Specialists pinpoint cancer treatment

2/7/2007 Wilmington, DE Kelly Bothum DelawareOnline (www.delawareonline.com) To the untrained eye, the image on Denise Mahoney's computer screen might look like a geometry problem gone awry. It's a CT scan of a patient with cancer in his head and neck. More than a dozen lines of different colors crisscross the screen. The intersection of these lines cuts the skull into geometric shapes of varying sizes and angles. But to Mahoney's skilled eyes, the picture makes plenty of sense. Each line represents a radiation beam. When administered to the patient over a series of treatments, these beams will attack the tumors in the patient's head and neck while sparing sensitive areas like the eyes and mouth glands. For a dosimetrist like Mahoney, whose job is to figure out the best way to administer radiation treatments to a cancer patient, there's a delicate dance between killing cancer cells and protecting nearby organs and tissues. Because of the expertise of a dosimetrist, patients can fight their cancer while preserving as much quality of life as possible. In the multidisciplinary world of cancer care, dosimetrists play crucial roles on oncology teams. Their job is like that of a radiation pharmacist. Relying on a prescription from a radiation oncologist, dosimetrists develop an individual plan of radiation treatment for a cancer patient. They use special software as well as MRI, CT and PET scans to map out specially measured radiation doses. Unlike oncologists, who care for patients, or radiation therapists, who administer treatment over many days, [...]

2009-04-14T11:25:18-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

Clinical, pathological, cellular and molecular lesions caused by oral smokeless tobacco – a review

2/5/2007 London, England K A A S Warnakulasuriya and R Ralhan J Oral Pathol Med, February 1, 2007; 36(2): 63-77 While carcinogenicity of smokeless tobacco (ST) to humans is well established the oral lesions that precede development of cancer are less well characterized. The clinical appearances of ST-associated lesions are variable. Epidemiological studies show a strong significant association of risk with chronic daily use but population differences are noted because of various commercial products in use. Morphological features observed are some what different to oral lesions caused by smoking and oral dysplasia in ST-associated lesions is less common. Effects of ST on oral keratinocytes observed in vitro include alterations in cell proliferation, apoptosis and activation of inflammatory markers. Genetic aberrations caused by ST include activation of ras, uncommon in smokers but mutational hot spots in p53 encountered are similar to those in smokers. Authors' affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology, WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer and Precancer, King's College Dental Institute at Guy's, King's and St Thomas? Hospitals, King's College London, London, UK

2009-04-14T11:24:30-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

A nicotine fix without lighting up?

2/5/2007 Wilmington, DE Eric Ruth Delaware Online (www.delawareonline.com) Lots of products out there claim they'll help people overcome smoking. Now comes one that aims to help them overcome smoking bans. Smokers who are finding themselves frazzled by today's increasingly tobacco-hostile world can now lotion up when they feel like lighting up, courtesy of a nicotine gel that is rubbed into their hands, purportedly giving hours of crave-free existence. Already marketed around the world, "Nicogel" recently made its U.S. debut at Delaware's Happy Harry's drugstores and other Walgreen locations. Unlike the pricey patches, lozenges and gums that now fill shelves, Nicogel makes no claim to being a "nicotine-replacement therapy" that helps smokers quit. Instead, the amber nicotine gel is specifically marketed with the idea of allowing smokers to get a fix when they're stuck in a smoke-free place -- which in Delaware includes just about every existing public building, and even a few grassy fields. Made from tobacco, each packet delivers enough nicotine to get users through four hours without a smoke, its makers claim. Nicogel arrives at a time when smoking bans are increasing, along with the potential for profit for makers of nicotine therapies and other products. Last year, the National Bureau of Economic Research Inc., a nonprofit economic research group, estimated that smoking-cessation ventures overall had retail sales of nearly $1 billion annually and were spending more than $100 million annually on advertising. Sales research company MarketResearch.com recently estimated that sales of over-the-counter smoking-cessation products will grow to [...]

2009-04-14T11:23:58-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. Closes $6 Million in Oversubscribed Round of Private Financing

2/2/2007 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada press release Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) LED Medical Diagnostics Inc., a Vancouver-based medical device company, recently closed a USD 6 million financing round through Integral Wealth Securities Limited. The company will use these funds to aggressively market and distribute its FDA (510k) cleared VELscope (Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope) oral mucosal examination device in the United States and Canadian dental markets through its wholly owned subsidiary, LED Dental Inc. VELscope is a clinically proven adjunctive screening device that utilizes a narrow band of blue light and specialized filtering technology to help dental professionals evaluate oral mucosa for abnormal areas of concern, such as potentially cancerous lesions that may not be apparent under white light. In addition, this round of funding will enable LED Medical to accelerate its efforts to integrate the use of VELscope into the oral hygiene and oral pathology curricula of leading dental schools throughout North America. According to Peter Whitehead, CEO and Director of LED Medical: "This oversubscribed round of financing was a resoundingly strong vote of confidence by the investment community for our proprietary Direct Tissue Fluorescence Visualization Technology and the potential it has to help save lives." VELscope was proven effective in clinical trials conducted by the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) and financed in part by over $50 million in grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, a U.S. government-funded agency. "VELscope's improved real-time visual detection capability can significantly enhance [...]

2009-04-14T11:23:34-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

Toluidine blue in monitoring of recurrences and second primary tumors in patients treated for oral cavity and pharynx cancer

2/2/2007 web-based article M Pabiszczak et al. Otolaryngol Pol, January 1, 2006; 60(5): 691-5 Assesment of recurrences in the oral cavity and pharynx is a serious diagnostic challenge particularly in patient after surgery and irradiation. Observed visible local lesions like oedema, formation of postoperative scars and pain made the diagnostic procedure difficult. Sometimes it's impossible to distinguish recurrences and inflammatory reaction. The aim of this research was to evaluate the usefulness of toluidyne blue in monitoring of recurrences and second primary tumors in the patients with oral and pharyngeal cancer. It was performed by comparison of the three methods: physical examination, endoscopic ultrasound probe and toluidine blue staining in detection of early malignancy. A group of 80 patients with oral and pharyngeal squamous cell cancer was treated in the years between 2000-2003 in the Department of Otolaryngology in Pozna?. In 7 positive tested cases toluidine blue staining was confirmed in histological examination. 3 cases were false-positive staining (patients after reconstructive with infrahyoid and pectoral major flap). Conclusions: (1) toluidine blue staining is a cheap effective diagnostic procedure for monitoring recurrences in patients after surgery and irradiation; (2) procedure is limited in patients after reconstructive flap surgery; (3) ultrasound endoscopy is of value in assesment of advanced tumors of oral cavity and pharynx, but it's limited in flat and superficial mucosal infiltrations. Authors: M Pabiszczak, M Wierzbicka, E Wasniewska, and W Szyfter Authors' affiliation: Klinika Otolaryngologii i Onkologii Laryngologicznej w Poznaniu im. K. Marcinkowskiego

2009-04-14T11:23:08-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

Ethyol® Can Be Administered Subcutaneously to Prevent Radiation Induced Xerostomia

2/2/2007 web-based article staff CancerConsultants.com A phase II multicenter trial has demonstrated that Ethyol (amifostine) can be administered subcutaneously for the prevention of radiation induced xerostomia in patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. The details of this study appeared in the February 2007 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat patients with head and neck cancers, and xerostomia is a frequent side effect. The intravenous administration of Ethyol has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prevention of radiation induced xerostomia. The necessity of administering Ethyol intravenously has severely limited its use. Thus, researchers have explored the subcutaneous route of administration. These researchers treated 54 patients with subcutaneous Ethyol followed by radiation therapy. The incidence of grade 2 or greater early Xerostomia was 56% and the incidence of late xerostomia was 45%. These incidences of early and late xerostomia are similar to that observed with the use of Ethyol intravenously in a previous randomized trial and lower than the control group of that trial. Nausea and vomiting were the most frequent side effects. Local control and survival rates were not inferior to those expected. These authors concluded that subcutaneous Ethyol could substitute for intravenous administration for the prevention of xerostomia. Comments: These are important observations that should increase the use of Ethyol in preventing xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer. It is anticipated that the FDA will approve this route of administration. [...]

2009-04-14T11:22:22-07:00February, 2007|Archive|

COX Inhibitors Seen For Potential Value in Head/Neck Cancer

2/2/2007 New York, NY Megan Rauscher CancerPage.com In a retrospective case-control study, researchers observed a non-significant trend for better survival in head and neck cancer patients who used nonselective COX inhibitors (aspirin and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications) on a regular basis. "Although these results are intriguing, there is not sufficient evidence to recommend their use in patients with head and neck cancer unlike patients with colon polyps or colon cancer," Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie from the Medical University of South Carolina warned in comments to Reuters Health. For the study, reported in the January issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, Dr. Gillespie and colleagues identified 325 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. They compared the rate of COX inhibitor use among patients who had died or whose disease had recurred with that among survivors or those without recurrence. Medication data were available for 319 subjects, of whom 232 (73%) were COX inhibitor users and 87 (27%) were nonusers. There was no difference in COX inhibitor exposure between patients with and without disease recurrence (p = 0.42). "Although non-selective COX inhibitors are inexpensive, widely available, and relatively safe, they do not appear to have a strong effect at preventing recurrences of head and neck cancer," Dr. Gillespie said. There was also no significant difference in COX inhibitor use between survivors and nonsurvivors of head and neck cancer (p = 0.66). Nevertheless, there was a trend toward longer survival with regular COX inhibitor use. The median survival of COX [...]

2009-04-14T11:20:52-07:00February, 2007|Archive|
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