Charlotte Parker, Author at Oral Cancer News

Glaxo’s cervical cancer vaccine faces US battle

Source: Forbes.com Author: Linda A. Johnson New studies show GlaxoSmithKline PLC's vaccine Cervarix blocks the virus that causes cervical cancer, but if it wins approval for U.S. sales, it will face an uphill battle against Gardasil, which has owned the market here for three years. Cervarix, Glaxo's vaccine against human papilloma virus or HPV, already is approved in more than 90 other countries, but has been held up by delays in the United States. Several years ago, the British drugmaker was in a neck-and-neck race with rival Merck & Co., Gardasil's maker, to be first on the U.S. market, but it lost when Gardasil got approved in June 2006. Late in 2007, the Food and Drug Administration declined to approve approve Cervarix. GlaxoSmithKline submitted a new application on March 30 that included final data from an 18,000-woman study recently completed. Final results from that study and two others are being presented this weekend at a conference in Sweden on papillomavirus. FDA is expected to decide whether to approve Cervarix within several months. If it does, analyst Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said doctors who have prescribed Gardasil for a few years may see no reason to switch - unless GlaxoSmithKline convinces them its product is much more effective or has fewer side effects. Both vaccines target the two types of HPV that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, types 16 and 18, and data indicate both are about 98 percent effective. But Merck also [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-05-08T18:53:28-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

AACR show report: Dentists balk at cancer screenings

Source: DrBicuspid.com Author: Barbara Boughton SAN DIEGO -- Dentists don't want to spend time screening patients for oral cancer because they're not sure how to do it properly -- or how to make money from it, researchers said at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting here. The researchers, from Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Oral Cancer Prevention Program in Canada, collected four months of data from pilot cancer screening projects at 10 dental offices in Vancouver, then queried dental staff in focus groups. "The idea was to raise public awareness, and remind dentists and their staff about how easy an oral cancer exam can be," said study author Denise Laronde, a dental hygienist and doctoral candidate at Simon Fraser University. Earlier research has suggested that dentists could save lives with oral cancer screenings. In a British Columbia study, 70 percent of oral cancer patients who had regular dental office visits were diagnosed at an early stage (stage I or II), while only 40 percent of those who did not have regular dental visits were diagnosed at an early stage, the researchers said. Oral cancer screening is a quick and painless procedure, yet fewer than 30 percent of people surveyed report being screened, the researchers added. In the current study, dental personnel were taught to use a novel screening device that uses loss of autofluorescence to identify potential areas of concern in the oral mucosa. Dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants participated in a one-day workshop on [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-05-08T18:40:34-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Spit tobacco is not a quit-smoking solution

Source: News-record.com Author: Tead Eaves What do you think? Dr. Brad Rodu recommends spit tobacco use as a method to help with smoking cessation ("Smokers need the facts on alternatives," Ideas, April 19). This strategy, known as harm reduction, encourages spit tobacco as an alternative to cigarettes because of lower risks for severe health consequences. Although smoking cessation is very important, spit tobacco is not a safe alternative. There are numerous diseases and illnesses that have been scientifically linked to spit tobacco, including gingivitis, tooth decay, cardiovascular disease and oral, esophageal, pharyngeal, laryngeal, stomach and pancreatic cancer. The most dangerous of these health issues is oral cancer, which has a mortality rate of 54 percent within five years of diagnosis. The risk for developing oral cancer from spit tobacco has been found to be 14 times greater than the risk in nonusers. Besides the health risks associated with the use of spit tobacco, there are other concerns with harm reduction. There could be an increase in use among adolescents who think "smokeless is harmless" when it comes to spit tobacco, an overall increase in the use of tobacco by nonusers, and an increase in sales of high-nicotine products that raise the risk for addiction. In his research, Dr. Rodu has often discussed the effectiveness of harm-reduction programs in Sweden. While Swedish studies have indeed demonstrated decreased smoking levels through the use of spit tobacco, there are several differences between the two countries that make it difficult to compare the United [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-27T16:40:12-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Too Hot for Teacher?

Calendar raises money and eyebrows Source: Fox 35 News Author: Holly Bristow COCOA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - On campus, he teaches math at Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High. Off campus, he’s known in some circles as “Mr. August.” Patrick Kile is the driving force behind a calendar which features fellow teachers – some scantily-clad – all for a charity project. Money raised from calendar sales goes to cancer research. It’s a fundraiser for his “Relay for Life” team and all profits are going to the the American Cancer Society, but do students really need to see skin from their teachers? While it’s getting some good reviews, shots like Mr. June (pictured) are making some waves, as six of the teachers are shirtless. “Coach Mortar coaches wrestling and works with weightlifting,” said Kile. “He also teaches history.” “They're teachers! You've got young impressionable teenage girls,” said one parent lab.woodward.edu. “They don't need that. They need role models, not sexy muscles.” Kile, 33, teaches Geometry and helps coach Girl’s Soccer. “We just wanted something ‘outside the box,’ unique and fun and different, that would help open some eyeballs and raise some money,” said Kile, who is a cancer survivor himself. “Back in 2005, I was diagnosed with tongue cancer that spread to my neck.” Now that he's in remission, Kile is trying to help other cancer victims. “It’s for a good cause. I went to the school board and spoke with the ethics director of human resources and he thought [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-28T09:17:06-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

House bill curbs advertising, increases taxes on smokeless tobacco

Source: The Clackamas Review Author: News Team A vending display for Snus, a smokeless, spitless tobacco Camel first marketed in Portland and Austin, Texas. A new house bill would limit advertising for such products while increasing taxes on them. JIM CLARK / PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP The bill also bans the practice of handing out samples The Oregon House today passed a bill that would require all smokeless tobacco products to adhere to federally mandated marketing restrictions placed on older existing brands in an effort to curb youth advertising campaigns. The legislation would also increase the tax on such products. The bill, co-sponsored by House Speaker Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, came about partially as a response to the proliferation of smokeless tobacco products critics said targeted young customers. In 2006, Camel used the Portland region and Austin, Texas as test markets for its Snus smokeless tobacco. Smoking cessation advocates cried foul, saying the colorful ads with their rhyming slogans were designed to attract young people. The bill also prevents companies from handing out free samples of smokeless tobacco, something Rep. Carloyn Tomei, D-Milwaukie, said was happening everywhere from the streets of Portland to rodeos and fairs in eastern Oregon, particularly since Washington already has a ban. She introduced a similar bill earlier this year. “Oregon has become the place where they have campaigns for smokeless tobacco,” she said. “They’re handing out free Snus samples, and to whom did they hand it out? Not people my age; it’s the young ones.” The bill would [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-23T12:49:25-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Perioperative chemotherapy in patients with oral cancer

Source: Medline Authors: Rao RS, Parikh DM, Parikh HK, Bhansali MB, Deshmane VH, Fakih AR In the final report of a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial, we report the results of using adjuvant perioperative chemotherapy in patients with oral cancer. Our study is based on the hypothesis of Goldie and Coldman. A total of 135 patients with alveolobuccal carcinoma, classified as clinically stage III and IV, were entered on the protocol. After a curative resection, they were randomized. The patients in the test arm of the study received methotrexate 50 mg/m2 on the 3rd, 10th, and 17th postoperative days. The patients in the control arm underwent observation. This analysis at 24 months showed a disease-free survival rate of 61% in the test arm versus 37% in the control arm, which is statistically highly significant (P < 0.01). Analysis of the recurrence pattern showed that recurrence at the primary site was dramatically reduced during the first 6 postoperative months (P = 0.002). Our study provided further clinical evidence in support of the concepts of Goldie and Coldman that the timing of chemotherapeutic drugs is critical for a successful end result.

Charlotte Parker2009-04-23T12:47:16-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

With anti-addiction pill, ‘no urge, no craving’

Source: CNN.com Author: Caleb Hellerman CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island (CNN) -- A no-frills bar called Goober's, just north of Providence, Rhode Island, is probably the last place you'd expect to find a debate over cutting-edge addiction therapy. But this is where Walter Kent, a retired mechanic, spends his Fridays. He helps in the kitchen and hangs out in the bar, catching up with old friends. Walter Kent talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about how the drug naltrexone has helped keep him sober. Most addiction specialists would call this playing with fire, or worse. That's because for more than 30 years, Kent was a hard-core alcoholic. His drinks of choice were Heineken beer and Jacob Ginger brandy, but anything with alcohol would do. "It's like a little kid wanting a piece of candy. You see it, you want the taste of it." He closes his eyes and sniffs the air, remembering the feeling. "You can be by yourself, and all of a sudden get even a hint of alcohol, just the smell of it, and say, 'Oh, I need a drink.' That sensation is not something you can get rid of." But today, Kent isn't tempted in the least. He says the credit goes to a prescription medication -- a pill called naltrexone. It's part of a new generation of anti-addiction drugs that may turn the world of rehab on its head. Dr. Mark Willenbring, who oversees scientific research at the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, says alcoholism has reached a [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-17T09:49:29-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Risky HPV detected in human breast milk

7/5/2008 New York, NY Karla Gale Reuters (www.reuters.com) Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16), which has been linked to cervical cancer, can be detected in human breast milk collected during the early period after a woman delivers her baby, doctors from Finland report. It is possible that HPV DNA present in breast milk may be transmitted to the infant during breast feeding, study chief Dr. Stina Syrjanen suggested in correspondence with Reuters Health. In previous research, Syrjanen, a pathologist at the University of Turku, and colleagues found evidence of transmission of HPV from an infected mother to her newborn infant. This led to the Finnish HPV Family Study, the goal of which is to elucidate the transmission modes of HPV between family members. For their current report, Syrjanen's team looked for HPV in cervical scrapings obtained from 223 mothers, and in oral scrapings from the mothers and 87 fathers prior to delivery and at 2, 6, and 12 months after delivery. They also looked for HPV in breast milk expressed on postpartum day 3. High-risk HPV DNA was detected in 10 milk samples (4.5 percent), the team reports. DNA sequencing from nine samples confirmed that the virus was high-risk HPV-16. The detection rate of high-risk HPV was 12 to 15 percent in cervical samples, 20 to 24 percent in oral samples from mothers, and 21 to 26 percent in oral samples from fathers. The team also observed a significant link between HPV in milk and the presence of high risk-HPV in [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-16T13:29:41-07:00July, 2008|Archive|

Advexin moves closer to market

7/4/2008 web-based article Matthew Dennis cancerdrugnewsblog.blogspot.com Introgen Therapeutics has submitted a BLA to the FDA, while simultaneously Gendux Molecular (Introgen) has submitted an MAA to the EMEA, both seeking marketing approval for Advexin (INGN 201), the company's targeted p53 tumour suppressor gene therapy, to treat recurrent, refractory head and neck cancer. INGN 201 represents the first in a new class of tumour suppressor cancer therapy and is the first of its kind to be submitted for regulatory approval in the US and Europe. Introgen has requested priority review from the FDA for INGN 201, meaning that the treatment could be on the market in early 2009. INGN 201 therapy harnesses the body's natural tumour suppression mechanisms to fight cancer, without the toxicities associated with conventional cancer treatments. Abnormalities in protective tumour suppressor p53 pathways are associated with the majority of all solid cancers. Designed to restore patients' ability to fight cancer, INGN 201 delivers large doses of the normal p53 gene to target abnormal p53 function present in tumour cells, which triggers natural tumour suppression mechanisms in cancer without harming normal cells. According to Dr Jack Roth, inventor of Advexin and professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: "This is an important milestone in the clinical application of gene therapy for cancer patients. With the use of p53 biomarkers, Advexin will provide more effective and less toxic treatment for head and neck cancer patients who have limited treatment options." The submissions are based on pivotal Phase II [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-16T13:29:14-07:00July, 2008|Archive|

Impact of graphic anti-smoking photos burning out

7/4/2008 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Sarah Schmidt Canada.com Graphic health warnings on cigarette packages are failing to move the majority of smokers to quit, a new government survey has found. Over the last five years, the percentage of smokers who say the warnings are ineffective at getting them to try to kick the habit has increased, according to the newly released Health Canada poll. More than half - 57 per cent - say they are unmoved by these graphic warnings, up five points from five years earlier. Among potential quitters - smokers who are seriously thinking of quitting - the percentage who characterize the campaign as not very effective or not at all effective in getting them to try to quit has also increased in this period, to 43 per cent from 40 per cent. Only 14 per cent of smokers and 20 per cent of potential quitters said the health warnings are very effective at getting them to try to quit smoking, also down from five years ago, when 18 per cent of smokers and 25 per cent of potential quitters described the campaign in these terms. Health Canada commissions the annual Environics poll to track the effectiveness of health warning messages on cigarette packages. In 2001, Canada became the first country in the world to require tobacco companies to put photos of cancerous lungs, diseased hearts and mouth cancer among others on cigarette packages with text messages such as "Cigarettes Cause Lung Cancer" and "Cigarettes Cause Strokes." The photos [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-16T13:28:55-07:00July, 2008|Archive|

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