tobacco – Page 30 – Oral Cancer News

Doctor’s word–tips to escape the smoking trap

Source: news.ncmonline.com Author: Erin Marcus, M.D. Editor's Note: In the debut of A Doctor's Word, Dr. Erin Marcus wrote about an African-American man's effort to quit smoking cigarettes. This week, she offers practical advice for all who would like to kick the habit. Dr. Marcus is associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In my first column, I shared the story of Lawrence Jones, a 55-year-old man who smoked for 35 years until July, when he decided to quit. In his words, he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Giving up the addictive habit of tobacco is extremely difficult, and Jones’ success depended on the help of a counselor, smoking cessation classes, nicotine replacement patches, and the support of a friend. Here are some things that helped Jones, as well as tips I’ve garnered over the years as a primary care physician. To succeed at quitting, you first have to decide that this is something you really want to do. Medicine and classes won’t work unless you have made a commitment. In Jones’ case, a graphic video that his counselor played at his first stop smoking class made him resolve to quit. It showed pictures of smokers that he could not forget: a man missing an eye and part of his nose from mouth cancer, and people breathing through tracheotomies – holes that doctors surgically cut in their throats when cancer prevented them from breathing. “You have to be willing [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-20T13:11:52-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Big Tobacco still targets teenagers

Source: www.postbulletin.com Author: staff A couple of months ago I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years. I didn't recognize him. A once solid and athletic guy, now in his late 40s, he'd lost more than 50 pounds and his skin was the color of fireplace ash. A long, thin scar ran from his jaw all the way down his neck and disappeared under his shirt. "I've got cancer," he said after re-introducing himself. He explained that he'd been through extensive surgery and treatments but that he was optimistic he'd pull through. Doctors told him smoking was the likely cause of his throat cancer. This week marks the two-year anniversary of the law that made it illegal to smoke in Minnesota's bars, restaurants and other public places. Olmsted County can take pride in the fact that it helped lead the way in the push to clear the air in the state's workplaces, eating establishments and watering holes. In November of 2001, Olmsted County Board members passed a comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance. The countywide ban was a courageous, landmark decision that helped create momentum for the statewide legislation. I don't know about you, but whenever I visit a state like Wyoming, where smoking is prohibited only in underground mines and other places where you could blow yourself up if you lit a match, I'm thankful for Minnesota's ban. It's so nice to be able to enjoy a meal without having to breathe in toxic fumes. But the tobacco wars continue. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T21:04:12-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New tobacco product prompts concerns… No it’s not Marlboro…

Source: www.us-marlboro.com Author: staff Sweden brought us meatballs, the Nobel prize, Ikea, the Saab and the Volvo. But the country’s latest mark on the U.S. is not so benign: an oral tobacco product known as snus. The moist tobacco, which comes in a tea-bag-style pouch that goes under the upper lip, has public health experts divided. Some say snus (rhymes with loose) could save scores of lives if smokers switch to it, because the product contains far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, chew and snuff. Critics, though, say snus will only increase the number of people addicted to nicotine and poses a serious threat to anti-tobacco efforts. They say it could create a new crop of young nicotine addicts, while smokers could just as easily supplement their habit rather than substitute one for the other.Some Americans have been using snus by ordering it online or buying it in U.S. test markets, but R.J. Reynolds Tobacco didn’t release Camel Snus nationally until a few weeks ago, the first and only major tobacco company to do so. Philip Morris is selling Marlboro Snus in test markets. In Sweden, nearly a fifth of men in 2007 said they used snus daily, compared with 12 percent who smoke, according to Swedish Match, the country’s largest snus producer. The trend doesn’t hold for Swedish women: just 4 percent use snus and 16 percent smoke. Sweden also has fewer cases of lung cancer than the rest of Europe. Advocates of snus say it deserves at least [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T13:05:32-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Study finds 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release A Henry Ford Hospital study has identified 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer, one of the most deadly cancers responsible for 2.1 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. Previously, only 33 genes were reported associated with head and neck cancer. "These new genes should advance selection of head and neck-specific gene targets, opening the door to promising new molecular strategies for the early detection and treatment of head and neck cancer," says study lead author Maria J. Worsham, Ph.D., director of research in the Department of Otolaryngology at Henry Ford Hospital. "It also may offer the opportunity to help monitor disease progression and a patient's response to treatment." Results from the study will be presented Sunday, Oct. 4 at the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego. This year alone, more than 55,000 Americans will develop head and neck cancer, which includes cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, salivary glands, throat and lymph nodes in the neck; nearly 13,000 of them will die from it. According to the National Cancer Institute, 85 percent of head and neck cancers are linked to tobacco use. People who use both tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk for developing these cancers than people who use either tobacco or alcohol alone. Treatment for head and neck cancer varies based on the location and stage of the tumor, but most often includes surgery, radiation therapy [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-04T18:29:05-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Altria to introduce new Marlboro snus and other smokeless tobaccos

Source: www.us-marlboro.com Author: staff In conformity with the recently revealed marketing strategy, Phillip Morris USA has been focused on developing and introducing new extensions of company’s flagship brands Marlboro, L&M and smokeless products, said Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman of Altria Group, the owner of Philip Morris. Altria also is eager to increase its leading position in the constantly growing market of snus, smokeless tobacco products, originating from Sweden. The top tobacco company across America will launch new snus variety under its best-selling brand, Marlboro, according to the chief executive of Altria Group based in Henrico County, VA. In addition, Philip Morris USA will attempt to expand its presence on the market of menthol cigarettes, by introducing a menthol extension of the mainstream discount brand L&M, Szymanczyk said during the Barclays Consumer Conference. And in the nearest future, Altria plans to launch another smokeless tobacco product, using its subsidiary, in order to capture more customers who prefer oral tobacco items. Altria CEO declared that they are currently working on the introduction of new variety of Copenhagen moist snuff with wintergreen flavor. According to industry analysts, the introduction of additional variety will contribute to approximately 9 percent increase of Copenhagen market share, from current 23% to almost 32%. According to Szymanczyk, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and Philip Morris have joined forces to boost the sales of snus, smokeless tobacco items, selling as the extension of Marlboro brand. Snus resemble tea bags in appearance and are used for chewing and sucking with a flavorless [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-04T18:18:37-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Port Coquitlam dentist hopes to save a life with a Velscope

Source: www.bclocalnews.com Author: Diane Strandberg A Port Coquitlam dentist is offering to do more than fix cavities and polish teeth. Dr. Glenn Keryluk wants to save a life. He's purchased an oral cancer screening device he expects will shortly become standard equipment in all dentist offices and he is offering to screen patients referred to by local doctors. "It's the latest and greatest in cancer detection," Keryluk says of the Velscope, a hand-held device that shines a blue light on oral lesions that could be cancerous. Manufactured by a White Rock-based company, the Velscope can show abnormal tissue below the surface, even before it becomes apparent to the clinicians' eye. Healthy tissue glows green under the light but cancerous tissue looks black. Being able to detect oral cancer early is key to surviving the disease because the longer the cancer is around the more likely it will spread to nearby organs. Keryluk held a free screening day for patients at his office at 2099 Lougheed Highway recently and is cutting standard fees for the procedure or waving them entirely for people without dental coverage. The procedure is painless, takes only a few minutes and a photograph of the lesion taken by the machine can be sent to a physician for follow-up. "If you catch it early it could be that a person's life is saved. I just want people to be aware of the technology out there," Keryluk said. He's only seen two cases of oral cancer in 20 years [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-25T12:36:26-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

A different camel is back in the glossies

Source: nytimes.com Author: Andrew Adam Newman The two largest tobacco companies in the United States voluntarily stopped advertising cigarettes in magazines, with Philip Morris, whose brands include Marlboro, ceasing in 2005 and R. J. Reynolds, whose brands include Camel, at the beginning of 2008. Now the Camel logo is back prominently in major glossies, including Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and Maxim — but not to advertise cigarettes. R. J. Reynolds is advertising Camel Snus, a tobacco packet that wedges in the upper lip and, unlike chewing tobacco, is promoted as “spitless” because low salt content spares users the unpleasantness of public expectoration. Although snus is popular in Sweden, this is the first time it has been marketed in the United States by a major American tobacco company. The campaign, by Quaker City Mercantile in Philadelphia, pitches Camel Snus (pronounced snoose) as a way around smoking bans. The ads cater to specific magazine audiences, with a recent issue of Rolling Stone promoting snus as “sweaty outdoor festival friendly” and one in Sports Illustrated declaring it “extra inning friendly.” Others call snus “your flight just got canceled friendly,” “ridiculously long conference call friendly” and “fancy hotel friendly.” David Howard, an R. J. Reynolds spokesman, said that the company had not reversed its magazine policy, but that this was a Camel of another color. “We do not advertise cigarettes in print right now and have not done that for a couple years, but Camel Snus is not a cigarette,” Mr. Howard said. “This [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-23T13:54:31-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Hookah hang-ups: smoking shisha may not be has harmless as perceived

Source: Author: Angel Allen It’s a beautiful evening and you’re puffing smoke rings with your friends, but while the fruit punch taste you inhale may be sweet and relaxing, officials say it comes with the cloudy possibility of future illness. Hookahs are single or multiple stemmed water pipes used to smoke tobacco. They continue to be a popular fixture around the UA campus. But health officials say many students remain ignorant of the ill health effects of shisha, the flavored tobacco smoked in hookahs. A May report issued by the Journal of Adolescent Health said hookah use is growing among college students, despite growing consensus that it may be as dangerous as cigarettes. Hirbod Jalili, a Pima Community College computer sciences student from Iran, said he grew up smoking hookah, starting at age 14. In Iran, “there’s no age for it, anyone can do it. It’s a tradition,” he said. Usually families and friends smoke together as a relaxing hobby, Jalili said. Tea and dates are often served along with the hookah as complementary items. Hacène Chaouch, an optical engineering graduate student from Algeria, said, “We know it’s harmful and it’s not the reason we get together, but it’s something to do when we are together. It’s social.” Local café Espresso Art, 944 E. University Blvd., offers hookah smoking starting from noon outside and 6 p.m. inside until closing at midnight each evening. Owner Danny Mannheim said he enjoys offering an international feel to his café. Mannheim said his café [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-09-13T05:06:29-07:00September, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Worldwide study shows MI risk increases with all forms of tobacco use

Source: HeartWire Author: Steve Stiles London, UK - Tobacco use significantly ups the risk of nonfatal MI independently of its varied methods around the world and whether exposure is direct or through second-hand smoke, according to INTERHEART, a large, broadly international case-control study [1]. The findings sharpen and add a global perspective to the massive epidemiologic evidence implicating smoking and other tobacco uses as causes of heart disease. The analysis, which appears in the August 19, 2006 issue of the Lancet, suggests that current cigarette smoking confers nearly triple the adjusted MI risk faced by persons who have never smoked and that the hazards can't be escaped by resorting to other forms of tobacco use. The study looked at the effects of not only smokeless tobacco but also less common modes of smoking, including some that are primarily limited to specific geographic regions such as South and Central Asia. "Our findings show that tobacco in any form is harmful," write the authors, Dr Koon K Teo (McMaster University-Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON) and associates. Other noteworthy observations include a significant dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes consumed daily and the likelihood of MI, even at only a few cigarettes per day. Commenting on the study for heartwire, Dr Ira S Ockene (University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester) said that it replicates much earlier work but "adds so much more," including a global perspective not only geographically but in terms of spanning virtually all forms of tobacco exposure. Its data on the risks of chewing [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-08-20T14:47:56-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Chewing tobacco may cause mouth cancer rise

Source: www.dentistry.co.uk Author: staff Tobacco chewing is causing an ‘alarming' rise in cases of mouth cancer in east London, health chiefs warned today. Chewing paan, a mixture of tobacco and areca nut, is leading to a high number of patients in the Bangladeshi community in the London borough of Tower Hamlets being diagnosed, experts at Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in Whitechapel have revealed. The findings emerged in a screening programme in the East End, led by Bart's, when 1,300 people were tested for early signs of mouth cancer. Most were from the Bengali community. One in 15 people were referred for further investigation. The findings come in the same week that figures suggest that, nationally, alcohol is largely to blame for the rise in the rate of oral cancers among men and women in their forties. The figures, released by Cancer Research UK, showed that since the mid-1990s, rates of oral cancers have gone up by 28% for men in their forties and 24% for women. Anand Lalli, a clinical lecturer in oral surgery, said: ‘In parts of south Asia where paan usage is widespread, oral cancer is one of the commonest causes of death from all cancers. If oral cancer is caught early on, there is a good chance of curing it. But it becomes far less easy to treat the longer it is left.' A team from the Centre for Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences used a mobile dental unit to tour areas [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-19T06:03:17-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|