Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 9/25/13.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

New brain magnesium research and its role in reversing effects of Alzheimer’s - Nutra USA free download, 9/24/13 - "Magtein is the only magnesium compound that has been shown to effectively raise the brain’s magnesium levels, which leads to enhanced learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in both young and aged animals. In four published preclinical studies, Magtein was found to improve memory, alleviate anxiety and help prevent the decline and reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer’s ... Here, we show that increasing brain magnesium using a newly developed magnesium compound (magnesium-L-threonate, Magtein) leads to the enhancement of learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats" - See Magtein at Amazon.com.

• Elevation of brain magnesium prevents and reverses cognitive deficits and synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease mouse model - J Neurosci. 2013 May 8;33(19):8423-41 - "Here, we investigated whether elevation of brain magnesium by the use of a recently developed compound, magnesium-l-threonate (MgT), can ameliorate the AD-like pathologies and cognitive deficits in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, a transgenic (Tg) mouse model of AD. MgT treatment reduced Aβ plaque and prevented synapse loss and memory decline in the Tg mice. Strikingly, MgT treatment was effective even when given to the mice at the end stage of their AD-like pathological progression ... Our results suggest that elevation of brain magnesium exerts substantial synaptoprotective effects in a mouse model of AD and may have therapeutic potential for treating AD in humans"

Brain Cannot Be Fooled by Artificial Sweeteners; Higher Likelihood of Sugar Consumption Later - Science Daily, 9/23/13 - "According to the data, when we apply substances that interfere with a critical step of the ‘sugar-to-energy pathway’, the interest of the animals in consuming artificial sweetener decreases significantly, along with important reductions in brain dopamine levels"

Milk Protein for Improved Metabolic Health - Medscape, 9/23/13 - "'Sarcobesity' and sarcopaenic diabetes are rapidly growing health issues. As well as through direct mechanisms, dairy protein may indirectly improve metabolic health by aiding loss of body weight and fat mass through enhanced satiety, whilst promoting skeletal muscle growth and function through anabolic effects of dairy protein-derived branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs enhance muscle protein synthesis, lean body mass and skeletal muscle metabolic function. The composition and processing of dairy protein has an impact on digestion, absorption, BCAA kinetics and function, hence the optimisation of dairy protein composition through selection and combination of specific protein components in milk may provide a way to maximize benefits for metabolic health" - See BCAA products at Amazon.com.

Lactobacillus Probiotics May Prevent Recurrent UTIs - Medscape, 9/20/13 - "randomised double-blind non-inferiority trial comparing lactobacilli to trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) in 252 postmenopausal women with a history of at least three self-reported symptomatic UTIs within the preceding year ... After 12 months of prophylaxis, the mean number of clinical UTI recurrence (CR) was 2.9 in the TMP-SMX group and 3.3 in the lactobacilli group (p=0.42). The mean number of microbiological recurrence (MR) was significantly less in TMP-SMX group at 1.2 compared with 1.8 in the lactobacilli group (p=0.02). For both CR and MR, a higher proportion of women in the lactobacilli group experienced at least one UTI recurrence and the median time to first recurrence was significantly shorter in the lactobacilli group. In women with complicated UTIs, the mean number of CRs was 4.4 in the TMP-SMX group compared with 3.4 in the lactobacilli group (p<0.001), suggesting a favourable effect of lactobacilli in this subgroup. With regard to adverse events, there were no significant differences between groups, although the lactobacilli group had a non-significantly higher number of treatment-related withdrawals with gastrointestinal side effects being the most common" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com.

High Blood Sugar and Dementia: No Diabetes Needed - Medscape, 9/19/13 - "The group who did not have diabetes had an average blood sugar of about 100 mg/dL as opposed to the diabetics whose levels were in the 170s. There was a J-shaped relationship between blood sugar and dementia in the diabetics. People who had a blood sugar of 140 mg/dL on average had more dementia, but the rates of dementia then went down to essentially zero and then went up again as the blood sugar rose higher. The nondiabetics had more of a straight-line correlation from the lowest level to the highest level"

Colonoscopy screening every ten years could prevent 40% of colorectal cancers - Science Daily, 9/18/13 - "Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the nation ... The researchers estimated that if all participants in the study had undergone colonoscopies, 40% of colorectal cancers -- including 61% of distal cancers and 22% of proximal cancers -- would have been prevented ... Sigmoidoscopy alone is likely insufficient for reducing the incidence or death risk of colorectal cancer that originates in the upper colon ... People who get a clean bill of health after a colonoscopy have a significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer for up to 15 years after the procedure"

Vitamin B Supplements May Lower Stroke Risk - Medscape, 9/18/13 - "Researchers searched for randomized controlled trials published before August 2012 that compared vitamin B supplementation with placebo, very-low-dose B vitamins, or usual care; had a minimum follow-up of 6 months; and included stroke events as a study endpoint ... The researchers noted a reduction in overall stroke events resulting from lowered homocysteine levels following B vitamin supplementation (risk ratio, 0.93"

The best foods for clear skin - washingtonpost.com, 9/18/13 - "Stay away from anything that comes in a box ... both because of the added sugars and because of other additives ... gobble up produce of all colors, plus nuts and seeds, to get minerals, fiber and vitamins A, C and E ... Foods that keep your blood sugar low are also good for the skin ... avoid sugar ... omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in wild salmon, help support healthy cell membranes ... Another smart move is the addition into the diet of probiotics, which can be found in yogurt and kefir as well as nutritional supplements. (She prefers supplements over yogurt because they contain much higher amounts of probiotics.)" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Effect of telmisartan vs. ramipril on 'dipping' status and blood pressure variability: pooled analysis of the PRISMA studies - Hypertens Res. 2013 Sep 19 - "dipper status (extreme dippers, dippers, non-dippers, risers/reverse dippers) ... After 14 weeks' treatment, telmisartan had a greater systolic BP (SBP) reduction and higher smoothness index in all four dipper groups compared with ramipril. In addition, the tendency toward dipping was significantly higher in patients treated with) telmisartan than ramipril (P=0.032; odds ratio for telmisartan vs. ramipril: 1.27 (95% confidence interval: 1.102-1.58)). In patients with an early morning SBP surge 35 mm Hg, telmisartan treatment was associated with significantly greater reductions from baseline in the night-time low mean, early morning mean and early morning SBP surge compared with ramipril (P=0.026, P<0.0001 and P=0.0006, respectively). In this retrospective analysis, telmisartan was shown to normalize the circadian BP pattern to a dipper profile in a larger proportion of patients than ramipril, and reduce early-morning SBP surge in high-risk patients, indicative of a cardioprotective effect" - See my telmisartan as a first line treatment page.

Long-term calcium supplementation may have adverse effects on serum cholesterol and carotid intima-media thickness in postmenopausal women: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep 18 - "To our knowledge, no studies have assessed whether the effects of calcium supplementation on blood lipids are similar between premenopausal and postmenopausal women ... A total of 190 premenopausal women (30-40 y old) and 182 postmenopausal women (50-60 y old) with dyslipidemia were given 800 mg Ca/d or a placebo for 2 y in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial ... Calcium supplementation in postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia increases serum total cholesterol concentrations and CIMT. In postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia, calcium supplements should be prescribed with caution"

Prospective study of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension- and Mediterranean-style dietary patterns and age-related cognitive change: the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep 18 - "Participants included 3831 men and women ≥65 y of age who were residents of Cache County, UT, in 1995 ... Higher levels of accordance to both the DASH and Mediterranean dietary patterns were associated with consistently higher levels of cognitive function in elderly men and women over an 11-y period. Whole grains and nuts and legumes were positively associated with higher cognitive functions and may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe"

Effects of lutein and lycopene on carotid intima-media thickness in Chinese subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Br J Nutr. 2013 Sep 19:1-7 - "carotid artery intima-media thickness (CAIMT) ... All the subjects were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg lutein/d (n 48), 20 mg lutein/d+20 mg lycopene/d (n 48) or placebo (n 48) for 12 months ... The mean values of CAIMT decreased significantly by 0.035 mm (P= 0.042) and 0.073 mm (P< 0.001) in the lutein and combination groups at month 12, respectively" - Note: Some studies indicate that supplementing with just a few of the over 600 carotenoids can cause a deficiency of the others so I stick with supplements that have a broad array of carotenoids.  See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com, Jarrow Lyco-Sorb (contains Lyco-O-Mato) at Amazon.com and Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Inverse relationship between vitamin D status and insulin resistance and the risk of impaired fasting glucose in Korean children and adolescents: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2009-2010 - Public Health Nutr. 2013 Sep 19:1-8 - "In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of participants in the lowest serum 25(OH)D category having IFG was 2.96-3.15 compared with those in the highest 25(OH)D category" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Reduces Cardiovascular Events: Relationship with the EPA/Arachidonic Acid Ratio - J Atheroscler Thromb. 2013 Sep 18 - "Fish oil contains saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids that have pharmacological effects opposite to those of ω3 fatty acids (ω3). Moreover, ω3, such as EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), do not necessarily have the same metabolic and biological actions ... Recently, the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) of hp-EPA-E established the clinical efficacy of EPA for CVD, and higher levels of blood EPA, not DHA, were found to be associated with a lower incidence of major coronary events. A significant reduction in the risk of coronary events was observed when the ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid (AA) (EPA/AA) was >0.75 ... Compared with DHA, EPA administration increases the EPA/AA ratio and the (PGI2+PGI3)/TXA2 balance to a state that inhibits the onset and/or progression of CVD" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Physical Activity is Associated with Reduced Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Sep 18 - "Meta-analysis demonstrated that the risk of gastric cancer was 21% lower among the most physically active people as compared with the least physically active people"

Anti-Diabetic Medications and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Sep 16 - "Meta-analysis of observational studies showed an 11% reduction in CRC risk associated with metformin use (n=9 studies; OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.99), whereas TZD use was not associated with CRC risk (n=5 studies; OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.87-1.05). Conversely, a trend towards higher CRC risk was observed with sulfonylurea (n=7 studies; OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.97-1.26) and insulin (n=9 studies; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.91-1.94) use, although these associations were not statistically significant" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

• Apple iPhone 5s (Verizon Wireless) Review & Rating - PCMag.com, 9/21/13 - "The iPhone 5s may be small, but it's packed with more power than any other smartphone on the market today. It's the best bet for anyone who wants a future-proof, forward-looking phone that runs an unbeatable array of apps"

Health Focus (Head & Neck Cancer):

Related Topics:

• Cancer Cures? / Stomach Cancer / Esophageal Cancer

Alternative News:

• Fatty acids could aid cancer prevention and treatment - Science Daily, 8/1/13 - "new research from scientists at Queen Mary, University of London ... In vitro tests showed omega-3 fatty acids induced cell death in malignant and pre-malignant cells at doses which did not affect normal cells, suggesting they have the potential to be used in both the treatment and prevention of certain skin and oral cancers" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Treatment with Metformin is Associated with Higher Remission Rate in Diabetic Patients with Thyroid Cancer - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 May 24 - "complete response (CR) ... progression free survival (PFS) ... Tumor size is smaller in patients treated with metformin suggesting inhibition of tumor growth by the drug. Among diabetics, absence of metformin therapy is an independent factor for decreased likelihood of CR and increased risk of shorter PFS" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.
• Nutrient-based dietary patterns of head and neck squamous cell cancer: a factor analysis in Uruguay - Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Mar 27 - "The first pattern (meat-based pattern) was positively associated with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (OR 2.85, 95 % CI 1.81-4.15), whereas the third pattern (fruit-based) was strongly protective (OR 0.43, 95 % CI 0.27-0.63)"
• Pretreatment dietary patterns, weight status, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma prognosis - Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Dec 26 - "Consumption of a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, fish, poultry and whole grains and being overweight before diagnosis with head and neck cancer are associated with a better prognosis"
• Caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of oral cancers - Science Daily, 12/10/12 - "Cancer Prevention Study II, a prospective U.S. cohort study begun in 1982 by the American Cancer Society ... 26 years of follow-up ... consuming more than four cups of caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 49 percent lower risk of oral/pharyngeal cancer death relative to no/occasional coffee intake (RR 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.64). A dose-related decline in relative risk was observed with each single cup per day consumed ... Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and contains a variety of antioxidants, polyphenols, and other biologically active compounds that may help to protect against development or progression of cancers"
• Metformin may lower risk for oral cancer development - Science Daily, 3/31/12 - "administration of metformin reduced the size and number of carcinogen-induced oral tumoral lesions in mice and significantly reduced the development of squamous cell carcinomas by about 70 to 90 percent" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.
• (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate induces Fas/CD95-mediated apoptosis through inhibiting constitutive and IL-6-induced JAK/STAT3 signaling in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells - J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Feb 7 - "These findings provide that EGCG may be useful in the chemoprevention and/or treatment of HNSCC" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed - Science Daily, 1/27/12 - "Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million ... grape seed extract both damages cancer cells' DNA (via increased reactive oxygen species) and stops the pathways that allow repair (as seen by decreased levels of the DNA repair molecules Brca1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci) ... we saw absolutely no toxicity to the mice ... the grape seed extract killed the cancer cells but not the healthy cells" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin or mineral supplement intake and the risk of head and neck cancer: Pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium - Int J Cancer. 2011 Dec 15 - "To investigate the potential role of vitamin or mineral supplementation on the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), we analyzed individual-level pooled data from 12 case-control studies ... A decreased risk of HNC was observed with ever use of vitamin C (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.59-0.96) and with ever use of calcium supplement (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.42-0.97). The inverse association with HNC risk was also observed for 10 or more years of vitamin C use (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.54-0.97) and more than 365 tablets of cumulative calcium intake (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.16-0.83), but linear trends were not observed for the frequency or duration of any supplement intake. We did not observe any strong associations between vitamin or mineral supplement intake and the risk of head and neck cancer"
• Diet and the risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium - Cancer Causes Control. 2011 Oct 29 - "We investigated the association between diet and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk using data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium. The INHANCE pooled data included 22 case-control studies with 14,520 cases and 22,737 controls ... An inverse association was observed for higher-frequency intake of fruit (4th vs. 1st quartile OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.43-0.62, p (trend) < 0.01) and vegetables (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.49-0.90, p (trend) = 0.01). Intake of red meat (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.13-1.74, p (trend) = 0.13) and processed meat (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.14-1.65, p (trend) < 0.01) was positively associated with HNC risk"
• Primary component in curry spice kicks off cancer-killing mechanisms in human saliva - Science Daily, 9/12/11 - "Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric used in curry, suppresses a cell signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer ... The inhibition of the cell signaling pathway also correlated with reduced expression of a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, or signaling molecules, in the saliva that promote cancer growth ... it not only affected the cancer by inhibiting a critical cell signaling pathway, it also affected the saliva itself by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines within the saliva ... To be effective in fighting cancer, the curcumin must be used in supplement form. Although turmeric is used in cooking, the amount of curcumin needed to produce a clinical response is much larger. Expecting a positive effect through eating foods spiced with turmeric is not realistic" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Curcumin compound improves effectiveness of head and neck cancer treatment, study finds - Science Daily, 5/19/11 - "A primary reason that head and neck cancer treatments fail is the tumor cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a compound derived from the Indian spice curcumin can help cells overcome that resistance ... When researchers added a curcumin-based compound, called FLLL32, to head and neck cancer cell lines, they were able to cut the dose of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin by four while still killing tumor cells equally as well as the higher dose of cisplatin without FLLL32 ... Typically, when cells become resistant to cisplatin, we have to give increasingly higher doses. But this drug is so toxic that patients who survive treatment often experience long-term side effects from the treatment" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Cumulative Coffee Consumption and Reduced Risk of Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer - Nutr Cancer. 2011 Mar 31:1 - "Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and higher intake of bacon and deep-fried foods were directly related to disease; the inverse was observed to family income and salad intake. Coffee consumption and tobacco smoking were partially correlated (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.14 among cases, 0.31 among controls). When adjusted for all covariates, a cumulative coffee consumption higher than 18.0 daily liters × year during lifetime was indicated to be protective against disease (adjusted odds ratio 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.16-0.94, P = 0.037). This observation may have pharmacological implications for clinical medication of these cancers and is relevant to programs aimed at reducing the burden of disease"
• Epigallocatechin-3 Gallate Inhibits Invasion, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, and Tumor Growth in Oral Cancer Cells - J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Mar 9 - "Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical for the progression, invasion, and metastasis of epithelial tumorgenesis. Here, we provided molecular evidence associated with the antimetastatic effect of green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG) in an oral squamous cell culture system by showing a nearly complete inhibition on the invasion (P < 0.001) of squamous cell carcinoma-9 (SCC-9) cells via a reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (P < 0.001) and urokinasetype plasminogen activator (P < 0.001). EGCG exerted an inhibitory effect on cell migration (P < 0.001), motility (P < 0.001), spread, and adhesion (P < 0.001). We performed Western blot to find that EGCG inhibited p-focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK), p-Src, snail-1, and vimentin, indicating the anti-EMT effect of EGCG in oral squamous cell carcinoma. EGCG was also sufficient to inhibit phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-induced cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, as evidenced by its inhibition on the tumor growth of SCC-9 cells in vivo via cancer cell xenografted nude mice mode. These results suggested that EGCG could reduce the invasion and cell growth of tumor cells, and such a characteristic may be of great value in developing a potential cancer therapy" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Coffee Drinking Associated With Reduced Oral Cancer Risk - Medscape, 10/19/10 - "Drinking coffee is associated with a 36% reduction in the risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx"
• Coffee and cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tracts: meta-analyses of observational studies - Ann Oncol. 2010 Oct 13 - "oral cavity/pharynx (OP) and larynx, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), comparing the highest versus the lowest categories of coffee consumption, using random-effects models ... For OP cancer, the pooled RR was 0.64 (95% CI 0.51-0.80) for highest versus lowest coffee drinking, based on a total of 2633 cases from one cohort and eight case-control studies, with no significant heterogeneity across studies. The RRs were 0.61 (95% CI 0.41-0.89) for European, 0.58 (95% CI 0.36-0.94) for American and 0.74 (95% CI 0.48-1.15) for Asian studies, where coffee consumption is lower. The corresponding RRs were 1.56 (95% CI 0.60-4.02) for laryngeal cancer (732 cases from three case-control studies), 0.87 (95% CI 0.65-1.17) for ESCC (2115 cases from one cohort and six case-control studies) and 1.18 (95% CI 0.81-1.71) for EAC (415 cases from three case-control studies)"
• Perioperative arginine-supplemented nutrition in malnourished patients with head and neck cancer improves long-term survival - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep 29 - "Plasma arginine concentrations are lower in patients with cancer, which indicates that arginine metabolism may be disturbed in these patients. Arginine supplementation has been associated with positive effects on antitumor mechanisms and has been shown to reduce tumor growth and to prolong survival. Furthermore, the prognosis of patients with head and neck cancer remains disappointing. Insufficient intake frequently leads to malnutrition, which contributes to high morbidity and mortality rates ... The group receiving arginine-enriched nutrition had a significantly better overall survival (P = 0.019) and better disease-specific survival (P = 0.022). Furthermore, the arginine-supplemented group had a significantly better locoregional recurrence-free survival (P = 0.027). No significant difference in the occurrence of distant metastases or occurrence of a second primary tumor was observed between the groups" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.
• Dietary Antioxidant and Mineral Intake in Humans Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma but Not Reflux Esophagitis or Barrett' Esophagus - J Nutr. 2010 Aug 11 - "We found that overall antioxidant index, a measure of the combined intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, total carotenoids, and selenium, was associated with a reduced risk of EAC [odds ratio (OR) = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.33-0.98], but not BE (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.53-1.71) or RE (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 0.86-2.98), for those in the highest compared with lowest category of intake. Those in the highest category of vitamin C intake had a lower risk of EAC (OR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.21-0.66; P-trend = 0.001) and RE (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.24-0.90; P-trend = 0.03) compared with those in the lowest category. Vitamin C intake was not associated with BE, and intake of vitamin E, total carotenoids, zinc, copper, or selenium was not associated with EAC, BE, or RE. In conclusion, the overall antioxidant index was associated with a reduced risk of EAC. Higher dietary intake of vitamin C was associated with a reduced risk of EAC and RE. These results suggest that antioxidants may play a role in the pathogenesis of RE and EAC and may be more important in terms of progression rather than initiation of the disease process"
• Genistein induces growth inhibition and g2/m arrest in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells - Nutr Cancer. 2010 Jul;62(5):641-7 - "These findings provide new insights into the potential intervention of NPC with genistein"
• Coffee may protect against head and neck cancers - Science Daily, 6/22/10 - "participants who were regular coffee drinkers, that is, those who drank an estimated four or more cups a day, compared with those who were non-drinkers, had a 39 percent decreased risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancers combined"
• Coffee cuts risk of head, neck cancers - MSNBC, 6/22/10 - "Overall, the risk of developing head and neck cancers was 12 percent lower in people who drank coffee compared with those who didn't ... And the more coffee consumed, the lower the cancer risk. In those who gulped more than four cups a day, for instance, the risk was reduced by more than a third ... Besides caffeine, coffee contains more than a thousand chemicals ... the compounds cafestol and kahweol may be protective against carcinogens that would normally damage our genes"
• Zinc in cancer prevention - Nutr Cancer. 2009 Nov;61(6):879-87 - "Zinc not only improves cell mediated immune functions but also functions as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation have been implicated in development of many cancers. In patients with head and neck cancer, we have shown that nearly 65% of these patients were zinc deficient based on their cellular zinc concentrations. Natural killer (NK) cell activity and IL-2 generation were also affected adversely ... Zinc status also correlated with number of hospital admissions and incidences of infections. NF-kappa B is constitutively activated in many cancer cells, and this results in activation of antiapoptotic genes, VEGF, cyclin DI, EGFR, MMP-9 and inflammatory cytokines. Zinc inhibits NF-kappa B via induction of A-20. Thus, zinc supplementation should have beneficial effects on cancer by decreasing angiogenesis and induction of inflammatory cytokines while increasing apoptosis in cancer cells. Based on the above, we recommend further studies and propose that zinc should be utilized in the management and chemoprevention of cancer" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance at Amazon.com.
• Oral health and risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study - Cancer Causes Control. 2010 Jan 5 - "squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) ... Routine dental visits were associated with 30% risk reduction (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: These data provide support for a possible modest association of periodontal disease, as measured by self-reported tooth loss indicators, but not tooth loss per se, with SCCHN risk" - Interesting because I survived neck cancer with about a 1 in 10 chance of survival (it will be 5 years next month, click here).  I've been getting my teeth cleaned every three months for about twelve years.
• Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase, an Immunomodulatory Protein, Is Suppressed by (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate via Blocking of gamma-Interferon-Induced JAK-PKC-delta-STAT1 Signaling in Human Oral Cancer Cells - J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Nov 24 - "In this study, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major constituent of green tea, is found to significantly inhibit the expression of IDO in human oral cancer cell lines ... This study indicates that EGCG is a potential drug for immune and target therapy to enhance cancer therapy by increasing antitumor immunity" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Green Tea Shows Promise As Chemoprevention Agent For Oral Cancer - Science Daily, 11/5/09 - "Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia ... more than half of the oral leukoplakia patients who took the extract had a clinical response ... The extract's lack of toxicity is attractive" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
• Citrus fruit and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies - Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Oct 24 - "The ORs for the highest versus lowest category of citrus fruit consumption were 0.47 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.36-0.61) for oral and pharyngeal, 0.42 (95% CI, 0.25-0.70) for esophageal, 0.69 (95% CI, 0.52-0.92) for stomach, 0.82 (95% CI, 0.72-0.93) for colorectal, and 0.55 (95% CI, 0.37-0.83) for laryngeal cancer"
• Curcumin May Inhibit Nicotine-induced Activation Of Head And Neck Cancers - Science Daily, 10/4/09 - "HNSCC cells were pre-treated with curcumin and then nicotine was introduced. The results of the studies showed that the curcumin was able to block the nicotine from activating cancer ... Although nicotine itself has not been shown to be carcinogenic, it has been shown to encourage the cancer-forming process" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
• Coffee may protect against oral cancers - MSNBC, 1/6/09 - "drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity or throat ... cancer of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus .... Compared with people who did not drink coffee, those who drank one or more cups per day had half the risk of developing these cancers ... the reduction in risk included people who are at high risk for these cancers, namely, those who were current drinkers and/or smokers at the start of the study"
• As Head And Neck Cancer Risks Evolve, More Treatment Options Emerge - Science Daily, 9/10/08 - "a compound from green tea enhances the effects of a FDA-approved drug (erlotinib) against head and neck cancer cells in animals, suggesting that it could work similarly in humans. The results are published in the September issue of International Journal of Cancer ... More than two-thirds of patients come to doctors with locally and regionally advanced disease, and their prognoses are dismal ... But head and neck cancers are potentially curable when diagnosed at an early stage" - Note:  I took about 8 capsules of green tea extract per day when I had my neck cancer.  Maybe that's one of the things that save me.
• Fruit and vegetable intake and head and neck cancer risk in a large United States prospective cohort study - Int J Cancer. 2007 Dec 18 - "Results from this large prospective observational study are consistent with previous case-control studies and support the hypothesis that total fruit and vegetable intake is associated with reduced risk of head and neck cancer"
• Glycemic index, glycemic load and thyroid cancer risk - Ann Oncol. 2007 Oct 19 - "Compared with the lowest tertile, the ORs in subsequent tertiles were 1.68 and 1.73 for GI, and 1.76 and 2.17 for GL. The OR for highest tertile of GI compared with lowest one was 1.70 for papillary and 1.57 for follicular thyroid cancer. The ORs for GL were 2.17 for papillary and 3.33 for follicular thyroid cancer ... Our study shows that high dietary levels of GI and GL are associated with thyroid cancer risk"
• Avocados May Help Prevent Oral Cancer, Study Shows - Science Daily, 9/4/07 - "Nutrients taken from avocados are able to thwart oral cancer cells, killing some and preventing pre-cancerous cells from developing into actual cancers"
• Vitamin E: Friend or Foe During Radiation Therapy? - Physician's Weekly, 7/16/07 - "Not only did it show that vitamin E supplementation was of no benefit to patients, but it was also associated with a nearly 40% increased risk of death when compared to study counterparts who received a placebo. Vitamin E, despite what patients may think, appears to be much more harmful for patients who have head and neck cancer who are receiving radiation therapy"
• Eat Your Fruits And Vegetables: One Extra Serving Per Day May Lower Your Risk Of Head And Neck Cancer - Science Daily, 4/16/07 - "participants who ate six servings of fruit and vegetables per day per 1000 calories had 29 percent less risk for head and neck cancer than did participants who consumed one and a half servings per 1000 calories per day"
• Flavonoids and laryngeal cancer risk in Italy - Ann Oncol. 2007 Mar 19 - "Significant inverse relations were found for the highest versus the lowest quintile of intake for flavan-3-ols (OR = 0.64), flavanones (OR = 0.60), flavonols (OR = 0.32) and total flavonoids (OR = 0.60)"
• Folic Acid May Fight Throat Cancer - WebMD, 6/12/06 - "Every eight hours, participants took oral supplements containing five milligrams (mg) of folic acid ... The participants' laryngeal leukoplakia didn't progress to cancer during the study. In addition, 12 patients (28%) had a "complete response," meaning the laryngeal leukoplakia faded away" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.
• Cottonseed Drug May Help in Head, Neck Cancer - WebMD, 7/21/05
• A randomized trial of antioxidant vitamins to prevent second primary cancers in head and neck cancer patients - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Apr 6;97(7):481-8 - "alpha-Tocopherol supplementation produced unexpected adverse effects on the occurrence of second primary cancers and on cancer-free survival"
• Honey May Help Patients Undergoing Head And Neck Radiation - Intelihealth, 4/15/03

Other News:

• Examining the Association between Oral Health and Oral HPV Infection - Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Aug 21 - "Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the cause of 40% to 80% of oropharyngeal cancers ... 3,439 participants ages 30 to 69 years for whom data on oral HPV and oral health were available from the nationally representative 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ... higher unadjusted prevalence of oral HPV infection was associated with four measures of oral health, including self-rated oral health as poor-to-fair [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.25-1.95], indicated the possibility of gum disease (PR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.13-2.01), reported use of mouthwash to treat dental problems in the past week (PR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.52), and higher number of teeth lost (Ptrend = 0.035). In multivariable logistic regression models, oral HPV infection had a statistically significant association with self-rated overall oral health (OR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.15-2.09), independent of smoking and oral sex. In conclusion, poor oral health was an independent risk factor of oral HPV infection, irrespective of smoking and oral sex practices"
• Study Ties Poor Oral Health to Cancer-Causing Virus - New York Times, 8/21/13 - "the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston reviewed data on both high-risk and low-risk oral HPV infection and oral health in 3,439 adults, ages 30 to 69 ... being male, smoking cigarettes, and having multiple oral sex partners increased the likelihood of oral HPV infection, findings similar to those in an earlier analysis of NHANES data ... after controlling for smoking and the number of oral sex partners, the new study found that self-rated poor oral health was an independent risk for oral HPV infection. The odds of having an oral HPV infection were 55 percent higher among those reporting poor to fair oral health" - Note:  Here's a cut and paste from my dental page on how to combat periodontal disease:
  • Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
  • Sunstar Butler Proxabrush GUM Eez-Lok Handle
  • Sunstar Butler GUM Proxabrush Refill Ultra Wide (614) - use this wide brush for the back teeth
  • Butler 612 Soft Picks or Butler Ultra-Fine - use these narrower brushes for the front teeth
  • Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.
• Cervical Cancer Vaccine May Also Guard Against Oral Cancer - Medscape, 7/23/13 - "The analysis is unique because it is the first demonstration of the efficacy of the bivalent vaccine (Cervarix) to prevent HPV 16 and 18 infections in the oral cavity ... These viruses are associated with an important and growing fraction of cancer of the oropharynx and tonsils ... The vaccine was found to be effective against oral HPV 16/18 infection in 93.3% of the women (95% confidence interval, 63% - 100%). There were 15 prevalent HPV 16/18 infections in the control group and only 1 in the HPV vaccine group"
• Vaccinating boys plays key role in HPV prevention - Science Daily, 7/22/13 - "HPV has been linked to anal, penile and certain types of throat cancers in men. Since the virus is also responsible for various cancers in women, vaccinating boys aged 11 to 21 will play a crucial role in reducing cancer rates across the sexes ... HPV is the single most common sexually transmitted infection"
• Evaluation of Human Papillomavirus Antibodies and Risk of Subsequent Head and Neck Cancer - J Clin Oncol. 2013 Jun 17 - "HPV16 E6 seropositivity was present more than 10 years before diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancers"
• Throat Cancer Link to Oral Sex Gains Credence - NYTimes.com, 6/3/13 - "In the 1980s, only a small number of throat cancers were linked to HPV infection ... Now, about 70 percent of all throat cancers are caused by HPV, up from roughly 15 percent three decades ago ... Men are three times more likely to be diagnosed than women with HPV-related throat cancer ... The cancers typically occur decades after initial infection with HPV ... partners of people with throat cancers caused by HPV were not at greater risk of developing oral HPV infections themselves"
• Periodontal disease and mouthwash use are risk factors for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Apr 9 - "We measured history of oral hygiene and dental care on 513 HNSCC cases and 567 controls from a population-based study of HNSCC ... Periodontal disease was associated with a slightly elevated risk of HNSCC (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.16). Using any type of mouthwash at least once per day was associated with increased risk compared to never using mouthwash (OR = 1.11, 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.20). HNSCC was associated with frequent use of non-alcoholic mouthwash compared to using any kind of mouthwash rarely or never (OR = 1.24, 95 % CI: 1.05, 1.47)"
• Comparing combination therapies for advanced head and neck cancer shows no improvement - Science Daily, 3/7/13 - "physicians have wondered if the addition of the more tolerable targeted biologic therapy to chemotherapy results in improved patient outcomes. Unfortunately, the data suggests that it does not"
• Evaluation of an educational video to improve the understanding of radiotherapy side effects in head and neck cancer patients - Support Care Cancer. 2013 Feb 22 - "Only one patient of the video group had doubts about the treatment, compared to seven of the control group" - Note:  I read that and my blood pressure went through the roof.  Eight years ago I had stage III neck cancer with a 25% chance of survival.  The problems with radiotherapy for neck cancer are enormous and I refused it.  I've had at least two doctors tell me they would have done the same.  The video is obviously a propaganda video put out by doctors who specialize in that field and are sugar coating the problems such as dry mouth for the rest of your life (that alone would drive me crazy), having to pull all your teeth and then the bone structure ends up dead from the radiation which causes enormous problems for the dental implants, frying your pituitary gland, stiff neck for the rest of your life, etc.
• New drug combination could prevent head and neck cancer in high-risk patients - Science Daily, 2/19/13 - "Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the most common type of head and neck cancer ... The survival rate for patients with SCCHN is very poor"
• Novel one-step system for restoring voice in throat cancer patients - Science Daily, 10/8/12
• PET predicts early response to treatment for head and neck cancer patients - Science Daily, 10/1/12
• Periodontitis Linked to HPV-Positive Oral Tumors - Medscape, 6/19/12 - "After adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, and smoking status, each millimeter of alveolar bone loss was associated with a 2.6-times increased odds of an HPV-positive tumor (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.58 to 4.30). The strength of this association was greater for patients with oropharyngeal lesions (OR, 11.70) than for those with oral cavity tumors (OR, 2.32) and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OR, 3.89)"
• Beastie Boy 'MCA' Dies, Had Salivary Cancer - WebMD, 5/4/12
• ‘Final’ days for Levon - The Daily, 4/18/12
• Long-term oral effects in patients treated with radiochemotherapy for head and neck cancer - Support Care Cancer. 2012 Mar 13 - "Eighty-five percent of the patients were classified as suffering from salivary gland hypofunction, as well as 58.2 % considered dryness of the mouth the most debilitating complication ... Considering the late effects assessed, the salivary gland hypofunction was the most significant and received the highest morbidity graduation (grade 2/grade 3); xerostomia was also considered the most debilitating complication after treatment. Data show the role of salivary gland hypofunction in the severity of late mucous membrane complication"
  • Xerostomia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - "Xerostomia ( /ˌzɪərɵˈstoʊmiə/) is the medical term for the subjective complaint of dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties, cottonmouth, drooth, or doughmouth"
• IMRT Provides Better QoL in Head and Neck Cancer - Medscape, 1/31/12
• Oral HPV More Common in Men Than Women - NYTimes.com, 1/26/12 - "Over all, 10.1 percent of men were infected orally with HPV of one type or another, compared with 3.6 percent of women. The reason for the higher rate among men was unclear ... One line of speculation was that hormonal differences in women might play a protective role, or that oral sex on women for some reason causes a greater likelihood of transmission ... the finding that men had triple the rate of infection dovetailed with earlier research on HPV-related throat cancers, which are about three times as common in men as they are in women, a difference that until now had not been explained"
• Molecular fingerprint discovered that may improve outcomes for head and neck cancer patients - Science Daily, 1/23/12
• Preop Intervention Maximizes QOL in Head and Neck Cancer - Medscape, 1/18/12 - "At 5 years, more than half of patients had difficulty eating, 28.5% reported symptoms of depression, and 17.3% reported "substantial" pain"
• Improved survival among patients with base of tongue and tonsil cancer in the United States - Cancer Causes Control. 2011 Nov 20 - "From the 1980s to the 2000s, the 5-year overall survival rates statistically significantly improved by 100% from 25 to 51% among patients with one primary base of tongue cancer and 28-60% among those with one primary tonsil cancer (p values for trend <0.001). In addition, the 5-year cancer-specific survival improved by 222.4 and 276%, respectively, among two types of patients. Survival improvement was more pronounced among male patients than among female patients regardless of young or old age, while the improvement was generally consistent among patients with different tumor stages and treatment methods. In contrast, however, those patients with subsequent multiple cancers showed no improvement in overall survival over time" - Note:  By multiple cancers I assume they mean it has spread to the lymph nodes.  Last I read, the survival rate was 25% in those cases.
• CDC Panel: All Young Boys Should Get HPV Vaccine - ABC News, 10/25/11 - "All males starting at age 11 should receive the HPV vaccine Gardasil to protect themselves against sexually transmitted forms of human papillomavirus, the cause of most cervical and anal cancers as well as most mouth and throat cancers, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee voted today" - Think water boarding which is used to torture and get information.  That's what it's like the first few weeks after throat surgery.  I've had both.  Anyone want their kids going through that?
• Cancer spike in men tied to HPV from oral sex - MSNBC, 10/3/11 - "Within the next decade, the study authors argue, the incidence of such cancers — which are almost always contracted as a result of oral sex — will surpass that of cervical cancer, and the majority of those cases are going to be in men ... in many cases, health experts believe that economics and health are aligned on this issue and that boys and young men ought to be receiving the HPV vaccine right now"
• Population-Based Study of Competing Mortality in Head and Neck Cancer - 2011 Aug 15 - "The 5-year cumulative incidences of all-cause mortality, HNC-specific mortality, and competing mortality were 51.3% (95% CI, 50.8% to 51.9%), 23.8% (95% CI, 23.3% to 24.2%), and 27.6% (95% CI, 26.8% to 28.3%), respectively"
• Convergence in head and neck cancer - Science Daily, 7/28/11
• Explosive Rise in HPV Throat Cancer; Panel Mulls Vaccinating Boys - WebMD, 6/23/11 - "oropharyngeal (OP) cancer ... If current trends continue, OP cancer in men will pass cervical cancer in 2025 ... And HPV is to blame. Only a few decades ago, the major risk factors for throat cancer were smoking and alcohol. Not any more. In the five-year period of 1984-1989, only 16% of OP cancers were linked to HPV. By 2000-2004, HPV was behind 75% of OP cancers ... What are the risk factors? Not all are known, but HPV-related throat cancer risk goes up with increased oral sex and kissing ... Husbands of women with cervical cancer have a threefold higher risk of tonsil cancer. And people who have anal cancer have a fourfold to sixfold higher risk of tonsil cancer ... These findings are tipping the ACIP in favor of recommending routine HPV vaccination for boys"
• Certain head and neck cancer patients benefit from second round of treatment - Science Daily, 6/13/11
• Rise of Throat Cancer in Men Linked to Human Papillomavirus - WSJ.com, 5/31/11 - "Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the U.S. ... More than half of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at some time in their lives ... About 20 million Americans are currently infected and about six million more get infected each year ... HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, which is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women world-wide ... HPV is linked to a four- to five-fold increase in certain oral cancers, especially in men; about 25% of mouth and 35% of throat cancers are caused by HPV ... There are more than 100 different types of HPV virus. Some are low-risk while highrisk types can cause several cancers, including head and neck cancer, which is becoming more prevalent"
• Pioglitazone Shows Promise for Oral Cancer Prevention - Medscape, 3/23/11 - "In a phase 2 clinical trial, the thiazolidinedione pioglitazone partially or completely eliminated two thirds of leukoplakia lesions, which can sometimes become cancerous ... Pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals) "works pretty well — better than anything we've seen before ...Leukoplakia lesions, which are usually caused by irritation, appear on the tongue or sometimes on the insides of the cheek. About 17% of the lesions become invasive cancer, and no treatment has been shown to reliably prevent this ... The researchers randomly divided these patients so that 22 patients received pioglitazone 45 mg daily for 12 weeks and 22 patients served as a comparison group ...15 of the 22 patients in the pioglitazone group had a clinical and/or histologic response; they did not detect any change in the comparison group ... In the pioglitazone group, the lesions completely disappeared in 3 patients and partially disappeared in 12 patients, the epithelium completely returned to normal in 1 patient, and the dysplasia or hyperplasia reverted from advanced to early, or from early to normal, in 6 patients ... Because it is a diabetes drug, researchers checked the subjects' glucose levels, but they found no change, apparently because pioglitazone only affects glucose in diabetics" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Oral Tongue Cancer Rates Rising in Young White Women - Medscape, 3/21/11 - "among people 18 to 44 years of age, the incidence of oral tongue cancer climbed 28% between 1975 and 2007. Among white people in this age group, the incidence increased 67%. The rising rates were most dramatic for white women, with a jump of 111% ... These trends, note the authors, might be explained by the decreased use of tobacco and the association between the carcinogenic strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cancer of the oral cavity ... I would say that if a young white person has complaints of a persistent sore on their tongue, cancer should be moved up higher on the differential, based on our study ... I would say that if a young white person has complaints of a persistent sore on their tongue, cancer should be moved up higher on the differential, based on our study"
• Oral tongue cancer increasing in young, white females - Science Daily, 3/8/11 - "the incidence of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma rose 28 percent among individuals ages 18 to 44. Specifically, among white individuals ages 18 to 44 the incidence increased 67 percent. The increasing incidence was most dramatic for white females ages 18 to 44. They had a percentage change of 111 percent ... Over the past decade an association between the human papilloma virus with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and tongue has been observed ... The researchers at UNC have preliminarily tested the cancers of the oral tongue of their young white female patients and have not found them to be associated with the virus. Other institutions have also noted the absence of the virus in young females with oral tongue cancer. The UNC researchers have also anecdotally observed that these young white female patients are typically non-smokers and non-drinkers"
• BNCT, a new generation radiation treatment pioneered in Finland, is effective in advanced head and neck cancer, study suggests - Science Daily, 3/4/11 - "The years of work done on developing and clinically testing of BNCT -- or Boron Neutron Capture Therapy -are now paying off. BNCT-based treatment has been successfully used to treat patients with advanced head and neck cancer who have not responded to previous treatments and generally have poor prognosis"
• New way to identify patients at risk of dysphagia after head and neck cancer treatment - Science Daily, 2/25/11 - "dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction) ... Dysphagia may be acute (starting in direct association with treatment) or late (starting months to years after treatment). Risk factors for developing severe acute dysphagia were large tumours, spreading of cancer cells to the lymph nodes, swallowing problems at the time of diagnosis, 6 treatments per week and tumour location other than the vocal cords. Risk factors for developing late dysphagia were large tumours, swallowing problems at the time of diagnosis and tumour location other than the vocal cords ... 83% of all head & neck cancer patients develop some kind of dysphagia"
• HPV vaccine works for boys: Study shows first clear benefits - Science Daily, 2/4/11 - "The vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV) can prevent 90 percent of genital warts in men when offered before exposure to the four HPV strains covered by the vaccine ... In addition to preventing warts, the vaccine also effectively prevented HPV-persistent infection in 86 percent of the participants without previous exposure ... while they find it likely that the prevention of HPV infection and disease in men will have additional benefits, such as preventing anal, genital and throat cancers, these benefits need to be directly demonstrated through further clinical trials"
• HPV Vaccine: Not Just for Women? - US News and World Report, 11/10/10 - "the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is deliberating whether to issue a public recommendation that boys and men be vaccinated with Gardasil, the only HPV vaccine approved for that group, just as it's recommended for women" - Note: The author talks about several cancers but leaves out head and neck which I believe is the main reason for boys to get vaccinate with Gardasil.  I was given a 25% chance of survival six years ago from cancer of the tonsil that spread to the lymph nodes.  They believe it was caused by HPV.  Somehow I made it through that with just a 6 inch scar on my neck that's hardly noticeable but I went through a lot of agony with that operation, lost about 15 pounds from not being able to eat for a long time after the operation plus about 15 months with the doctors convinced it would return because I refused radiation and chemo.  I still need to be very careful with eating meat because the muscle tissue they took from my tonsil area makes it difficult to swallow.  I mostly eat turkey meat balls for the protein portion of meals.  That may have been prevented by Gardasil.
• Combining radiation therapy, chemotherapy safely treats head and neck cancer patients, study finds - Science Daily, 11/3/10
• Improved outcomes for HPV-positive head and neck cancer with cetuximab and IMRT, study suggests - Science Daily, 10/25/10 - "Two year progression free survival rates were 60 percent for those with HPV compared to 23 percent for those with HPV negative tumors (p=0.05)"
• HPV Oral Cancers on Rise as Oral Sex Becomes More Popular, May Spread Human Papilloma Virus - ABC News, 10/20/10 - "Cure rates are higher than for smoking-related throat cancers, but still only 50 percent" - The video claims that they can't rule out the the virus can be transmitted via sharing a spoon or a drink.
• Virus Behind Oral Cancer Epidemic - WebMD, 10/13/10 - "Researchers warn of an ongoing epidemic of oral cancer caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) ... cases of oral cancer -- primarily cancer of the tonsils -- increased sevenfold from 1970 to 2007 ... As a virologist, I am not aware of a vaccine that works in one part of the body and not in another, so I think this vaccine would prevent oral cancer in boys as well as in girls" - Note:  I can't remember reading of any other disease that has increased by a factor of seven.
• New robotic head and neck cancer surgery preserves speech, without scarring, study shows - Science Daily, 9/7/10 - "TORS allows surgeons to completely remove tumors of the head and neck while preserving speech, swallowing, and other key quality of life issues such as eating. There also is no visible scaring or disfigurement"
• Toxicity increases with combined chemo/radiation treatments for nasopharyngeal carcinoma - Science Daily, 7/15/10
• Pain, dry mouth may play role in sleep quality of head and neck cancer patients - Science Daily, 7/12/10
• Tumor virus is best predictor of throat cancer survival - Science Daily, 6/7/10 - "the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV) in tumors accounts for better response to therapy, rather than other favorable factors that may be present, such as young age and small tumors ...The three-year overall survival rate for patients with HPV-positive tumors was 82.4 percent compared to 57.1 percent with HPV-negative cancer. Progression-free survival rates were 73.7 percent and 43.4 percent, respectively"
• Most (56 percent) of young adults in new sexual relationship infected with HPV, study finds - Science Daily, 1/14/10 - "more than half (56 per cent) of young adults in a new sexual relationship were infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). Of those, nearly half (44 per cent) were infected with an HPV type that causes cancer ... HPV is sexually transmitted and causes cervical cancer as well as other cancers, including those of the vulva, vagina, anus, and penis" - Note: They forgot head and neck cancer.
• Risk factors and survival by HPV-16 E6 and E7 antibody status in human papillomavirus positive head and neck cancer - Int J Cancer. 2009 Oct 28 - "E6 and/or E7-positive/p16-positive cases had better disease-specific (2.1 years vs. 1.1 years, p=0.06) and recurrence-free (2.3 years vs. 1.1 years, p=0.03) survival compared to E6-/E7-/p16- cases"
• Speaking, Eating Possible After Tonsil Cancer Surgery With Reconstruction - Science Daily, 10/2/09 - "A new technique for reconstructing the palate after surgery for tonsil cancer maintained patients' ability to speak clearly and eat most foods"
• Chronic periodontitis and the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Sep;18(9):2406-12 - "Patients with periodontitis were more likely to have poorly differentiated oral cavity SCC than those without periodontitis (32.8% versus 11.5%"
• Prevent Periodontitis To Reduce The Risk Of Head And Neck Cancer - Science Daily, 9/8/09 - "Chronic periodontitis, a form of gum disease, is an independent risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma"
• Should Young Men Be Vaccinated With Gardasil®? - Medscape, 8/24/09 - "Gardasil® safety and immunogenicity trials included 9- to 15-year-old boys and demonstrated a robust immunologic response in this population. If efficacy in males is demonstrated in clinical trials, it is likely that vaccination may be recommended for prevention of anogenital warts (and, indirectly, infection and anogenital neoplasia and warts in partners); a subset of anal, penile, oral, and head and neck cancers; and juvenile respiratory papillomatosis in their children"
• Low Prevalence Of HPV Infection May Be Tied To Poor Prognosis For Blacks With Head And Neck Cancer - Science Daily, 7/29/09 - "Only 4 percent of black patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the study were HPV-positive, compared with 34 percent of white patients. The median overall survival was more than three-fold higher for whites (70.6 months) than for blacks (20.9 months) who were treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Cullen says the survival rate at five years for HPV-positive patients was about 85 percent, compared to 35 percent for HPV-negative patients. Survival was similar for HPV-negative patients, regardless of race. The study's findings confirm that HPV infection relates specifically to a type of head and neck cancer -- cancer of the oropharynx, which include the tonsils, soft palate and base of the tongue ... Overall, about 25 percent of head and neck cancers are tied to HPV infection"