New platinum-phosphate compounds kill ovarian cancer cells

A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Genetic predictors of esophageal cancer identified

Researchers have identified 11 genotypes that may increase esophageal cancer risk, according to research published in the November issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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MGH researchers report successful new laser treatment for vocal-cord cancer

Technique targets blood vessels to remove tumor while preserving and restoring vocal quality
An innovative laser treatment for early vocal-cord cancer, developed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), successfully restores patients voices without radiotherapy or traditional surgery, which can permanently damage vocal quality. This new option for patients, which has now been used in more than 25 patients, was reported on May 1 at the annual meeting of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the data will soon be published as a supplement to the Annals of Otology, Rhinology, & Laryngology.

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Integrated approach to IMRT provides quality care for head and neck cancer patients

Results from a University of Pittsburgh study demonstrate that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer can be uniformly delivered in a large health care system of academic and community cancer centers through a centralized planning and treatment process. The findings were presented today at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Los Angeles.

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Alcohol and cancer: is drinking the new smoking?

Cutting alcohol consumption linked to reduced cancer rates

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have clarified the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of head and neck cancers, showing that people who stop drinking can significantly reduce their cancer risk.

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A Kinder Form of Tonsillectomy

Many kids have been lured into tonsillectomies with promises like, “you’ll be able to have all the ice cream you can eat,” only to come out of surgery with such a bad sore throat they can hardly eat anything at all.

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AVOCADOS MAY HELP PREVENT ORAL CANCER, OSU STUDY SHOWS

Nutrients taken from avocados are able to thwart oral cancer cells, killing some and preventing pre-cancerous cells from developing into actual cancers, according to researchers at Ohio State University.

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Human Papilloma Virus vaccines may decrease chances of oral cancer

The Centers for Disease Control report that nearly 25 million women are infected with some form of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Of those, more than three million are thought to have one of the four strains known to cause cases of cervical cancer and genital warts.

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Infection contributes to the high rates of oropharyngeal cancers

Though the overall incidence of head and neck cancers has fallen in the United States, the rate of oropharyngeal (chiefly, tonsil and base of tongue) cancers is stagnant and appears to be rising is certain populations and these trends are likely due to oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A review published in the October 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, finds an increasing trend in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers, particularly among men under 45 years old, for which HPV infection is the likely cause.

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HPV Vaccine for Men?

The highly publicized human papillomavirus (HPV) is not only a risk for women. Researchers have found the sexual partners of infected women are also at risk for oral HPV infection and subsequent oral cancers, making HPV an emerging epidemic among youth in the United States.
Doctors from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, found about 30 percent to 50 percent of patients suffering from cancers of the head and neck had never smoked or been heavy drinkers — the most common risk factors of oral cancer development. With fewer Americans smoking tobacco in recent decades, doctors felt the rates of oral cancers should have decreased. They have attributed the stable rates of the incidence of these cancers to increased rates of HPV infection of the oral cavity.

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