8/2/2004 New Delhi, India By: Upali Rupasinghe New Deli Daily News Scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata have identified a molecule in betel leaf which they say can be effective in killing blood cancer cells. The use of betel juice for treating diseases is a common practice in rural areas and experiments were carried out on the immuno-protection capabilities of the betel leaf. The initial results have indicated that the betel leaf could highly effective against Leukaemia, IICB Director Samir Bhattacharya said. Scientists have conduced experiments on cancer cells, obtained from USA and Europe. Tests have revealed that chlorogenic acid, code-named icb-101, was effective on blood cancer cells but did not destroy other non-cancerous cells. Elated with their initial results, scientists had referred their work to the international journal Blood which had sought several clarifications and whether the molecule could be effective in curing other forms of cancer, like oral cancer. The scientists have informed the Indian Council for Medical Research about the discovery and the drug trial on human body is expected to start soon. OCF Note: Now wouldn't this be something? The very plant that causes so many cases of oral cancer in this region of the world and in Asia could contain a compound that could be used to TREAT oral cancer.

8/1/2004 Carol G. Shores, MD, PhD; Xiaoying Yin, MD; William Funkhouser, MD; Wendell Yarbrough, MD Otolaryngology & Head Neck Surg. Objective To better detect occult cervical metastases. Design RNA from 153 cervical lymph nodes was analyzed for the presence of squamous cell carcinoma using quantitative cytokeratin (CK) 14 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Detection of CK RNA in pathologically negative nodes was further analyzed by semi-step sectioning and CK immunohistochemistry. Subjects Thirteen consecutive patients with head and neck squamons cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presenting to the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for neck dissection. Results Cytokeratin detection was deemed nonspecific if expressed at fewer than 50 molecules of CK 14 RNA per nanogram total RNA. Of 35 HNSCCs, 33 expressed CK 14 RNA, and 15 lymph nodes with routine pathologically positive metastasis were also positive for CK 14 RNA. Four lymph nodes that were pathologically negative nodes were positive for CK 14 RT-PCR, with 2 containing metastases detected by semi-step sectioning. Conclusions Cytokeratin 14 RT-PCR is very sensitive for detecting micrometastasis in lymph nodes that are negative by routine pathological examination, with a relatively high false-positive rate. Quantitative CK 14 RT-PCR could be used to identify nodes negative for tumor by standard pathological analysis that should be examined by step sectioning and CK immunohistochemistry. Identification of micrometastases in patients with HNSCC will allow for appropriate and aggressive treatment of patients with metastatic disease. Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. [...]

8/1/2004 See end of article for authors Journal of the National Cancer Institute Background: Transcriptionally active high-risk human papilloma viruses (HPVs), particularly HPV type 16 (HPV16), are found in a subset of head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). HPV16-associated carcinogenesis is mediated by expression of the viral E6 and E7 oncoproteins, which cause deregulation of the cell cycle by inactivating p53 and pRb, respectively. We tested the hypothesis that HPV-associated HNSCCs display a pattern of genetic alterations different from those of HNSCCs without HPV DNA. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-based assays were used to examine 143 consecutive HNSCCs (106 of the oral cavity and 37 of the oropharynx) for the presence of HPV DNA and for viral E6 and/or E7 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. The HPV DNA-and E6 and E7 mRNA-positive HNSCCs and an equal number of HPV DNA-negative HNSCCs were further analyzed for mutations in TP53, the gene encoding p53, and for allelic loss of 28 microsatellite markers at chromosome arms 3p, 6q, 8p, 9p, 13q, 17p, and 18q, including markers located in regions of chromosome arms 9p and 17p that harbor genes involved the p53 and pRb pathways. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Twenty-four (16.7%) of the 143 HNSCCs were positive for HPV16 DNA, and 12 of these HNSCCs (8.4% of total number) expressed E6 and E7 mRNAs. None of the HPV DNA-and E6/E7 mRNA-positive tumors had TP53 gene mutations, whereas nine (75%) of the 12 HPV DNA-negative tumors had such mutations (P<.001). Compared with the HPV DNA-negative [...]