Dear Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Insider,
While the incidence of tongue and tonsil cancers in the U.S. significantly increased between 1980 and 2002, survival rates have improved dramatically as well, according to a new study in Cancer Causes & Control.
In this latest Insider Exclusive, researchers from three leading U.S. academic research facilities examined why the five-year survival rate for such patients has doubled and how the human papillomavirus (HPV) may have played a part.
In other Oral Cancer & Diagnostics Community news, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer is predicting that more than 790,000 people worldwide will be diagnosed with oral cancer by 2030, an increase of more than 63% compared with 2008. Click here to read more.
In a related story, mortality rates for U.S. patients with oral and pharyngeal cancer decreased from 1993 to 2007, according to a study in Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery. Read how a person's level of education affected who got the disease and which patients had the best chances for survival.
In other news, the University of Rochester has been awarded a U.S. patent for research essential to HPV vaccines on the market. Click here to read how discoveries about HPV virus-like particles provoke a protective immune response against the HPV types.
Meanwhile, patients with oral cancer who are hospitalized have higher mortality rates and incur significantly higher hospitalization charges when they have medical complications, according to a study in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology.
And new imaging technologies may be able to detect oral cancer earlier, leading to more effective treatment outcomes. One recent study assessed the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging in oral cancer staging, and a Canadian medical device firm is developing a multispectral LED device for oral cancer detection that could reduce false positives.
Meanwhile, many patients with cancer of the larynx face the awful prospect of losing the ability to speak normally following surgery. But a new technique that reconstructs cartilage from a patient's neck with a part of the shoulder blade offers hope. Click here to see how.
In a related story, chemoradiation for patients with stage IV laryngeal cancer appears to be an effective and reasonable treatment option. Read about how this therapy can determine whether such patients can survive and function when treated with organ preservation strategies.
And researchers have identified which virus causes most common salivary gland cancers. Read about the oncovirus, which is capable of triggering cancer in healthy cells or exploiting mutant cell weaknesses to enhance tumor formation.
Finally, acupuncture can reduce the side effect of xerostomia when given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, clinical trials show. Click here to see how acupuncture therapy affected patients' quality of life and saliva flow rates.
