Report id’s medico-ethical issues restrict gene therapy growth

11/25/2005 Europe Wai Lang Chu in-Pharma Technologist (www.in-pharmatechnologist.com) Increasing knowledge about how to manage the risks of gene therapy is set to usher in a new era in disease therapies, with the prospect of developing treatments in treating rare, inherited, or life-threatening diseases very real. Gene therapy has gone to great pains to deal with the toxicological complications and poor therapy efficacy that have hampered the growth of this sector. So much so that the US gene therapies market, reveals that revenues expect to reach approximately $125 million (€106 million) in 2006 growing to approximately $6541 million in 2011. This is not to say that gene therapy has not seen its fair share of clinical failures. Poorly regulated trials, and high levels of clinical attrition have seen the promise of gene therapy suffer from negative coverage and unsubstantiated claims. Despite these remarkable strides, the fact remains that most biotech companies are still years away from having an approved and marketed product. The only exception to this is the China-based company Shenzhen SiBiono GeneTech, whose product Gendicine, made news in October 2003 by becoming the first gene therapy in the world approved for marketing. The treatment consists of an adenovirus designed to insert a gene called p53. This gene codes for a protein that triggers cell suicide when cells start to run amok, preventing them becoming cancerous. Many tumours arise after the mutation or inactivation of p53, and in cancers of this type restoring the protein should kill the tumour cells. [...]

2009-04-06T10:43:03-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

Clinical Implications of Continued Alcohol Consumption After Diagnosis of Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer

11/25/2005 Surrey, United Kingdom Peter Miller et al. Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh245 Aims: To examine clinical implications of findings on the relationship between continued alcohol consumption in patients after diagnosis and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract cancer. Methods: Clinical research literature on the prevalence and effects of alcohol consumption after oral cancer diagnosis was reviewed. Since limited research is currently available on this important clinical topic, all published studies were considered regardless of size and methodology. Results: Between 34 and 57% of oral cancer patients continue to drink alcohol after cancer diagnosis. Continued drinking increases complications from surgery, increases the likelihood of recurrent cancer, and reduces disease-specific survival. Older patients and those with a longer and heavier drinking pattern prior to diagnosis are more likely to continue drinking after diagnosis. Conclusions: Findings indicate that routine alcohol screening of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients as well as brief intervention and/or treatment referral is warranted. Monitoring of alcohol consumption for the first year after diagnosis and treatment is recommended. Authors: Peter M. Miller(1), Terry A. Day(2), MIchele Carter Ravenel(3) Authors' Affiliations: (1) Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA (2) Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA (3) Department of Stomatology, College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA

2009-04-06T10:42:23-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

Cancer Deaths Falling in Britain

11/25/2005 United Kingdom staff Life Style Extra (www.lse.co.uk) Cancer deaths in Britain are falling while the number of new cases of the disease is remaining stable, according to new figures released today. Overall, the number of patients aged between 35 and 69 who have been dying has dropped by about 2.4 per cent each year over the past decade, the annual Britain Against Cancer conference at Westminster was told. The number of people dying of bowel cancer has fallen considerably. Rates fell by 22 per cent in men and 26 per cent in women. And mortality from breast cancer fell by a quarter over the past ten years, in spite of an increase in incidence. The statistics published by Cancer Research UK and the UK Association of Cancer Registries (UKACR) also reveal that lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancers will continue to be the most common types by far. However, the number of new cases of lung cancer in women is falling among the age group, suggesting we are approaching the peak of the disease in women. Lung cancer rates are already falling in men. But the incidence of some less common cancers is rising according to the study, the first time such data has been available over a ten year period for the whole of the UK. Professor David Forman, Cancer Research UK researcher at the University of Leeds and chair of the UKACR, and colleagues analysed the latest trends among people aged between 35 and 69. The team [...]

2009-04-06T10:41:44-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

Drug May Combat Weight Loss During Radiation Treatments

11/22/2005 Winston-Salem, NC staff WFMY News (www.wfmynews.com0 A new study by researchers at shows that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer may help combat the severe weight loss that can plague patients undergoing radiation treatment. A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues shows that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer may help combat the severe weight loss that can plague patients undergoing radiation treatment for lung and head and neck cancer. "The drug clearly reduced weight loss and improved quality of life in study patients," said Michael Farmer, MD, who presented the results last month at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Denver. The research involved megestrol acetate, a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone. The drug was originally used as an anti-hormonal treatment for breast cancer and was found to induce weight gain as a side effect. Later studies showed the drug's effectiveness as an appetite stimulant for patients with HIV, chronic diseases and cancer cachexia, a "wasting syndrome" in which fat and muscle are lost because of the presence of a cancerous tumor. Weight loss can also be a problem in patients undergoing radiation treatment for lung cancer and cancers of the head and neck, such as cancer in the mouth or throat. The high doses of radiation used to treat these cancers can cause decreased appetite and weight loss, nausea and painful swallowing. These patients typically receive radiation alone or [...]

2009-04-06T10:41:11-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

With Cancer, Treatment Is Only Part of the Picture

11/22/2005 New York, NY Jane E. Brody New York Times (nytimes.com) More than 10 million people in the United States are cancer survivors, and their numbers increase daily. Many are considered cured. Some are still in treatment and one day may - or may not - be counted among the cured. Others are living with advanced disease. But nearly all have similar needs: •A need to know about and cope with the physical and emotional consequences of cancer and its treatment, including current challenges to quality of life and delayed health effects. •A need to know when to worry and when not to worry about symptoms that could signal a recurrence or a new cancer. •A need for reliable information and assistance on matters like diet, exercise and smoking cessation that may improve survival chances. •A need to deal with employment and insurance problems related to their medical histories. Such needs inspired a panel of the National Academies this month to call for major improvements in follow-up care for cancer patients, who are too often left to struggle on their own with serious cancer-related matters. Making a Plan "Successful cancer care doesn't end when patients walk out the door after completion of their initial treatments," said Dr. Sheldon Greenfield, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Irvine, who led the committee. Patients need to have a "survivorship care plan" that provides information critical to proper long-term care, including the exact cancer diagnosis, a detailed [...]

2009-04-06T10:40:35-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

Latest Data on Marked Survival Improvement with Erbitux® in Head and Neck Cancer

11/22/2005 staff Cancerconsultants.com According to results recently presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, the addition of Erbitux® (cetuximab) to radiation therapy improved survival by nearly 20 months compared to radiation therapy alone in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck comprise several types of cancer affecting the nasal cavity and sinuses, oral cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx, and other sites throughout the head and neck. According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that 11,000 people will die from head and neck cancer in 2005. Standard treatment for head and neck cancer is largely determined by the stage (extent to which the cancer has spread) as well as the specific locations within the head or neck area where the cancer has spread. The patient’s overall medical condition is also a consideration. Treatment typically consists of radiation therapy, chemotherapy with surgery, or surgery alone. Once head and neck cancer has spread from its site of origin, long-term outcomes are generally suboptimal. In addition, treatment for head and neck cancer often results in a compromised quality of life. However, there is continuing research into and development of new therapeutic approaches to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for patients with this disease. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is a focus of this research. This biologic pathway plays a role in cellular replication and [...]

2009-04-06T10:40:03-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

Common viruses may cause cancer

11/21/2005 Cold Spring Harbor, NY staff Medical News Today In some cases, the fusion of human cells is a normal process that leads, for instance, to the formation of muscle and bone. Viral infections can also cause cell fusion, but cells fused by viruses are widely considered to be harmless because they are generally believed to die without consequences for the host. According to a recent study, however, cell fusion triggered by viruses is a possible contributing factor in the development of human cancer. The study also raises concerns about the use fusogenic viruses as vectors for human gene therapy or in other clinical applications owing to the possibility that such viruses might cause cancer. The idea that aberrations in the number or structure of chromosomes can spur tumor formation is more than a century old. Such aberrations--known collectively as "aneuploidy"--arise in two principal ways: as a consequence of abnormal cell division, or as a result of cell fusion. By either mechanism, the resulting aneuploid cells no longer have the proper genetic makeup and frequently die. But researchers now know that tumor cells are often aneuploid--and very much alive. Whether aneuploidy is a cause or a consequence of a cancerous cellular state is the crux of a current debate. In a recent study, Dr. Yuri Lazebnik and his colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory observed, fortuitously, that normal cultured human cells are fused by the action of the Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus (MPMV), but that the resulting hybrid cells do indeed [...]

2009-04-06T10:39:39-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

A noninvasive genetic screening test to detect oral preneoplastic lesions

11/21/2005 Jantine F Bremmer et al. Laboratory Investigation (2005) 85, 1481-1488 Early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may have a major impact on survival and quality of life. Recent studies have shown that the majority of OSCC is preceded by precursor lesions characterized by genetic alterations. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a noninvasive screening test for oral preneoplastic lesions, based on genetic alterations as marker. Various methods to obtain a high yield of cells by brushing a small area of the oral mucosa were compared. A novel genetic assay, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), was applied that enables the measurement of gains and losses at 40 different chromosomal locations in one PCR reaction using 150 ng DNA. MLPA was performed on DNA of normal and dysplastic oral mucosa as well as of OSCC with the intention to select a specific probe set for accurate detection of precursor lesions in the oral cavity. The assay was correlated to loss of heterozygosity analysis using microsatellite markers, and evaluated on noncancer subjects and patients with oral leukoplakia. A noninvasive sampling method was developed with DNA yields ranging from 150 to 600 ng. Using 120 probes, we could detect large differences with MLPA in the number of alterations between normal vs dysplastic and dysplastic vs tumor tissue with P-values <0.001. A significant correlation was found between the number of alterations as detected by MLPA and the analysis for allelic loss. The available data enabled the selection of [...]

2009-04-06T10:32:40-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

CIGNA Dental Adds Oral Cancer Screening to Its Preventive Health Measures

11/21/2005 Plantation, FL press release PRNewswire (www.prnewswire.com) Recognizing the importance of early detection and intervention, CIGNA Dental has announced that beginning January 1, 2006, it will cover the oral cancer screening procedure known as a brush biopsy for members enrolled in the CIGNA Dental Care (Dental HMO), CIGNA Dental PPO (DPPO), and CIGNA Traditional (Dental Indemnity) plans. Checking for oral cancer can be done during a regular dental checkup. If the dentist identifies any suspicious oral spots or sores during a visual assessment, a brush biopsy can be performed to detect potentially dangerous cells. Brush biopsy is a painless procedure. The dentist uses a small brush to take a tissue specimen, which is then sent to a laboratory for analysis to determine the presence of pre-cancerous or cancerous cells.(1) "The mouth is considered to be an 'early warning system' for other medical conditions, as well as a potential contributor. CIGNA Dental enables members to use information found through early detection to prevent further complications or disease," said Karen Rohan, president of CIGNA Dental. Oral cancer is the sixth deadliest cancer in America. Despite advances in surgical techniques, radiation treatments and chemotherapy, survival rates remain low when compared to other cancers. While oral cancer most often occurs in those who use tobacco in any form, it has also been found that alcohol use combined with smoking greatly increases risk. However, more than 25% of oral cancers occur in people who do not smoke and have no other risk factors.(1) Avoiding diagnosis [...]

2009-04-06T10:31:56-07:00November, 2005|Archive|

‘My lifestyle caused my mouth cancer’

11/21/2005 England staff BBC News (bbc.co.uk) Growing alcohol use is causing a steep rise in mouth cancer cases, experts have warned just days before the planned extension of pub opening hours. One-time child star Jack Wild, 53, communicates to others through his wife Claire since he lost his voice three years ago. The seasoned actor had to have his voice box - the larynx - and tongue removed because he developed mouth cancer, which could not be beaten with radiotherapy alone. It was a huge blow to Jack, who was nominated for an Oscar at the age of 16 for his famous performance as the Artful Dodger in the 1968 movie version of Oliver! But he is grateful that the cancer has not returned a second time and says it is vital that other people recognise the signs and symptoms of this increasingly common cancer. Currently, nearly 4,500 people have mouth cancer in the UK. Like Jack, many develop it because of a lifestyle of heavy drinking and smoking. Jack said: "Until I was diagnosed with mouth cancer, I'd never heard of it. What I learned very quickly was that my lifestyle had made me a walking time bomb. I was a heavy smoker and an even heavier drinker and apparently together they are a deadly mixture." The only warning Jack had that something might be wrong was a pain in the ear that would not go away. He put it down to his busy work schedule and his frequent [...]

2009-04-06T10:31:24-07:00November, 2005|Archive|
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