Viventia reports positive head & neck cancer results

3/29/2005 Toronto, Ontario, Canada PRNewswire (www.prnewswire.com) Viventia Biotech Inctoday reported preliminary results from an exploratory Phase I efficacy trial using direct intratumoral injection of Proxinium(TM) as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with refractory head & neck cancer. A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 18 were considered evaluable at the end of the trial. Preliminary efficacy analysis showed that 25% of the 16 evaluable patients who expressed the therapeutic target for Proxinium(TM) had a complete response to therapy (complete disappearance of treated tumor); 63% had an objective response (significant or partial shrinkage of treated tumor); and 88% had tumor growth control (objective response or stabilization of disease). The drug was reported to have a good safety profile and was well tolerated, consistent with previous results. "Current treatments for refractory head and neck cancer have shown limited efficacy. To have achieved such a high number of complete responses in patients that have, in essence, failed all other available therapies is very encouraging," said Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of Viventia. "These results, and the promising survival data that emerged from our previous Phase I trial, show the tremendous potential for Proxinium(TM) for the treatment of refractory head and neck cancer. With the recent granting of Orphan Drug designation by the FDA, we are on track to initiate advanced clinical trials for Proxinium(TM) in 2005." Dr. Barry Wenig, Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, and Director of the [...]

2009-03-27T14:21:05-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Oral Sex: A Dangerous Teen Trend

3/29/2005 Caroline Stanley Better Homes & Gardens (www.bhg.com) Dangerous Trend Oral sex has become a widespread practice among adolescents. A staggering 40 percent of 10th-graders engaged in oral sex in the past year, with a quarter reporting three or more partners, according to a survey in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Kids like that oral sex preserves their status as virgins, won't result in pregnancy, and carries little risk of HIV or other STDs. The latter, however, now appears to be wishful thinking. In a 2003 University of Wisconsin study, 78 percent of new cases of genital herpes were caused by a virus found chiefly in the mouths of 16- to 21-year-olds. An even more sobering study from Johns Hopkins linked certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) to head and neck cancers. "Having performed oral sex on more than one partner in the previous year increased the risk of contracting this untreatable STD," says lead researcher Maura Gillison, MD. Clearly, parents need to have serious sex talks with their teens.

2009-03-27T14:20:15-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Providence Hospital In Mobile, Alabama Commences Treating Patients Using the New Trilogy(TM) System for Image-Guided Stereotactic Radiotherapy

3/29/2005 Mobile, AL PRNewswire (www.prnewswire.com) Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, has begun treating patients once thought to have inoperable brain ailments with the new Trilogy(TM) stereotactic system, from Varian Medical Systems. The system allows the highly trained physicians at Providence to perform non-invasive brain treatment without an incision, with minimal pain and oftentimes, with no hospitalization. The Trilogy system is the most powerful and versatile cancer treatment technology available using image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic treatment and conformal radiotherapy (CRT) in one system. The system delivers a wide range of precise treatments making it easier to treat difficult conditions including cancer and certain neurological conditions. "This technology brings us to a new level, significantly improving on precision and shortening the duration of these types of treatments," observed Robert Gilbert, MD, radiation oncologist. "That means more accurate targeting along with greater patient comfort, since patients spend less time on the treatment table." Providence Hospital worked closely with Coastal Neurological Institute, PC (CNI) to be among the first in the nation to deploy this new technology along the Gulf Coast. "As a community hospital, Providence was in the unique position to associate with CNI to provide Trilogy treatment to patients in the region bringing new hope to many. Providence Hospital will continue to team with Ascension Health partner Sacred Heart Health System of Pensacola, Fla. to expand cancer care along the Gulf Coast. Trilogy treatment provides our patients with treatment that has only just now become available. There are only a handful of [...]

2009-03-27T14:54:22-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Novel ultrafast laser detection of cancer cells also may improve understanding of stem cells

3/27/2005 San Diego, CA Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) To investigate tumors, pathologists currently rely on labor-intensive microscopic examination, using century-old cell-staining methods that can take days to complete and may give false readings. A lightning-fast laser technique, led by Sandia National Laboratories researcher Paul Gourley, has provided laboratory demonstrations of accurate, real-time, high-throughput identification of liver tumor cells at their earliest stages, and without invasive chemical reagents. The technique generates a laser beam in single human cells pumped from a flask through tiny microchannels. The beam is altered by what it encounters. These changes, registered by an imaging spectrometer, instantly identify cancer-modified mitochondria in cells gone wrong. Mitochondria are known as the power pack of cells, energizing them like batteries do flashlight bulbs. "There are hundreds of mitochondria, sometimes thousands, in a cell," says Gourley. "To see them in the old way requires a time-consuming process like fluorescent tagging or a chemical reagent. We've found we can see them immediately by light alone." The techniques could be critical to advancing early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. More technically put, "To rapidly assess the health of a single mammalian cell," says Gourley, "the key discovery was the elucidation of biophotonic differences in normal and cancer cells by using intracellular mitochondria as biomarkers for disease. This technique holds promise for detecting cancer at a very early stage and could nearly eliminate delays in diagnosis and treatment." The technique is effective because "it measures changes in the cell architecture, especially those arising [...]

2009-03-27T14:16:48-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Anti-cancer mouthwash effective in early trial

3/25/2005 San Francisco, CA Reuters News (reported by cancersourcemd.com) A genetically engineered mouthwash is effective in keeping mouth sores from becoming cancerous, researchers said here on Tuesday. The mouthwash is a formulation of ONYX-015, a virus that has been engineered to replicate in and kill cancer cells that have a dysfunctional p53 tumor-suppressor gene-- while sparing normal cells that have a functioning p53 gene. ONYX-015 is being jointly developed by Onyx and Pfizer Inc. Researchers from the University of Chicago reported the results from a small trial of 10 patients here at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Since oral cancer is frequently preceded by growths called dysplastic lesions, the idea was to find out if a novel gene therapy for killing cancer cells would work as a mouthwash --which comes into direct contact with the cells--to prevent the development of cancer. Heavy smokers, tobacco chewers and drinkers are at highest risk for developing the lesions and cancer of the mouth. The p53 gene is considered one of the body's most important naturally occurring tumor-suppressor genes. These genes are believed to help control runaway growth of cells and thereby prevent cancer. But when slight changes, or mutations, to the p53 gene occur, it is believed to lose its tumor-preventing effectiveness. The data presented on Tuesday were from 10 patients who were given ONYX-015 as a mouthwash once a week for 12 weeks after which tissues were biopsied and patients who showed improvement continued the therapy for another [...]

2009-03-27T14:14:52-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Quality of life, mucositis, and xerostomia from radiotherapy for head and neck cancers: A report from the NCIC CTG HN2 randomized trial of an antimicrobial lozenge to prevent mucositis

3/25/2005 Vancourver, British Columbia, Canada Graeme G Duncan et al. Head Neck, March 21, 2005 Background: The National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group undertook a multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of an oral antimicrobial versus placebo to prevent and treat mucositis. We present the quality of life (QOL) analysis for this trial. Methods: One hundred thirty-eight patients were randomly assigned. QOL data were collected every 2 weeks before, during, and after radiotherapy. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and a Trial Specific Checklist (TSC) were used. Results: The antimicrobial lozenge did not impact QOL. The principal acute side effect of radiotherapy is oral pain, affecting more than 90% of patients. Role function is impacted during treatment, and patients experience fatigue. Appetite was reported to markedly increase during radiotherapy. There was a dramatic and persistent increase in dry mouth. Conclusions: This study highlights the benefits of combining the EORTC QLQ-30 with an "oral" TSC in a randomized controlled trial and provides valuable baseline data for their use with an objective mucositis scoring system. Authors: Graeme G Duncan, Joel B Epstein, Dongsheng Tu, Samy El Sayed, Andrea Bezjak, Jon Ottaway, and Joe Pater Authors' Affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver Centre, 600 West 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada

2009-03-27T14:14:03-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Tongue and tonsil carcinoma

3/25/2005 Atlanta, Georgia Caroline H Shiboski et al. American Cancer Society, Cancer, March 16, 2005 Background: An increasing incidence of oral carcinoma among young adults has been reported in the U.S. and Europe. Although the association between human papillomavirus infection and tonsillar carcinoma is now well established, to the authors' knowledge little is known about incidence trends in tonsillar carcinoma among younger adults. The objective of the current study was to explore the trends in both oral cavity and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in younger U.S. populations, in particular tongue and tonsillar SCC. Methods: Using the 1973-2001 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, we computed age, race, and site-specific trends of oral and pharyngeal (excluding nasopharynx) carcinoma incidence rates. The percent change (PC) and annual percent change (APC) were computed to explore trends in incidence rates over time. Results: There were 2262 SCC of the oral cavity and 1251 SCC of the pharynx reported to the SEER program from 1973 to 2001 in adults aged 20-44 years. There was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of oral tongue SCC (APC = +2.1; P < 0.001), base of tongue SCC (APC = +1.7; P = 0.04), and palatine tonsil SCC (APC = +3.9; P < 0.001) among younger white individuals, whereas the incidence of SCC in all other oral and pharyngeal sites decreased or remained constant. Conclusions: The increase in tonsil SCC incidence from 1973 to 2001 paralleled the increase in tongue SCC, whereas SCC in all other [...]

2009-03-27T14:13:29-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Rational Diagnosis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Region: Comparative Evaluation of CT, MRI, and 18FDG PET

3/24/2005 USA Florian Dammann et al. AJR 2005; 184:1326-1331 (American Roentgen Ray Society) Objective: We sought to evaluate the efficiency of 18FDG PET, CT, and MRI for the preoperative staging of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck region. Conclusion: MRI is recommended as the method of choice in the preoperative evaluation of SCC of the oral cavity and the oropharynx. PET can provide relevant diagnostic information in case of equivocal findings by MRI or CT. Routine use of PET, however, does not appear to be necessary if optimized MRI is available. Authors: Florian Dammann, Marius Horger, Marcus Mueller-Berg, Heinz Schlemmer, Claus Claussen, Juergen Hoffman, Susanne Eschmann and Roland Bares Authors Affiliation: Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, Tuebingen D-72076, Germany

2009-03-27T14:12:08-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Tobacco Still Being Used by Athletes, Coaches

3/22/2005 New York, NY Charnicia E. Huggins Reuters News (www.reuters.com) Many student athletes, particularly football and baseball players, in Mississippi's junior and senior high schools, use tobacco -- as do their coaches -- according to the results of two new studies. Further, an oral screening conducted among student athletes in a third study, revealed that many students with a history of tobacco use had an oral lesion, which can be an early warning sign of mouth cancer. These studies, conducted by former athletes who are researchers at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry, were presented on Thursday in Baltimore, Maryland during the 83rd General Session of the International Association for Dental Research. Based on the findings, "early intervention" by dentists and other healthcare providers is needed, to decrease the risk of oral cancer among athletes who use tobacco, Dr. Kyle Hunt, who was involved in all three studies, told Reuters Health. He warned that if signs of oral cancer are not detected early, the risk of death increases. Among the 698 seventh through twelfth graders surveyed in the first study, nearly 23 percent of boys said they had ever used tobacco in comparison to about 3 percent of girls, according to Hunt and his team. White athletes were more likely to report a history of tobacco use and were more likely to have used smokeless tobacco than were their black peers. Further, a history of tobacco use was especially common among football and baseball players, who were more likely [...]

2009-03-27T13:59:28-07:00March, 2005|Archive|

Chemoprevention of Head and Neck Cancer With Retinoids: A Negative Result

3/21/2005 Christopher Perry et al. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005;131:198-203 Objective: To determine whether isotretinoin (or 13-cis-retinoic acid) decreases the risk of second primary cancers in patients previously treated for cure of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Two head and neck multidisciplinary cancer clinics in university teaching hospitals taking cases from 4 to 5 million people in Queensland, Australia, combined to enter appropriate patients into this trial. Patients: One hundred fifty-one patients with their first head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with high expectation for cure and living close by. They were randomized into 3 arms to receive 3 years of treatment. Interventions: Patients took isotretinoin at a high dose (1.0 mg/kg per day) or a moderate dose (0.5 mg/kg per day) or placebo. Group 1 took the high dose for 1 year and then the moderate dose for 2 years. Group 2 took the moderate dose for 3 years. Group 3 took placebo for 3 years. Main Outcome Measures: The diagnosis of a second primary malignancy of the head and neck, lung, or bladder was regarded as the end point signifying failure of therapy. Issues of drug adverse effect profile and impact on survival were measured. Results: There was no significant difference in the occurrence of second primary disease (P = .90), the recurrence of primary disease (P = .70), or disease-free time (P = .80) between the treatment and nontreatment arms. Numbers were too small to find differences in [...]

2009-03-27T13:58:52-07:00March, 2005|Archive|
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