New Surgery Kills Inoperable Cancers

When we hear the term “inoperable cancer”, a sense of hopelessness can often times accompany it.  Thus, when we hear of a new surgery that is making waves in the medical community and positively affects cancers that have been termed, inoperable, hope comes.  There is a new laser surgery that holds the following claim: “Patients with inoperable head and neck cancer have had tumours “drop off” after treatment with a new form of laser therapy, doctors say.”

Further claims of the new surgery as reported by the Health Correspondent for Times Online state:

Colin Hopper, a head and neck surgeon at the hospital, is leading the study. He said that patients with advanced or recurring cancers who had stopped responding to chemotherapy had experienced benefits.

One patient with an inoperable tumour on his tongue saw it disappear completely, while another, with advanced sarcoma on his jaw, lived for six months, far longer than doctors previously predicted.

Although news of oral cancer never falls on a willing ear, there is still hope.  Technology is advancing and the world is standing strong as we support those that are working feverishly to find a cure.

Click here for the complete article titled: Inoperable cancers killed by new laser surgery

SIBLING Proteins and Oral Cancer Treatment

Recently Science Daily posted an article entitled: SIBLING Proteins May Predict Oral Cancer. This article is interesting as it offers greater hope in the advancement of oral cancer treatment.  A SIBLING stands for Small Integrin-Binding Ligand N-linked Glycoproteins.

“Several years ago we discovered that three SIBLINGs — osteopontin, bone sialoprotein and dentin sialophosphoprotein — were expressed at significantly high levels in oral cancers,” said Dr. Kalu Ogbureke, an oral and maxillofacial pathologist in the MCG School of Dentistry. “Following that discovery, we began to research the potential role of SIBLINGs in oral lesions before they become invasive cancers.”

Up to this point it’s been so difficult to determine which cells were precancerous that early oral cancer treatment has been difficult.  With the research on SIBLING proteins, there is hope for better results for treatment.

Dr. Ogbureke’s next step is to design a multi-center study that incorporates oral cancer risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, to further investigate their relationship with SIBLING protein expression.

Green Tea and Oral Cancer

All too often we hear of things we must take out of our diets in order to decrease the risk of cancer. But what if I told you that by adding something to your diet, you could decrease the risk of oral cancer?

Green tea has been known to help with:

• Heart Disease
• Arthritis
• Liver Disease
• Weight Management
• Tooth Decay
• Cancer

A recent study from MD Anderson reveals that:

Green tea extract may prevent oral cancer in patients with oral leukoplakia, a pre-malignant condition that develops on the tongue or inside of the cheek in response to chronic irritation or tobacco carcinogen exposure.

In this study researchers took a test group of people that are at high risk for oral cancer and and gave three different doses to each along with placebo tests.  Following the entire testing process they found that 50% had clinical results. Of the 41 that participated, only 15 ended up developing oral cancer.

The study yielded encouraging results:
•    58.8% of patients receiving the two highest doses had a clinical response (50% or more reduction in the size of all measured areas of oral leukoplakia)
•    36.4% of patients receiving the lowest dose had a clinical response
•    18.2% of patients receiving a placebo had a clinical response

All of these results prove one thing… more research is warranted.

Click her to view the full-page article on Green Tea.

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Photo Courtesy of: The Inquisitr