Cancer Fighters Thrive

SPRING 2014

Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.

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spring 2014 | cancer fighters thrive 41 cf thrive. com Indeed, the median survival is nearly 11 years in HPV-related tumors com- pared with 1.6 years in tumors that don't carry the virus. 3 Of course, that begs the question of whether treatment can be scaled back in this group. Because these patients are diagnosed at a younger age, that means some may face decades of long-term side effects such as dry mouth or diff- culty swallowing. Scaling back treatment could help reduce the impact of those side effects. "Right now, if we are going to recom- mend chemoradiation as a concurrent ap- proach for oropharyngeal cancer, we will not change the dose or treatment. We will use the same course of treatment that we do for the heavy drinker/smoker group," explains Dr. Chong. "Research is looking at whether we can drop doses in HPV- related cancer precisely because it responds so well—but we're not quite there yet." Public Health Concern As the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancer continues to climb, doctors and researchers are predicting an epidemic. Dr. Chong stresses that this is a public health dilemma. "It's important to make the diagnosis early and get proper treat- ment," he says. "It's also important to administer proper vaccination when ap- propriate." For now the problem does not seem to be going away—but researchers hope that as more and more parents comply with vaccination recommendations (see sidebar), they will see a decline in HPV- related cancers in the future. References 1. Genital HPV Infection: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm. 2. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Oropharyngeal Cancer: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/ STDFact-HPVandOralCancer.htm. 3. Chaturvedi, A.K., Engels, E.A., Pfeiffer, R.M. et al. Human papillomavirus and rising oropharyngeal cancer incidence in the United States. Journal of Clinical Oncolo- gy. 2011;29(32):4294-301. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2011.36.4596. 4. Recommendations on the Use of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Males: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ mm6050a3.htm. TPN and tube feeding Anti-infective services Patient-controlled analgesia 24/7 access to clinicians Personal support and advocacy Great Escapes™ Travel Program With more than 85 branch locations nationwide, including over 65 infusion suites, we ofer both national presence and comprehensive local coverage. Our experienced clinicians are known for providing an exceptional level of personalized care to thousands of home and infusion suite patients every day, including those with complex therapy needs. CASEDirect 800.423.1411 • coramhc.com © 2014 Coram LLC With Coram, patients beneft from a broad range of specialty infusion services, including: "Coram is not just an infusion services provider, but rather a network of caring, educated and devoted people who rally together and who make the impossible, possible." – Michelle Burris, Nutrition Consumer INNOVATION cftSp#23vky.indd 41 2/3/14 11:18 PM

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