Eating Your Way Away From Head And Neck Cancer

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:46:02 GMT

Studies continue to confirm that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for developing head and neck cancers. Researchers found in a five year follow-up study that just one extra serving of fruit or vegetable makes participants 29% less likely to develop head and neck cancers.

The significant aspect of this study in preventing common cancers like salivary gland cancer concerns the ease, low cost, lack of side effects, and effectiveness associated with starting and maintaining a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

It�s not a new discovery that vegetables and fruits protect people from cancer, however, experts say it is important to do larger and larger studies with a study population of over 500,000 that tracks their progress for 5-plus years. In addition to a conscientious diet, studies continue to show that quitting smoking and reducing alcohol use also protects people from cancers of the head and neck reducing the possibility of having to undergo parotid gland surgery later down the line.

Adding just one serving of fruit or vegetables per 1,000 calories can significantly reduce the incidence of cancer and improve one�s overall health. For more information about head and neck cancer prevention, contact your local Los Angeles oncologist to learn more about how a healthy lifestyle can help your quality of life.

Increase in Thyroid Cancer Puzzles Experts

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:56:59 GMT

HealthDay News reports that intensified screening doesn't entirely explain the jump in thyroid cancers noted in the United States since 1980, and scientists now believe that other as-yet-unknown factors are to blame. A new study finds that thyroid tumors of all sizes that require thyroid cancer treatment are being picked up, not just the smaller ones that more aggressive screening would be expected to detect. "You cannot simply explain this by increased screening, there's a real increased incidence," said Dr. Amy Chen, lead author of a study published online July 13 in the journal Cancer.

Although, "some of this increased incidence is due to increased screening finding smaller tumors," she added. The findings surprised one expert. "I wrote a chapter about this for a textbook about a year ago and I came away thinking this [rise in cancers] is a reflection of enhanced diagnostics," said Dr. Bruce J. Davidson, professor and chairman of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. But, "it is more disturbing that it's not just small tumors; it seems to be all tumors," he said.

An estimated 37,200 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed this year, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Fortunately, the cancer is considered highly curable, but the researchers said survival rates have not improved with better detection.

Until now, an uptick in cases seen over the past three decades was attributed to increased use of ultrasound and image-guided biopsy to detect tumors. Some researchers had found that thyroid cancer was diagnosed more often in areas with higher incomes and less in uninsured populations, adding further credence to this theory.

Looking at thyroid cancer cases that involved parotid gland surgery from 1988 to 2005 reported in a large cancer database, Chen and her team found a higher incidence not just in small tumors, but across all sizes.

The most pronounced increase was seen in primary salivary gland cancer tumors under 1.0 centimeters -- small ones for which many experts consider it safe to take a wait-and-see approach. The rate for these tumors rose almost 10 percent per year in men (1997 to 2005) and 8.6 percent per year in women (1988 to 2005).

But the authors also saw a 3.7 percent annual increase in tumors exceeding 4 centimeters in men and a 5.7 percent yearly rise in these tumors in women.

Cancers that had spread also increased in men by 3.7 percent annually and in women by 2.3 percent.

Thyroid cancer can be caused by exposure to radiation but there has been no evidence of increased exposure to radiation among Americans.

"People have looked at background radiation and nothing really has come of that that's very useful. And certainly not useful to us in why there would be a bump in incidence in the last 15 years," Davidson said. Chen proposed in the study that environmental, dietary and genetic issues be explored. For more information on thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatments, contact your local Los Angeles oncologists.