10/24/2004 Onlypunjab.com Team Onlypunjab.com The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) has received a five-year, $10 million Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) federal grant to examine innovative treatment strategies designed to improve survival outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer. The grant, awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the second SPORE awarded to UPCI – the first was awarded to the cancer institute's Lung Cancer Program in 2001 – and is one of only four SPORE grants in head and neck cancer awarded nationally. "Head and neck cancer is one of the most physically and emotionally debilitating cancers," said Jennifer Grandis, M.D., principal investigator of the grant and professor of otolaryngology and pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and director of UPCI's Head and Neck Cancer Program. "Treatment options are limited and often leave a patient with disabling side effects that can have a devastating impact on quality of life. This grant will enable us to enhance the quality of life for head and neck cancer patients and greatly improve their prognoses through the collaborative efforts of our researchers in the laboratory and clinic." The grant funds four major translational research projects that focus on genetic changes that are potential risk factors for head and neck cancer, intracellular signaling proteins activated during head and neck cancer, and new treatment strategies designed to reduce the morbidity and mortality from head and neck cancer. According to Dr. Grandis, each project within the grant has two co-leaders, one [...]

10/15/2004 Landis K. Griffeth, MD, PhD Cure Magazine, Fall 2004 PET/CT is the latest innovation in oncology imaging, but is, in reality, just the combination, in a single device, of the two most useful imaging instruments in cancer care. In order to understand the benefits of a PET/CT device, we first must consider the two pieces separately. Computerized tomography (CT) scanning has been the primary tool of oncologic imaging for three decades. It is unrivaled in demonstrating the precise anatomy of the structures within the body, including tumors. CT works by passing X-rays through the body, while the X-ray source and the X-ray detector (on the opposite side of the body) swing in a circle around the patient’s body. The scanner measures the absorption of the X-rays along all these angles passing through the body and, using special computer programs, constructs images that are “slices” through the body, showing great anatomical detail. A general term for imaging slices of the body is tomography. Virtually all tomographic types of imaging studies today are computerized, but CT was the first of this type. Advances in CT scanners in recent years have made it such that these scanners can now make very high-resolution images (very thin slices through the body) and can cover large parts of the body very quickly as the patient on the table travels through the “doughnut” of the CT scanner gantry. The limitation of CT is that, as accurate as it is for showing the internal anatomy of the [...]

10/22/2004 Seattle, WA Press Release Introgen Therapeutics, Inc Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: INGN - News) today announced preclinical data demonstrating the promise of its INGN 225 therapy as a cancer vaccine. The data were presented yesterday at the Third Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, being held in Seattle. INGN 225 is a therapeutic consisting of a cancer patient's own immune cells treated with an adenovector carrying the human p53 gene, Ad-p53. INGN 225 is currently in Phase 1/2 trials in patients with small cell lung cancer and breast cancer. Introgen is also developing Ad-p53, or ADVEXIN®, in phase 3 clinical trials for head and neck cancer, and for a variety of other cancers. Previous studies have shown that p53 is a critical tumor suppressor gene, whose function is to prevent tumor formation. Mutations in p53 are required for tumor formation. These characteristics make p53 protein an ideal target for a cancer vaccine. In normal cells, p53 is found at very low levels and its expression is very tightly controlled. In cancer cells however, p53 fails to function normally and often accumulates to high levels. This high level of abnormal expression of p53 is used by the immune system to identify and destroy tumor cells following INGN 225 vaccination. "We believe that these studies highlight the great potential of INGN 225 for the treatment of cancer, and we are equally excited by the prospect of using this technology to prevent cancer," said Sunil Chada, Ph.D., Introgen's [...]

10/22/2004 Linda Marsa The Grand Rapids Press Because the early signs of oral cancer -- white spots or red areas in the mouth -- are painless and difficult to detect, diagnosis usually occurs only after the disease has reached the point of requiring aggressive, disfiguring treatments. Half of those diagnosed will die of the disease. But a soy-derived experimental treatment is being tested that could reduce this deadly toll by stopping oral cancers from developing. "Mortality rates haven't changed in 40 years because we don't have any good treatments beyond surgery and no way of preventing cancers from returning," says Dr. Frank L. Meyskens Jr., an oncologist at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California (Irvine) Medical Center. Meyskens and other scientists hope if the drug proves effective, it may be used to protect against oral cancer in people who are at increased risk. "This approach seems promising," says Sol Silverman, a professor of oral medicine at the University of California (San Francisco) Medical School and spokesman for the American Dental Association. About 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year, and only 57 percent survive more than five years. Tobacco use is the culprit behind about 75 percent of oral cancer cases, and alcohol also is a major contributing factor. Oral cancer is the leading cancer among men in India, and incidence rates can be as high as 40 percent in Southeast Asia, where people chew betel nuts, which contain lye, or tobacco laced [...]

10/22/2004 no attribution Datamonitor NewsWire Biopharmaceutical oncology therapeutics developer Viventia Biotech has filed for orphan drug designation with the FDA for its lead armed antibodies drug candidate, Proxinium, for the treatment of head and neck cancer. Proxinium is a targeted therapeutic consisting of a proprietary antibody fragment conjugated with a cancer-killing payload. It targets a cell surface protein found on most head and neck cancers and has been designed to deliver a therapeutically potent anticancer payload directly to tumors, avoiding healthy, normal tissue. If the application is approved by the FDA, under the US Orphan Drug Act, Proxinium will be entitled to various incentives, which may include a waiver of regulatory filing fees, access to potential grant funding for non-clinical and clinical research, and seven years of market exclusivity if it is subsequently approved by the FDA In addition, many orphan drugs receive expedited regulatory review because they have been developed to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses, and as such the approval time for orphan drugs has historically been considerably shorter than for other drugs. "Obtaining orphan drug designation from the FDA is an important step in Viventia's strategy to rapidly develop Proxinium as a treatment for patients with advanced head and neck cancer," said Dr Glover, president and CEO of Viventia Biotech.

10/21/2004 Austin, TX no attribution Austin Business Journal Austin-based Introgen Therapeutics Inc. has licensed a patent that covers several methods for administering its anticancer therapy to patients. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 6,805,858, entitled "Methods for the Administration of Adenovirus p53," to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System. The patent is exclusively licensed to Introgen. In 2003, Introgen's investigational drug, Advexin, was granted "fast track" designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for head and neck cancer. The new patent covers methods by which Advexin can be administered. The patent is directed to various routes of administration of adenoviral p53, including nearly all the routes currently being used for adenoviral delivery, such as direct administration to the tumor or body region where the tumor is located, as well as systemic, intravenous or intratracheal delivery. "This patent represents yet another important step in our Advexin portfolio development, which has been to issue both broader and narrow patents covering all aspects of adenoviral compositions and clinical therapy," says David Parker, Introgen's vice president of intellectual property. Unlike other viral delivery systems, adenoviruses, which have been used for years in the vaccine field, do not mix with a patient's DNA, according to Introgen. Instead, they are genetically altered so they are unable to replicate in humans. Adenoviruses also have properties that allow for commercial scale manufacturing. Introgen develops biopharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The company [...]

10/21/2004 San Diego, CA Press Release Genetronics Biomedical Corporation Genetronics Biomedical Corporation is a late stage biomedical company focused on building an oncology franchise based on its proprietary electroporation therapy. The therapy targets a significant unmet clinical need: the selective killing of cancer cells and local ablation of solid tumors while preserving healthy tissue. The company is moving its lead product, the MedPulser® Electroporation Therapy System, through pre-marketing studies for head and neck cancer in Europe, where it has CE Mark accreditation, and a U.S. Phase III pivotal study for recurrent head and neck cancer. Merck, Vical, Chiron, the US Navy and other partners are also employing Genetronics' electroporation technology, which enhances local delivery of drugs and DNA, in their development of novel DNA vaccines and gene therapies. Genetronics is a leader in electroporation, with over 240 patents worldwide that are issued, allowed or pending.

10/21/2004 Kelly Bothum The Patriot News Sean O'Donnell wears his yellow wristband in remembrance of three grandparents who died of cancer. Katie Knoble gave away 20 bracelets for her family and friends to wear as a sign of support for her grandfather battling prostate cancer. Vince Mascoli feels an added surge of inspiration running cross country while wearing the strip of yellow on his right wrist. Three reasons, one bracelet, one message. Live Strong. With a simple message, cheap price and word-of-mouth appeal, the wristbands have become a fashion must-have in high school classrooms and on college campuses nationwide. Those who wear the bands -- the same color as the jersey worn by Tour de France bicycle race champion Lance Armstrong and imprinted with "Live Strong" -- say it's much more than a trend. "People don't have to go to a lot of trouble to wear one, but it shows support," said Nick Albert, a senior at Central Dauphin High School, where the popular yellow bands can be spotted on the wrists of freshmen and seniors alike. The wristbands have popped up on the wrists of actors, athletes and ordinary folk since May, when the Lance Armstrong Foundation introduced them to raise money for cancer research, support and education. Armstrong, who won a record sixth Tour de France this summer, is a seven-year survivor of testicular cancer. More than 17 million wristbands have been sold, and the demand shows little sign of slowing. Most stores reported selling out during the [...]

10/21/2004 Press Release - Sarah L. Zielinski Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 96, No. 20, 1487, October 20, 2004 Efforts focused on increasing the use of screening mammography among targeted groups of women should be made a top priority to achieve the largest reduction in late-stage breast cancers, according to the authors of a new study in the October 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the author of an editorial in the same issue suggests that certain biases often found in breast cancer screening studies should be taken into account when interpreting the results of the study. Because mammography increases the detection rate of early-stage breast cancers, the incidence of late-stage breast cancers should decline. However, despite high levels of screening in the general population, late-stage breast cancers still occur. The occurrence of late-stage breast cancers could indicate failures in the screening process. To establish where the screening process breaks down and where changes in care might have the greatest impact, Stephen H. Taplin, M.D., M.P.H., now at the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues in a consortium of integrated health plans, The Cancer Research Network, conducted a retrospective case–control study using data from seven health care plans that included 1.5 million women aged 50 years and older who had access to screening mammography. They compared women who had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer with those who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and, on the basis of their earliest screening mammogram [...]

10/19/2004 Maddireddy Umameshwar Rao Naidu et al Neoplasia September/October 2004, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 423-431(9) The term mucositis is coined to describe the adverse effects of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Mucositis is one of the most common adverse reactions encountered in radiation therapy for head and neck cancers, as well as in chemotherapy, in particular with drugs affecting DNA synthesis (S-phase–specific agents such as fluorouracil, methotrexate, and cytarabine). Mucositis may limit the patient's ability to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and nutritional status is compromised. It may drastically affect cancer treatment as well as the patient's quality of life. The incidence and severity of mucositis will vary from patient to patient. It will also vary from treatment to treatment. It is estimated that there is 40% incidence of mucositis in patients treated with standard chemotherapy and this will not only increase with the number of treatment cycles but also with previous episodes. Similarly, patients who undergo bone marrow transplantation and who receive high doses of chemotherapy have a 76% chance of getting mucositis. Patients receiving radiation, in particular to head and neck cancers, have a 30% to 60% chance. The exact pathophysiology of development is not known, but it is thought to be divided into direct and indirect mucositis. Chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy will interfere with the normal turnover of epithelial, cells leading to mucosal injury; subsequently, it can also occur due to indirect invasion of Gram-negative bacteria and fungal species because most of the cancer drugs will cause [...]