2009 – Page 15 – Oral Cancer News

Big Tobacco still targets teenagers

Source: www.postbulletin.com Author: staff A couple of months ago I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years. I didn't recognize him. A once solid and athletic guy, now in his late 40s, he'd lost more than 50 pounds and his skin was the color of fireplace ash. A long, thin scar ran from his jaw all the way down his neck and disappeared under his shirt. "I've got cancer," he said after re-introducing himself. He explained that he'd been through extensive surgery and treatments but that he was optimistic he'd pull through. Doctors told him smoking was the likely cause of his throat cancer. This week marks the two-year anniversary of the law that made it illegal to smoke in Minnesota's bars, restaurants and other public places. Olmsted County can take pride in the fact that it helped lead the way in the push to clear the air in the state's workplaces, eating establishments and watering holes. In November of 2001, Olmsted County Board members passed a comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance. The countywide ban was a courageous, landmark decision that helped create momentum for the statewide legislation. I don't know about you, but whenever I visit a state like Wyoming, where smoking is prohibited only in underground mines and other places where you could blow yourself up if you lit a match, I'm thankful for Minnesota's ban. It's so nice to be able to enjoy a meal without having to breathe in toxic fumes. But the tobacco wars continue. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T21:04:12-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Nanomagnet in “Star-Trek style” wand could cure cancer

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk Author: staff The space-age technology, which uses microscopic iron particles to heat up and destroy tumours, may be ready for clinical trials in as little as three years. Different teams of UK scientists have been working together on the research, which could bring new hope to patients who are no longer responding to standard therapy. In future the ''nanomagnet'' cancer treatment may even be administered in GP surgeries or out-patient clinics. Crucially, the scientists believe it will be highly cost-effective. The technique literally ''cooks'' cancer cells as if they were in a microwave oven. But instead of microwaves, a rapidly changing magnetic field is generated by the paddle-shaped ''wand''. This heats up thousands of iron oxide ''nanoparticles'' placed inside the tumours. Heating the cells by only 5-6C is enough to send them into shock and kill them. Meanwhile, surrounding healthy tissue in which the iron oxide particles are absent is left unharmed. A major part of the research has involved finding ways to target tumours with the nanoparticles. Two approaches have been explored, one using bone marrow stem cells and the other using antibodies to ferry the particles to cancer sites. A major advantage of using a biological version of ''iron filings'' in the therapy is that they can easily be tracked by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Doctors will be able to map exactly where the nanoparticles - and the cancer - are situated in the body. The ''wand'' can then be held over the hidden [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T20:29:12-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

CDC finds poisons in dissolvable tobacco products

Source: Notobacco Author: Staff Since the beginning of this year, Indianapolis has been a test market for new dissolvable tobacco products, mostly from Camel. These are smokeless, spit-free, made from finely milled tobacco, and held together by food-grade binders. They look like breath mints, breath strips, or toothpicks, and are designed to be placed in the mouth, on the tongue or between the cheek and gum, where they dissolve to release tobacco. Dissolvable tobacco products are now available in Daviess County in the form of Stonewall dissolvable tablets. The manufacturer, Star Scientific, states that Stonewalls are designed for heavy smokers and spit tobacco users. This company also makes Ariva brand dissolvable tablets. Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency feels the tobacco companies are illegally using Hoosiers as unwitting participants in a potentially dangerous clinical trial of these products since they were not tested for safety before being sold to the public, as food products, drugs, and cosmetics would be. Dissolvable tobacco products may contain up to three times the amount of nicotine found in one cigarette. A cigarette smoker typically takes in about 1 milligram of nicotine. Camel dissolvable products are said to deliver about 0.6 to 3.1 milligrams of nicotine each, Ariva tablets have about 1.5 millgrams of nicotine each, and Stonewall tablets have about 4 milligrams of nicotine each. People who use these products may get a higher dose of nicotine than they are used to, possibly resulting in nicotine poisoning, which manifests through adverse reactions such as tremors, [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-10-06T20:21:43-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Brazil develops medicine effective for rebuilding immune system

Source: news.xinhuanet.com Author: Fang Yang A team of Brazilian researchers is developing a medicine to treat AIDS, tuberculosis and cancerous tumors, according to an article published on Sunday's edition of Science, a magazine of Brazil' State of Sao Paolo University (UNESP). The medicine, known as P-Mapa, has shown signs of rebuilding immune systems in tests on animals and humans in Brazil, Chile and the United States, scientists said. P-Mapa has shown to trigger production of anti-tumor or anti-viral molecules in immune system cells, according to both Brazil's Emilio Ribas Institute and the U.S. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). "In all the tests performed to date, the drug has shown itself to be active and free of collateral or toxic side effects," said Iseu Nunes, director of Farmabrasilis, a non-government organization participating in the research. According to NIAID, the medicine is also effective in rats against Punta Toro, a virus which destroys their livers, outperforming traditional hepatitis C medicine. In addition, researchers are testing the medicine's effectiveness in fighting diabetes, osteoporosis and mouth cancer, with promising results. Researchers are expected to release the medicine and its profits will be invested in public health projects.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T06:51:00-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Curcumin may inhibit nicotine-induced activation of head and neck cancers

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff Curcumin, the compound that gives curry powder its yellow/orange color, may inhibit the adverse effects of nicotine in patients with head and neck cancer who continue to smoke. In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers examined the effects of curcumin on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) growths. The study used an in vitro model of a variety of head and neck cancer cell lines. To mimic the clinical situation, HNSCC cells were pre-treated with curcumin and then nicotine was introduced. The results of the studies showed that the curcumin was able to block the nicotine from activating cancer causing cells. Annually there are approximately 40,000 new cases of head and neck cancers and 13,000 deaths in the U.S. and 500,000 new cases worldwide. Recurrence of these cancers are high because many patients continue to smoke after successful treatment. Also, former smokers often use nicotine replacement therapy as an aid for successful tobacco cessation. Although nicotine itself has not been shown to be carcinogenic, it has been shown to encourage the cancer-forming process. The researchers sought a safe, bioactive food compound that could be used not only as a chemopreventive agent but could also block the harmful effects of nicotine. The results may help to discover additional therapies for cancer prevention and treatment. Note: 1. Adapted from materials provided by American Academy of Otolaryngology -- [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-05T05:04:07-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Oncolytics’ Phase III borrows adaptive design in SPA trial

Source: www.bioworld.com Author: Catherine Hollingsworth Oncolytics Biotech Inc. reached agreement with the FDA on the design of a Phase III trial of Reolysin in head and neck cancer, marking the first such agreement for an intravenously administered oncolytic virus. The Phase III trial will be conducted in two stages and will cost an estimated $15 million, Matt Coffey, Oncolytics' chief operating officer, told BioWorld Today. The Calgary, Alberta-based company has the cash to get through the first half of the study on its own, but it hopes to secure a partner to take Reolysin the rest of the way, he said. The trial uses an adaptive design in which "the endpoint is not fixed going in," CEO Brad Thompson said during a conference call. He said it was "a major advantage" getting the FDA to sign off on the study design up front under a special protocol assessment. Thompson said that the adaptive design already is in use in the area of infectious disease, and he said he believes that there will be "a big push" by the FDA for more adaptive trials to be conducted in oncology. The trial will assess the intravenous administration of Reolysin with the chemotherapy combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin vs. chemotherapy alone. The drug likely will be studied in about 275 patients whose cancer has progressed while on or after prior platinum-based chemotherapy. The first stage of the trial is nonadaptive and is designed to enroll 80 patients. The second stage is adaptive, and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-05T04:59:16-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New tobacco product prompts concerns… No it’s not Marlboro…

Source: www.us-marlboro.com Author: staff Sweden brought us meatballs, the Nobel prize, Ikea, the Saab and the Volvo. But the country’s latest mark on the U.S. is not so benign: an oral tobacco product known as snus. The moist tobacco, which comes in a tea-bag-style pouch that goes under the upper lip, has public health experts divided. Some say snus (rhymes with loose) could save scores of lives if smokers switch to it, because the product contains far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, chew and snuff. Critics, though, say snus will only increase the number of people addicted to nicotine and poses a serious threat to anti-tobacco efforts. They say it could create a new crop of young nicotine addicts, while smokers could just as easily supplement their habit rather than substitute one for the other.Some Americans have been using snus by ordering it online or buying it in U.S. test markets, but R.J. Reynolds Tobacco didn’t release Camel Snus nationally until a few weeks ago, the first and only major tobacco company to do so. Philip Morris is selling Marlboro Snus in test markets. In Sweden, nearly a fifth of men in 2007 said they used snus daily, compared with 12 percent who smoke, according to Swedish Match, the country’s largest snus producer. The trend doesn’t hold for Swedish women: just 4 percent use snus and 16 percent smoke. Sweden also has fewer cases of lung cancer than the rest of Europe. Advocates of snus say it deserves at least [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T13:05:32-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Study finds 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: press release A Henry Ford Hospital study has identified 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer, one of the most deadly cancers responsible for 2.1 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. Previously, only 33 genes were reported associated with head and neck cancer. "These new genes should advance selection of head and neck-specific gene targets, opening the door to promising new molecular strategies for the early detection and treatment of head and neck cancer," says study lead author Maria J. Worsham, Ph.D., director of research in the Department of Otolaryngology at Henry Ford Hospital. "It also may offer the opportunity to help monitor disease progression and a patient's response to treatment." Results from the study will be presented Sunday, Oct. 4 at the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego. This year alone, more than 55,000 Americans will develop head and neck cancer, which includes cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, salivary glands, throat and lymph nodes in the neck; nearly 13,000 of them will die from it. According to the National Cancer Institute, 85 percent of head and neck cancers are linked to tobacco use. People who use both tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk for developing these cancers than people who use either tobacco or alcohol alone. Treatment for head and neck cancer varies based on the location and stage of the tumor, but most often includes surgery, radiation therapy [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-04T18:29:05-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Altria to introduce new Marlboro snus and other smokeless tobaccos

Source: www.us-marlboro.com Author: staff In conformity with the recently revealed marketing strategy, Phillip Morris USA has been focused on developing and introducing new extensions of company’s flagship brands Marlboro, L&M and smokeless products, said Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman of Altria Group, the owner of Philip Morris. Altria also is eager to increase its leading position in the constantly growing market of snus, smokeless tobacco products, originating from Sweden. The top tobacco company across America will launch new snus variety under its best-selling brand, Marlboro, according to the chief executive of Altria Group based in Henrico County, VA. In addition, Philip Morris USA will attempt to expand its presence on the market of menthol cigarettes, by introducing a menthol extension of the mainstream discount brand L&M, Szymanczyk said during the Barclays Consumer Conference. And in the nearest future, Altria plans to launch another smokeless tobacco product, using its subsidiary, in order to capture more customers who prefer oral tobacco items. Altria CEO declared that they are currently working on the introduction of new variety of Copenhagen moist snuff with wintergreen flavor. According to industry analysts, the introduction of additional variety will contribute to approximately 9 percent increase of Copenhagen market share, from current 23% to almost 32%. According to Szymanczyk, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and Philip Morris have joined forces to boost the sales of snus, smokeless tobacco items, selling as the extension of Marlboro brand. Snus resemble tea bags in appearance and are used for chewing and sucking with a flavorless [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-04T18:18:37-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Erbitux® may improve treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

Source: professional.cancerconsultants.com Author: staff Researchers from Germany have reported that Erbitux® (cetuximab) improves response rate, time to disease progression, and overall survival of patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma receiving Platinol® (cisplatin) and 5-FU. The details of this study appeared in the October 2009 issue of Annals of Oncology.[1] Esophageal cancer is relatively common and is very deadly. It 1998 there were approximately 12,300 new cases of esophageal cancer diagnosed in the United States and nearly 12,000 esophageal cancer deaths, making esophageal cancer one of the most deadly of all cancers. Most cancers of the upper two-thirds of the esophagus arise from squamous cells. Cancers of the lower esophagus most often arise from columnar epithelium and are adenocarcinomas. In the recent past, squamous cell cancers made up more than 80% of all esophageal cancers. Over the past two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of adenocarcinomas, which now account for one-third to one-half of all esophageal cancers. However, squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus remains a major problem and is difficult to treat when metastatic. Usual treatment for metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus includes a platinum compound and 5-FU. Erbitux is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that binds to the outer domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). It is currently approved, in combination with radiation therapy, for the treatment of locally or regionally advanced head and neck cancer, or as a single agent in the treatment of advanced, EGFR-expressing head and neck cancer [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-03T07:26:31-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|