Oral Cancer Foundation News Team – A – Page 209

New treatment combination proves safe for head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases Author: press release Patients undergoing treatment for advanced head and neck cancers may respond well to the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy, according to a study sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and chaired by Ethan Argiris, M.D., associate professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and co-leader of the Head and Neck Cancer Program of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). The results will be disclosed at the 45th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on May 30 in Orlando, Fla. "We found that adding gefinitib to standard chemotherapy was well-tolerated by patients who had already received chemotherapy or were frail," said Dr. Argiris. "We had hoped this study would improve the survival rate of patients, but while gefinitib did postpone spread of the disease, it did not increase survival rates. The finding that the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy can delay the growth of head and neck cancer suggests a potential beneficial effect from combination therapy." One group of 136 patients in the placebo-controlled study received docetaxel alone, a standard treatment for head and neck cancer. A second group of 134 patients received gefinitib in addition to docetaxel. This was the first phase III randomized trial to examine the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer. Gefinitib, which also is known by the trade name Iressa, is a targeted therapy against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with fewer side effects than traditional [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-31T17:41:24-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

U.S. cancer death rates continue to fall

Source: www.ajc.com Author: staff Some 650,000 people are alive today who wouldn't be were it not for advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment over the past 15 years, new statistics show. The American Cancer Society's Cancer Statistics 2009 report finds an encouraging 19.2 percent drop in cancer death rates among men from 1990 to 2005, as well as an 11.4 percent drop in women's cancer death rates during the same time period. Overall, cancer death rates fell 2 percent per year from 2001 to 2005 in men and 1.6 percent per year from 2002 to 2005 in women. By comparison, between 1993 and 2001, overall death rates in men declined 1.5 percent per year and, between 1994 and 2002, 0.8 percent in women. "We continue to see a decrease in death rates from cancer in both men and women and this is mainly because of prevention - mostly a reduction in smoking rates; detection which includes screening for colorectal cancer, for breast cancer and for cervical cancer; and also improved treatment," said report author Ahmedin Jemal, strategic director for cancer surveillance at the American Cancer Society. "To put this in perspective, the number of lives saved is more than the population of Washington, D.C.," said Dr. Louis M. Weiner, director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. "In my mind, that's a cause for some celebration. However, there are some sobering trends that we have to be aware of. The death rate for cardiovascular disease has dropped [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-27T14:47:13-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Majors to chew it over as big-league tobacco policy isn’t up to snuff

Source: www.nydailynews.com/sports Author: Filip Bondy Derek Jeter steps to the plate again, his jaw churning ferociously on some foreign, sticky substance. It’s just gum, and Jeter will prove that to the world now and then by blowing a giant bubble. But until the silly pink ball emerges, who knows? It might be gum, yet it also could be a pouch of smokeless or dip tobacco — that stubborn, traditional chew of choice for baseball players throughout history. And this is exactly what drives Jimmie Lee Solomon crazy, because sometimes he just can’t win. There are enough bad examples in his world. The executive VP of baseball operations for MLB worries that kids will get the wrong idea, and that baseball will be hurled back into the Nicotine Age. "It’s gum a lot of the time, not tobacco,"says Solomon, who has worked for 16 years to eliminate chewing tobacco and dip from the big-league culture. "Unfortunately, it can have the same, impressionable effect.” You know the most dangerous of all drugs in baseball? It isn’t steroids, and it isn’t human growth hormone. Those performance enhancers are health terrors in their own right, impacting the very bones of the game. But legal, smokeless tobacco in its multiple chewable forms still provides the addictive poisons linked most conclusively to illness and fatal disease. The Mayo Clinic identifies an assortment of horrors associated with chewing tobacco, whether it is packaged in the form of leaves, paste or twists: Tooth decay, gum disease, high blood [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-27T13:32:02-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer patient held at US airport for missing fingerprint

Source: www.reuters.com Author: Tan Ee Lyn A Singapore cancer patient was held for four hours by immigration officials in the United States when they could not detect his fingerprints -- which had apparently disappeared because of a drug he was taking. The incident, highlighted in the Annals of Oncology, was reported by the patient's doctor, Tan Eng Huat, who advised cancer patients taking this drug to carry a doctor's letter when traveling to the United States. The drug, capecitabine, is commonly used to treat cancers in the head and neck, breast, stomach and colorectum. One side-effect is chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet and the skin can peel, bleed and develop ulcers or blisters -- or what is known as hand-foot syndrome. "This can give rise to eradication of fingerprints with time," explained Tan, senior consultant in the medical oncology department at Singapore's National Cancer Centre. The patient, a 62-year-old man, had head and neck cancer that had spread but responded well to chemotherapy. To prevent the cancer from recurring, he was put on capecitabine. "In December 2008, after more than three years of capecitabine, he went to the United States to visit his relatives," Tan wrote. "He was detained at the airport customs for four hours because the immigration officers could not detect his fingerprints. He was allowed to enter after the custom officers were satisfied that he was not a security threat." Tan said the loss of fingerprints is not described in the packaging [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-27T12:35:09-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Taiwan researchers discover blood marker for metastatic cancer

Source: www.monstersandcritics.com Author: staff A Taiwan hospital announced Wednesday it has discovered a blood marker for detecting cancer metastatic cancer. 'Foreign doctors have discovered blood marker for cancer before, but this is the first time a blood marker has been found for metastatic cancer, or cancers that can spread to other parts of the body,' Dr Chiang Ming-chung, a member of the research team, told German Press Agency dpa by phone. 'Currently, hospitals use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound scan, X-ray and other equipment to check for cancer. Such equipment is expensive. In some backward countries, hospitals cannot afford (such equipment), so this new testing method using the blood marker will be very helpful,' he said. Researchers at the Tung's hospital discovered the blood marker - described only as 'a serological cancer metastatic marker' - while doing research on a cancer-related gene. They found there was more secretion of the serological cancer metastatic marker in the sera of patients with metastatic cancer than in the sera of patients with primary cancer. So they did further study by collecting serum samples from 164 patients with various types of cancer, ultimately concluding that the blood marker is a secretory protein linked to metastatic cancer. Chiang said the blood marker they found can help screen a dozen types of cancer - including breast cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer and colon cancer - to see if they have spread to other parts of the body. The Tung's hospital, in Taichung County, west Taiwan, has [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-21T18:10:30-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

BioVex to report phase I/II clinical trial results for the front line treatment of head and neck cancer

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff BioVex Inc, a company developing next generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that the results from a Phase I/II combination study in previously untreated patients with head and neck cancer will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which will take place May 29, 2009 - June 2, 2009 in Orlando, FL. The results are to be presented in an abstract (number 6018) entitled, "Phase I/II dose escalation study of OncoVEX GM-CSF and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in untreated stage III/IV squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN)," at a poster session on Friday, May 29, 2009 from 2:00pm - 6:00pm EDT on Level 2, West Hall F3 of the conference. A poster discussion will take place from 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT. Study Rationale Patients with head and neck cancer often present with bulky disease that is too large or too close to vital organs for surgical removal. These patients typically undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatment prior to surgery. Patients who present with tumor containing lymph nodes are particularly difficult to treat and approximately half of these patients relapse within two years. In this study, OncoVEX GM-CSF was administered by direct injection, at three dose levels, into tumor containing lymph nodes in combination with standard first line chemo radiotherapy every three weeks for four cycles. All patients then went for surgery. Of the 17 Stage III/IVA (N1-3) patients treated, 16 had N2 or [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T18:06:43-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Influences and predictors of long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(4):380-384. Authors: Mark W. El-Deiry, MD et al. Objective: To examine the impact of clinical predictors (pretreatment variables) and other influences (treatment and posttreatment variables) on long-term quality of life (QOL) in patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. We hypothesized that baseline QOL and comorbidity would be predictors of QOL 1 year after treatment. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Academic Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Patients: Patients (N = 173) with baseline (pretreatment) and 1-year posttreatment QOL data. Main Outcome Measure: Head and neck–specific QOL scores at 1 year after treatment (as measured by the University of Washington Quality of Life [UW-QOL] scale). Results: We identified strong relationships between 1-year UW-QOL scores and baseline UW-QOL scores (correlation coefficient [Pearson r] = 0.58; P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:48:02-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Robot-assisted surgery for upper aerodigestive tract neoplasms

Surce: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(4):397-401. Authors: Bridget A. Boudreaux, MD et al. Objectives: To assess the feasibility and safety of performing robot-assisted resections of head and neck tumors, and to predict which variables lead to successful robot-assisted resection and better functional outcome. Design: Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. Setting: Academic tertiary referral center. Patients: Thirty-six patients with oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or laryngeal tumors. Intervention: Robot-assisted resection of indicated tumors. Main Outcome Measures: Ability to perform robot-assisted resection, final pathologic margin status, ability to extubate postoperatively, need for tracheotomy tube, and need for gastrostomy tube. Any clinically significant complications were recorded. Results: Thirty-six patients participated in the study. Eight patients had previously been treated for head and neck cancer. Twenty-nine patients (81%) underwent successful robotic resection. Negative margins were obtained in all 29 patients. Twenty-one of 29 patients were safely extubated prior to leaving the operating room. One patient required short-term tracheotomy tube placement. A total of 9 patients were gastrostomy tube dependent (2 preoperatively, 7 postoperatively). Factors associated with successful robotic resection were lower T classification (P = .01) and edentulism (P = .07). Factors associated with gastrostomy tube dependence were advanced age (P = .02), tumor location in the larynx (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:42:46-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Aspiration, weight loss, and quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:1100-1103 Authors: Bruce H. Campbell, MD et al. Objective: To determine associations between objective assessments (swallowing function and weight change) and subjective quality-of-life (QOL) measures. Design: Observational case series using clinical testing and questionnaires. Setting: University hospital-based tertiary clinical practice. Patients: Convenience sample of 5-year survivors of head and neck cancer (62 nonlaryngectomy survivors were studied). Interventions: Objective testing included examination, weight history, videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS), and oropharyngeal swallowing efficiency (OPSE). Subjective testing included QOL questionnaires (University of Washington Quality-of-Life [UWQOL] Scale, Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients [PSS-HN], Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment–General [FACT-G] Scales, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Head and Neck [FACT-H&N] Scale). Main Outcome Measures: Aspiration (identified by VFSS), weight change, and QOL measures. Results: Aspiration was associated with the decreased QOL scores in chewing, swallowing, normalcy of diet, and additional concerns of the FACT-H&N Scale. No association was found between aspiration and willingness to eat in public, subjective understandability, or any of the FACT-G scales. Of the nonlaryngectomy survivors, 27 (44%) demonstrated some degree of aspiration during VFSS. Associations were found between aspiration, primary tumor T stage, weight change, and OPSE. Aspirators lost a mean of 10.0 kg from precancer treatment weight, while nonaspirators gained a mean of 2.3 kg (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:37:36-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Novel therapy may prove effective in treatment Of 30 percent of cancers

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff A ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial led by Dr. Katherine Borden, at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, has shown that a common anti-viral drug, ribavirin, can be beneficial in the treatment of cancer patients. The study demonstrates that ribavirin suppresses the activities of the eIF4E gene in patients. This gene is dysregulated in 30 percent of cancers including breast, prostate, head and neck, colon and stomach cancer. The study, inspired by the exciting discoveries made by Dr. Borden at IRIC, was a joint project between her research group, who monitored molecular events in trial patients, and Dr. Sarit Assouline of the Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital, who led the clinical part of the trial. The integration of these two teams made it possible to rapidly move from a research lab to patient tests. The study team targeted the gene by giving trial participants a mimic of its natural target, ribavirin. "Our results are the first to show that targeting eIF4E in humans is clinically beneficial," explains Dr. Borden. "We also found that ribavirin not only blocks eIF4E, it has no side effect on patients." The trial studied patients with M4/M5 acute myeloid leukemia who had undergone several other treatments that had previously failed. "We had striking clinical improvements with even partial and complete remissions," indicated Assouline. Dr. Wilson Miller, director of the Clinical Research Unit, Jewish General Hospital, and co-investigator in the trial added: "It's rare that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-16T21:17:55-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

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