Official Oral Cancer Awareness wristbands are here!
The official Oral Cancer Awareness wristbands are here! The Oral Cancer Foundation wristbands are now available for purchase in the OCF web-store! These adult size wristbands are maroon in color and include the phrase: "MAKE ORAL CANCER HISTORY" embossed on the front of the band and the OCF web address embossed along the back side of the band. Made out of 100% synthetic silicone rubber. One size fits all, approximately 8 inches in circumference. Sold in packages of 2, 5, or 10 wristbands.
Special pricing is available for larger quantity orders, please contact cannon@oralcancerfoundation.org for more information.
Please join us in proudly wearing your awareness wristband to honor those who courageously fight oral cancer. Together, we can spread the word of the need of opportunistic annual screenings, so together we can reduce the death rate. Remember, OCF cannot accomplish this alone. Your active participation is what will make the difference. Help OCF make oral cancer HISTORY today!
To purchase a wristband, please visit the OCF web-store or Click Here.
ASCO: Second study links HPV to mouth cancer outcomes
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection predicts a better chance of survival in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, researchers said. In a retrospective analysis of a major radiation therapy trial, more than four-fifths of patients whose tumors were HPV-positive were alive three years after treatment, according to Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, of Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues.
In contrast, fewer than six of 10 patients with HPV-negative tumors were still alive at the three-year mark, Gillison and colleagues reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine, in an article released to coincide with a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting here.
The study follows a report earlier at the meeting that found a similar pattern among patients enrolled in a chemotherapy trial. The virus is, of course, well known to cause cervical cancer.
The New England Journal study adds to the evidence that "HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma represents a distinct clinicopathological entity associated with a better prognosis than HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma," said Douglas Lowy, MD, of the NIH, and Karl Munger, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Writing in an accompanying editorial, Lowy and Munger argued that if the diseases are distinct, "their treatment or prevention might benefit from different approaches." One possibility, they said, would be to target HPV proteins to treat the disease in some patients, while prevention might involve vaccination against the virus.
*To read more about this study, Click Here.
End of Cervical Cancer is Possible
Excerpt:
North Carolina could be among the first states to eliminate cervical cancer, according to a group of health care experts who launched an effort Tuesday with that goal.
More than 100 clinicians, researchers, community activists and some cancer survivors attended the launch of the Cervical Cancer-Free Initiative at a Raleigh hotel. That's almost as many women — 114, on average — who die of cervical cancer in North Carolina each year.
While the number of deaths from the illness has dropped over the last three decades in the state and across the nation, all cervical-cancer deaths are preventable, said Noel T. Brewer, director of the initiative. Brewer is also an associate professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, which is a partner with the N.C. Division of Public Health, in the initiative.
Participants talked about ways to get more girls vaccinated against HPV, or human papillomavirus, which is present in every case of cervical cancer, and to increase screening for cervical cancer in women who weren't vaccinated.
Those two steps could prevent most of the deaths, Brewer said. In North Carolina, only a third of girls aged 13 to 17 receive even one dose of the vaccine, he said. Three doses are recommended.
Most don't get it because their doctors don't suggest it, he said; others, because their parents aren't convinced it's a good idea.
Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, Dean of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, said that only once every few decades do factors align to make it possible to practically wipe out a disease.
"The time to end it is now, and North Carolina is the place," she said.
OCF's Comments:
North Carolina has the right idea. The leading risk factor for cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus. If every woman were vaccinated in their early teens, it would literally wipe out this disease completely. As with cervical cancer, HPV is also proven as a risk factor, and the cause for the rise, in oral cancers. We share the same battle with HPV and the hurdle of convincing the public on the importance of HPV vaccination. As Dr. Rimer stated, "Only once every few decades do factors align to make it possible to practically wipe out a disease. The time to end it is now." We support North Carolina with their efforts to eliminate cervical cancer through HPV vaccination. This is a tangible achievement and with the HPV vaccine, you have the ability to eliminate not only cervical cancer, but oral cancers caused by HPV, anal cancer, and penile cancer.
Fighting Cancer through Healthy Living?
The National Cancer Institute estimates that roughly one-third of all cancer deaths may be diet related. What you eat can hurt you, but it can also help you. Many of the common foods found in grocery stores or organic food markets contain cancer-fighting properties, from the antioxidants that neutralize the damage caused by free radicals to the powerful phytochemicals that scientists are just beginning to explore. There isn't a single element in a particular food that does all the work: The best thing to do is eat a variety of foods. The following are a few examples of foods listed by the NCI that have the ability to help stave off cancer and some can even help inhibit cancer cell growth or reduce tumor size.
Avocados - Rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals in the body by blocking intestinal absorption of certain fats. They also supply even more potassium than bananas and are a strong source of beta-carotene. Scientists also believe that avocados may also be useful in treating viral hepatitis (a cause of liver cancer), as well as other sources of liver damage.
Carrots - Contain a lot of beta carotene, which may help reduce a wide range of cancers including lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and breast. Some research indicated beta carotene may actually cause cancer, but this has not proven that eating carrots, unless in very large quantities- 4 to 6 pounds a day, can cause cancer. In fact, a substance called falcarinol that is found in carrots has been found to reduce the risk of cancer, according to researchers at Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS). Kirsten Brandt, head of the research department, explained that isolated cancer cells grow more slowly when exposed to falcarinol. This substance is a polyacethylen, however, so it is important not to cook the carrots.
Garlic - Has immune-enhancing allium compounds (dialyl sultides) that appear to increase the activity of immune cells that fight cancer and indirectly help break down cancer causing substances. These substances also help block carcinogens from entering cells and slow tumor development. Diallyl sulfide, a component of garlic oil, has also been shown to render carcinogens in the liver inactive. Studies have linked garlic — as well as onions, leeks, and chives — to lower risk of stomach and colon cancer. Dr. Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the UNC-CH (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) schools of public health and medicine and colleagues analyzed a number of studies and reported their findings in the October 2000 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. According to the report, people who consume raw or cooked garlic regularly face about half the risk of stomach cancer and two-thirds the risk of colorectal cancer as people who eat little or none. Their studies didn't show garlic supplements had the same effect. It is believed garlic may help prevent stomach cancer because it has anti-bacterial effects against a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, found in the stomach and known to promote cancer there.
Red Grapes - Contain bioflavonoids, powerful antioxidants that work as cancer preventives. Grapes are also a rich source of resveratrol, which inhibits the enzymes that can stimulate cancer-cell growth and suppress immune response. They also contain ellagic acid, a compound that blocks enzymes that are necessary for cancer cells- this appears to help slow the growth of tumors.
Mushrooms - There are a number of mushrooms that appear to help the body fight cancer and build the immune system- Shiitake, maitake, reishi, Agaricus blazei Murill, and Coriolus Versicolor. These mushrooms contain polysaccharides, especially Lentinan, powerful compounds that help in building immunity. They are a source of Beta Glucan. They also have a protein called lectin, which attacks cancerous cells and prevents them from multiplying. They also contain Thioproline. These mushrooms can stimulate the production of interferon in the body. Extracts from mushrooms have been successfully tested in recent years in Japan as an adjunct to chemotherapy. PSK is made from the Coriolus Versicolor. Maitake mushroom extract is PCM4.
*To read about more foods that the NCI listed in this article, Click Here
U.S. cigarette brands tops in cancer causing chemicals
Smokers of U.S. brand cigarettes may get more bang for their buck in the worst way according to a small study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers found U.S. made cigarettes contain more cancer-causing chemicals than some cigarette brands made elsewhere around the world.
"Not all cigarettes are made alike" says Dr. Jim Pirkle, deputy director for science at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. He says this is the first study to show that "U.S. cigarettes have more of the major carcinogen [TSNAs] than foreign made cigarettes." TSNAs are "tobacco-specific nitrosamines," the major cancer-causing substance in tobacco.
126 smokers in five cities – Waterloo, Ontario; Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); London, England, Buffalo, New York, and Minneapolis, Minnesota – were recruited for this study.
Scientists analyzed more than 2,000 cigarette butts to get the data they are reporting today, says Pirkle.
When researchers compared cigarette brands in the U.S. to those in Canada and Australia, they found three times higher levels of the cancer causing substance in the U.S. smokers' mouths. The mouth levels are important because they give an indication of what levels if carcinogens are going into the lungs. (Smoking tobacco is a major cause of lung cancer).
"If you want to stop exposure to these things, you have to stop smoking."
They also found twice as much TSNA in the urine samples of U.S. smokers compared to those in Canada and Australia, an indication that cancer-causing substance has traveled throughout the body.
*To read more on this article, Click Here.
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