Head and Neck Cancer News and Research

RSS

Head and Neck Cancer is cancer that arises in the head or neck region (in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, throat, or larynx [voice box]).

New 90-second radiotherapy therapy called RapidArc

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) this month became the first U.S. medical center to offer a speedier cancer radiation therapy.

5 Apr 2009

Diet and lifestyle choices influence cancer survival

Head and neck cancer patients who smoked, drank, didn't exercise or didn't eat enough fruit when they were diagnosed had worse survival outcomes than those with better health habits, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

1 Apr 2009

Discovery of genetic markers for aggressive head and neck cancer

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified genetic markers that signal poor outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer.

20 Mar 2009

MRSA pre-screening effective in reducing otolaryngic surgical infection rates

Pre-operative screening of patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be an effective way to reduce infection rates following otolaryngic surgeries, according to new research published in the January 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Jan 2009

UC Davis team refines cancer treatments to reduce potential nerve damage

While radiation treatments deliver precise doses of high-energy X-rays to stop cancer cells from spreading or to shrink tumors, oncologists have become increasingly concerned about inadvertent exposures during head and neck cancer treatments to nerves responsible for upper body mobility.

15 Dec 2008

Tongue reconstruction at University of Michigan

The night before her surgery for tongue cancer, 30-year-old Lisa Bourdon-Krause realized she might never be able to speak to her toddler son again. So she sat up half the night recording messages to him: "Hi, how was your day?," "You're so handsome," "You have a stinky butt. I need to change you." She read two of his favorite books.

15 Dec 2008

Many mouth cancers found too late

Worldwide, more than 500,000 new cases of cancer of the mouth are diagnosed each year.

10 Dec 2008

EGFR inhibitors show promise for obesity

Once-promising drugs that were abandoned in the fight against breast cancer still could be effective in obese patients, new research suggests.

1 Dec 2008

Survival of head and neck cancer patients is greatly affected by coexisting ailments

Current estimates for head and neck cancer survival are largely inaccurate because they widely disregard many of the most common diseases such patients have in addition to their primary cancer, says Jay Piccirillo, M.D., a head and neck specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

19 Nov 2008

Phosphaplatins kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck 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.

19 Nov 2008

CAPHOSOL shown to benefit cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy

New data show that CAPHOSOL, an advanced electrolyte solution, results in low rates of oral mucositis and pain in patients with head and neck (HN) cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

17 Nov 2008

Smoking linked to two forms of esophageal cancer and stomach cancer

Researchers who have been following the health of more than 120,000 residents of the Netherlands for more than two decades have found that smoking is associated with two forms of esophageal cancer as well as a form of stomach cancer, and that drinking alcohol is strongly linked to one form of esophageal cancer.

17 Nov 2008

Call to explore broader use of human papillomavirus vaccines

A call to explore a broader use of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines and the validation of a simple oral screening test for HPV-caused oral cancers are reported in two studies by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigator.

4 Nov 2008

Human papillomavirus helps cervical and head and neck cancers resist treatment and grow and spread

The human papillomavirus (HPV) allows infected cervical and head and neck cancer cells to maintain internal molecular conditions that make the cancers resistant to therapy and more likely to grow and spread, resulting in a poor prognosis for patients, researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center found.

4 Nov 2008

Scientist says research indicates need for effective HPV vaccine for women and men and a simple HPV screening test

3 Nov 2008

Disparities in head and neck cancer patients

A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer.

12 Oct 2008

Considerable disparities in survival found among patients with head and neck cancer

A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer.

6 Oct 2008

Benefits of combined treatments against cancer

In cancer therapy, the best results are often achieved by combining treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. This multidisciplinary approach is the focus of special symposia at the meetings of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology (ESTRO) taking place in Sweden this month.

16 Sep 2008

Former cancer patient says radiation bungle shows flaw in the health system

Assurances from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) that cancer patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are at a minimal risk from an inadvertent 5 per cent reduction in their prescribed radiation dosage between 2004 to 2006, may reassure some but many former patients will still be worried.

28 Jul 2008

PET-CT scanners detect secondary head and neck cancers

For patients with head and neck cancer, accurately determining how advanced the cancer is and detecting secondary cancers usually means undergoing numerous tests - until now.

22 Jul 2008