10/2/2004 Baltimore, MD Tom Dunkel Baltimore Sun (online edition) Life is full of surprises, and Karen Ulmer got a well-deserved one this week when about 30 family members and colleagues ambushed her at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. There were hugs. There were flowers. There was - oh, no! - Ulmer's 5-year-old son, Joshua, prematurely poking his finger into a sheet cake decorated with pink-icing script that read "Congratulations Karen." The cause for celebration was hospital director Larry Merlis' announcement that Ulmer is one of 15 nurses nationwide who've been selected for outstanding service awards by apparel manufacturer Cherokee Uniforms. "I'm very touched and honored," said Ulmer, who had that familiar, glazed-eye look of somebody whose doorbell had just been rung by the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol. Unfortunately, Karen Ulmer couldn't eat a piece of her own cake. She was recognized by the company for her devotion to head and neck cancer patients. It is an empathy that comes, in part, from first-hand experience: Ulmer, 36, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 17 years ago and has undergone more than a dozen operations and surgical procedures. She sometimes attends the same cancer-survivor support groups as her patients. "Anyone who has read or heard her story knows she's an inspiration," said KerriAnn Schenck, nursing supervisor for the fifth-floor surgical in-patient unit where Ulmer works. Her vocal chords have been damaged by radiation treatments. She has had several tracheostomies done on her throat, inserting tubes to relieve breathing problems. She can nibble some [...]

10/1/2004 ANN ARBOR, MI By Sheri Hall The Detroit News Americans listen to stars' pitches, U-M scientist says. — A University of Michigan researcher says he’s found a magic potion that may convince Americans to quit smoking, get regular check-ups and take their medicine: Stardom. Jack Klugman for oral cancer detection Dr. A. Mark Fendrick — who studies factors that influence health behavior — found that while people often ignore their spouses and even their doctors when it comes to health issues — they will listen to celebrities. “Americans are star-struck,” Fendrick said. “They buy the shoes that stars wear, they drink the soft drinks they drink, so it follows that they’ll go ahead and follow their healthy lifestyles.” Blythe Danner for oral cancer screening Fendrick’s initial study, published last year, tracked colon cancer screenings after NBC’s “Today Show” host Katie Couric underwent an on-air colonoscopy test in 2001. She became an advocate for the screenings after her husband died of colon cancer in 1998. “The second she went on TV, I thought of the idea,” Fendrick said. For nine months after Couric’s on-air test, Fendrick and his fellow researchers surveyed 400 gastrointestinal doctors in 22 states to find out how many colonoscopies they performed weekly. And the researchers tracked the tests among 44,000 patients in a Michigan health maintenance organization. Researchers found a 20 percent increase in the screenings in both groups. “Before Katie, there had been a tremendous effort in encouraging people to get colon cancer screenings, and [...]

9/30/2004 Kristen B. Pytynia et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 22, No 19, 2004: pp. 3981-3988 PURPOSE To compare survival rates between patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) without a history of smoking (never smokers) and those with a current or previous history of smoking (ever smokers). PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty never smokers with newly diagnosed SCCHN were matched to 50 ever smokers according to sex, age, tumor site, overall stage, nodal stage, and treatment. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Matched-pair survival was compared using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS The never smokers had a greater overall survival (P = .020), disease-specific survival (P = .022), and recurrence-free survival (P = .016). Furthermore, matched-pair analysis demonstrated smoking was associated with a significant increase in risk of overall death (relative risk [RR] = 3.50; 95% CI, 1.14 to 10.77; P = .029), risk of death owing to disease (RR = 3.98; 95% CI, 1.11 to 14.33; P = .034), and risk of disease recurrence (RR = 3.29; 95% CI, 1.18 to 9.14; P = .023). Smoking was associated with three-fold increases in risk for overall death, death owing to disease, and recurrence after adjustment for cancer-associated symptom severity and alcohol use, but the 95% CI for these adjusted risk estimates each included the null. CONCLUSION Survival differed significantly between never smokers and ever smokers with SCCHN. These results are not substantively explained by differences in cancer-associated symptoms or alcohol use, but the [...]

9/30/2004 Adorján F. Kovács, Natascha Döbert, Jochen Gaa, Christian Menzel, Klaus Bitter Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 22, No 19 , 2004: pp. 3973-3980 PURPOSE To assess the impact of a diagnostic ladder including [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) and lymphoscintigraphy guided sentinel node biopsy (LS/SNB) on neck treatment in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Prospectively, 62 patients with resectable T1-3 OOSCC underwent computed tomography (CT) and PET. Patients without neck uptake in PET were defined as cN0 and were accrued for LS/SNB. Results were correlated with histopathology. The traditional guidelines according to CT findings were compared to the actual regimen and the outcome. RESULTS Sensitivity, specificity, validity, and positive and negative predictive value of PET versus CT were 72% v 89%, 82% v 77%, 79% v 80.5%, 62% v 61.5%, and 88% v 94.5% (not significant). Thirty-eight PET negative patients underwent LS/SNB. Sentinel lymph nodes were found in all 38 patients. Five patients had positive nodes (PET false-negatives) and underwent neck dissection (ND). Fifty-one neck sides in 36 patients who were CT-negative would have been treated with selective ND according to the guidelines, and at least 45 neck sides would have had to undergo extensive ND because of positive CT findings (96 of 124 neck sides). In contrast, PET in combination with LS/SNB spared 59 neck sides, and 41 of 124 neck sides actually underwent ND as a result of PET staging, LS/SNB, and intraoperative decision. After a median follow-up of 35 [...]

9/30/2004 PITTSBURGH, PA William S. Saunders et al. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center The amount of smoke in just one or two puffs of a cigarette can cause breaks in DNA and defects to a cell's chromosomes, leading to irreversible changes in genetic information being passed to a newly divided cell, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers. Their findings, to be reported Tuesday, Oct. 5 at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, are the first to show that cigarette smoke causes chromosome instability. While most research has focused on the changes in DNA sequence caused by cigarette smoke, little attention has been given to how smoke affects genomic stability of cells. In laboratory studies using human fibroblasts, common cells found in connective tissue, William S. Saunders, Ph.D., and colleagues discovered that exposure to even a small amount of cigarette smoke condensate – equal to about 1/25 of a cigarette – caused breaks to both strands of DNA and compromised the integrity of the cell's chromosomes. Cigarette smoke contains some 5,000 organic compounds, including chemicals known to cause cancers. While the researchers did not expose cells to actual puffs of smoke, the cigarette smoke condensate they used was derived from burning real cigarettes and obtained from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Containing mostly particulates, the extracted smoke was liquefied as part of a solvent mixture before it was exposed to the cells. "Double-stranded breaks are considered the most mutagenic type of DNA damage because the broken ends can [...]

9/29/2004 Chicago, IL no attribution Journal of the American Dental Association The Journal of the American Dental Association reported in its August edition that cigarette smoke combined with healthy saliva creates a mixture that can accelerate oropharyngeal cancer, according to researchers in the July 5 issue of British Journal of Cancer. The report outlined that saliva contains antioxidants molecules that fight and neutralize harmful substances and help protect the body against cancer. Researchers examined its role in the development of oral cancer by recreating the effects of cigarette smoke on cancerous cells of the mouth. They exposed one-half of cancerous cell samples to cigarette smoke alone and the other one-half to a saliva and cigarette smoke mixture. They used cancerous cells in their study to assess quickly whether the saliva and smoke mixture would speed the cancer development. Researchers found that cigarette smoke destroyed the antioxidants in the saliva and turned the saliva into a chemical mixture that could accelerate the development of mouth cancer. The longer the cancerous cells were exposed to the contaminated saliva, the more the cells were damaged. "Most people will find it very shocking that the mixture of saliva and smoke is actually more lethal to cells in the mouth than cigarette smoke alone", said study co-author Dr. Rafi Nagler. "Our study shows that once exposed to cigarette smoke, our normally healthy saliva not only loses its beneficial qualities but it turns traitor and actually aids in destroying the cells of the mouth and oral [...]

9/29/2004 Jean-François Daisne, MD, Thierry Duprez et al Radiology 2004;233:93-100 Purpose To compare computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) for delineation of gross tumor volume (GTV) in pharyngolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to validate results with the macroscopic surgical specimen when available. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-nine patients with stages II–IV squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy (n = 20) or with total laryngectomy (n = 9) were enrolled. Ten patients had oropharyngeal, 13 had laryngeal, and six had hypopharyngeal tumors. CT, MR imaging, and PET were performed with patients immobilized in a customized thermoplastic mask, and images were coregistered. GTVs obtained with the three modalities were compared quantitatively and qualitatively. If patients underwent total laryngectomy, images were validated with the surgical specimen after three-dimensional coregistration. The effect of each modality was estimated with linear mixed-effects models. Adjustments for multiple comparisons were made with the Bonferonni or Sidak method. RESULTS For oropharyngeal tumors and for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal tumors, no significant difference (P > .99) was observed between average GTVs delineated at CT (32.0 and 21.4 cm3, respectively) or MR imaging (27.9 and 21.4 cm3, respectively), whereas average GTVs at PET were smaller (20.3 [P .10] and 16.4 cm3 [P .01], respectively). GTVs from surgical specimens were significantly smaller (12.6 cm3, P .06). In nine patients for whom a surgical specimen was available, no modality adequately depicted superficial tumor extension; this was due to limitations [...]

9/28/2004 A Altieri, C Bosetti, et al OralOncol, October 1, 2004; 40(9): 904-9 We examined the relation between consumption of different types of alcoholic beverages and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer, using data from a case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 1997. This included a total of 749 cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer and 1,772 hospital controls, admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to alcohol and smoking consumption. Significant trends in risk were found with increasing total alcohol intake, with multivariate odds ratios (OR) of 2.1 for drinkers of 3-4 drinks/day, as compared to abstainers or light drinkers (#10877;2 drinks/day), 5.0 for 5-7, 12.2 for 8-11 and 21.1 for #10878;12 drinks/day. Similar increased risks for subsequent levels of consumption were found for wine drinkers. After allowance for wine intake, the ORs for beer drinkers were 1.2 for 1-2 drinks/day, and 2.3 for #10878;3 drinks/day. Corresponding values for spirit drinkers were 1.0 and 1.9. Patterns of risk for wine drinkers were similar for wine only drinkers and drinkers of wine, plus beer and spirits. Our study indicates that in populations with frequent wine consumption, wine per se can strongly increase the risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, and confirms that the most prevalent alcoholic beverage in each population tends to be the one with the highest risk.

9/28/2004 Gail Topping & JA Critchley, B Unal. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 2004, Volume 5, Number 3, Pages 79-79 Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Dissertation Abstracts were searched, supplemented by screening reference lists, smoking-related websites, and contacting experts. Study selection Analytical observational studies of use of smokeless tobacco (ST; cohorts, case-control, cross-sectional studies) with a sample size of 500 were included if they reported on one or more of the following outcomes: mortality from any cause, oral and pharyngeal cancers, other cancers, cardiovascular diseases, dental diseases, pregnancy outcomes or surgical outcomes. Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction covered control of confounding, selection of cases and controls, sample size, clear definitions and measurements of the health outcome, and ST use. Selection, extraction and quality assessments were carried out by one or two independent reviewers. Results Many of the studies lacked sufficient power to estimate precise risks, mainly because of the small number of ST users. Studies were often not designed to investigate ST use, and many also had major methodological limitations including poor control for cigarette smoking and imprecise measurements of exposure. Studies in India showed a substantial risk of oral or oropharyngeal cancers associated with chewing betel quid and tobacco. Studies from other regions and of other cancer types were not consistent. Few studies have adequately considered the non-cancer health effects of ST use. Conclusions Chewing betel quid and tobacco is associated with a substantial risk of oral cancers in India. Most recent studies from the US and Scandinavia are not [...]

9/27/2004 TAMPA, FL Ivanhoe Broadcast News HealthCentral.com Combining radiation and chemotherapy to kill cancer cells is often very difficult on patients because of the side effects, but new research shows the results may be worth it. Days like this with her family make it all worthwhile for Ruth Toseland. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with tongue cancer. A portion of her tongue was removed, but the cancer came back. After two more surgeries, she opted for an extreme treatment -- radiation combined with chemotherapy. Oncologist Julie A. Kish, M.D., of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., was involved in a national study that may change the treatment of choice for patients at high risk for recurrence. "At two years, the recurrence rate was lower in patients that had the combined treatment as opposed to radiation alone," she tells Ivanhoe. But the treatment is very hard on the patient. Researchers say four of the 228 patients in the study died as a result of the combined therapy. Still, Dr. Kish says, for some, the tough approach is worth it. "If you can prolong the time until the cancer comes back, which potentially, at some point in time, it may not come back, which we never say because we can't predict that, it's worth going through it." Ruth finished her treatment two and half years ago. So far, the cancer has not returned. Her husband, Michael, says, "We've got a lot to be thankful for. It was touch and go for [...]