Oral Cancer
| Disease Background | ||
| Description of Disease | ||
| Who is at Risk? | ||
| National Cancer Institute Dictionary | ||
| Our Research | ||
| Overview of Hutchinson Center Research | ||
Research Highlights
|
||||||
| Relevant Articles | ||||||
| Hutchinson Center Publications | ||||||
| Treatment at the SCCA | ||||||
| Head and Neck Cancers | ||||||
| Relevant Programs | ||||||
| Survivorship Program | ||||||
Disease Background
Description of the DiseaseThere are two types of oral cancer: oral cavity cancer, which starts in the mouth, and oropharyngeal cancer, which develops in the part of the throat just behind the mouth (the oropharynx). Oral cancer can affect the cheeks, tongue, mouth and/or throat.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Most cases of oral cancer are related to the use of tobacco and alcohol. Quitting tobacco (or never using it) and limiting alcohol use to one drink per day or less sharply reduces the risk, even after many years of use.
This type of cancer is more common in men than women because of drinking and smoking habits. Men over 40 are most at risk. African Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer more often than whites.
Other risk factors include eating few fruits and vegetables and contracting human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted disease.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Our Research
Overview of Hutchinson Center Research
Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer will strike about 30,000 in the United States this year, and an estimated 7,430 people will die of these cancers.
Researchers at the Hutchinson Center are using sensitive DNA tests to help predict the aggressiveness of a patient's oral cancer, which can guide treatment. Gene studies also may allow for earlier detection when the cancer is more easily treated.
Because we're bombarded with information about what makes us more vulnerable to cancer, it's important to know what doesn't raise cancer risk. Hutchinson Center scientists found that marijuana use does not increase the likelihood of getting oral cancer, contrary to earlier study findings.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Profiling the patterns and progression of oral cancer
Pinpointing the genetic changes associated with the risk and progression of oral cancer is the goal of a five-year, $4.2 million study funded by the National Cancer Institute and led by Dr. Chu Chen at the Hutchinson Center.
Using techniques that permit the simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes, Chen and colleagues will identify those that are switched on or off as normal tissue becomes cancerous, as well as track the gene-expression changes that occur as patients undergo treatment. Such genetic patterns could be used to predict the aggressiveness of a patient's cancer and, ultimately, guide a doctor's choice of therapy based on a patient's prognosis.
The genetic profiling will be conducted on tissue samples obtained from about 400 patients at the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System of Seattle who consent to participate in the research. Participants also will complete detailed questionnaires that ask about lifestyle factors and provide information regarding their course of cancer therapy.
Currently, doctors look at a tumor's location, thickness and whether the disease has spread to nearby lymph nodes to predict a patient's outcome. Such assessments do not provide information about whether tissue immediately outside the tumor boundaries is likely to become cancerous or whether additional treatment after surgery is required.
Since tobacco use is a major risk factor for oral cancer, the results of this study may also prove informative for lung and other tobacco-induced cancers.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Study breaks link between pot smoking and oral cancer
Despite previous research results that suggested a link, marijuana use does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of developing oral cancer, according to a comprehensive study led by Hutchinson Center researcher Dr. Stephen Schwartz.
The study, conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Seattle's Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, found no association between marijuana use and increased oral-cancer risk, regardless of how long, how much or how often a person has used marijuana. The study also found no increased risk among marijuana users who had other underlying risk factors for oral cancer, such as a history of tobacco use or heavy alcohol use.
The study involved 407 oral-cancer cases and 615 healthy control subjects from western Washington who had been interviewed in detail about their history of marijuana use, among other lifestyle factors. Participants, both male and female, ranged in age from 18 to 65. The oral-cancer cases were identified through a population-based cancer registry housed at Fred Hutchinson that is part of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Relevant Articles
Hutchinson Center Publications- Study breaks link between pot smoking and oral cancer — Researchers counter previous reports and find no association between marijuana use and incidence of oral cancer
- Profiling the patterns and progression of oral cancer — PHS investigator Chu Chen leads $4.2 million study to track gene-expression patterns that may predict clinical outcomes
Search for More Publications »
| [ Back to Top ] |
