Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
It's not your imagination if you think you've been seeing an increase in throat cancer, particularly oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, in younger men. Results of a study measuring the rate of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the U.S. population determined that men -- particularly younger men -- had a significantly higher incidence than women. The incidence of infection increased with the number of sexual partners reported.
The study was presented today in a press conference at the annual Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium being held in Phoenix this week; the symposium is sponsored by four major organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and American Society for Radiation Oncology. The topic of throat cancer among HPV-infected individuals isn't exactly a common subject for AuntMinnie.com, but ironically just last week we published an article that you'll want to read to learn what you need to look for on CT scans.
Radiation oncology has been making headlines since our last Insider newsletter, such as the following stories in the Radiation Oncology Digital Community:
- A group from MD Anderson Cancer Center produced a study linking accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) brachytherapy to higher complication rates. This raised quite a ruckus, which AuntMinnie.com reported.
- The condition of a treatment couch may undermine the quality of a radiotherapy treatment plan, according to another study out of MD Anderson Cancer Center.
- A thought-provoking study from Canada examined the long-term outcomes of Hodgkin's lymphoma patients .
- Siemens Healthcare announced its departure from the linear accelerator market. Click here to learn why.
We regularly ask you, as Insider subscribers, for article ideas. Our Insider Exclusive is the result of a reader asking why we hadn't written about robotic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) APBI for early-stage breast cancer. So we did.
If you have a suggestion, send us an email. We'd really like to hear from you.
