Tonsil News and Research

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Patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV have better chances of survival

When the human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in cancer tumours of the tonsil and base of the tongue, patients are more likely to survive following treatment.

3 Nov 2010

CINJ researcher receives Clinical/Basic Science Research Award

Amar Rewari, MD, MBA, a researcher from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), has been chosen to receive the Clinical Award in Clinical/Basic Science Research at the 52nd Annual Meeting of The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego next month. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

26 Oct 2010

ASTRO honors founder of The Oral Cancer Foundation

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has named Brian Hill of Newport Beach, Calif., as its 2010 Survivor Circle Award winner. Hill will be recognized with a trophy and a $1,000 prize during the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, during ASTRO's 52nd Annual Meeting in San Diego. He has chosen to donate the funds from the award to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, the nonprofit he started a decade ago.

18 Oct 2010

TransOral Robotic Surgery removes head and neck cancer tumors, while preserving speech

An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat.

8 Sep 2010

Cancer survivor organizes first Chattanooga Oral Cancer Awareness Walk

Recently, oral cancer survivor Jeanna Richelson, organized the first Chattanooga Oral Cancer Awareness Walk, which raised donations for the Oral Cancer Foundation, and much needed awareness of a disease that too few Americans know about. According to the foundation's executive director Brian Hill, "I don't believe there has ever been an oral cancer walk that was this successful in its first year. This was an absolutely amazing effort by Jeanna and those who helped her make this possible."

21 Jun 2010

UT Southwestern head and neck cancer surgeons perform area's first transoral robotic surgery

Head and neck cancer surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center performed the area's first transoral robotic surgery (TORS), a recently approved minimally invasive no-scar procedure to remove tumors in the throat.

16 Jun 2010

New research shows microdebrider technique has lowest overall complication rate

In a review of three different surgical techniques commonly used for tonsillectomy, the microdebrider technique (where a rotary cutting tool is used to shave tissue) had the lowest overall complication rate when compared to the other two techniques. The results are shown in new research published in the June 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Jun 2010

Robotic surgery keeps features intact in head, neck cancer removal procedures

Surgeons who perform procedures to remove head and neck cancers often work for six to eight hours on what is typically major, invasive surgery, which many times comes with facial disfigurement and debilitating side effects for the patient.

13 May 2010

Advanced radiation techniques treat head and neck cancer, reduce swallowing complications

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have applied advanced radiation techniques for head and neck cancer to avoid treating critical structures that affect swallowing and eating.

11 May 2010

Study suggests way to predict tumors most likely to respond to chemotherapy and radiation

Levels of a key type of immune cell are higher in head and neck cancer patients whose tumors are linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, according to researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

27 Apr 2010

Hospitals use surgical robot for head and neck tumors

On Dec. 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the da Vinci Surgical System for benign and malignant tumors in such locations as the tongue, tonsils, mouth and voice box.

24 Apr 2010

Many health care professionals not aware of health problems associated with mouth breathing

For some, the phrase "spring is in the air" is quite literal. When the winter snow melts and flowers bloom, pollen and other materials can wreak havoc on those suffering from seasonal allergies, usually causing a habit called "mouth breathing."

7 Apr 2010

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center reviews top cancer stories

Surgeon Jeremy Richmon, M.D., at Johns Hopkins is using robotic assistance to cut away tumors of the tongue and tonsils. Conventional surgery leaves disfiguring neck and jaw scars, but the robotic procedure leaves no scar except for inside the mouth, and he says, patients retain good function of speech and swallowing.

5 Apr 2010

Smokers, tobacco users and high alcohol consumers: Get mouths, gums and tongues checked for cancer

The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl announced today that he has been diagnosed with treatable neck and throat cancer. According to published media reports, Karl's physician says the coach has cancer of his right tonsil that has spread to a lymph node in his neck. The 58-year-old Karl, who is also a prostate cancer survivor, coached in the NBA's All-Star game this past weekend.

22 Feb 2010

Tobacco users with HPV-positive head and neck cancers at increased risk of recurrence

Patients with head and neck cancer linked to high risk human papillomavirus, or HPV, have worse outcomes if they are current or former tobacco users, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

15 Feb 2010

Study could lead to non-surgical alternatives for tonsillectomies

Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may one day be able to have an injection or use a throat spray instead of getting their tonsils removed to cure their snoring, according to a new study from the University of Chicago, which found that a specific gene product may be responsible for the proliferation of adenotonsillar tissue that can cause pediatric OSA.

4 Feb 2010

PET-CT imaging appears to detect cancer in patients with neurologic complications

A combined positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan of the whole body appears to detect cancer in individuals with related neurologic complications more accurately than some other commonly used tests, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the March print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Jan 2010