November 2012 – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Neoadjuvant chemo does not improve oral cancer survival rates

Source: www.drbicuspid.com Author: DrBicuspid Staff Patients with advanced resectable oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) who undergo surgery do not benefit from improved survival after induction with docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF), according to a new study (Journal of Clinical Oncology, November 5, 2012). Study author Zhi-yuan Zhang, MD, PhD, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and colleagues assessed 256 patients with resectable locally advanced OSCC. A total of 222 patients completed the full treatment protocol. They received two cycles of TPF induction chemotherapy (75 mg/m2 of docetaxel on day 1, 75 mg/m2 of cisplatin on day 1, and 750 mg/m2 of fluorouracil on days 1 to 5) followed by radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy versus upfront radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. The primary end point was overall survival. Secondary end points included local control and safety. After a median follow-up of 30 months, there was no significant difference in overall survival or disease-free survival between patients treated with or without TPF induction, the study authors noted. Patients in the induction chemotherapy arm with a clinical response or favorable pathologic response had superior overall survival and locoregional and distant control. "Our study failed to demonstrate that TPF induction chemotherapy improves survival compared with upfront surgery in patients with resectable stage III or IVA OSCC," the authors concluded. The lack of survival benefit indicates that TPF induction chemotherapy without selection could not benefit OSCC patients in general, Dr. Zhang told Reuters Health in a news story. "On the other hand, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-11-11T19:34:34-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Temple researchers show targeted cancer drug may stunt heart’s ability to repair itself

Source: EurekaAlert! Date: November 6, 2012 (Philadelphia, PA) – Scientists for the first time have evidence showing how a widely used type of "targeted" cancer drug can be dangerous to the heart. Studying mice with the equivalent of a heart attack, researchers found that the drug sorafenib (Nexavar) – which inhibits proteins called tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs), and is used in kidney and liver cancer treatment – can interfere with heart stem cell activity, affecting the heart's ability to repair itself after injury. The findings suggest that sorafenib and other similar drugs that target these kinds of protein receptors may raise the risk for heart attack for some cancer patients with underlying heart disease, as well as affect the heart's ability to repair damage. By understanding how these cancer drugs can affect the heart, scientists and clinicians may be able to devise new treatment strategies to lessen such potentially damaging effects of often vital cancer drugs. "The goal is not to take the drug off of the market – it's a very good and useful drug that cancer patients need. We're trying to understand how this cancer drug and others like it can affect the heart, and what types of individuals might be at risk for problems," said senior author Steven Houser, PhD, Professor and Chair of Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine and Director of Temple's Cardiovascular Research Center. "Our results are beginning to provide a clearer picture of some of the potential physiological mechanisms at play." Dr. [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-09T11:25:06-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer patient fights Medicare for coverage

Source: Dr.Biscuspid.com By Donna Domino, Features Editor November 6, 2012 -- Hank Grass has so far successfully fought his submandibular cancer. But the retired policeman is now facing bankruptcy in his losing battle to get Medicare to cover the oral surgeries, dental treatments, and dentures he needs following radiation treatment. The 77-year-old had his salivary gland removed after doctors found cancer at the base of his tongue three years ago. But the radiation and chemotherapy damaged his teeth and gums so much that he had to have all but three of his bottom teeth extracted. Recently, Grass needed periodontal surgery to treat an infection he developed in his mandible from radiation treatments. After Hank Grass developed submandibular cancer, radiation therapy caused osteoradionecrosis, requiring the extraction of all but three of his bottom teeth. All images courtesy of Hank Grass. So far, Grass has spent $8,000 for the dental treatment and dentures, but Medicare won't reimburse him, saying his dental work was not medically necessary and is cosmetic. And since Medicare has refused payment, Grass' insurance company also has refused to cover the dental procedures. "I've been through a living hell," he told DrBicuspid.com. "We're pinching pennies; we're in bankruptcy." Five doctors -- including his dentist, oncologist, oral surgeon, and the doctor who administered chemotherapy -- submitted letters confirming that Grass' dental procedures were directly related to his cancer treatments. But it was to no avail, he said. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to look at all the [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-07T12:40:04-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

First gene therapy study in human salivary gland shows promise

Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Date: Monday, November 5, 2012 Gene therapy can be performed safely in the human salivary gland, according to scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health. This finding comes from the first-ever safety, or Phase I, clinical study of gene therapy in a human salivary gland. Its results, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also show that the transferred gene, Aquaporin-1, has great potential to help head and neck cancer survivors who battle with chronic dry mouth. Aquaporin-1 encodes a protein that naturally forms pore-like water channels in the membranes of cells to help move fluid, such as occurs when salivary gland cells secrete saliva into the mouth. These initial results clear the way for additional gene therapy studies in the salivary glands. Although sometimes overlooked, salivary glands present an ideal target for gene therapy. They are easily accessible and, once a gene is introduced, it has no obvious escape route into the bloodstream, where it can have unintended consequences. “You cannot imagine how fulfilling it is to jot down an idea on a napkin in 1991 and then see it enter a clinical trial and help people.,” said Bruce Baum, D.M.D., Ph.D., lead author on the study and recently retired NIDCR scientist who spent the last 21 years moving gene therapy in the salivary glands from the research bench to the clinic. “Can a scientist ask for anything [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-06T14:45:46-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Germany’s Merck halts supply of cancer drug to Greek hospitals

Source: Reuters.com Date: November 3, 2012 German pharmaceuticals firm Merck KGaA is no longer delivering cancer drug Erbitux to Greek hospitals, a spokesman said on Saturday, the latest sign of how an economic and budget crisis is hurting frontline public services. Drugmakers raised concerns with EU leaders earlier this year over supplies to the euro zone's crisis-hit southern half and Germany's Biotest in June was the first to stop shipments to Greece because of unpaid bills. Publicly-owned hospitals in some countries worst hit by the euro zone debt crisis had been struggling to pay their bills, Merck's chief financial officer, Matthias Zachert, was quoted as saying by German paper Boersen-Zeitung in an interview on Saturday. He said however that the only country where Merck had stopped deliveries was Greece. "It only affects Greece, where we have been faced with many problems. It's just the one product," he told the paper. A spokesman for the company told Reuters that the drug concerned was Erbitux and that ordinary Greeks can still purchase it from pharmacies. Some countries have taken action to pay bills, such as in Spain, where the government has said it will help hospitals to pay off debts. "That has improved things, even though the situation should still be regarded as critical for the coming years," Zachert said. Erbitux is Merck's second best-selling prescription drug, bringing in sales of 855 million euros ($1.1 billion) in 2011 from treating bowel cancer and head and neck cancer. ($1 = 0.7785 euros) This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-05T11:16:35-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Food preservative may halt tumor growth

Source: www.foodproductdesign.com The common food preservative nisin may stop or slow squamous cell head and neck cancers, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer Medicine. The findings may accelerate new cancer therapies since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) approved nisin as safe for human consumption decades ago. Oral cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and oral squamous cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of oral cancers. However, survival rates for oral cancer haven't improved in decades, according to the study. Yvonne Kapila, the study's principal investigator and professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, said antibacterial agents like nisin alter cell properties in bacteria to render it harmless. However, it's only recently that scientists began looking to antibacterial agents like nisin to see if they altered properties in other types of cells, such as cancer cells or cells in tumors. "The poor 5-year survival rates for oral cancer underscore the need to find new therapies for oral cancer," she said. "The use of small antibacterial agents, like nisin, to treat cancer is a new approach that holds great promise. Nisin is a perfect example of this potential because it has been used safely in humans for many years, and now the laboratory studies support its anti-tumor potential." The study, which looked at the use of antimicrobials to fight cancerous tumors, suggests nisin, in part, slows cell proliferation or causes cell death through the activation [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-11-01T15:17:35-07:00November, 2012|Oral Cancer News|