7/8/2004 Hershey, PA Valerie Gliem Penn State College of Medicine Penn State College of Medicine researchers have discovered the first molecular therapy to target cancer-causing components and thereby destroy a bona fide human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. "Our results suggest that targeting therapies to the RNA that encodes a specific pair of proteins in HPV may break a chain that, left unhindered, promotes cellular proliferation and, potentially, cervical cancer," said Gary Clawson, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology, and biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State College of Medicine. "Until now, there have been no effective and specific molecular treatments reported for HPV infections or for related papillomavirus infections." The study, titled "The Inhibition of papilloma progression by antisense oligonucleaotides targeted to HPV11 E6/E7 RNA" was published July 1, 2004, in the online version of the journal Gene Therapy. HPV is one of the most common causes of sexually-transmitted infection in the world. Types of HPV can cause fast-growing lesions such as genital and planter warts, and a number of HPV types are considered to be "high-risk" for development of cervical dysplasia, a known precursor to cervical cancer. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 20 million Americans are already infected with HPV. To survive and proliferate, HPV-infected cells require continued production of two proteins called E6 and E7, which are created according to the instructions of RNA, or ribonucleic acid, templates. Clawson and his team supposed that by destroying RNAs used for production of E6 and E7 proteins, the [...]

7/7/2004 Toni Baker Medical College of Georgia A vaccine that appears to protect against four common strains of human papillomavirus virus – two that cause cervical cancer and two that cause genital warts – is under study at the Medical College of Georgia in women age 24-45. "We have studied this vaccine in younger women and in children, who will be the primary target for vaccination in the future. However, there are millions of older women who may also want to be vaccinated against HPV," said Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine physician, director of the MCG Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center and a principal investigator on the vaccine study. HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the country, is the biggest risk factor for cervical cancer and a cause of penile cancer and genital warts. MCG has been involved in several national trials pursuing the efficacy of different HPV vaccines in different populations. The quadrivalent vaccine currently under study protects against types 6 and 11, the top two wart-causing strains, and types 16 and 18, the two most-common cancer-causing strains. Dr. Ferris and his colleagues are concluding studies of the vaccine in women age 16-23 and in boys and girls age 10-15. Many of the mothers with children in the previous study have expressed interest in participating in this latest study. "It's only natural now to look at the moms," Dr. Ferris said. "Although the greatest risk for HPV infection is in the 15- to 25-year-old age [...]

7/7/2004 Washington, DC by Sarah L. Zielinski Journal of the National Cancer Institute A new study reports that head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) that harbor transcriptionally active human papillomaviruses (HPV) have a different pattern of genetic changes than tumors without HPV. These patterns suggest that infection with HPV may play a role in the development of HNSCC, according to the study, which appears in the July 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. HPV is known to cause most cases of cervical cancer. Some studies have suggested that the virus may also play a role in the development of HNSCCs, and HPV DNA has been detected in the tumors of 10% to 20% of HNSCC patients. In addition, active HPV DNA can be found in the tumors of HNSCC patients who do not drink or smoke-factors that have been associated with an increased risk of HNSCC. It is believed that HPV infection is an independent risk factor, but an interaction with exposure to tobacco smoke can not be excluded. The mechanism by which HPV might cause HNSCC is not known. To find a possible mechanism of HPV carcinogenesis, Boudewijn J. M. Braakhuis, Ph.D., of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues looked at HPV DNA and RNA and genetic alterations in the tumors of 143 patients with HNSCC. HNSCCs that had transcriptionally active HPV DNA (i.e., specific viral genes were expressed in the tumor cells) had a distinct genetic pattern in which [...]

7/6/2004 STEWARDSON, IL by Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff The Boston Globe As a teenager, Gruen Von Behrens was a handsome lad who hit .400 for the local Comets and wanted to play for the Chicago Cubs. Ryne Sandberg was his hero. "The only things I cared about were baseball, food, and women, in that order," he said. At the high school field he still can point out the houses in the neighborhood beyond the center-field fence that he hit with home runs. But hitting homers was not his biggest habit. Spit tobacco was, and it almost cost him his life. Von Behrens was on an overnight camping trip when a friend offered him some spit tobacco. It was stolen from his friend's father's dresser drawer. "I thought, `Why not?' " he said. "I was 13. I had not a care in the world. So I took a dip. "At first it made me kind of sick and real dizzy. Next thing I knew I was addicted. I had to have it in my lip when I was playing baseball. I liked it. I liked the way it made me feel. I liked the way it tasted. "It was a game at first to see who could take the biggest dip and hold it in their mouth the longest and get the most juice out of it. To see who it would make get sick and then make fun of that person. And then entice them to chew more. That game [...]

7/6/2004 Bostaon, MA By Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff Boston Globe For Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling it is harder than firing a split-fingered fastball past Alex Rodriguez. Harder than beating the Yankees. "It's obviously the hardest thing I've ever tried to do. Quit," said Schilling about his greatest opponent, smokeless tobacco. "And I still haven't done it yet." It is an uncomfortable subject. Schilling has battled the demons of smokeless or spit tobacco since he was 15, when a high school classmate dared him to try it. He liked it and was hooked. Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents, according to the National Cancer Institute. It has been linked to oral cancer, tooth and gum decay, and possibly heart disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The Surgeon General has testified before Congress that "smokeless tobacco does cause cancer." It also contains highly addictive nicotine. In March 1998, Joe Garagiola, the former major league catcher and current chairman of Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP), brought an oral health team to the spring training site of the Phillies, for whom Schilling was plying his trade at the time. "Schilling was in a line to get checked," said Garagiola. "I could see that he was getting very edgy because he was thinking about the exam. I practically held him by the hand making sure he wouldn't leave. We were talking umpires and Yogi [Berra] stories, anything I could to keep him there. He comes out and he's as [...]

7/5/2004 Liverpool, UK By Mark Hookham Liverpool Daily Post A father who died of cancer before he could be reunited with his daughter features in a hard-hitting NHS anti-smoking advert launched today. Anthony Hicks, from Bootle, Merseyside, was filmed from his hospital bed talking about the impending visit of his daughter, Alexandra, who lives in the United States. The father-of-two is barely audible, and with a visible hole or stoma in his throat following a laryngectomy operation to remove his voicebox. His final words to camera are: "I will be alive to see that" - but the subtitles reveal he died 10 days after filming in September last year and never got to see his daughter. Mr Hicks was a 20 to 40-a-day smoker and developed three independent cancers in his larynx, mouth and lung, all of which were caused by smoking. The advert is part of the Department of Health's Don't Give Up Giving Up campaign, and aims to raise awareness of head and neck cancer. It will launch on television today and on radio from next week. Mr Hicks's consultant, Shaun Jackson, head and neck cancer surgeon at University Hospital in Aintree, said: "There is some public awareness of throat and oral cancer, but few people realise that cancer can actually occur in any of the tissues and organs in the head and neck. "Often the symptoms can be gradual and can take many months to become apparent, lying virtually dormant until your 40's or 50's". "Smoking is [...]

7/3/2004 Tasmania, Australia By HEATHER LOW CHOY The Mercury Dental hygienist Georgina Wright deals with the terrible consequences of smoking every day. Miss Wright, a Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) national councillor, says many smokers do not realise what a disastrous impact it has on their oral health. "Heavy smokers are actually six times more likely to develop oral cancer," Miss Wright said. "Extensive studies have proved clear links between smoking and periodontal disease, which leads to tooth loss. "In comparison to non-smokers, smokers are four times more likely to have periodontal disease, twice as likely to lose some teeth and four times more likely to lose all teeth." Smokers often remained unaware of their poor dental health because the effects of nicotine masked the most obvious symptoms, Miss Wright said. "Nicotine ingestion restricts the blood supply to the gums, which decreases signs of inflammation," she said. Miss Wright said smokers were also more prone to leukoplakia, a white patch inside the mouth that could not be wiped off. "This lesion can develop into cancer," she said. Smokers were far more likely than non-smokers to have a "hairy" tongue, altered taste sensation, dry mouth, stained teeth and bad breath, Miss Wright said. She said giving up smoking could improve oral health almost immediately. "Two days after quitting, former smokers will have an improved taste sensation," Miss Wright said. Long-term benefits of quitting included reduced risk of periodontal disease and tooth loss and decreased risk of oral cancer, Miss [...]

7/2/2004 Karis K. F. Kwong Cancer Nurse, 27(3):183-205, 2004 Abstract and Introduction Oropharyngeal mucositis is an acute and distressing toxic effect of chemotherapy and head and neck irradiation. This oral sequela significantly impairs the daily functioning and quality of life of patients. The biological basis of mucositis is quite complex, involving sequential interaction of chemotherapeutic drugs or irradiation on mitosis of proliferating epithelium, a number of cytokines, and elements of oral microbial environment. Various interventions based on biological attenuation have been tested for mucositis. Such interventions have been reviewed elsewhere; however, most reviews focus on biomedical outcomes. Little attention has been paid to mucositis outcomes with oral morbidity or psychosocial aspects. The purpose of this article is to review the current research studies on the prevention and treatment of oropharyngeal mucositis following chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation with an emphasis on biomedical, oral symptomatic, and functional impairment outcomes. In addition, further avenues of mucositis management, including psychotherapeutic intervention and integrated and stage-based treatment approaches are discussed. Oropharyngeal mucositis is a significant clinical problem afflicting most patients in cancer therapy. Its manifestations may range from generalized erythema to pseudomembranous degeneration, frank ulceration, and hemorrhage. Considerable effort has been expended in the past 10 years to identify etiopathophysiology and develop strategies to alleviate such an oral sequela. Various interventions based on biological attenuation have been investigated with different types of cancer patients. However, the majority of studies are tarnished by methodological shortcomings. At present, no intervention has been shown to be [...]

7/1/2004 New York, NY By Amy Norton Reuters Health Many healthy people who smoke or drink may have a genetic alteration in the cells of the mouth and throat that could signal an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at the University of Hong Kong. The genetic alteration affects the p15 gene, which is involved in the process that normally kills off cells when they go haywire. In many cancers, the p15 gene is methylated, meaning that it is turned off and is unable to perform its "tumor suppressor" function. The researchers' study of healthy adults and patients with head and neck cancers found that 68 percent of healthy smokers and drinkers showed methylated p15 in some of their oral cells. The same was true of 48 percent of the cancer patients, but only 8 percent of healthy adults who were non-smokers and drank only occasionally or not at all. The investigators say it is unclear whether the healthy men and women who showed signs of p15 methylation are in fact at increased risk of developing head and neck cancer, a group of diseases that includes cancers of the mouth, nasal cavity and throat. However, the findings do support the idea that "these p15 methylation changes are present in the very early stages of head and neck cancer development," study co-author Dr. Anthony Po-Wing Yuen told Reuters Health. He and his colleagues report on the study in the July 1st issue of the journal Cancer. That smokers and [...]

7/1/2004 Atlanta, GA By BD Powe and R Finnie Oncol Nurs Forum ; 31(4): 785-91. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge of oral cancer risk factors among African Americans. DESIGN: Descriptive; guided by the Patient/Provider/System Theoretical Model for cancer screening. SETTING: Community-based primary care center in a southern state. SAMPLE: 141 African Americans. The majority were female, had a 12th grade education, and had an income less than $10,000; 25% were smokers. METHODS: Participants were asked to identify whether each of 15 factors (i.e., seven risk factors and eight nonrisk factors) increased risk for oral cancer. One point was added for each correct response; therefore, scores could range from 0-15 points. Demographic data were collected. Research was designed to test knowledge of, and misconceptions about, oral cancer. FINDINGS: Only six participants correctly identified all of the risk factors. The majority recognized tobacco, but were not as aware of the effects of the sun, alcohol, and diet. Many erroneously identified factors such as hot beverages, poor oral hygiene, spicy foods, dentures, and mouthwash as risk factors. Those with higher incomes and those who visited their dentists in the prior year had more knowledge of risk factors. No differences were found in knowledge based on age, gender, education, or smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: Some patients are less likely to routinely visit a dentist and are less knowledgeable about the risk factors for oral cancer. Many of these risk factors are modifiable; therefore, patients need to be aware of the risks and have access to [...]