tonsils – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Michael Douglas: ‘Throat cancer’ was really tongue cancer

Source: cnn.com Author: Jen Christensen, CNN Michael Douglas never had throat cancer, as he told the press in 2010. The actor now says he had tongue cancer. Douglas said he hid the diagnosis at the urging of his doctor to protect his career. "The surgeon said, 'Let's just say it's throat cancer,' " Douglas told fellow actor Samuel L. Jackson for a segment that ran on British television as a part of Male Cancer Awareness Week. Douglas says that the doctor told him if they had to do surgery for tongue cancer, "it's not going to be pretty. You could lose part of your tongue and jaw." When Douglas first talked about his cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2010, he was on a worldwide publicity tour for the movie "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." Douglas and Jackson joked that could have been the end of his acting career. Douglas said if he had surgery he could see the director saying, "What's your good side? I've got no side over here." "There really is no such thing as throat cancer per se," explained Brian Hill, an oral cancer survivor and the founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation. Douglas has taped a public service announcement to raise awareness about oral cancer for Hill's foundation. "Throat" cancer and tongue cancer are both colloquial terms that fall under the oral cancer umbrella. Throat cancer usually refers to cancerous tumors that develop in your pharynx, voice box or tonsils. Tongue cancer refers to cancerous [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-10-15T07:17:01-07:00October, 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|

Facing the facts: HPV-associated head and neck cancers get a second look

Source: www.curetoday.com Author: Charlotte Huff Kevin Pruyne knew he didn’t fit the stereotype of a hard drinker or heavy smoker who one day develops an oral cancer. The 52-year-old mechanic had been working a three-week stint in a remote section of northern Alaska, repairing trucks on an oil field, when he noticed a hard lump beneath his jaw while shaving. For nearly three months, as Pruyne was prescribed antibiotics for a possible infection and then later shuttled between physician specialists, he kept hearing the same thing: the lump could not be cancer. Pruyne only occasionally consumed alcohol and had never smoked. His wife, Kathy, began researching her husband’s symptoms, which included repetitive throat clearing, a nagging sensation that something was lodged in his throat and ringing in his ears. And the lump, which looked like the top half of an egg, felt solid to the touch. This wasn’t some inflamed lymph node from a lingering head cold, Kathy Pruyne says. “He had every symptom [of cancer], but nobody would listen to me.” Pruyne received a diagnosis of stage 4 oral cancer, which started with a tumor at the base of his tongue. He had already begun chemotherapy when he learned that researchers had discovered an association between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and increasing rates of oropharyngeal cancers. He asked that his tissue be tested; the results came back positive. Pruyne says he wanted to know whether his cancer was caused by HPV because “the prognosis is considerably better with HPV-positive cancer.” [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-07-03T17:34:09-07:00July, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

CDC report releases updated information on HPV-associated cancers

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: staff The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on April 24, 2012, an updated statistical count on the prevalence of HPV-associated cancers in the United States. Oropharyngeal cancers, primarily the base of the tongue and tonsils, were the second most common after cervical cancer. Published in the April 20 edition of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the report, titled, ”Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers — United States, 2004–2008,” provides updated information from an analysis of data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. An average of 33,369 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed annually (rate = 10.8 per 100,000 population), including 11,726 cases of oropharyngeal cancers. CDC estimates that about 7,400—63%—of the cases of oropharyngeal cancer each year were attributable to HPV infection. These cancers were found three times more frequently among men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on April 24, 2012, an updated statistical count on the prevalence of HPV-associated cancers in the United States. Oropharyngeal cancers, primarily the base of the tongue and tonsils, were the second most common after cervical cancer. Published in the April 20 edition of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the report, titled, ”Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers — United States, 2004–2008,” provides updated information from an analysis of data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-04-25T06:40:59-07:00April, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Understanding the link between HPV and oropharyngeal cancers

Source: www.jaapa.com (Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, October, 2009) Authors: Denise Rizzolo, PA-C, PhD, Mona Sedrak, PA-C, PhD Head and neck cancer is diagnosed in approximately 650,000 patients each year worldwide.1 The term head and neck cancer refers to a group of biologically similar cancers originating from the upper aerodigestive tract, including the lip, oral cavity (mouth), nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx. Oropharyngeal refers to all the structures of the mouth and pharynx, including the tonsils and tongue. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common form of head and neck cancer.2 Seventy-five percent of all OSCCs are attributable to tobacco and alcohol use.3 People who smoke cigarettes are 4 times more likely to develop oral cancer than nonsmokers. Furthermore, individuals who consume alcohol are 3 times more likely than nondrinkers to develop oral cancer.3 According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the prevalence of cigarette smoking has decreased among Americans, and alcohol use has also declined since the 1970s.4,5 However despite this, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers, including cancer of the base of the tongue and tonsils, has increased, especially in younger patients. These trends have led researchers to investigate other potential risk factors.6-8 New studies suggest that there may be an alternative pathway for the development of oropharyngeal cancers. The high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV), especially type 16 (HPV-16), are now thought to be potential etiologic agents.2,3 The concept that HPV plays a role in head and neck [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T22:00:20-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

High dosage brachytherapy obtains excellent results in head and neck tumors

Source: www.health.am/cr Author: staff High-dosage perioperative brachytherapy (applied within the surgical process) obtains excellent results in the treatment of head and neck tumours, at the same time as reducing the period of radiation. These are the conclusions of research undertaken jointly by three Departments at the University of Navarra Hospital and which was published in the latest issue of Brachytherapy, official journal of the American Society of Brachytherapy. The work describes the application of this new radiotherapy technique to 40 patients between 2000 and 2006. Given the size of the sample, the article is a description of the greatest number of patients treated with high-dosage brachytherapy for head and neck tumours in world medical literature. According to results, after a seven-year follow-up, the illness was controlled in 86% of the cases and the percentage of survival was 52%. In concrete, the research focused on the treatment of tumours in the oral cavity, those affecting the tongue and the floor of the mouth, and those in the oropharyngeal region, such as tumours of the tonsils. Involved in the study was a multidisciplinary team of seven specialists from three departments at the University of Navarra Hospital: the Radiotherapy Department, the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Ear, Nose and Throat Department. Intensifying radiation dosage As is known, brachytherapy is a radiotherapy treatment involving the placing of radioactive sources within the tumour or nearby. In the case in hand, the work analysed the application of brachytherapy as complementary post-surgery treatment, explained [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-03-30T19:22:09-07:00March, 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|