11/2/2006 Memphis, TN staff CancerConsultants.com According to the results of two studies published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, treatment of head and neck cancer with intensity-modulated radiation therapy is less likely to result in dry mouth (xerostomia) than treatment with conventional radiation therapy. Head and neck cancers originate in the throat, larynx (voice box), pharynx, salivary glands, or oral cavity (lip, mouth, tongue). Most head and neck cancers involve squamous cells, which are cells that line the mouth, throat, or other structures. Standard treatment for head and neck cancer is largely determined by the stage (extent to which the cancer has spread) and by the specific locations within the head or neck area where the cancer has spread. For head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy, xerostomia is a potential side effect of treatment. Xerostomia refers to a condition of an abnormally dry mouth. Patients with severe xerostomia have very limited or virtually no saliva production. This results in difficulty eating, speaking, and swallowing. These symptoms make xerostomia extremely uncomfortable, and patients who suffer from the condition have a drastically reduced quality of life. Xerostomia can last long after treatment is completed. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a newer approach to radiation therapy that allows for the more precise delivery of radiation to cancer cells, while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. Two studies recently evaluated parotid gland function among head and neck cancer patients treated with IMRT or conventional radiation therapy. The parotid glands [...]

11/2/2006 New York, NY David Douglas CancerPage.com The development of hypothyroidism appears to have a beneficial effect in patients with head and neck cancer, researchers report in the October issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Marc Nelson and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio note that there are reports of improved survival in hypothyroid patients with various cancers and thyroid hormones appear to have a role in neoplasia. To determine whether this might be the case in advanced-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the researchers studied 155 patients who had undergone radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy and surgery where indicated. In total 55 of the patients developed hypothyroidism, as indicated by a thyrotropin level greater than 5.5 mIU/L. Despite treatment for hypothyroidism, these patients had improved survival, lower recurrence rates and increased recurrence-free survival. After adjusting for the time of detection, hypothyroidism was still associated with improved survival but this did not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio = 0.62, p = 0.12). The researchers conclude that prospective studies would be needed to test the hypothesis that "maintaining patients at a clinically tolerable level of hypothyroidism may have a beneficial effect in regard to their neoplastic disease." In fact, senior investigator Dr. Marshall Strome told Reuters Health that "at this time it is my practice to leave those patients who are hypothyroid and asymptomatic, mildly hypothyroid. I believe that time and prospective controlled trials will prove the concept." Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg [...]

11/1/2006 Quebec, Canada press release Biology Net News (www.biologynews.net) New research here suggests that hormones produced as during periods of stress may increase the growth rate of a particularly nasty kind of cancer. The study showed that an increase in norepinephrine, a stress hormone, can stimulate tumor cells to produce two compounds. These compounds can break down of the tissue around the tumor cells and allow the cells to more easily move into the bloodstream. From there, they can travel to another location in the body to form additional tumors, a process called metastasis. The research also suggests the same hormone can also stimulate the tumor cells to release another compound that can aid in the growth of new blood vessels that feed cancer cells, hastening the growth and spread of the disease. The work was reported in the latest issue of the journal Cancer Research. "This opens up an entirely new way of looking at stress and cancer that's different from current interpretations," explained Ronald Glaser, a professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, and director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University . Glaser and Eric Yang, a research scientist in the same institute, focused on the role of these three compounds. Two of them, both matrix metalloproteinases -- MMP-2 and MMP-9 -- play a role in breaking down the scaffolding that cells attach to in order to maintain their shape. The third compound, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is important in the [...]

11/1/2006 Pittsburgh, PA Anita Srikameswaran Post-Gazette.com State health authorities are today launching a media campaign intended to get teenagers to chew on a few grim realities about smokeless tobacco. According to Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson, manufacturers are on the verge of introducing new products with fruit flavors and chew that can be swallowed instead of spat, which could entice youngsters into the addictive habit. "With these kinds of things on the horizon, we really wanted to get ahead of the curve and ... be aggressive about putting other information out there," Dr. Johnson said. A person who uses eight to 10 dips per day gets about the same amount of nicotine as a person who smokes 30 to 40 cigarettes daily. "That's a two-pack-a-day person," the health secretary explained. "That's considered a heavy smoker." Rather than lecture young people about the down-the-road risks of oral cancer, the campaign's television spots, radio ads and Web components will focus on the early, unpleasant consequences of using spit tobacco, including foul breath and stained teeth. After all, "what kid wants to try to get a prom date with teeth missing from their mouth?" Dr. Johnson pointed out. "Those immediate things, such as discoloration, bad breath and loss of teeth, seem to have more of a persuasive effect on the kids." According to the health department, 11.5 percent of high school students in Pennsylvania are smokeless tobacco users. The practice is more common among white males and in rural areas. Pediatric [...]