Join the 'Head and Neck Cancer' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Many Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Face Eating Problems
Posted 16 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Jan. 16 – Persistent pain, eating problems and depression are the most common problems experienced by long-term survivors of head and neck cancer, a new study finds. In the study, published in the Jan. 16 online issue of the journal Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, researchers looked at 337 people who were diagnosed with head and neck cancer from 1995 to 2004 and survived at least five years. More than 50 percent of the survivors had problems eating because of poor throat functioning, 28.5 percent had symptoms of depression and more than 17 percent had substantial pain, the researchers found. However, when the long-term survivors were compared to age-matched people in the general population, their average general health was similar, Dr. Gerry Funk, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, and colleagues explained in a journal news release. ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer
Erbitux Approval Expanded to Include Head and Neck Cancer
Posted 7 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Nov. 7 – U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Erbitux (cetuximab) has been expanded to include late-stage (metastatic) head and neck cancer, the agency announced Monday. The drug was first approved in 2004 to treat colon cancer, and was later sanctioned to treat non-metastatic cases of head and neck cancer. Clinical testing for the newly approved use involved 442 people with metastatic or recurring head and neck cancer. People who received Erbitux and chemotherapy lived an average of 10.1 months, compared with 7.4 months among those who received chemotherapy alone. Head and neck cancer accounts for up to 5 percent of all cancer cases in the United States, and is most common in men and in people older than age 50, the FDA said, citing statistics from the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The most common side effects reported for Erbitux include rash, itching, nail ... Read more
Related support groups: Erbitux, Head and Neck Cancer
FDA Approves Erbitux to Treat Late-stage Head and Neck Cancer
Posted 7 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Erbitux (cetuximab) for use with chemotherapy to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) head and neck cancer. Combined with chemotherapy, Erbitux extended the lives of those receiving the treatment combination compared with those receiving chemotherapy alone. Erbitux already is FDA-approved for certain types of colon cancer, and has been approved since 2006 for treatment of non-metastatic head and neck cancer in combination with radiation therapy (first-line) or as a single agent (following standard treatment). According to the National Cancer Institute, head and neck cancers account for 3 percent to 5 percent of all cancers in the United States. These cancers typically develop in the nose, throat or mouth and they are more common in men and in people older than 50. ... Read more
Related support groups: Erbitux, Head and Neck Cancer, Cetuximab
HPV-Linked Oral Cancers on the Rise, Study Finds
Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 3 – The rate of oral cancers linked to the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) rose dramatically over two decades, according to new government research. Within a decade, these types of tumors might become the leading form of HPV-linked cancers, the researchers noted. In the period between 1984 and 1989, just 16.3 percent of oral cancer samples tested positive for HPV. By 2000 to 2004, that number had jumped to 72 percent, the researchers found. "Back in 2008, we did a study and found that the incidence rates of oropharyngeal cancers have increased. Because this increase occurred in a period where cigarette smoking has decreased, we hypothesized that another risk factor – perhaps HPV – might be responsible," explained the study's lead author, Anil Chaturvedi, an investigator in the division of cancer epidemiology at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. "We ... Read more
Related support groups: Smoking, Gardasil, Cervical Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Human Papilloma Virus, Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, Human Papillomavirus Prophylaxis, Cervarix
Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms
Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Prostate Cancer, Depo-Provera, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Medroxyprogesterone, Claravis, Gleevec
Early Morning Smoking Riskier For Cancer
Posted 8 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 8 – Smokers who light up right after they wake up in the morning may be at greater risk for lung, head and neck cancers than those who wait longer before having their first cigarette of the day, a new study finds. The study was released online Aug. 8 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Cancer. "These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more," said Joshua Muscat, of Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, in a journal news release. "It may be a combination of genetic and personal factors that cause a higher dependence to nicotine." In the study, researchers compared 4,775 lung cancer patients with 2,835 smokers who didn't have cancer. They found that those who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking up ... Read more
Related support groups: Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Lung Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer
Smoking During Head & Neck Cancer Therapy Tied to Poor Outcome
Posted 18 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 18 – Patients with head and neck cancer who continue to smoke while undergoing radiation treatments have a much lower long-term survival rate than those who kick the addiction, researchers have found. In the study of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, 23 percent of 101 patients who continued to smoke were still alive five years after treatment, compared with 55 percent of matched patients in a control group who quit smoking before they began radiation therapy. In addition, 53 of the patients who continued to smoke suffered cancer recurrence, compared with 40 patients in the control group. The patients who kept smoking also had more treatment-related complications such as the development of scar tissue, hoarseness and difficulty eating. The poorer outcomes for persistent smokers were found both in patients who had radiation alone and in those who ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer
Rise in Some Head and Neck Cancers Tied to Oral Sex: Study
Posted 25 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 25 – There's a worrisome uptick in the incidence of certain head and neck cancers among middle-aged and even younger Americans, and some experts link the trend to a rise in the popularity of oral sex over the past few decades. That's because the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major trigger for these cancers, and HPV can be transmitted through this type of sexual activity. "It seems like a pretty good link that more sexual activity, particularly oral sex, is associated with increased HPV infection," said Dr. Greg Hartig, professor of otolaryngology--head and neck surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. According to Dr. William Lydiatt, professor and chief of head and neck surgical oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the overall incidence of head and neck cancers is going down, largely because ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer, Human Papilloma Virus
Fewer Cancer Patients May Be Depressed Than Thought
Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 – The rate of depression among cancer patients may be lower than previously believed, a new study indicates. An international team of researchers analyzed 94 studies involving more than 14,000 patients and found that about one-sixth of cancer patients suffer depression and about one-third have a more widely defined mood disorder. Only modest rates of depression and anxiety occurred in cancer patients in the first five years after diagnosis, which suggests that depression is not inevitable in these patients, the researchers said. Only when it was combined with other mood disorders was depression common, occurring in 30 percent of hospitalized cancer patients. The study is published online Jan. 19 in The Lancet Oncology. Rates of depression and anxiety were not significantly different between patients receiving palliative care (care designed to ease pain and increase ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
1 in 5 Cancer Survivors Suffers Chronic Pain, Study Finds
Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 – More than 40 percent of cancer survivors experience pain, and the risk is highest among black and female patients, finds a new study. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System surveyed nearly 200 U.S. cancer survivors and found that 43 percent had experienced pain since their diagnosis, and 20 percent suffered chronic cancer-related pain at least two years later. Among white patients, the most significant source of pain was cancer surgery (53.8 percent), and among black patients the greatest source of pain was cancer treatment (46.2 percent), according to the report. In addition, the study found that compared to men, women had more pain, more pain flare-ups, more disability due to pain and were more depressed because of pain. The authors also noted that black patients were more likely to report greater severity of pain and more pain-related ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Estrogen May Play Role in Rising Rates of Head, Neck Cancer
Posted 4 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 4 – Rates of head and neck cancer are rising among some groups of people, including young women without any known risk factors. Now, a study suggests that estrogen may help the cancer spread by boosting the movement of precancerous cells in the mouth. Previous research found that the body changes how it handles estrogen after the lungs are exposed to smoke. This may lead to lung cancer. In the new study, researchers examined how estrogen affects cells that are cancerous or primed to become cancerous. They found that an enzyme called CYP1B1 is linked to reproduction in precancerous cells. "In the future, we would like to find a natural or dietary agent to deplete the CYP1B1 enzyme and see if we can prevent oral cancer at the precancerous stage," Ekaterina Shatalova, a postdoctoral fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said in a news release from the American ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer
Speech, Swallowing Usually OK After Head & Neck Cancer Therapy
Posted 21 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 20 – Most head and neck cancer patients can speak and swallow after undergoing combined chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but several factors may be associated with poor outcomes, researchers have found. The new study included patients who were assessed nearly three years after they were successfully treated with chemoradiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer. The U.S. researchers gave a speaking score of 1 through 4 to 163 patients an average of 34.8 months after they completed treatment, and gave a swallowing score of 1 through 4 to 166 patients an average of 34.5 months after treatment. A higher score indicated reduced ability to speak or swallow. Most of the patients (84.7 percent of those assigned speaking scores and 63.3 percent of those given swallowing scores) had no lasting problems and received a score of 1. Of the 160 patients who were given both ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer
Demand for Radiation Therapy Predicted to Exceed Supply
Posted 21 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 21 – Over the next decade, the growth in demand for radiation therapy in the United States will be 10 times greater than the increase in new radiation oncologists, a difference that could affect cancer patients' access to treatment, according to a new study. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of patients requiring radiation therapy will increase 22 percent but the number of full-time radiation oncologists entering the workforce will increase just 2 percent, said researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and colleagues. They based their predictions on projections that this year 3,943 radiation oncologists will treat an estimated 470,000 patients in the United States. The large increase in demand for radiation therapy will be partly due to growing numbers of older adults and minorities, groups in which certain types of cancers are more ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Cancer Patients' Secondary Symptoms Need Attention: Study
Posted 11 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 11 – Many cancer patients with pain or depression also experience physical symptoms, such as fatigue, dry mouth and nausea, that can cause disability, a new study shows. Doctors need to recognize and treat these symptoms in order to improve quality of life for cancer patients, said Dr. Kurt Kroenke, of the Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indiana University, and Regenstrief Institute Inc. in Indianapolis, and colleagues. They analyzed data from 405 cancer patients who had either pain or depression and found that all the patients had at least one of 22 physical symptoms examined in the study. More than half of patients reported 15 of the 22 symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (97.5 percent), difficulty sleeping (about 79 percent), pain in limbs or joints (78 percent), back pain (nearly 75 percent) and memory problems (72 percent). The patients also reported ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Metastatic, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Breast Cancer -- Adjuvant
Gene Discovery May Advance Head and Neck Cancer Therapy
Posted 16 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 5 – In a finding that could have a major impact on the diagnosis and treatment of one of the most deadly types of cancer, U.S. researchers have identified 231 potential new genes associated with head and neck cancer. Previously, only 33 genes were known to be linked to head and neck cancer, which includes cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, salivary glands, throat and lymph nodes in the neck. "These new genes should advance selection of head- and neck-specific gene targets, opening the door to promising new molecular strategies for the early detection and treatment of head and neck cancer. It also may offer the opportunity to help monitor disease progression and a patient's response to treatment," study lead author Maria J. Worsham, director of research in the oncology department at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, said in a news release. She and her colleagues examined DNA ... Read more
Related support groups: Head and Neck Cancer, Salivary Gland Cancer
Ask a Question
You may also be interested in...
Related Condition Support Groups
Related Drug Support Groups
methotrexate, Erbitux, Taxotere, cetuximab, Methotrexate LPF Sodium, Folex PFS, Trexall, docetaxel