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Fact check: Michael Douglas on HPV and throat cancer

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com Author: Meredith Melnick A Michael Douglas interview in The Guardian caused waves when the publication reported that the "Behind the Candelabra" star revealed HPV, the human papilloma virus, to be the cause of his stage-4 throat cancer diagnosis in 2010. "Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus," Douglas allegedly told The Guardian. Douglas, through his publicist, has said that the statement was misinterpreted: He wasn't saying that his cancer was caused by the sexually transmitted disease -- merely that many cancers like his are HPV-positive. As The Daily Beast points out, there is scant research evidence to directly link the act of cunnilingus with HPV infection. But regardless of the details of his own cancer, the actor is right about one thing: A growing majority of oral cancer cases are caused by HPV. While most strains of HPV clear up on their own, the sexually transmitted disease is responsible for an array of cancers. As Douglas describes, it's true that oral sex is an avenue through which a person can contract HPV and especially the strains, HPV-18 and HPV-16, the latter of which is responsible for half of oral cancer cases, according to the National Cancer Institute. HPV-16, HPV-18 and some less-common strains can also cause cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus and penis. Douglas' experience follows trends in cancer diagnosis, according to a January report from the American Cancer Society, which found a rise [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-06-04T07:22:57-07:00June, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Study examines role of DNA, HPV in oral cancer survival

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: DrBicuspid Staff High-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are increasingly associated with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). However, HPV-positive OPSCC is highly curable, and patients with HPV have better survival compared with HPV-negative patients, whose cancers are usually associated with alcohol and tobacco use. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences, Jochen Hess, PhD, and colleagues at University Hospital Heidelberg monitored changes in DNA modifications in HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPSCCs (Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 1, 2013). They applied an array-based approach to monitor global changes in CpG island hypermethylation between HPV-negative and HPV-positive OPSCCs, and identified a specific pattern of differentially methylated regions that critically depends on the presence of viral transcripts. This DNA modification pattern was significantly correlated with improved survival in three separate groups of OPSCC patients, the researchers noted. "Our study highlights specific alterations in global gene promoter methylation in HPV-driven OPSCCs and identifies a signature that predicts the clinical outcome in OPSCCs," they concluded.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-05-14T06:56:32-07:00May, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer cases higher in developing countries

Source: pakobserver.net Author: staff Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer reported globally with roughly two thirds of these reported in developing countries, according to a report. Regardless of nationality, roughly half of long-term smokers will die from the effects of tobacco smoking, be it oral cancer, lung cancer or cardiovascular disease. In India 20 deaths per 100,000 are caused by oral cancer as compared to 10 deaths per 100,000 in the US and two deaths per 100,000 in the Middle East. Oral cancer, as well as updates in maxillofacial reconstruction, microneurosurgery, oral trauma, and facial cosmetic and orthognathic surgery, will be reviewed at the 2nd Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Congress to be held in Dubai from May 1-5. Organised by Imedex in association with Arab Health, this year’s meeting will provide a number of new features that explore the rapidly reshaping field of oral and facial surgery. “The main causes of oral cancer have classically been related to smoking tobacco products and the Middle East has a higher rate of tobacco consumption then many other countries and this includes the use of the Shisha or Hookah,” said Dr Eric J Dierks, Clinical Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Oregon Health and Science University, USA and director of the Fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery based at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, who will be speaking at the congress. “There is a myth that smoking through a Shisha pipe is safer than smoking cigarettes but this [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-24T12:23:56-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

What the ‘rinse-and-spit’ oral cancer test could mean for dental professionals and their patients

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Vicki Cheeseman, Associate Editor A new oral cancer “rinse-and-spit” test for the early detection of tumors could mean great things for dental professionals and their patients when the test becomes available for use in dental practices nationwide possibly as early as late 2014 or into 2015. The test, developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and exclusively licensed to Vigilant Biosciences, Inc., will be available as a low-cost, point-of-care screening test for the early detection of oral cancer, and is envisioned as a kit with a special oral rinse and test strip. The test strip detects proteins that are markers of oral cancer and are captured by the rinse. The markers may be present before a lesion is easily visible. Early detection tests are critical because the majority of patients present in late stage when cure rates reach only 40%. I asked Dr. Franzmann to explain how the test strip works. “The beauty of the test strip approach is that it is so simple for the patient and health-care professional to use. The technology behind the test strips has been around for many years and is used for many medical applications. The key is to know what to test for. Through our research, we discovered certain proteins, or markers, are present in the saliva in the early stages of squamous cell carcinoma, the most common head and neck cancer.” How early can tumors be detected with the test strip? Dr. Franzmann said, “The tumors [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-24T12:13:03-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Study shows Vigilant Biosciences’ simple “rinse and spit” test effective in detecting oral cancer

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release A new "rinse and spit" test for oral cancer is capable of early detection of tumors across "a racially and ethnically diverse population," according to results of a study conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Coinciding with Oral Cancer Awareness month, results from the largest oral cancer marker study of its kind in the U.S. were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. and the American Head and Neck Society annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The test, developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and exclusively licensed to Vigilant Biosciences, Inc. (Vigilant), will be available as a low-cost, point-of-care "rinse and spit" screening test for the early detection of oral cancer. The study of 300 subjects, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, employed a case-control design ensuring cases (oral cancer patients) and controls (volunteers without cancer) were similar with respect to other important factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, age and race. The study was conducted by principal investigator Elizabeth Franzmann, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a member of the University's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. "There is a tremendous need for a simple and painless test for early detection of oral cancer because the majority of patients present in late stage when cure rates reach only 40 percent," said Dr. Franzmann. "Since minority patients and those of low socioeconomic [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-11T08:14:23-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Emergence of HPV 16 and sexually transmiitted oral cancer

Source: communities.washingtontimes.com Author: Dr. Ali by Ali Forghani The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the second leading cause of oral cancer. HPV is certainly not a newcomer to the disease world. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted disease on the planet. As of this writing, over 120 variations of the virus have been discovered, with different strands of HPV affecting different areas of the body. Many people contract HPV daily without realizing they have a virus, as it is very possible to carry a strand while displaying no noticeable symptoms. HPV 16 Virus HPV is a virus that is mainly focused on the outer surface of the body, the skin, as well as the mucus secreting areas. The most noticeable effect from certain strands of the virus is the appearance of warts on the skin, mainly concentrated on the arms, legs and hands. Condylomata acuminatum, also called genital warts, are the strands of this virus found most commonly on individuals and are generally believed to be caused by the HPV strands 6 and 11. These particular strands of HPV are very common and easily treatable. One of the prime reasons HPV is found so commonly in the world is the ease of transmission of the virus. HPV can be spread simply by contact of the skin, with certain strands branching out to be sexually transmitted. These particular strands are the strands that should be of the most concern today due to the discoveries being made [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-04-01T08:46:21-07:00April, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Decoding the oral leukoplakia/oral cancer link

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: DrBicuspid Staff Is there a direct relationship between oral leukoplakia and tobacco and alcohol consumption? Do all oral leukoplakias lead to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)? Is it possible to detect premalignant oral leukoplakia? These are some of the questions a recent literature review in Oral Diseases attempted to answer (January 11, 2013). A team of researchers from Italy, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. did a literary search of Medline/PubMed, Embase, and Best Evidence from January 1966 to June 2012. Search terms included leukoplakia, oral leukoplakia, preneoplastic oral, precancerous oral, oral precancerous, oral dysplasia, oral mucosal lesion, proliferative verrucous leukoplakia, multifocal leukoplakias, tobacco, and alcohol. The searches were designed to help the study authors address four key questions: 1.Do tobacco and alcohol cause oral leukoplakias? 2.What percentage of oral leukoplakias evolve into OSCC? 3.Can practitioners distinguish between premalignant and innocent oral leukoplakias? 4.Is proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) a specific entity or just a form of multifocal leukoplakia? For the purposes of this study, the term oral leukoplakia was used to recognize "predominantly white plaques of questionable risk, having excluded (other) known diseases or disorders that carry no increased risk of cancer." Tobacco, alcohol, and oral leukoplakia Although oral leukoplakia is generally considered one of the primary clinical precursors of OSCC, "the role of alcohol and smoking in this disorder has never been thoroughly assessed," the researchers wrote. "Existing evidence suggests that tobacco and alcohol could be associated with at least a subset of [oral leukoplakia]." It [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-03-18T11:47:44-07:00March, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Kentucky cancer center emphasizes patients’ quality of life

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: Donna Domino, Features Editor The James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville is among a growing number of facilities working to improve care for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients through collaborative care programs that bring together a spectrum of oncology specialists. The center provides multidisciplinary treatment for HNC patients using novel techniques that decrease the debilitating side effects of radiation and chemotherapy. The clinic also conducts research and clinical trials with targeted therapies that aim to restore patients' oral functions. Kentucky has a higher rate of HNC than the U.S. average, which provides a large patient pool for the many clinical trials that the center conducts, according to Zafrulla Khan, DDS, MS, professor and director of maxillofacial/oncologic dentistry in the center's HNC clinic. "That's what happens when you mix tobacco and bourbon," Dr. Khan noted. Intraoral radiation shields Some of the center's novel treatment techniques involve using intraoral radiation shields during brachytherapy radiotherapy procedures to prevent the tongue and nearby oral areas from getting irradiated while minimizing mucositis and xerostomia, Dr. Khan explained. Intraoral radiation shields prevent the tongue and nearby oral areas from getting irradiated while minimizing mucositis and xerostomia "We put catheters right into tumors so they can deliver the radiotherapy in the mouth with high-density therapy machines rather than doing an external beam," he said. The clinic also uses a surgical obturator, a prosthetic device that enables patients to speak and swallow following surgery for maxillary sinus cancer. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-02-20T07:32:57-07:00February, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Experts warn of epidemic of head and neck tumors caused by sexually-transmitted HPV infections and obesity

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk Author: staff While cancer rates continue to drop, two new increasingly common causes of cancer could lead to an epidemic of head and neck cancer, experts warn. Obesity and the human papillomavirus, or HPV, are the next wave of cancer threats, according to a report released Monday with data from the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Baby boomers already infected with HPV will likely develop cancers from the virus in coming years and the youger generation is not being vaccinated against it at anything close to the recommended rate. And a third of cancer cases have been linked to obesity, which is a growing health concern with little done to combat it. The report was published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. From 2000 to 2009 cancer death rates dropped steadily by 1.8 per cent among children and men and 1.4 per cent among women. Cancer diagnosis rates were stable for women, dipped slightly among men, and went up a tiny 0.6 per cent among children under 14. 'The fact that people are not dying of cancer is clear evidence of progress,' Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society told MSNBC. 'But could have a much lower death rate from cancer if we simply got serious about doing all the things that work. 'Over the next 10 years, a combination of high caloric intake and low physical activity [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-01-10T09:52:16-07:00January, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

DNA adducts linked to oral cancer in smokers

Source: www.news-medical.net Author: Sarah Guy, medwireNews Reporter Having a high susceptibility to certain types of DNA damage caused by tobacco smoking could significantly increase the risk for oral cancer, show results of a Taiwanese study. Levels of BaP 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide (BPDE) - a metabolite of Benzo[a]pyrene, an important carcinogen found in cigarette smoke - correlated positively with smoking status in a cohort of individuals with oral cancer, report the researchers. The findings also indicate a significantly increased risk for oral cancer among individuals with high DNA adduct levels compared with their peers with low levels. "Based on our finding, we suggest that detected BPDE-like DNA adducts could be used as a biomarker for oral cancer risk," write Huei Lee (Taipei Medical University) and colleagues in the Archives of Oral Biology. The team analyzed BPDE-DNA adduct levels in oral tissue samples from 158 oral cancer patients and 64 individuals without cancer (controls), using immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results of these assays significantly and positively correlated , so that immunohistochemistry-negative patients did not have detectable DNA adduct levels using ELISA and vice versa. DNA adduct levels also positively correlated with smoking status among the cancer patients, note the researchers, with significantly higher adduct levels among smokers than nonsmokers, at 93.18 versus 0.04 adducts per 108 nucleotides. Lee and co-workers also observed that cancer patients had significantly higher DNA adduct levels than controls, at a range of 0-358.00 versus 0-39.50 adducts per 108 nucleotides. Indeed, DNA adduct level was an [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-01-05T15:32:56-07:00January, 2013|Oral Cancer News|