, and access to medications to help them kick the habit, according to a new government report out today. Nearly 69% of adult smokers wanted to quit in 2010 and more than half tried, but only 6.2% succeeded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who try to quit can double or triple their chances with counseling or medications, but most of those who did try to quit in 2010 didn’t use either. Nor did they receive advice on how to quit from a doctor. The findings suggest more needs to be done to help smokers quit — particularly certain segments of the population with low quit rates, said Tim McAfee, director of the public health agency’s Office on Smoking and Health, in an interview. Nearly 76% of African-American smokers wanted to quit last year, and 59% tried — well above the national average, said McAfee. But a mere 3.2% succeeded, which is the lowest rate among measured races and ethnicities. American smokers with college degrees had a far higher rate of success at quitting — 11.4% — than smokers with fewer than 12 years of schooling, who had only a 3.2% success rate. Still, McAfee said, there are some encouraging signs. For example, the percentage of young adults between the ages of 25 and 44 who want to [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-11-11T15:22:32-07:00November, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Rate of HPV Vaccination in Teens Lagging

Source: The Associated Press Author: Staff Only about half of the teenage girls in the U.S. have rolled up their sleeves for a controversial vaccine against cervical cancer — a rate well below those for two other vaccinations aimed at adolescents. The vaccine hit the market in 2006. By last year, just 49 percent of girls had gotten at least the first of the recommended three shots for human papilloma virus, or HPV, a sexually-transmitted bug that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Only a third had gotten all three doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. In contrast, the CDC said about two-thirds of teens had gotten the recommended shot for one type of bacterial meningitis and a shot for meningitis and tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. Granted, it can take many years for a new vaccine to catch on and reach the 90 percent and above range for many longstanding childhood vaccines. But use of HPV vaccine has been "very disappointing" compared to other newer vaccines, said the CDC's Dr. Melinda Wharton. "If we don't do a much better job, we're leaving another generation vulnerable to cervical cancer later in life," said Wharton. Why aren't more girls getting HPV shots? The vaccine can be very expensive, and it can be a bit of a hassle. It takes three visits to the doctor over six months. But sex no doubt has something to do with it, experts said. Girls are supposed to start the [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-08-26T12:24:52-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Songwriter Nick Ashford Dies; Had Throat Cancer

Source: The New York Times Nick Ashford, who with Valerie Simpson, his songwriting partner and later wife, wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“ and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” and later recorded their own hits and toured as a duo, died Monday at a hospital in New York City. He was 70 and lived in Manhattan. Mr. Ashford had throat cancer and was undergoing treatment, but the cause of his death was not immediately known. His death was announced by Liz Rosenberg, a friend who is a longtime music publicist. One of the primary songwriting and producing teams of Motown, Ashford & Simpson specialized in romantic duets of the most dramatic kind, professing the power of true love and the comforts of sweet talk. In “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” from 1967, their first of several hits for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, lovers in close harmony proclaim their determination that “no wind, no rain, no winter’s cold, can stop me, baby,” but also make cuter promises: “If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be there on the double.” Gaye and Terrell also sang the duo’s songs “Your Precious Love,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Diana Ross sang their “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand,” and when she rerecorded “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“ in 1970, it became the former Supreme’s first No. 1 hit as a solo artist. “They had magic, and that’s what [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-24T09:58:06-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Aerosmith’s Bassist is Treated for Tongue Cancer with Laser Surgery

Source: KSAT.com Aerosmith will be performing in Mexico and South America this fall and one of the band members will be along for the tour thanks to a radical medical procedure. In one Aerosmith song, bassist Tom Hamilton sends a message to his throat and tongue cancer with the lyrics "you've got no business with me." Five years ago, Hamilton underwent chemotherapy and radiation for tongue-base cancer, but it came back and extended into his voice box. That is when he turned to Dr. Steven Zeitels. "This is not your classic way, or even traditional way, to try and remove a cancer from the tongue base," Zeitels said. Radical surgery was now Hamilton's only option. But that could leave his voice and breathing passage permanently damaged. "I was just terrified," Hamilton said. "I really though, 'Oh, I am looking at not being able to talk.'" Zeitels has treated vocal cord cancer with the green-light KTP laser, so Hamilton agreed to be the first person treated that way for tongue base cancer. The laser emits a green light, which is concentrated in the extra blood running through the cancer. "Where there is a lot of cancer, there will be a lot of blood," Zeitels said. "Where there is a lot of blood, there will be a lot of combustion so that you are actually watching the tissues burn completely different" But not everyone is a candidate for this surgery. "The second I had a tiny bit of consciousness, the first thing I did was make [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-09T10:30:12-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Laser Surgery On Tongue Cancer Successful for Aerosmith Musician

Source: KSAT Author: Brian Mylar Aerosmith Musician Shows Progress Fighting Cancer SAN ANTONIO -- Aerosmith will be performing in Mexico and South America this fall and one of the band members will be along for the tour thanks to a radical medical procedure. In one Aerosmith song, bassist Tom Hamilton sends a message to his throat and tongue cancer with the lyrics "you've got no business with me." Five years ago, Hamilton underwent chemotherapy and radiation for tongue-base cancer, but it came back and extended into his voice box. That is when he turned to Dr. Steven Zeitels. "This is not your classic way, or even traditional way, to try and remove a cancer from the tongue base," Zeitels said. Radical surgery was now Hamilton's only option. But that could leave his voice and breathing passage permanently damaged. "I was just terrified," Hamilton said. "I really though, 'Oh, I am looking at not being able to talk.'" Zeitels has treated vocal cord cancer with the green-light KTP laser, so Hamilton agreed to be the first person treated that way for tongue base cancer. The laser emits a green light, which is concentrated in the extra blood running through the cancer. "Where there is a lot of cancer, there will be a lot of blood," Zeitels said. "Where there is a lot of blood, there will be a lot of combustion so that you are actually watching the tissues burn completely different" But not everyone is a candidate for this surgery. [...]

Charlotte Parker2011-08-08T16:41:44-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer Survivor Gears Up for 25 Mile Bike Ride at the Age of 77

Newark, Ohio — A 77-year-old woman and cancer survivor has biked 25 miles routinely in preparation for this month's Pelotonia bicycle race. Beverly Cote started out biking four miles a day and worked her way up to 25 miles, the distance of Pelotonia, 10TV's Andrea Cambern reported Tuesday. Her inspiration came from someone who made history on a bicycle. "I have been bragging about my grandfather ever since I was a kid," Cote said. Her grandfather, John LaFrance, rode from New York to San Francisco in 22 days and made headlines, Cambern reported. "My grandfather did not have a 10-speed back in 1896," Cote said. "If he could do it, I could do it." He was not the only reason she will ride in the annual bike tour to fight cancer. Cote is a survivor. Over a year ago, she was diagnosed with stage-four throat and tongue cancer. She endured 35 radiation treatments and seven rounds of chemotherapy. "On my last exam with Dr. Old at the James, he said, 'Are you going to ride in Pelotonia, next year?' I told Dr. Old that if he kept me well, for one year, I will ride in it," Cote said. Pelotonia is scheduled to begin on August 19. This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-08-05T12:44:45-07:00August, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

New Screening Program for Throat Cancer

Source: The Telegraph Patients would swallow a pill on a string, that expands into a one-inch sponge at the bottom of the throat. This is then draw slowly back up, gently scraping off cells from the wall of the oesophagus. These are then tested for a condition known as Barrett's oesophagus, which can develop into oesophagal cancer over time. Oesophagal cancer is the sixth-most common type in Britain, killing 7,500 people a year. It is often diagnosed when it has advanced, which means survival rates are low: just eight per cent live at least five years from diagnosis, compared to 82 per cent for breast cancer. Researchers at Cambridge University, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Medical Research Centre are excited because the 'cytosponge' is both cheaper and less invasive than the current testing method, endoscopy. In that, an ear nose and throat expert inserts a tiny camera down the throat to select and remove sample cells. It costs about £400 a time. The team, supported by Cancer Research UK, is now hoping to recruit 1,400 volunteers to compare the accuracy of both methods. Dr Rebecca Fitzgerald, who led the Cambridge-based team that developed the cytosponge test, said: "If this trial is successful it will provide a cheap, safe and highly effective method of identifying people with Barrett’s oesophagus, so they can take steps to reduce their risk of developing cancer. "This would open the doors for a national screening programme, much like those offered for breast, cervical [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-07-25T09:31:24-07:00July, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Can HPV Vaccine Prevent Oral Cancer?

Source: WebMD.com June 23, 2011 -- Can HPV vaccines stop the explosive rise of HPV-related head and neck cancer? HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines protect against the sexually transmitted strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer. The same HPV strains -- spread by kissing and by oral sex -- cause oropharyngeal (OP) cancer, the form of head and neck cancer that affects the back and sides of the throat, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils. There's strong evidence that HPV vaccines prevent cervical cancer. There's no direct proof that these vaccines prevent throat cancer, but the rapid rise in cases among young people has some experts wanting to vaccinate first and get proof later. "We don't need to wait until all these molecular events are understood," Dong Moon Shin, MD, of Emory University's Winship Cancer Center, tells WebMD. "The time is now. For the HPV vaccine, cost is the only issue as side effects are minimal. Routine HPV vaccination has to be implemented very soon, for both boys and girls." In the U.S., that recommendation is made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP now recommends routine HPV vaccination only for girls and young women in order to prevent cervical cancer. It permits vaccination of boys who want protection against HPV-caused genital warts. For two years, the ACIP has been mulling whether to recommend the HPV vaccine for boys. This would help prevent cervical cancer in unvaccinated women. It also would prevent HPV-related anal cancer and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-06-24T08:50:47-07:00June, 2011|Oral Cancer News|