7/7/2006 India staff ExpressPharmaOnline.com A new cancer drug is on the way from Biocon. An announcement on these lines was made at the inauguration of Biocon Park, India's largest integrated biotech hub. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India inaugurated the park which comprises of an integrated cluster of research laboratories and manufacturing facilities laid out on a 90 acre expanse in Karnataka. Built with a total investment of Rs 650 crore, with further investments to follow, Biocon Park is the single largest capital investment made by Biocon in its 27-year history. Biocon Park is focused on exports of both biopharmaceutical products and research services. The multi-product facilities will mainly cater to disease segments like cardiovascular, cholesterol reduction, immunosuppressant in organ transplantation, diabetes and cancer. On the occasion, the President dedicated India's first indigenously developed monoclonal antibody, BIOMab EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) to the nation. This antibody is indicated for cancer and it works by binding only to cancer cell-specific antigens, and induce an immunological response against the targeted cancer cell. Although a large number of monoclonal antibodies have been introduced in the country, they are beyond the reach of a majority of cancer patients because of their prohibitive cost. Biocon joins the league of monoclonal antibody developers worldwide and aims to be a key player in this segment in the coming years. Biocon's new cancer drug will also be effective in several other cancers that express EGFR, including colorectal, pancreatic, metastatic breast, non-small cell lung and brain [...]

7/7/2006 Iowa City, IA staff Cancer Consultants.com According to results presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the addition of Taxotere® (docetaxel) to Platinol® (cisplatin) and 5-fluorouracil improves the rate of preservation of the larynx (voice box) in patients with advanced head and neck cancers. Approximately 40,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck include several types of cancers affecting different areas of the head and/or neck. In 2005 the American Cancer Society estimated that 11,000 people would die from head and neck cancer. Laryngeal cancer refers to cancer originating in the larynx, which is located within the throat. Hypopharyngeal cancer refers to cancer that originating in the bottom of the throat. Advanced head and neck cancer refers to cancer that spreads from its site of origin to other sites in the body. Standard treatment for advanced head and neck cancer often includes the use of several chemotherapy agents, the targeted agent Erbitux® (cetuximab), radiation therapy and/or surgery. Often, the surgical removal of laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer leaves patients with severe disfigurement, as well as impairment in quality of life issues. Due to the side effects associated with surgery, physicians may first treat the cancer so that it shrinks prior to surgery. The goal of treatment of advanced head and neck cancer is to preserve as much function and cosmetics as possible, while providing optimal long-term survival. Researchers affiliated with [...]

7/6/2006 Manchester, Egland Robbie MacDonald South Manchester Reporter (www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk) The ancient Egyptians believed it was a cure-all. Scots mix it with whisky for medicinal ‘hot toddies’. And Winnie the Pooh loved the stuff. Now in south Manchester, honey is being used to protect mouth and throat cancer patients from the MRSA superbug and other infections which are resistant to anti-biotics. In a worldwide first, the Christie Hospital is researching the powers of New Zealand honey to help mouth and throat cancer patients’ recover after surgery. Some of honey’s healing powers have been known for many years. For example, it can help scars and wounds, or be put on dressings. Nurses at Manchester Royal Infirmary have been using special honey coated dressings for the last two months. But the Christie work is unique. Survival rates for people suffering from throat and mouth cancer have improved over the last 15 years, thanks to doctors more effectively combining surgery with chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. An unfortunate side-effect, however is a condition called mucositis, which is an inflammation and infection of the lining tissue inside patients’ mouths and throats. The ongoing study is looking at whether manuka honey from New Zealand can reduce this inflammation and prevent infection. Sixty patients there have taken part in the study so far – and final results are expected in about 12 months. Specialist Dr Nick Slevin is leading the study and said: "Manuka honey has special anti-inflammatory and anti-infection properties, and is believed to reduce the likelihood [...]

7/6/2006 London, England staff www.lse.com.uk Recently-listed Hutchison China Meditech Ltd said US medicine regulators have given it permission to broaden the scope of the first clinical trials of its lead experimental cancer drug. HMPL-002 is a botanical extract under development as an orally administered treatment of head and neck cancer and non-small cell lung cancer in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The phase I/II trials can now be widened to include the much larger population undergoing concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy, which is now considered the standard treatment for most locally advanced head and neck cancers. Chief executive Christian Hogg described the decision as 'good news'. 'Widening the universe among which we can conduct clinical trials will make it easier and speedier to recruit trial patients. More fundamentally, it broadens the future market potential for this important drug candidate.'

7/6/2006 Flint, MI Leslie LoBue about12.com One person dies of oral cancer every hour. But that wouldn't be the case if more people caught the cancer early. Right now, half of the people diagnosed with oral cancer die- with early detection it is 90-percent survivable. His speech is impaired and some of his neck is gone. He can't swallow without water. All because no one noticed a lesion in Brian Hill's mouth until it was late stage cancer. "I ate healthy. I never smoked a day in my life. I'm going, 'How could this be happening to me?'" It may not have happened if the discovery made in a UCLA lab had come six years earlier. As it turns out, your saliva contains better bio markers than blood for detecting oral cancer. "We don't have to stick a needle into someone's vein or give someone a cup and have them go to the bathroom, which could be embarrassing. And it's non-painful," said Dr. David Wong, DMD. The test is simple. You spit into a tube that's taken to the lab and tested for bio markers that signal cancer. It's similar to the PSA test for prostate cancer, but it's nearly 20 percent more accurate. "Within 24 hours, it will be known if Mrs. Jones, you are at risk for oral cancer in your mouth, or you have a clean bill of health," Wong said. If found early, treatment can be as simple as removing a precancerous lesion with a laser. [...]

7/5/2006 Atlanta, GA Mike Stobbe news.yahoo.com Your parents may still tell you to take your vitamins, but a cancer doctor might be less enthusiastic. A recent study that found calcium and vitamin D supplements don't reduce the odds of developing breast cancer is the latest to deflate the cancer-prevention claims of some vitamin proponents. A federal science panel last month had concluded there is no evidence for recommending certain vitamin supplements for cancer prevention. Even the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade association, won't say vitamins prevent cancer. "There is no vitamin or mineral supplement proven to reduce the risk of cancer," said Eric Jacobs, a senior epidemiologist and vitamin specialist with the American Cancer Society. However, many doctors continue to recommend daily multivitamins for general health. And some experts say certain supplements may yet prove to be a help in the fight against cancer — once scientists can work out the right amounts and better ways to study their effects. "I do think there is a fundamental issue of finding the optimal dose of essential nutrients," said Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Experts say more research is needed. "More than half of Americans are taking dietary supplements — mostly multivitamins — but scientists aren't certain about their benefit," said Dr. J. Michael McGinnis, who chaired the National Institutes of Health panel that critiqued supplemental vitamins. "For something used so widely, at such expense, among Americans, there is [...]

7/4/2006 Israel Rafael Nagler et al. Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 12, 3979-3984, July 1, 2006 Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common human malignancy. Circulatory epithelial tumor markers were previously investigated in the serum of OSCC patients but almost never in their saliva, in spite of the fact that there is a direct contact between the saliva and the oral cancer lesion. The purpose of the current study was to examine tumor markers in the saliva of OSCC patients. Experimental Design: We measured the concentrations of the six most studied epithelial serum circulatory tumor markers in the saliva of OSCC (tongue) patients. Results: Significant increases (of 400%) in salivary concentrations of Cyfra 21-1, tissue polypeptide antigen, and CA125 were shown. Salivary concentrations of CA19-9, SCC, and carcinoembryonic antigen were increased without statistical significance. A concurrent analysis of the three significantly increased markers revealed sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of 71%, 75%, 71%, and 75%, respectively. Conclusions: The increase reported in salivary tumor markers may be used as a diagnostic tool, especially when a concurrent analysis for significantly increased markers is done. Salivary testing is noninvasive, making it an attractive, effective alternative to serum testing, and the possibility of developing home testing kits would further facilitate it as a diagnostic aid, enabling patients to monitor their own health at home and is important for those who live far from their treatment centers and especially for those at risk of developing OSCC. Authors: Rafael Nagler1, Gideon Bahar2, [...]

7/4/2006 Houston, TX staff Biocompare.com Nanoparticles could deliver multi-drug therapy to tumors In the ongoing search for better ways to target anticancer drugs to kill tumors without making people sick, researchers find that nanoparticles called buckyballs might be used to significantly boost the payload of drugs carried by tumor-targeting antibodies. In the ongoing search for better ways to target anticancer drugs to kill tumors without making people sick, researchers find that nanoparticles called buckyballs might be used to significantly boost the payload of drugs carried by tumor-targeting antibodies. In research due to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Chemical Communications, scientists at Rice University and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center describe a method for creating a new class of anti-cancer compounds that contain both tumor-targeting antibodies and nanoparticles called buckyballs. Buckyballs are soccer ball-shaped molecules of pure carbon that can each be loaded with several molecules of anticancer drugs like Taxol®. In the new research, the scientists found they could load as many as 40 buckyballs into a single skin-cancer antibody called ZME-018. Antibodies are large proteins created by the immune system to target and attack diseased or invading cells. Previous work at M. D. Anderson has shown that ZME-018 can be used to deliver drugs directly into melanoma tumors, and work at Rice has shown that Taxol can be chemically attached to a buckyball. "The idea that we can potentially carry more than one Taxol per buckyball is exciting, but the real advantage [...]

7/4/2006 Cambridge,MA staff Biocompare.com An ancient avenue for producing cellular energy, the glycolytic pathway, could provide a surprisingly rich target for anti-cancer therapies. A team of Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers knocked down one of the pathway's enzymes, LDHA, in a variety of fast-growing breast cancer cells, effectively shutting down glycolysis, and implanted the cells in mice. Control animals carrying tumor cells with an intact glycolytic pathway did not survive beyond 10 weeks. In striking contrast, only two of the LDHA-deficient mice died, one at 16 weeks, another at just over 18 weeks. Eighty percent of the mice outlived the four month experiment. The findings by Valeria Fantin, Julie St-Pierre, and Philip Leder appear in the June Cancer Cell. "This is an exciting contribution that reveals a surprising Achilles heel in cancer cells. It also adds to our sense of opportunity for new avenues of cancer therapeutics," said Stuart Schrieber, Morris Loeb professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. As a tumor grows, cells crowd one another and may be cut off from oxygen-carrying blood vessels--a distinct disadvantage since most cells require oxygen to produce the bulk of their energy-storing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In the 1920s, Otto Warburg proposed that some cancer cells evolved the ability to switch over to an ancient, oxygen-free route, the glycolytic pathway. What is more, they continue to use this pathway even when access to oxygen is restored. Though the so-called Warburg effect has since been confirmed, the [...]

7/4/2006 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Scott Fields FoxNews.com A hand-held light may soon help dentists and physicians find oral cancer faster and more reliably. That's important because in America alone each year 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer, and only half of them will survive more than five years, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. And people who do survive oral cancer may do so at the cost of painful and disfiguring surgery, as chunks of tongue, jaw or palate are carved from the patient's mouth. The problem, says Miriam Rosin, a cancer biologist at the British Columbia Cancer Research Center in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is not only that dentists and general practitioners don't do frequent enough inspections, but that when they do, they usually inspect the mouth under ordinary light. Ordinary light doesn't highlight what has turned out to be a reliable indicator of some cells' health: their natural fluorescence. In the right environment, specifically under a specialized blue light, cells can flash their condition like a lighthouse warning of a submerged reef. This new device, called a Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope, or "VELScope," (combined with program of regular oral checkups, Rosin cautions) could reveal early evidence of the fast-spreading disease, which is most common in smokers and heavy drinkers. Used correctly, the device can spotlight cells that have turned to the dark side, literally, as well as those that are teetering on becoming cancerous. "You shine a blue light on the tissue [...]