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HWN Suggests

Why It Matters If HPV Caused Your Head or Neck Cancer

In 2014, Jason Mendelsohn was 44, had recently lost weight through Weight Watchers, and was feeling the most fit he’d ever been in his life. He had three kids, a wife of 17 years, and was the president of his family’s insurance company.

One day, while taking a financial services exam for his business, he rested his head in his hand to ponder a test question when he felt a dime-sized lump on his neck. “All of a sudden, I get a cancer diagnosis,” he tells me, describing the weeks that followed. “I’m like, are you kidding me? I had never even contemplated that I might get cancer because I felt so good, and literally had no symptoms.” Mendelsohn was diagnosed with stage 4 oropharyngeal…

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 The Basics of Head and Neck Cancer

n this episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with Elizabeth Langdon, vice president of strategic communications and development at the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, about how the organization helps to raise awareness for the prevention, early detection and research of head and neck cancer.

 Throat Cancer: “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

There is a rising epidemic of HPV-related throat cancer, especially among young and middle aged men. Many people became aware of this cancer when Michael Douglas shared his story of his struggle and ultimate triumph over the disease. In the United States, more than 9,000 cases of HPV-related throat cancers are diagnosed in men and more than 2,000 cases in women per year (CDC). Historically, almost all cancers of the throat were related to smoking and drinking. Today HPV causes approximately 75 percent of throat cancer (at the area of the tonsils).

Articles of Interest

Head and neck cancer types

Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers are the most common type of head and neck cancer, according to data from the American Cancer Society. The majority of head and neck cancers develop as squamous cell cancers, which are cancers that form in the mucosal surfaces of the body.

New treatment destroys head and neck cancer tumours in trial

In a landmark trial, a cocktail of immunotherapy medications harnessed patients’ immune systems to kill their own cancer cells and prompted “a positive trend in survival”, according to researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, and the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust.

7 Million American Men Carry Cancer-Causing HPV

The incidence of mouth and throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus in men has now surpassed the incidence of HPV-related cervical cancers in women, researchers report.

Alcohol Consumption Raises the Risk of Seven Cancers, Says U.S. Surgeon General in a New Health Advisory

Vivek Murthy, the United States surgeon general, issued an advisory on Friday outlining the causal relationship between alcohol and cancer. He warned Americans that drinking alcohol can increase their risk of developing at least seven kinds of cancer: breast cancer in women, as well as colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth and throat cancer in both men and women.

Beastie Boy Battles Cancer

Overall the incidence of head and neck cancer is going down. The bad news is another type of head and neck cancer is on the rise and is related to a common STD...HPV (Human Papillomavirus) the same virus implicated in cervical cancer.

Beating HPV-Positive Throat Cancer

Clinton was 215 pounds before treatment. After treatment, he weighed in at a mere 165 pounds. A loss of 50 pounds. In hindsight, Clinton wishes he had the feeding tube inserted while he was still strong.

Boys should also get the HPV vaccine to protect themselves from oral and genital cancers

Oral cancers – which include those of the tonsils, mouth and tongue – affect more than 300,000 people globally each year. A person living in Australia has a one in 49 estimated risk of being diagnosed with head and neck cancer by their 85th birthday, which includes oral cancers. The chance is higher in males (one in 32) than females (one in 98). An estimated 769 males will die from head and neck cancer in Australia in 2016, compared to 247 females.

Experience: I can’t smile

My cancer, an aggressive tumour on the salivary glands, was diagnosed in early 2015. I’d first noticed the lump the previous summer, but tests proved inconclusive. It took a deep-tissue biopsy in January to confirm that it was cancerous. Because of where it was – and because it had been there for about 18 months – there was a good chance the cancer would be embedded in the nerves. The surgeon said he might need to cut those to remove the lump, in effect paralysing that side of my face. He wouldn’t know until I was under the knife.

HPV - The Cancer Virus

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HPV Cancers in Men Take Off

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Michael Douglas' Real Life Fatal Attraction

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On the Vexing, Very Recent Spate of Healthy People Getting Neck Cancer

Over the next two decades, the number of Americans with oropharyngeal cancer is projected to roughly double. Most of the cases, doctors have realized in recent years, are caused by a preventable infection.

Rebecca's Story: Living with Head and Neck Cancer

Hi, my name is Rebecca and I was diagnosed with tongue cancer in April 2018. I’m writing this blog to raise awareness of head and neck cancer, and to give hope that there is life after cancer. I had tongue cancer, which is incredibly rare in people of my gender, age and lifestyle, and I want to reiterate just how important it is to trust your body. I’ve been cancer free for 11 months and I’m enjoying my life again. Don’t get me wrong, life isn’t always rosy; I have good and bad days, but on the whole I’m doing well.

STDs...The Latest is...Head and Neck Cancer

The incidence of head and neck cancer is going down. The bad news is another type of head and neck cancer is on the rise and is related to a common STD...HPV the same virus implicated in cervical cancer. Could oral sex play a role?

Throat Cancer Symptoms: All You Need to Know

Throat cancer is a serious condition that occurs when the cells in the throat multiply uncontrollably and lead to the development of a tumour. Throat cancer affects the pharynx (the middle part of the throat) or the larynx (the voice box). It may also affect the upper part of food pipe, the windpipe or the thyroid.

TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS)

Studies have shown TORS dramatically improves the way that head and neck cancer patients are treated by completely removing tumors while preserving speech swallowing and other key quality-of-life issues. The procedure is so successful that TORS is becoming the new standard of care in the field of mouth and throat cancer.

Unmasked, Cancer Survivors Face The Symbol Of Their Torture

Every 15 minutes, for 10 hours a day, another patient walks into the radiation room at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Each picks up a plastic mesh mask, walks to a machine, and lies down on the table underneath. Nurses fit the mask over the patient's face and shoulders. And then they snap it down.

Resources

The Swallows

We are a nationwide Head and Neck Cancer Charity We are known as “The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Group” because of the difficulty a lot of people have with swallowing, this group is designed to provide help with patients and carers. The Swallows was formed by like minded cancer patients to help and support fellow sufferers and their carers.

THANC Foundation

We are committed to supporting research and education in the early detection and treatment of thyroid and head and neck cancer, to advancing new therapies, and to alleviating the suffering and functional impairment of patients who undergo treatment.

WebWhispers

WebWhispers was started in 1996 for those who had questions about larynx cancer treatments, surgery, recovery, and what life is like after laryngectomy surgery.

Head and Neck Cancer Alliance

The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (HNCA) was established in 2008 to create a coalition in the fight against head and neck cancer. Formerly the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation, HNCA expands on existing strengths to enhance the overall effort in prevention, detection, treatment and rehabilitation.

Institute for Head and Neck and Thyroid Cancer

The Head and Neck and Thyroid Cancer Institute of Beth Israel in New York, New York, collaborates with The Institute for Reconstruction Sciences in Medicine in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland, and the University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Freiburg, Germany, by gathering data to improve patient diagnosis, treatment and care.

Support for People with Oral & Head & Neck Cancer

A patient-directed, self-help organization dedicated to meeting the needs of oral and head and neck cancer patients. SPOHNC, founded in 1991 by an oral cancer survivor, addresses the broad emotional, physical and humanistic needs of this population.

The Oral Cancer Foundation

The Oral Cancer Foundation is a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities. Oral cancer is the largest group of those cancers which fall into the head and neck cancer category. Common names for it include such things as mouth cancer, tongue cancer, tonsil cancer, and throat cancer.

ThyCa

Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association...this site maintains current information about thyroid cancer and support services available to people at any stage of testing, treatment, or lifelong monitoring for thyroid cancer, as well as their caregivers.

CancerIndex

Head and neck cancers are malignancies arising in the upper aerodigestive tract (this includes: lip, tongue, salivary glands, mouth, oropharynx, nasopharynx, hypopharynx, nasal cavity, and larynx). Laryngeal cancer is the most frequent type, accounting for about a quarter of head and neck cancers

Macmillan Cancer Support

Information on cancers of the head and neck, including how they are diagnosed, treatments you might have, possible side effects and how to get further support.

MedicineNet

Head and neck cancers account for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all cancers in the United States. These cancers are more common in men and in people over age 50.

MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan-Kettering's comprehensive Head and Neck Disease Management Team is a world leader in treatment and post-treatment services, in basic science and clinical research, and in the training of the next generation of specialists devoted to these diseases.

National Cancer Institute

Information about head & neck cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccine therapy

RadiologyInfo

The most common type of cancer in the head and neck is squamous cell carcinoma, which arises in the cells that line the inside of the nose, mouth and throat. Other less common types of head and neck cancers include salivary gland tumors, lymphomas and sarcomas.