11/27/2005 San Diego, CA press release Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) Inovio Biomedical Corporation announced today that the European Journal of Surgical Oncology published an article, entitled "The role of intratumour therapy with electroporation and bleomycin in the management of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck." Co-authors of the article were Dr. David Bloom, now at the Department of Otolaryngology/ Head and Neck Surgery, Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia and Dr. Paul Goldfarb, Consulting Medical Director at Inovio Biomedical and Clinical Professor of Surgery at University of California, San Diego, California. The article reported the safety and efficacy of Inovio's Selective Electrochemical Tumor Ablation therapy, which uses electroporation in conjunction with bleomycin, in patients with head and neck advanced squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Two open-label, multicenter, single-arm Phase II studies enrolled 62 patients with 86 squamous cell carcinoma tumors of the head and neck. Twenty-five patients were treated with bleomycin alone. Fifty-four patients (17 initially treated with bleomycin alone) were treated with electroporation and bleomycin therapy. The local control rate of treatment for patients with recurrent HNSCC, consisting of surgery, radiation therapy and/or systemic chemotherapy, ranges between 10% and 20%. Thus, there is a need for alternative approaches. In this trial, 57% of patients had an objective response with either a partial or complete response to electroporation with bleomycin. Electroporation therapy in combination with bleomycin demonstrated a significantly (p<0.001) greater number of patients showing an objective response to the therapy when compared to bleomycin alone, which resulted in [...]

11/27/2005 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada staff Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) The role of melatonin for the treatment of cancer is looking compelling, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pineal Research. Researchers say that the results are so compelling that cancer funding agencies should be eager to support clinical trials to evaluate its therapeutic role in a variety of cancers. Melatonin is a hormone naturally found in humans. Its association with cancer has been shown in many studies assessing links between shift work and cancer rates, and shown a consistent relationship. The association between melatonin levels and cancer progression has suggested to some that melatonin may be a modifier of cancer progression. In this latest study, researchers examined all clinical trials assessing the role of melatonin as a therapy for solid tumor cancers. They used a methodology called meta-analysis, a technique of analyzing multiple studies. The authors reviewed 10 randomized clinical trials that included a total of 643 cancer patients with a variety of different solid tumor cancers. The types of cancers involved included lung, brain, skin, renal and breast cancer. "In this analysis, the effects appeared to be consistent across studies" say the authors. The researchers examined the effect of large doses of melatonin (10-40mg/day) on survival rates at one year. Melatonin reduced the risk of death at one year by 34%. "Effects this large certainly warrant further clinical trials" say the authors. The study also showed that melatonin was predominantly safe and had a beneficial effect [...]

11/27/2005 Sweden BG Hansson et al. Acta Otolaryngol, December 1, 2005; 125(12): 1337-44 Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate a strong association between infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC), suggesting that high-risk HPV types play a key role in carcinogenesis. The estimated proportion of OOSCC cases attributable to HPV infection was 35%. Objective: HPV appears to have an aetiological role in OOSCC, despite the fact that the reported prevalences of HPV in both OOSCC patients and healthy individuals have varied widely. We aimed to investigate the presence and spectrum of both high- and low-risk HPVs in all consecutive cases of OOSCC in a Swedish healthcare region over a 3-year period and in population-based, matched healthy controls. Material and methods: A total of 131 patients with OOSCC were studied. Samples taken from the surface of the tumour and from the tonsillar fossa using cotton-tipped swabs were investigated, together with exfoliated cells collected using a mouthwash. Tonsillar fossa and mouthwash specimens were collected in the same way from 320 matched controls. All samples were tested for HPV DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction using the primer pairs MY09/MY11 and GP5 + /GP6+, and in positive cases the HPV type was determined by DNA sequencing. Results: Infection with high-risk HPV was shown to be a strong risk factor for OOSCC (OR = 63; 95% CI 14-480). Forty-seven (36%) of the cancer patients had >/=1 specimen that was positive for a high-risk HPV [...]

11/26/2005 Australia staff The Age (theage.com.au) An Australian-developed cancer drug that is dramatically improving survival rates could be available to the public within 12 months. Tirapazamine had already cured humans suffering neck and head cancers, and could be used for lung, throat and cervical tumours, Fairfax newspapers reported. Researchers say Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman's former husband, Sandy Bodecker, had used the drug and made a full recovery from what was diagnosed as inoperable throat cancer. Professor Lester Peters, a world leader in cancer research from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, is leading the drug's trial. He told Fairfax the drug could be "a cure, but not in everyone". "But a huge proportion of patients have had their tumours eradicated if they've been treated with this drug." Prof Peters said tirapazamine worked by targeting cancer cells that were starved of oxygen, which were typically resistant to conventional treatment and particularly malignant. The drug is used with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Fairfax said the second stage of the human trials, involving 550 patients around the world, was under way and should be finished by June. If the final stage is successful, the drug can then be registered by the US Food and Drug Administration.

11/25/2005 Europe Wai Lang Chu in-Pharma Technologist (www.in-pharmatechnologist.com) Increasing knowledge about how to manage the risks of gene therapy is set to usher in a new era in disease therapies, with the prospect of developing treatments in treating rare, inherited, or life-threatening diseases very real. Gene therapy has gone to great pains to deal with the toxicological complications and poor therapy efficacy that have hampered the growth of this sector. So much so that the US gene therapies market, reveals that revenues expect to reach approximately $125 million (€106 million) in 2006 growing to approximately $6541 million in 2011. This is not to say that gene therapy has not seen its fair share of clinical failures. Poorly regulated trials, and high levels of clinical attrition have seen the promise of gene therapy suffer from negative coverage and unsubstantiated claims. Despite these remarkable strides, the fact remains that most biotech companies are still years away from having an approved and marketed product. The only exception to this is the China-based company Shenzhen SiBiono GeneTech, whose product Gendicine, made news in October 2003 by becoming the first gene therapy in the world approved for marketing. The treatment consists of an adenovirus designed to insert a gene called p53. This gene codes for a protein that triggers cell suicide when cells start to run amok, preventing them becoming cancerous. Many tumours arise after the mutation or inactivation of p53, and in cancers of this type restoring the protein should kill the tumour cells. [...]

11/25/2005 Surrey, United Kingdom Peter Miller et al. Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh245 Aims: To examine clinical implications of findings on the relationship between continued alcohol consumption in patients after diagnosis and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract cancer. Methods: Clinical research literature on the prevalence and effects of alcohol consumption after oral cancer diagnosis was reviewed. Since limited research is currently available on this important clinical topic, all published studies were considered regardless of size and methodology. Results: Between 34 and 57% of oral cancer patients continue to drink alcohol after cancer diagnosis. Continued drinking increases complications from surgery, increases the likelihood of recurrent cancer, and reduces disease-specific survival. Older patients and those with a longer and heavier drinking pattern prior to diagnosis are more likely to continue drinking after diagnosis. Conclusions: Findings indicate that routine alcohol screening of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients as well as brief intervention and/or treatment referral is warranted. Monitoring of alcohol consumption for the first year after diagnosis and treatment is recommended. Authors: Peter M. Miller(1), Terry A. Day(2), MIchele Carter Ravenel(3) Authors' Affiliations: (1) Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA (2) Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA (3) Department of Stomatology, College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA

11/25/2005 United Kingdom staff Life Style Extra (www.lse.co.uk) Cancer deaths in Britain are falling while the number of new cases of the disease is remaining stable, according to new figures released today. Overall, the number of patients aged between 35 and 69 who have been dying has dropped by about 2.4 per cent each year over the past decade, the annual Britain Against Cancer conference at Westminster was told. The number of people dying of bowel cancer has fallen considerably. Rates fell by 22 per cent in men and 26 per cent in women. And mortality from breast cancer fell by a quarter over the past ten years, in spite of an increase in incidence. The statistics published by Cancer Research UK and the UK Association of Cancer Registries (UKACR) also reveal that lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancers will continue to be the most common types by far. However, the number of new cases of lung cancer in women is falling among the age group, suggesting we are approaching the peak of the disease in women. Lung cancer rates are already falling in men. But the incidence of some less common cancers is rising according to the study, the first time such data has been available over a ten year period for the whole of the UK. Professor David Forman, Cancer Research UK researcher at the University of Leeds and chair of the UKACR, and colleagues analysed the latest trends among people aged between 35 and 69. The team [...]

11/22/2005 Winston-Salem, NC staff WFMY News (www.wfmynews.com0 A new study by researchers at shows that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer may help combat the severe weight loss that can plague patients undergoing radiation treatment. A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues shows that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer may help combat the severe weight loss that can plague patients undergoing radiation treatment for lung and head and neck cancer. "The drug clearly reduced weight loss and improved quality of life in study patients," said Michael Farmer, MD, who presented the results last month at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Denver. The research involved megestrol acetate, a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone. The drug was originally used as an anti-hormonal treatment for breast cancer and was found to induce weight gain as a side effect. Later studies showed the drug's effectiveness as an appetite stimulant for patients with HIV, chronic diseases and cancer cachexia, a "wasting syndrome" in which fat and muscle are lost because of the presence of a cancerous tumor. Weight loss can also be a problem in patients undergoing radiation treatment for lung cancer and cancers of the head and neck, such as cancer in the mouth or throat. The high doses of radiation used to treat these cancers can cause decreased appetite and weight loss, nausea and painful swallowing. These patients typically receive radiation alone or [...]

11/22/2005 New York, NY Jane E. Brody New York Times (nytimes.com) More than 10 million people in the United States are cancer survivors, and their numbers increase daily. Many are considered cured. Some are still in treatment and one day may - or may not - be counted among the cured. Others are living with advanced disease. But nearly all have similar needs: •A need to know about and cope with the physical and emotional consequences of cancer and its treatment, including current challenges to quality of life and delayed health effects. •A need to know when to worry and when not to worry about symptoms that could signal a recurrence or a new cancer. •A need for reliable information and assistance on matters like diet, exercise and smoking cessation that may improve survival chances. •A need to deal with employment and insurance problems related to their medical histories. Such needs inspired a panel of the National Academies this month to call for major improvements in follow-up care for cancer patients, who are too often left to struggle on their own with serious cancer-related matters. Making a Plan "Successful cancer care doesn't end when patients walk out the door after completion of their initial treatments," said Dr. Sheldon Greenfield, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Irvine, who led the committee. Patients need to have a "survivorship care plan" that provides information critical to proper long-term care, including the exact cancer diagnosis, a detailed [...]

11/22/2005 staff Cancerconsultants.com According to results recently presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, the addition of Erbitux® (cetuximab) to radiation therapy improved survival by nearly 20 months compared to radiation therapy alone in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck comprise several types of cancer affecting the nasal cavity and sinuses, oral cavity, nasopharynx, oropharynx, and other sites throughout the head and neck. According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that 11,000 people will die from head and neck cancer in 2005. Standard treatment for head and neck cancer is largely determined by the stage (extent to which the cancer has spread) as well as the specific locations within the head or neck area where the cancer has spread. The patient’s overall medical condition is also a consideration. Treatment typically consists of radiation therapy, chemotherapy with surgery, or surgery alone. Once head and neck cancer has spread from its site of origin, long-term outcomes are generally suboptimal. In addition, treatment for head and neck cancer often results in a compromised quality of life. However, there is continuing research into and development of new therapeutic approaches to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for patients with this disease. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is a focus of this research. This biologic pathway plays a role in cellular replication and [...]