Study Linking pancreatic cancer to oral health

It is now a known and accepted fact that an oral/systemic health link exists and that heart disease, diabetes and yes, even cancer, are related to the condition of one’s mouth!
In a small study recently published online in the journal GUT, the researchers suggest that levels of particular types of bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, can be linked to the development of pancreatic cancer.
The researchers compared bacteria found in saliva of 10 pancreatic cancer patients whose cancer had not yet spread, with 10 healthy people and all participants were matched for age and sex.
They found that the cancer group had 31 additional species and 25 fewer species of bacteria in their saliva compared to the healthy group. The findings were verified by conducting the same study on 28 new participants in each group.
The researchers then went on to study samples from patients who had chronic inflammation of the pancreas, which is linked to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. They discovered that among six suspicious species, two – Neisseria elongata and Streptococcus mitis – showed up substantially less often in the mouths of cancer patients while levels of another species – Granulicatella adjacens – were substantially higher!While it is unclear whether the presence of these specific bacteria are the cause or the effect of pancreatic cancer, the researchers conclude by suggesting that monitoring levels of these bacteria could be used as a non-invasive and credible screen for pancreatic cancer.

Chemotherapy & Oral Health

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. These drugs kill cancer cells, but they may also harm normal cells, including cells in the mouth. Side effects include problems with your teeth and gums; the soft, moist lining of your mouth; and the glands that make saliva.You may have certain side effects in your mouth from chemotherapy. Another person may have different problems. The problems depend on the chemotherapy drugs and how your body reacts to them. You may have these problems only during treatment or for a short time after treatment ends.
+Painful mouth and gums.
+Dry mouth.
+Burning ,peeling and swelling of tongue.
+Infection
+Change in taste.
Visit a dentist two weeks before chemotheraphy begins.if you have already started chemotheraphy and didnt go to a dentist,see one as soon as possible.

Dentist will:
+Check your teeth.
+Take x-rays.

+Take care of mouth problems.
+Will show you how to take care of mouth to prevent side effects .The first step is to see a dentist before you start cancer treatment.once your treatment starts.it is important to look into your mouth everyday for sores and other changes.these tips can prevent and treat sore mouth.
+Keep your mouth moist.
+Drink a lot of watersuck icechips.
+Use sugarless gum or sugar free hard candy.
+Use a saliva substitute to help moisten your mouth.Instructions to be followed during chemotherapy:
+Clean your mouth tongue and gums.Brush your teeth ,tongue and gums with extra-soft tooth brush every meal and at bedtime.If brushing hurts soften the brustles with hot water.
+Use a fluoride toothpaste.
+Dont use mouthwashes with alcohol in them.
+Floss your teeth gentle eveyday,if your gums bleed and hurt,if your gums bleed and hurt ,avoid those area that are bleeding,but keep flossing your other teeth
+Rinse your mouth several times a day with a solution of 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon with salt in one cup of warm water.follow with a plain rinse water.
+Dentures that dont fit will cause problems.talk to your oncologist or your dentist about your dentures.
If your mouth is sore, watch what you eat and drink:
+Choose foods that are good for you and easy to chew and swallow.
+Take small bites of food, chew slowly, and sip liquids with your meals eat soft, moist foods such as cooked cereals, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs.
+If you have trouble swallowing, soften your food with gravy, sauces, broth, yogurt or other liquids+Foods that are hot, spicy, or high in acid, like citrus fruits and juices, which can irritate your mouth.
Remember to stay away from:
+SUGAR
+Sharp, crunchy foods, chips, that could scrape or cut your mouth.ry foods, like candy or soda, that could cause cavities .Toothpicks, because they can cut your mouth.
+All tobacco products
+Alcoholic drinks.

Dental X-rays and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer

In a recent research by Dr. Anjum Memon and his awesome team through Brighton, Cambridge as well as Kuwait, released medical diary Acta Oncologica and reported in the Medical Information These days article. The group possess demonstrated that thyroid most cancers raises because the quantity of dental x-rays develops. The scientists report that the actual incidence rates of thyroid gland most cancers  possess doubled through one.4 for each one hundred,thousand within 1975 to 2.9 for each one hundred,thousand in '06 in the united kingdom

In the study’s abstract it had been noted that Ionising radiation is the only established cause of thyroid cancer and this dental x-rays, a common source of low-dose diagnostic radiation exposure in the general population is often overlooked as a radiation hazard to the gland and may be associated with the risk of thyroid cancer.

The scientists studied 313 patients in Kuwait who all had thyroid cancer where the incidence of thyroid cancer is very high, and interestingly, dental treatment is free.

Dr. Memon said the findings were compatible with earlier reports of raised risk of thyroid cancer in dentist s, dental assistants and x-ray workers, suggesting the multiple low-dose exposures in adults may be significant. He also said that dental x-rays have also been linked to an increased risk of brain and salivary gland tumors.

Dr Memon wrote:

The public health and clinical implications of these findings are particularly relevant in the light of increases in the incidence of thyroid cancer in many countries over the past 30 years.

It is important that our study is repeated with information from dental records including frequency of x-rays, age and dose at exposure. If the results are confirmed then the use of x-rays as a necessary part of evaluation for new patients, and routine periodic dental radiography (at 6-12 months interval), particularly for children and adolescents, will need to be reconsidered, as will a greater use of lead collar protection.

Our study highlights the concern that like chest (or other upper-body) x-rays, dental x-rays should be prescribed when the patient has a specific clinical need, and not as part of routine check-up or when registering with a dentist.

(conclusion) The notion that low-dose radiation exposure through dental radiography is absolutely safe needs to be investigated further, as although the individual risk, particularly with modern equipment is likely to be very low, the proportion of the population exposed is high.

So….. How often should x-rays be taken? There are many variables; included in this would be whether the x-rays are digital or not and that is why further research needs to be done as Dr Memon has pointed out. But please, have this discussion with your dental professional in light of this new research.

oral cancer

Oral Carcinoma

Oral Cancer

Oral carcinoma is one of the most prevalent cancers & is one of the 10 major cause of death. Majority of oral carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas. it is disease of increasing age with 95%cases in people older then 40 years of age.
Cancer is a commonly used term for all malignant tumors. In Latin language, cancer means crab which has a fat main body and mass extention which springs and invade the surrounding tissues.
Tumor is an autonomous new growth of tissue or it is an abnormal mass of tissue the growth of which exceedds and is uncoordinated with that of normal tissue and persists in the same excessive manner even after the cessation of stimuli which evoked the changes.

Characteristic of malignant lesion

• Lesion body- they exhibit ill defined borders which are very irregular and ragged
• rapid growth- it increase in size very rapidly
• Metastasis- they always metastasize either by direct spread, by lymphatics or through bloodstream
• Adjacent cortical bone- grows by invasion & cause destruction of adjacent structures. bony cortex will be destroyed rather than expand.
• Radiodensity-Radiolucent or may be mixed
• Dental involvement- root intact & tooth in position

symptoms of oral cancer

Oral cancer may start as a sore or lump in the mouth that does not go away. Problems with eating, swallowing and talking may occur, and the sense of taste may be altered. Lymph nodes in the neck may be enlarged and unexplained weight loss may occur.

Common symptoms of oral cancer

Common symptoms of oral cancer include:

• Altered sense of taste
• Bleeding
• Cracking of an area of the mouth
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• Difficulty talking
• Lump that does not go away
• Nonhealing sore, which may be white, pale, red, dark, or otherwise discolored
• Oral pain
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• Thickened area in the mouth

• Etiology and risk factors for oral cancer

  some risk factors are
  

  Actinic radiation

  • It is a minor etiologic factor in case of lip cancer.
  • lip cancer occurs more commonly in fair skinned people who are generally engaged in outdoor occupation, such as farming, fishing

  Familial & genetic

  • there is little evidence
  • lip cancer is amongst the sites which show strongest cancer clustering with in families. but it also reflects the fact that families tend to have same occupation,i.e farming, which is related with ultraviolet exposure
  • it is more prevalent in black as compared to white

  atmospheric pollution

  • difference in incidence in part of rural & urban have been related to atmospheric pollution
  • SULPHUR DIOXIDE AND SMOKE CONCENTRATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE ARE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH SQUAMOUS CANCER OF LARYNX & PHARYNX
  • Blue collar workers exposed to dust or inhalation of organic agents are at increased risk of cancer of mouth

  Orodental factors

  more prevalent in patients with poor oral hygiene,faulty restorations, sharp teeth, ill fitting dentures and those with syphilitic glossitis
  

  Immunity

  • Increasing incidence is age related, which may reflect declining immune surveillance with age
  • It may occur in immunosuppressed patients following organ & bone marrow transplantation.
  • HIV/AIDS patent are at increased risk of oral cancer

  Tobacco use

  Smokeless tobacco

  It contains potent carcinogens like nitrosamine, polycyclic hydrocarbons and polonium & metabolites of these constituents have been suggested etiologic factor in oral cancer
  

  Common forms of oral smokeless tobacco

  • Pan/betel quid- it contains areca nut, betel nut, betel leaf, slaked lime, catechu, condiments with or with out tobacco
  • Khaini- contains tobacco & lime
  • Mishri- it is burned tobacco
  • Zarda- boiled tobacco
  • Gadakhu- Tobacco & molasses
  • Mawa- tobacco, lime, & areca
  • Nass- tobacco, ash, cotton or sesame oil
  • Naswar/Niswar- Tobacco ,lime, indigo, cardamom oil, & menthol
  • Shammah- tobacco, ash, & lime
  • Toombak- tobacco & sodium bicarbonate

  Smoking tobacco

  • Tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide.It ia an important factor in the development of oral cancer
  • smoking is strongly associated with soft palate cancer than anterior sites

  Alcohol

  • All forms of alcohol
  • Beverage congeners include nitrosamines & impurities which can act as carcinogens.

  Syphilis

  it is associated with oral cancer
  

  Diet Deficiency & Deficiency status

  The relationship between sideropenic dysphagia & oral cancer is well established
  

  Ionizing Radiation

  Carcinoma of buccal mucosa may occur as complication of long term radiotherapy
  

  Trauma

  Trauma in combination with other factors like chronic cheek biting, denture use & irregular teeth may act as as co-carcinogen & may promote transformation of epithelial cells
  

  Intraoral Lesions

  • Chronic ulceration & fissure
  • Lichen planus
  • Cansidosis
  • Leukoplakia
  • Median rhomboid glossitis
  • plummer-vinson syndrome
  • Submucus fibrosis
  • Oral melanosis
  • Discoid Lupus erythematosus
  • Epidermolysis bullosa

  Treatment

  Treatment of oral cancer begins with seeking regular medical care throughout your life, including regular dental care. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to provide early screening tests. Regular medical care also provides an opportunity for your health care professional to promptly evaluate symptoms and your risks for developing oral cancer.
  The goal of oral cancer treatment is to permanently cure the cancer or to bring about a complete remission of the disease. Remission means that there is no longer any sign of the disease in the body, although it may recur or relapse later.
  

  Common treatments for oral cancer

  Common treatments for oral cancer include:

  • Chemotherapy to attack cancer cells
  • Participation in a clinical trial that is testing promising new therapies and treatments for oral cancer
  • Radiation therapy to attack cancer cells
  • Surgery to remove the cancer and evaluate how far it has spread

  Other treatments for oral cancer

  Other therapies may be added to help with your general state of health and any side effects of cancer treatment:

  1. Antinausea medications if nausea occurs
  2. Blood cell growth factors to increase the number of white blood cells if these get too low
  3. Blood transfusions to temporarily replace blood components (such as red blood cells) that have dropped to low levels
  4. Dietary counseling to help maintain strength and nutritional status
  5. Reconstructive surgery to restore structures that have been removed
  6. Occupational and physical therapy to help with eating, swallowing, or talking problems
  7. Pain medications as needed to increase comfort

  Complementary treatments

  Some complementary treatments may help some people to better deal with oral cancer and its treatments. These treatments, sometimes referred to as alternative therapies, are used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments. Complementary treatments

  Complementary treatments may include:

  1. Acupuncture
  2. Massage therapy
  3. Yoga
  4. Ayurvedic treatment

  potential complications of oral cancer

  Complications of untreated oral cancer can be serious, even life threatening in some cases. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of oral cancer include:

  • Decreased ability to eat, drink, talk or breathe
  • Hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding)
  • Recurring cancer after treatment
  • Spread of cancer into nearby structures
  • Spread of cancer to distant areas of the body
  • Spread of cancer to lymph nodes in the neck

  
  

  Hospice care

  In cases in which oral cancer has progressed to an advanced stage and has become unresponsive to treatment, the goal of treatment may shift away from curing the disease and focus on measures to keep a person comfortable and maximize the quality of life. Hospice care involves medically controlling pain and other symptoms while providing psychological and spiritual support as well as services to support the patient's family.

  
  

oral cancer