9/1/2005 Linda Geddes NewScientist.com Men carrying a genetic mutation that significantly increases the risk of breast cancer in women are at a greater risk of prostate and pancreatic cancers than men without the mutation. Dutch researchers have confirmed that men carrying a mutated BRCA2 gene are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer and six times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those free of the mutation. The altered gene may also put them at increased risk of developing bone and throat cancer. A previous study suggested that carriers of mutant BRCA2 genes are at increased risk of cancer of the prostate, pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct and stomach, as well as malignant melanoma, breast cancer and ovarian cancers (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol 91 p 1310). But this study only looked at known mutated-BRCA2 carriers with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Christi van Asperen and her colleagues at the Centre for Human and Clinical Genetics at Leiden University in The Netherlands speculated that estimates of cancer risk at other sites in the body may differ in mutated-BRCA2 carriers with less striking , though still present, family histories of cancer. Retrospective incidence They investigated 139 families with 66 different mutations of the BRCA2 mutation between them. Using information from known mutated-BRCA2 carriers in these families, the researchers studied the retrospective incidence of cancers among both male and female family members with a 50% chance of being a carrier – amounting to 1811 people. Among [...]

9/1/2005 New York, NY staff www.cancerpage.com The plasma level of osteopontin, a marker for tissue hypoxia, can predict whether the radiosensitizing agent nimorazole will be useful in patients with head and neck cancer, new research indicates. Adequate tissue oxygen levels are needed for radiotherapy to be most effective. Nimorazole works by modifying hypoxic environments, making the tissues more sensitive to radiotherapy. "Our study suggests that high plasma concentrations of osteopontin predict the need for hypoxia modification" with an agent like nimorazole, lead author Dr. Jens Overgaard and colleagues, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, note. Still, further studies are needed to determine the exact plasma levels that are important. The present findings, which appear in the August 30th online issue of The Lancet Oncology, are based on a study of 320 patients enrolled in the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Study Group (DAHANCA) 5 trial, which compared the effects of radiotherapy combined with nimorazole or placebo. Stored samples from the subjects were analyzed to determine osteopontin levels, which were then correlated with outcomes. Patients treated with nimorazole had about half the risk of locoregional tumor failure and disease-specific mortality compared with control subjects. On further analysis, the benefits of nimorazole therapy on locoregional tumor failure and disease-specific mortality were confined to subjects with high osteopontin levels. By contrast, among patients with low or intermediate osteopontin levels, treatment with nimorazole seemed to offer no benefit over placebo. "We have shown that high plasma concentrations of osteopontin in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma [...]

9/1/2005 Sellersville, PA press release biz.yahoo.com Scandinavian Formulas, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued over-the-counter (OTC) drug status for its product SalivaSure®, a saliva- stimulating lozenge for relief of dry mouth. Dry mouth (xerostomia), which can be extremely debilitating, can be caused by many factors including physiologic, radiation therapy (of the head and neck), and the adverse effects of prescription and OTC drugs, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, anxiolytics, diuretics, and decongestants, to name a few. Saliva -- a vital part of oral health -- provides enzymes to help with the digestion of food and produces a constant flushing of the oral cavity, which keeps the mouth relatively clean and helps to protect it against infection. When the mouth lacks saliva, not only does it produce an unpleasant feeling, but it also causes bacteria to breed, resulting in tooth decay and bad breath. In addition, consuming food and liquids becomes increasingly difficult and the sense of taste is altered. SalivaSure® works by the unique fruit acid formulation that stimulates the taste buds and activates the production of saliva. A combination of sodium citrate and calcium phosphate acts as a buffer to protect the tooth enamel. In addition, the sweetener xylitol is known to reduce plaque formation and help minimize the development of dental caries, which protect tooth enamel for long-term use. What's more, SalivaSure® does not interact with prescription medications and is safe for people with diabetes. The lozenge brings instant relief on contact. [...]

9/1/2005 Philadelphia, PA staff EurekAlert (www.eurekalert.org) A team of Canadian scientists may have discovered a way to use a simple dye as a litmus test to identify abnormal areas of the mouth that may become cancers. According to a study published in the September 1 issue of "Cancer Research", the scientists found that lesions that took up the dye known as toluidine blue were six times more likely to become oral cancers. The team also discovered that the dye-staining lesions contained molecular alterations that are linked to high risk of oral cancers -- even at early stages. "In oral cavity lesions, tissue that stained positive with toluidine blue were more likely to advance to cancer than lesions that did not stain with the dye," said Miriam Rosin, Ph.D., Director of the BC Cancer Agency's British Columbia Oral Cancer Prevention Program and Professor, Simon Fraser University. Rosin is the senior author on the study, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, of the National Institutes of Health. Toluidine blue is an accepted indicator of oral cancers, Rosin said. The current studies, however, demonstrate that the dye accurately predicts which pre-malignant lesions are likely to advance toward disease. Those lesions appear as white or, less frequently, red patches. "The vast majority of those white patches are often from minor inflammation and irritation," Rosin said. Some, however, are inclined to become cancer--and are the ones targeted by this simple imaging technology. In the study of 100 patients, Rosin and her [...]

9/1/2005 South Carolina SG Reed et al. J Cancer Educ, September 1, 2005; 20(3): 136-42 Background: Compared to the U.S. states and District of Columbia, the adult population in South Carolina ranks in the high five in oral cavity and pharynx cancer mortality rate and top ten for incidence rate. Previous studies revealed a lack of knowledge related to the diagnosis of oral cancer among health professionals in the USA. This study assessed the oral cancer knowledge and experience of medical students in an academic setting. Methods: This IRB approved cross-sectional survey used a self-administered pilot-tested questionnaire and the census of the Medical University of South Carolina medical students. Data were summarized by frequencies and chi-square comparisons of pre-clinical (first and second year) and clinical (third and fourth year) students. Results: The overall response rate was 79% (450/571 students), range 61-91% by year. Significant (p < 0.001) differences were found between pre-clinical and clinical students for knowledge of risk factors, signs and symptoms of oral cancer, and tobacco cessation techniques; with clinical students more knowledgeable but at less than 78% accuracy. All students were in high agreement of the role and responsibility of physicians in tobacco cessation, and in medical history taking. Four students had seen or been instructed on how to perform an oral biopsy. Most (75%) of fourth year students felt adequately trained to palpate neck lymph nodes. However, less than 7% of all students perceived they were adequately trained to examine patients for oral cancers. Conclusions: Results [...]

9/1/2005 G Bigras and F de Marval British Journal of Cancer (2005) 93, 575-581 The probability for a Pap test to be abnormal is directly proportional to HPV viral load: results from a Swiss study comparing HPV testing and liquid-based cytology to detect cervical cancer precursors in 13 842 women. In a study involving 13,842 women and 113 gynaecologists, liquid-based cytology and HPV testing for detecting cervical cancer were compared. A total of 1334 women were found to be positive for one or both tests and were invited for colposcopy with biopsy. A total of 1031 satisfactory biopsies on 1031 women were thereafter collected using a systematic biopsy protocol, which was random in the colposcopically normal-appearing cervix or directed in the abnormal one. In all, 502 women with negative tests were also biopsied. A total of 82 histologic high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) were reported in biopsies, all from the group with one or both tests positive. Sensitivity and specificity to detect histologic HSIL were 59 and 97% for cytology, and 97 and 92% for HPV. In total, 14% of reviewed negative cytological preparations associated with histologic HSIL contained no morphologically abnormal cells despite a positive HPV test. This suggested a theoretical limit for cytology sensitivity. HPV viral load analysis of the 1143 HPV-positive samples showed a direct relationship between abnormal Pap test frequency and HPV viral load. Thus, not only does the HPV testing have a greater sensitivity than cytology but the probability of the latter being positive can [...]