2/25/2008 Tulsa, OK staff Dental Economics (www.dentaleconomics.com) Patients suffering from dry mouth (xerostomia) preferred treatment with a new, adhesive oral disk called OraMoist rather than treatment with the leading oral rinse, according to a new study. The study was conducted by Dr. Doron Aframian at Hadassah Medical Center in Israel. One group of patients suffering from xerostomia was treated with OraMoist, the other with the leading mouthwash. Results included: 1) 70 percent of those treated with OraMoist reported they would use the product in the future, compared to 30 precent of those using the mouthwash. 2) Patients treated with OraMoist showed an increase of saliva production from .11 ml/2 min to .19 ml; the patients treated with mouthwash increased only from .09 ml to .10 ml. 3) Both groups reported a statistically significant reduction in xerostomic sensation, but the moisturizing effect of OraMoist lasted longer than that of the mouthwash. OraMoist is a disk that adheres to the roof of the mouth, and releases ingredients that help moisten the mouth for up to four hours. It slowly releases tricaprin, a lipid that lubricates and moistens the mouth for up to four hours, and calcium carbonate, citric acid and natural lemon to stimulate saliva production and restore proper Ph balance to the mouth. Dry mouth results from health conditions, aging, drugs, or lifestyle choices. Diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and Sjogren's syndrome cause xerostomia, as do more than 1,000 prescription drugs. Smoking or drinking alcohol or caffeine can also cause dry mouth. According [...]

2/22/2008 Evanston, IL Lisa Watson MedIll Report (news.medill.northwestern.edu) Candy-flavored cigarettes in bright packages, dissolvable tobacco tablets, chemical additives to increase addiction, and clever marketing have helped tobacco companies counter restrictions and declining smoking rates, according to a report released Wednesday. These innovations are garnering more support for pending legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration power to regulate the design and marketing of tobacco products. There is a "new generation of designer tobacco products,” that is unregulated by the government, said Mary Maryland, incoming president of the Illinois division of the American Cancer Society, at a news conference at the Chicago Children's Museum Wednesday. “Tobacco products come in more forms, flavors, shapes and sizes, with more unproven health claims than ever before, all with the goal of getting kids to smoke and to keep smokers addicted.” The report, “Big Tobacco’s Guinea Pigs: How an Unregulated Industry Experiments on America’s Kids and Consumers,” details trends in the tobacco industry designed to attract new users and keep old ones. Issued by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the report documents additions that cigarette companies make to tobacco to encourage new users and discourage current users from quitting: - New smokeless products, such as dissolvable tobacco tablets, are promoted as a way to get a nicotine “fix” in places where smoking is prohibited. Camel Snus and Marlboro Snus are the newest examples, currently in test [...]

2/22/2008 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Andre Picard Globe and Mail (www.theglobeandmail.com) HPV immunization is the most highly publicized, expensive and politicized vaccination campaign in Canadian history. It is also, from a public health perspective, a monumental flop. Ontario launched its program to vaccinate all Grade 8 girls with much fanfare last August. Yet, to date, only half of those in the target group have received one or more of the three doses of Gardasil. That is a pathetically low level of uptake, particularly for a vaccine that has the potential to prevent cervical cancer. (The vaccine is not mandatory, but in school-based programs 80 to 90 per cent of students usually get vaccinated.) Why are teenaged girls and their parents rejecting the vaccine in such large numbers? Why have the greatest medical minds in our country been unable to convince the public that preventing cervical cancer with a simple vaccine is not only possible, but a wondrous thing? Answering those questions should be a priority for public health officials and health policy makers from coast to coast. The failure here is not with the vaccine. Gardasil is one of the most studied vaccines ever. The results from those studies were impressive: The vaccine has an almost universal ability to prevent infection with strains of the human papillomavirus that are responsible for the bulk of cases of cervical cancer (not to mention that HPV is also responsible for most causes of throat cancer and penile cancer). Logically, this should prevent cervical cancer, [...]

2/22/2008 Washington, D.C. press release EurekaAlert.org Scientists whose discoveries have led to fundamental advances in the science and treatment of cancer are the recipients of two prestigious international prizes offered by the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). This year’s Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research is awarded to John Mendelsohn, M.D., president and professor of cancer medicine at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, for his pioneering translational research that led to the discovery of a new class of agents to treat cancer and for his landmark contributions to our growing knowledge of targeted cancer therapies. “The translation of John Mendelsohn’s research from the laboratory into clinical practice created a new paradigm for treating cancer, providing novel treatment options and life-saving alternatives to many patients living with cancer,” Foti said. “His dedication and leadership deserve the highest recognition and we are proud to honor John for his revolutionary work.” The Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research Throughout his distinguished career, Mendelsohn has dedicated his research efforts to understanding how growth factors regulate the proliferation of cancer cells by activating receptors on the surface of the cells. Mendelsohn and his colleagues were the first to propose a new approach to cancer therapy by suggesting that blocking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) could prevent cancer cell growth and reproduction. Mendelsohn and his colleagues proved their hypothesis by producing an anti-EGF receptor monoclonal antibody that [...]

2/20/2008 Baltimore, MD Carole Fakhry et al. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2008 100(4):261-269 Background: The improved prognosis for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)–positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) relative to HPV-negative HNSCC observed in retrospective analyses remains to be confirmed in a prospective clinical trial. Methods: We prospectively evaluated the association of tumor HPV status with therapeutic response and survival among 96 patients with stage III or IV HNSCC of the oropharynx or larynx who participated in an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) phase II trial and who received two cycles of induction chemotherapy with intravenous paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by concomitant weekly intravenous paclitaxel and standard fractionation radiation therapy. The presence or absence of HPV oncogenic types in tumors was determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization. Two-year overall and progression-free survival for HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients were estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. The relative hazard of mortality and progression for HPV-positive vs HPV-negative patients after adjustment for age, ECOG performance status, stage, and other covariables was estimated by use of a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Genomic DNA of oncogenic HPV types 16, 33, or 35 was located within tumor cell nuclei of 40% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 30% to 50%) of patients with HNSCC of the oropharynx or larynx by in situ hybridization and PCR. Compared with patients with HPV-negative tumors, patients with HPV-positive tumors had higher response rates after induction chemotherapy [...]

2/20/2008 Washington, D.C. staff redOrbit.com An insidious new generation of tobacco products is threatening efforts to reduce tobacco use in the United States, warns a new report issued today by a coalition of public health organizations. The report describes how tobacco manufacturers take advantage of the lack of government regulation to design and market products that recruit new youth users, create and sustain addiction to nicotine, and discourage current users from quitting. Responding to declining smoking rates and growing restrictions on smoking, tobacco manufacturers are finding novel ways to entice new users, especially children, and discourage quitting. To stop the tobacco industry's harmful practices and protect public health, leading public health organizations urge Congress to pass pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products and their marketing. The report, "Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs: How an Unregulated Industry Experiments on America's Kids and Consumers," was issued by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, with funding by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The full report and a slideshow of new tobacco products can be found at http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/productsreport. The report details key trends including: - Flavored products: Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars have been introduced in an array of candy, fruit and alcohol flavors. R.J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes, for example, have come in more than a dozen flavors, including lime, coconut and pineapple, toffee, and mint. Flavorings mask the harshness of the products and [...]

2/20/2008 web-based article Bernadine Healy M.D. US News (www.usnews.com) There's an argument out there that oral sex is not sex. For some grown-ups, it's a way to deny that they're cheating. To some young people, oral sex preserves virginity—technically speaking—and allows for what is perceived as risk-free sexual intimacy. From a medical perspective, however, this is sex—and generally, as practiced, it's unsafe. People seem clueless that sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and human papillomavirus can take hold in parts of the oral cavity during sex with infected partners and that the oral contact can infect the genitals, too. HPV is a particularly scurrilous threat, since it incubates silently in the back of the mouth and is now linked to a dangerous form of throat cancer in both men and women similar to the one that arises in the cervix. Head and neck cancers, which can attack the mouth, nose, sinuses, and throat, have been diseases of people over 50 with a history of heavy smoking and drinking. Thanks to the decrease in smoking and use of chewing tobacco, these disfiguring cancers are in steady decline. However, this triumph of prevention is clouded by an unexpected increase in oropharyngeal cancer, which develops in the tonsils and the base of the tongue and is apt to show up in those who don't smoke or drink heavily, and in younger people. Earlier this month, researchers from Johns Hopkins reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that between 1973 and 2004 [...]

2/20/2008 Geneva, Switzerland Thomas Mulier Bloomberg.com Swedish-style snuff hasn't been proven to help people quit smoking, a European Union panel said, dealing a blow to tobacco companies that lobbied for lifting a ban on the product. Smokeless tobacco is addictive and hazardous to health, the committee said in a report on its Web site. Evidence that the snuff, known as snus, may help Swedish smokers stop isn't sufficient to lift an EU ban because it's "not possible to extrapolate the patterns of tobacco use" to other countries, the committee said. Snus is a moist form of snuff that is placed between the upper lip and gums rather than sniffed. The tobacco industry, led by British American Tobacco Plc and Swedish Match AB, has been lobbying the EU to lift the ban, which applies to all members of the bloc except Sweden. Cigarette makers have been moving into smokeless tobacco products, trying to create a new market as public smoking restrictions spread through the U.S. and Europe. "This conclusion implies that there will be no impetus for a change in policy for a lifting of the ban,'' wrote David Hayes, an analyst at Lehman Brothers who has an ``overweight" rating on Swedish Match. The EU banned snus for health reasons before Sweden joined. The country negotiated an exception to the rule when it became a member, becoming the only EU nation where the product can be sold legally. Shares Fall Swedish Match shares fell 4 kronor, or 2.8 percent, to 138 [...]

2/18/2008 Ketchum, ID staff CancerConsultants.com Patients with head and neck cancer who test positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) have a better prognosis compared with those who do not have HPV. These results were recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Head and neck cancers originate in the oral cavity (lip, mouth, tongue), salivary glands, paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, pharynx (upper back part of the throat), larynx (voice box), and lymph nodes in the upper part of the neck. Worldwide, head and neck cancer is diagnosed in approximately 640,000 people annually and is responsible for approximately 350,000 deaths each year. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is the most common type of head and neck cancer. It originates in squamous cells, which are commonly part of the outermost layers of tissues. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) consist of more than 100 different viruses. Some types of HPV cause warts on the hands or feet; others cause genital warts; and some have been linked with cancer, most notably cervical cancer. Recent studies have suggested that HPV may also be strongly associated with the development of head and neck cancer. Researchers from several institutions in the United States recently evaluated data from 96 patients with advanced HNSCC who had participated in a previous clinical trial evaluating chemotherapy and radiation therapy for their disease. Patients’ cancers were tested for HPV. - HPV types 16, 33, or 35 were present in 40% of cancer. - Patients with HPV-positive cancer had [...]

2/17/2008 Knoxville, KY Kristi L. Nelson knoxnews.com A long, deep yawn. A bite of a chocolate bar or crab meat. A vigorous brushing and thorough flossing. For 2 1/2 years, Esther Cahal has forgone these and other small pleasures most people take for granted. An unusual complication from a rare form of particularly aggressive tongue cancer left Cahal's mouth locked shut, able to open barely wide enough to insert her little finger. She stays alive by hooking herself up to a feeding tube unit each night and sleeping in an upright position while she "eats" a liquid nutritional supplement for eight hours through a port in her stomach. A little more than a year ago, Cahal, facing a recurrence of her cancer, "decided that before I die, I'm going to eat again," Cahal said. "If this cancer's going to kill me, at least I'm going to have something good down my throat." But Cahal has had two "clear" scans for cancer - and now an innovative physical therapy treatment is helping open her up to experiencing food again. It started in February 2004, when Cahal's dentist found an ulcer on the right side of her tongue. She thought the skin was irritated by a tooth, but when the tooth was fixed, the ulcer still didn't heal. So she had a biopsy. "It came back as extremely aggressive cancer," Cahal said. "It was a surprise for everybody, because I didn't have any risk factors." The type of cancer Cahal had most [...]