Tonsillectomy Reduces FUTURE Risk of Throat Cancer

Remote history of tonsil removal decreases future risk of oropharyngeal cancer development by about 60% according to Danish researchers based on data analysis using the Danish Cancer Registry. If tonsillectomy was performed within 1 year of diagnosis with tonsil carcinoma , having this surgery done was associated with significantly improved overall survival. As such, it is not surprising that from 1977 to 2012 as the incidence of tonsillectomies significantly decreased, the incidence of oroph…

10/14/2021 0

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Gardasil Vaccine Now FDA Approved to Prevent Throat Cancer

On June 12, 2020, the FDA has (finally) approved an expanded indication for the Gardasil-9 vaccine for the prevention of throat and other head and neck cancers caused by the HPV virus. This vaccine was originally designed to prevent cervical cancer, but is now indicated to also prevent vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers [ link ]. This FDA approval is long overdue given throat cancer due to the HPV virus is THE most common cause of throat cancer for young adults under 50 years of age... eve…

6/13/2020 0

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PENTOCLO Treatment of Mandibular Osteoradionecrosis

Patients with throat cancer not uncommonly undergo treatment with radiation in order to fully eradicate cancer presence. Along with the many potential side effects of radiation therapy is potential for osteoradionecrosis which basically is when the bone itself dies and becomes necrotic and/or exposed. This complication most often involves the jawbone and can occur even 5 years after radiation treatment has been completed. Although the typical scenario is a non-healing exposed bone after to…

1/06/2020 0

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What Stage Cancer Do I Have?

When a patient is informed that they have cancer, one of the very first question they ask is "What stage cancer do I have?" Even if the patient does not fully understand what staging actually means, most will understand that the worse the stage, the worse the survival outcome (stage 1 being the best and stage 4 being the worst). So how does a physician come up with the cancer stage for cancers of the mouth and throat? It actually does not involve a complicated algorithm in order t…

6/04/2018 0

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Tonsil Crypts Can Hide HPV in Healthy Adults

Fascinating research was published in Jan 2018 describing how the HPV virus can remain hidden from a normal human immune response within the tonsil itself. How can the HPV virus manage this neat act of espionage? By hiding in the biofilm within tonsil crypts. One can consider biofilm to be a thin layer of "sludge" that may coat the tonsil lining. This finding may also explain why HPV oral infection appears to be so prevalent  in so many adults and why HPV has now become one of th…

2/08/2018 0

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Oral HPV Infection is Prevalent in Adult Men

A population study was published in October 2017 revealing a high prevalence of oral HPV infection in men between ages 18 - 69 years. This study is important because HPV is known to increase the risk of not only cervical cancer, but also oral and throat cancer. And in young adults under 50 years, it causes more throat cancer than even smoking. [ more info ] From a public health policy concern, more importantly, it is also "contagious" in that one partner can transmit their HPV in…

10/22/2017 0

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The Statistics of Throat Cancer Risk Factors

Image by Nikita2706 in Wikipedia Pretty much everybody knows that smoking and alcohol increases risk of throat cancer. Some even realize that oral sex contributes to increased risk of throat cancer due to the HPV virus . However, what is more hazy is how high these risks are compared to individuals who do not partake of such activities. So, here are some statistics of throat cancer risks (references listed below). Using a calculator , a specific risk of cancer can be calculated based on…

5/30/2016 0

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Oral HPV Spit Test Now Offered at Fauquier ENT!

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Given the increasing concern for HPV triggered oral and throat cancer, patients have been requesting a way to check for HPV in the mouth , especially in those who are sexually active. Beyond a visual inspection using a tongue blade and an endoscope , our office now offers a spit test to evaluate for the presence of HPV by looking for its DNA shed into the saliva. The typical patient, man or woman, who may benefit from this test incl…

2/01/2016 0

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Movie Director John Woo Has Throat Cancer?

Famed movie director John Woo apparently is being treated for throat cancer. The director of such movies including Mission: Impossible II is apparently undergoing treatment in the United States. Details are sparse. However, he apparently "has been admitted into a hospital for 4 months" which leads me to think that his throat cancer is late-stage which usually requires both radiation and chemotherapy for definitive treatment. Surgery may or may not be required, though hard to sa…

5/26/2012 0

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Actor Michael Douglas Has Throat Cancer

Though details were initially sparse, People Magazine was the first to report on Aug 16, 2010 that actor Michael Douglas was found to have throat cancer. He will undergo radiation and chemotherapy for 8 weeks. In a later report , it is now known Mr. Douglas has stage 4 base of tongue cancer (which is considered "late" stage).

8/16/2010 0

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Drinkers’ Red Face May Signal Cancer Risk

In the March 20, 2009 edition of The New York Times, an article came out stating that individuals whose face turns red when drinking alcohol are at elevated risk of throat cancer. Click here to read more about it!

3/24/2009 0

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