6/4/2005 Taiwan MoneyPlans Archives (archives.moneyplans.net) The nut of the betel or areca palm tree contains a mild, central nervous system stimulant called arecoline. Chewing the nut on its own or with a mixture of tobacco, lime and betel leaf is a popular habit in Asian countries and among British Asians. While all betel chewers have an increased chance of developing mouth cancer, scientists believe the genetic make-up of a person is likely to influence their susceptibility to the disease. Researchers based in Taiwan looked at variations in a gene that protects cells from damage in male betel chewers. They found that men with mouth cancer often had a different version of a gene than those not affected by the disease. Their findings shed important light on how mouth cancer develops and why some men are more susceptible to the disease than others. Over 153,000 new cases of mouth cancer are diagnosed in Asia each year. It accounts for up to 50 per cent of malignant tumours in some South Asian countries due to the popularity of betel chewing. Researchers based at the National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan looked at variations of a gene called HO-1*(2). The gene helps protect cells from damage by harmful agents such as UV irradiation or hydrogen peroxide. But studies also suggest that the gene may be involved in promoting tumour growth and maintaining cancer cell survival. Scientists think that certain versions of the gene may help prevent disease while other versions may trigger disease. Lead [...]

6/3/2005 St. Louis, MO press release (biz.yahoo.com) ADVEXIN® and INGN 225, investigational cancer therapies currently being evaluated in Phase 3 and Phase 2 trials, respectively, by Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: INGN - News), were highlighted today in a special session, titled "The Clinical Trial Data on Ad-p53 Gene Therapy of Cancer" at the American Society of Gene Therapy 8th Annual Meeting (ASGT). Introgen's collaborators, Jack A. Roth, M.D., Chairman and Professor of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Dmitry Gabrilovich, M.D., Associate Professor of Oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center reviewed the data generated to date with these investigational therapies. The special session titled "The Clinical Trial Data on Ad-p53 Gene Therapy of Cancer" was co-chaired by Drs. James S. Norris, Medical University of South Carolina, and Helen E. Heslop, Baylor College of Medicine. Joining Drs. Roth and Gabrilovich was Dr. Yongsong Guan of Sichuan University. "The presented data emphasize the broad potential application of ADVEXIN as a monotherapy and in combination with other treatments in the therapy of numerous cancers in a wide range of clinical settings," said Robert E. Sobol, M.D., senior vice president, Medical and Scientific Affairs at Introgen. "This special session at ASGT also underscores the ongoing interest in the p53 tumor suppressor gene as a novel cancer therapy. With ADVEXIN now in Phase 3 trials, we are closer than ever to realizing the potential of this key tumor suppressor gene in [...]

6/3/2005 London, England Jai A. Dennison Daily News Central (health.dailynewscentral.com) 'We have to remember that screening for oral cancer is a simple, non-invasive procedure, which needs only a five-minute visual inspection of the oral mucosa with lighting, gauze, gloves -- whereas the detection of most solid malignancies in the early asymoptomatic stages almost always requires special, costly and often invasive techniques. Visual screening for oral cancer is easy, effective, cheap and saves lives.' A simple five-minute visual examination of the mouths of individuals at high-risk of oral cancer could prevent around 37,000 worldwide deaths annually from the disease, suggests a study published in this week's issue of The Lancet. In 2002, there were over 270,000 new cases of mouth cancer and around 145,500 deaths worldwide -- two-thirds of which occurred in developing countries. Mouth cancer is the commonest form of cancer and cancer death in men in India. The high-risk in the Indian subcontinent is related to the high prevalence of pan-tobacco chewing in the population. (Pan-tobacco is a combination of betel leaf, lime, areca nut and sun-cured tobacco.) Mortality Down 34% After Nine Years Rengaswamy Sankaranarayanan of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, together with Kunnambath Ramadas of the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum, India, and colleagues, randomly selected 13 population clusters in the Trivandrum district of Kerala, India, for inclusion in the study. Seven of the clusters were randomized to receive 3 rounds of oral visual screening by trained health workers at three-year intervals, and six [...]

6/2/2005 Evanston, IL press release eMediaWire (www.emediawire.com) One-third of cancer patients abandon chemotherapy prematurely because of the debilitating physical and psychological side effects. "Chemotherapy side effects can devastate a patient's ability to perform every day physical tasks, deplete a patient's nutrient reserves, and severely impact quality of life," explains Penny Block, Executive Director and cofounder of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care and Optimal Health. Often these patients are unable to resume treatment, either as advised by their doctors or their own personal choice. Typically, both can feel like a death sentence, and the patient is left with minimal quality of life. "That is why we created Cancer Rehab, which, not unlike the way cardiac rehab seeks to strengthen patients who have undergone treatment, fortifies patients physically and psychologically, enabling them to continue with an effective treatment program and better quality of life," said Penny. "Cancer Rehab includes clinically sound integrative approaches such as therapeutic nutrition, physical therapy, body work and yoga, mind/spirit and vital living strategies, drug and non-drug pain therapy as needed and agreed upon, and other life-enhancing modalities. Through careful assessment, the Block Center team develops individualized programs that best address the needs of each patient. This provides improved chances to help reclaim one's strength and life quality." As Dr. Keith I. Block, the Center's cofounder and Medical and Scientific Director describes, "What we know is that each chemotherapy treatment wastes select micronutrients with corresponding clinical consequences. For example, Cisplatin depletes the body's magnesium stores. This [...]

6/2/2005 Vienna, Austria press release PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) CEL-SCI Corporation has been issued a new U.S. patent covering its cancer drug, Multikine(R). The patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,896,879, is titled, "A Method Of Pre-Sensitizing Cancer Prior To Treatment With Radiation And/Or Chemotherapy And A Novel Cytokine Mixture." This invention relates to a breakthrough method for pre-sensitizing cancer with Multikine prior to a therapeutic treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or immunotherapy. CEL-SCI's drug Multikine is effective in inducing cancerous cells' entry into the cell cycle phase thereby increasing their vulnerability to chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. Maximilian de Clara, President of CEL-SCI, said, "This patent should protect one of the largest applications for Multikine, namely its use to increase the success of radiation and chemotherapy, for a long time. Our planned Phase III clinical trial of head and neck cancer patients will administer Multikine therapy as a part of first-line treatment prior to surgery followed by post surgery radiation or concurrent chemoradiotherapy." Multikine is an immunotherapeutic agent consisting of a mixture of naturally occurring cytokines, including interleukins, interferons, chemokines and colony-stimulating factors, currently being developed for treatment of cancer. CEL-SCI Corporation is developing new immune system based treatments for cancer and infectious diseases. The Company has operations in Vienna, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.

6/2/2005 Bethesda, MD Adriana Albini, Douglas M. Noonan Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 97, No. 11, 859-860, June 1, 2005 COX-2 inhibition has been a main target for new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) development. The effectiveness of two COX-2–specific drugs, Vioxx (rofecoxib) from Merck and Celebrex (celecoxib) from Pfizer, in chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, was so highly promoted that they were among the most prescribed drugs in the category; experimental studies also showed promise in other diseases, including cancer (1). Both drugs have recently met criticism. Vioxx was voluntarily pulled off the market in September 2004 by Merck and recently returned with cautions; a threefold higher relative risk of mortality from cardiovascular complications as compared with older non–COX-2–selective NSAIDs was reported (2,3). After optimistic publicity by Pfizer but controversial clinical trial results, the consumer advocate group Public Citizen requested that Celebrex and its close cousin Bextra (valdecoxib) be withdrawn. We suggest that clues to the origin of the cardiovascular side effects come from the area of cancer research, in which COX-2 inhibitors are being tested for chemoprevention (1). Although similar, the two COX enzymes show functional differences. Aspirin, one of the first and most widely used COX inhibitors, largely targets COX-1, whose constitutive enzymatic activity is linked to renal function, gastric mucosal maintenance, stimulation of platelet aggregation, and vasoconstriction. Although occasionally causing gastrointestinal bleeding, aspirin is also associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke; chronic low-dose aspirin use has become a preventive practice [...]