vaccine – Page 10 – Oral Cancer News

Head and neck cancer on rise in young men

Source: www.healthcanal.com Author: staff “The head and neck cancers we have found in younger men with no known risk factors such as smoking are very frequently associated with the same HPV virus that causes cervical cancer in women." said Kerstin Stenson, MD, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Rush and a professor of otolaryngology at Rush University. The cancer develops from an HPV infection, likely acquired several years earlier from oral sex. "Men are more susceptible to these cancers because they don’t seem to have the same immune response as women and do not shed the virus like women do,” Stenson said. 'Epidemic proportions' According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancers of the oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) are usually caused by tobacco and alcohol, but recent studies show that about 72 percent of oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV. “There has been significant change in the last decade. Overall, head and neck cancers account for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all cancers, but what’s changed in the past decade is the HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. It has reached epidemic proportions,” said Stenson. The American Cancer Society estimates that 45,780 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx in 2015. If this trend continues, the number of cases of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer will surpass the number of cervical cancer cases. Early detection is key The current vaccine has been shown to decrease the incidence [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-03-23T06:22:35-07:00March, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Clinician support critical to HPV vaccination

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection continues to lag behind rates for other vaccine-preventable diseases, primarily because of lost opportunities in the clinic, according to participants in a national conference. Primary care providers have yet to get onboard with HPV immunization with their critical recommendation to patients or parents. Enthusiasm for HPV vaccination also has taken a hit because of its portrayal as a means to prevent a sexually transmitted disease (STD) instead of a vaccine to prevent cancer, speakers said during an HPV vaccination "summit" at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. "The most important problem is that many healthcare providers are not making a strong recommendation for the vaccine in the same way that they recommend other recommended vaccines," said Melinda Wharton, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. "That's fundamentally what we think the biggest problem is." "We're hurting ourselves by approaching it differently and talking about it differently than we're talking about the other vaccines," said Ailis Clyne, MD, of the Rhode Island Department of Health, which has mounted one of the more successful HPV immunization campaigns in the U.S. Not only have the primary "pitch men" not been getting the message out about HPV, too often the sales pitch has focused on the wrong disease, said Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS). "We need to start talking about [the vaccine] as a cancer vaccine, instead [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-02-21T07:32:41-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

HPV Vaccine Linked to Less-Risky Behavior

Source: torontosun.comAuthor: Roxanne Nelson, Reuters Contrary to concerns that getting vaccinated against human papilloma virus (HPV) will lead young people to have more or riskier sex, a new study in England finds less risky behaviour among young women who got the HPV vaccine. "To my knowledge no studies have shown that HPV vaccination increases risky sexual behavior among young women and some of these studies have shown this (less risky behaviour) is also the case outside of the UK," said Dr. Laura Sadler of the University of Manchester, who led the study. It's possible that getting vaccinated led to better education about sexual health, Sadler and her colleagues write in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. Sadler and other experts say it's also possible that young women who are already less likely to take risks are the ones who are more likely to get vaccinated. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and causes the majority of cervical cancers. The virus has also been linked to anal and throat cancers. Two vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, are now available that protect against strains of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. Even though public health officials recommend that girls and young women be vaccinated against HPV, some parents have hesitated, fearing that it could encourage sexual activity or unsafe sex. For their study, Sadler's team reviewed the medical records of 363 women born in 1990 or later who attended an English clinic. Almost two-thirds of the young [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-02-18T10:46:04-07:00February, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

FDA Approves Vaccine That Covers More HPV Strains

Source: webmd.comAuthor: E J Mundell, HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last Wednesday approved a new vaccine with expanded protection against the human papillomavirus (HPV), by far the leading cause of cervical and certain other cancers. The agency said that Gardasil 9 can shield users against nine strains of the virus, compared to the four strains covered by Gardasil, the Merck & Co. vaccine approved in 2006. Merck also makes Gardasil 9. "Gardasil 9 has the potential to prevent approximately 90 percent of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers," the FDA said in an agency news release. "Vaccination is a critical public health measure for lowering the risk of most cervical, genital and anal cancers caused by HPV," Dr. Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the release. "The approval of Gardasil 9 provides broader protection against HPV-related cancers." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends the HPV vaccine for boys and girls at age 11 or 12, so they are protected before being exposed to the sexually transmitted virus. One other HPV vaccine, Cervarix, was also approved by the FDA in 2009. Cervarix is made by GlaxoSmithKline and protects against two HPV strains strongly linked to cancer, HPV 16 and 18. According to the FDA, the approval of Gardasil 9 was based on a clinical trial involving more than 14,000 girls and women aged 16 to 26 who were not infected with HPV at [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-12-16T17:11:06-07:00December, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Finding better ways to treat, prevent HPV

Source: www.fhcrc.or Author: Diane Mapes - Fred Hutch News Service Twenty-nine years ago, scientists didn’t know what caused many of the genital-tract cancers they studied, much less how to stop them. Today, not only has human papillomavirus been pinpointed as the viral perpetrator behind nearly all genital-tract and some head and neck cancers, there’s now an incredibly effective vaccine that can prevent high-risk HPV infections from ever developing into cancer. “You can almost say on the street, ‘I’m doing HPV research’ and ordinary people will know what that is,” said Aaro Turunen, an HPV researcher from the University of Turku in Finland. “It’s a sexy subject, especially for the media.” While scientific advancements, public awareness and yes, media coverage, have grown exponentially in the last three decades, there is still much to learn and do – particularly with regard to getting the vaccine to the people who most need it, both here in the U.S. and around the world. That’s where the International Papillomavirus Conference, currently in its twenty-ninth year, comes in. The HPV2014 conference, now underway at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, has drawn the brightest minds in HPV research, including nearly 1,300 basic scientists, public health researchers, physicians, providers and others dedicated to eliminating the suffering caused by the human papillomavirus. The goal of the conference is to share cutting-edge scientific advances in the field of HPV infection and disease and come up with new ways to collaborate to advance science and public health. The conference [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2014-08-26T06:18:49-07:00August, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

The Cancer Cure Parents Aren’t Using

Source: washingtonpost.comAuthor: Meredith Wadman Not so long ago, when my sons still had smooth cheeks and children’s voices, I had them vaccinated against human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted disease. It was late 2011, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had just recommended that boys join girls in being vaccinated at age 11 or 12. I was certainly receptive: HPV, as it’s commonly called, causes cervical cancer, cancer of the tonsils, cancer of the back of the tongue and, less often, cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus and penis. It seemed important to ensure that my kids were protected. Yet numbers released last month by the CDC show that my sons, now 14 and 15, are among a small minority of adolescent males who have been vaccinated. In 2013, just 14 percent of American boys ages 13 to 17 had received all three recommended doses of the HPV vaccine. (The CDC also recommends “catch-up” vaccination for males up to age 21.) Not that parents are rushing to have their girls vaccinated either, even though the CDC first recommended the vaccine for prepubescent girls in 2007 and virtually all insurers pay for it. In 2013, fewer than 38 percent of American girls between 13 and 17 had received the full three-dose course. It is heartbreaking to watch a safe, effective vaccine go unused. Consider this: The CDC estimates that increasing the vaccination rate of American girls to 80 percent would prevent 53,000 cervical cancers during the lifetimes of girls who are now 12 and younger. When [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-08-25T11:08:26-07:00August, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Merck’s Experimental HPV Vaccine Shows Promise in Late Stage Trial

Source: Nasdaq By: Peter Loftus Published: November 3, 2013 An experimental Merck & Co. vaccine appeared to provide broader protection against a cancer-causing virus than the company's Gardasil shot in clinical trials. Merck said the study results support its plan to submit the new vaccine, code-named V503, for U.S. regulatory approval by year's end, which could lead to market launch next year at the soonest. Merck expects health-care providers to eventually switch to V503 if the product receives marketing approval. Some analysts expect its annual sales could exceed $1 billion. "The case for using V503 is even stronger than the case for using Gardasil, which was already strong," said Roger Perlmutter, head of Merck's research and development unit. Dr. Perlmutter has singled out V503 as one of the programs Merck will focus on as it overhauls its R&D unit in a bid to recover from a series of setbacks. Gardasil, launched in 2006, was the first vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women and other less-common types of cancer in males and females. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HPV vaccination of boys and girls ages 11 and 12, though it is approved to be given to people ages 9 to 26. GlaxoSmithKline also sells an HPV vaccine called Cervarix. Gardasil is designed to protect against four strains of HPV, two of which are believed to be responsible for about 70% of all cervical [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-11-05T11:13:34-07:00November, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Most head, neck surgeons discuss risk factors, HPV

Source: www.doctorslounge.com Author: staff Most head and neck surgeons discuss risk factors for head and neck cancer, including human papillomavirus (HPV), with their patients, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Kelly M. Malloy, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted an online survey of 297 members of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding HPV education and vaccination. The researchers found that the majority (more than 90 percent) of respondents reported discussing risk factors for head and neck cancer, including HPV as a specific risk factor. About half (49.1 percent) reported discussing the importance of vaccinating preadolescents for HPV, with 38.7 percent not relating to this issue because their patients are adults. More than two-thirds (68.9 percent) of the respondents with daughters reported that their daughters had received or were scheduled to receive the HPV vaccine. For respondents with sons, only 55.8 percent reported that their sons had been vaccinated or that they intended for them to be vaccinated. Attitudes toward HPV vaccine safety and efficacy were divergent. There was considerable support of potential future AHNS activities relating to education, increasing public awareness, and advocacy of health policy related to HPV. "Head and neck surgeons are knowledgeable about HPV and show generally positive attitudes and beliefs about HPV education and vaccination," the authors write. "They endorse AHNS actions to improve public and patient education, as well as health policy on [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-09-01T15:58:16-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

HPV vaccine might shield women against throat cancer

Source: healthfinder.gov Author: staff Young women who are vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) not only protect themselves from cervical cancer, but from throat cancer as well, a new study suggests. Many of the increasing number of throat cancers, seen mostly in developed countries, are caused by HPV infection and the HPV vaccine might prevent many of these cancers, the researchers say. "We found the women who had the HPV vaccine had much less infection than the women who hadn't," said lead researcher Dr. Rolando Herrero, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. "In fact, there was a 90 percent reduction in the prevalence of HPV infection in the women who received the vaccine compared to the women who had not," he said. HPV infection is strongly associated with cancer of the oral cavity, Herrero noted. "We think that it is possible that the prevention of the infection will also lead to the prevention of these cancers," he explained. The HPV vaccine has enormous benefit, said Herrero, "because of the cervical cancer prevention and the anal cancer prevention, and it can even prevent infections in their sexual partners." Herrero said boys, too, should be vaccinated to protect them from oral cancers. Oral cancer is much more prevalent among men than in women, he pointed out. A 2011 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that in the United States, HPV-positive oral cancers increased from 16 percent of all oral cancers in the 1980s to 70 [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2013-07-22T10:34:24-07:00July, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Celebrity confession linking sex to oral cancer raises local awareness

Source: www.vancouversun.com Author: Pamela Fayerman Michael Douglas is credited for raising awareness about the links between oral sex and oral cancer, but experts worry his disclosure could cause public panic and stigmatize the disease to the point of bringing shame to those afflicted. Or worse, prevent patients with symptoms from getting examined promptly. Miriam Rosin, a BC Cancer Agency scientist, said the actor’s candid revelation that his throat cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which he picked up from performing cunnilingus, is raising awareness of a growing problem around the world, and in B.C. “It’s created a lot of noise. I think it’s important to talk about this disease … but not in a headline-grabbing way, which may damage the cause by labelling it as a sexually transmitted disease,” said Rosin, who is also a Simon Fraser University professor. Regardless, the public is finally getting the message that HPV, the most common sexually transmitted virus in the world – and the one that causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer – is accounting for the surge in throat cancers located at the back of the throat. In B.C., if trends continue, HPV-caused throat cancers are expected to overtake cervical cancers in incidence. About 150 cases of cervical cancers are reported annually in this province. Of about 500 head and neck cancers, 115 are HPVcaused throat cancers, according to the BCCA. Douglas’s interview with The Guardian newspaper last month was followed by an avalanche of sensational media reports that apparently [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-07-19T07:43:16-07:00July, 2013|Oral Cancer News|