European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology

Radiosensitive Variation Key in HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer

Kate JohnsonMay 01, 2013Source: medscape.com GENEVA, Switzerland — Increased radiosensitivity likely contributes to improved outcomes in patients human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), according to a new study. The findings point to a potential new approach that could enhance radiosensitivity further in these tumors, said Thorsten Rieckmann, PhD, from University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf in Germany. The study results, which he presented here at the 2nd European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) Forum, were also published online April 19 in Radiation and Oncology. The work was named 1 of 2 top-scoring abstracts at the ESTRO meeting. Dr. Rieckmann and colleagues compared a panel of 5 HPV-positive and 5 HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines, and demonstrated a statistically significant difference in average radiosensitivity between the 2 panels. However, in the HPV-positive cells, "we saw a very high variation in radiosensitivity, so clearly not every HPV-positive cell line is equally highly radiosensitive," Dr. Rieckmann told meeting delegates. "Therefore, caution should be urged when considering the deintensification of therapy via dose reduction," the researchers write. "Additional stratification within the subentity of HPV/p16-positive HNSCC may be necessary to more precisely predict individual tumor sensitivity." "Until we have molecular markers to predict radiosensitivity in HPV-positive HNSCC, pack-years of smoking, as suggested by Ang et al [N Engl J Med. 2010;363:24-35], are probably the best option," he told Medscape Medical News. The study demonstrated that a compromised DNA repair process is likely the reason behind the more favorable prognosis for patients with HPV-positive HNSCC treated [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-05-02T10:12:42-07:00May, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Radiotherapy May Be Enough for HPV-Positive Throat Cancer

Source: Medscape Today May 11, 2012 (Barcelona, Spain) — Radiotherapy alone might be just as effective as more toxic regimens in the treatment of light smokers or nonsmokers with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive advanced oropharyngeal carcinomas, according to research presented here at ESTRO 31: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology 2012 Annual Conference. "Moderately accelerated radiotherapy as a single modality may be a safe and presumably morbidity-sparing treatment strategy for these patients," said Pernille Lassen, MD, a resident in medical and radiation oncology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. "What we are suggesting — knowing that it's not randomized and knowing that it's not a very large series — is that perhaps we don't need to treat these patients with chemotherapy and all the other things that we do," she told Medscape Medical News. We're "not recommending one treatment over another; this is a contribution to the ongoing debate. But [we're] showing that we really cure a lot of patients with radiotherapy alone in this select group of nonsmokers or light smokers and HPV positivity." The researchers examined 181 patients from the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group (DAHANCA) database who had advanced oropharyngeal cancer that had metastasized to the lymph nodes or beyond (stage III and IV). Cumulative smoking history was categorized as greater than or less than 10 pack-years (1 pack-year is equivalent to 20 cigarettes per day for 1 year), and pretreatment tumor immunohistochemistry was assessed on the basis of HPV-associated p16 expression (positive or negative). "p16 expression is a striking [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-11T10:55:04-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Stem cell sparing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer may avoid salivary gland damage

Source: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Barcelona, Spain: Researchers believe they may have found a way to avoid damaging salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer – a discovery that could improve the quality of life of 500,000 patients a year worldwide with the disease. Presenting their findings to the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO31) [1], the researchers said that they had discovered that the stem cells essential for regenerating the parotid gland (the largest pair of salivary glands) were located mainly in its major ducts, and that these could easily be avoided during radiotherapy or given a minimal radiation dose. "This would significantly reduce complications arising from radiotherapy for head and neck cancer," said Dr Peter van Luijk, a research associate at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. Around 40% of patients treated for head and neck cancer suffer from the distressing side-effects of dry mouth syndrome – a condition that can occur when the parotid gland stops working properly after radiation damage. This causes problems with eating, sleeping, speech, tooth loss and oral hygiene, leading to diminished quality of life, social isolation and difficulty in continuing work. Attempts to treat dry mouth syndrome and its consequences can cost hundreds or even thousands of Euros per patient per year and are mostly insufficient. Dr van Luijk said: "Parotid gland dysfunction after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer was, and still is, a major clinical problem. During radiotherapy, attempts [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-10T09:41:29-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|