Oral Cancer News – Page 169

HPV Vaccine Not Linked To Autoimmune Disorders, Study

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com A two-year study of nearly 190,000 girls and women, finds that Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine made by Merck & Co, does not trigger autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The results are published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Study lead author Dr Chun Chao, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena, California, said in a statement released on Friday, that: "This kind of safety information may help parents with vaccination decisions." ""These findings offer some assurance that among a large and generalizable female population, no safety signal for autoimmune conditions was found following HPV4 vaccination in routine clinical use," said Chao. Gardasil is a "quadrivalent" vaccine because it helps protect against 4 types of HPV. In girls and young women age 9 to 26, it targets 2 types that cause about 75% of cervical cancers, and 2 other types that cause 90% of cases of genital warts. The vaccine, which is given as three injections over six months, also helps protect boys and men age 9 to 26 against 90% of cases of genital warts. Genital warts is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US, where it infects about 6.2 million people every year. It can also lead to cervical cancer in women. Gardasil received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2006. But a longstanding concern about links with autoimmune disorders has surrounded the vaccine, and many [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-03T10:40:12-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Connected nodes in throat cancer signal poor prognosis

Source: OncologyNurseAdvisor.com The presence of “matted” lymph nodes in persons with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)—that is, nodes that are connected together—was associated with a 3-year survival rate of 69%, compared with 94% among patients without matted nodes. Such a marker could help clinicians identify patients who are at heightened risk for metastasis and who might benefit from additional systemic therapy. Conversely, a person without matted nodes could be a candidate for less therapy, which would in turn reduce uncomfortable side effects. The study, led by Matthew E. Spector, MD, a resident in the department of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, focused on 78 previously untreated persons with stage III or IV oropharyngeal SCC. All patients were undergoing chemotherapy in combination with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as part of a clinical trial. The 3-year disease-specific survival rate for the 16 patients presenting with matted nodes was 69%, compared with 94% among the 61 other patients. Matted nodes were found to be a poor prognostic factor independent of tumor classification, human papillomavirus (HPV) status, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and smoking status. Matted nodes did appear to be an especially strong indicator of increased risk among HPV-positive persons, despite the fact that these patients had better overall outcomes than did those who were HPV-negative. The best outcomes were seen among HPV-positive nonsmokers. The investigators, who reported their findings in Head & Neck, say the reasons for the survival differences between [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-01T17:10:52-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Queensland researchers make cancer treatment breakthrough

Source: HealthCanal.com The culmination of 10 years of collaborative research between scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine has led to a significant breakthrough in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), an aggressive throat cancer with a high prevalence in South-East Asia. NPC is associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection in a manner similar to the association of hepatitis B virus and liver cancer. By using immunotherapy, the human body’s own immune system was used to successfully fight the disease. Professor Rajiv Khanna who heads the Australian Centre for Vaccine Development at QIMR said by enhancing the immune cells of NPC patients they have doubled the survival time of terminally ill patients. “The presence of EBV in the cancer cells gives the body’s immune system a definite target to help battle the NPC, resulting in few side-effects,” Professor Khanna said. “Patients who participated in the trial were in the late stages of the cancer and quite unwell, so it was important to ensure the treatment was non-invasive, non toxic and did not damage healthy cells. “By offering such targeted treatment, we were able to increase the expected time of patient survival from 200 to over 500 days, which is an extremely positive result. “We believe that if we offer this treatment in the earlier stages of NPC, accompanied with chemotherapy and radiation, we can further enhance survival rates.” Twenty four NPC patients were recruited at the [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-01T17:06:54-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

The search for biomarkers of disease in spit

Source: University of Minnesota It's a researcher's dream: a simple, noninvasive test to detect life-threatening cancer, heart disease, or other maladies while they're still treatable. A team of University of Minnesota researchers is in hot pursuit of that goal, using one of the simplest means imaginable: testing spit. They've discovered that conditions such as breast and oral cancer leak certain proteins into saliva, and if detected, such proteins can be "biomarkers" for the disease. "This would be an easy way to monitor oral cancer," says Timothy Griffin, an associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics. "Every year in the United States there are about 40,000 cases, more than cervical or ovarian cancer, melanoma, or lymphoma, and it has a higher mortality." Saliva contains at least 2,000 proteins, but the most abundant ones tend to be the least informative, he notes. But he and his colleagues have become the world experts on snagging rare proteins from spit and detecting both their presence and their abundance. Promising discoveries In a study of 10 women with metastatic breast cancer, the researchers sifted through their salivary proteins and found a handful that were already known to seep into the blood of women with this cancer. The proteins appeared only at very low levels in saliva of healthy controls. "The next idea is, can you take this back through the earlier stages to detect nonmetastatic cancer?" says Griffin. Biomarker proteins also appear in saliva of patients with oral cancer. Team members Frank Ondrey, an [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-01T16:42:25-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Jaw Necrosis Common after Radiation for Oral Cancer

Source: MedpageToday.com Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Explain that osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) occurred more than twice as often as reported in the literature among patients with oral cancer treated with radiation. Point out that factors associated with the risk of ORNJ included female sex, no chemotherapy, and lower Charlson comorbidity index. PHOENIX -- Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) occurred more than twice as often as reported in the literature, according to a population-based study of patients treated with radiation for oral cancer. A review of national medical records showed that 16.1% of patients had jaw complications or interventions consistent with ORNJ compared with published rates of 5% to 7%. However, when investigators applied the definition of ORNJ to patients who had interventions associated with jaw complications, the rate approximated the published rates, as reported here at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium. "The rates of all jaw complications in the SEER-Medicare database are higher than reported rates from prospective and retrospective institutional reports," said Beth M. Beadle, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "If we limited the definition to interventions, the rates are similar to those of published reports." Radiation therapy has documented efficacy for locoregional [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-02-01T16:34:06-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Squamous cell subgroups respond differently to treatment

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Nancy A. Melville A long-term follow-up of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma suggests that only certain high-risk subgroups benefit from radiation plus chemotherapy. This information will spare patients who will not benefit from undergoing the additional treatment. According to the study, presented here at the 2012 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, patients with microscopically involved resection margins and/or extracapsular spread of disease had a lower risk for cancer recurrence with radiation plus chemotherapy 10 years later, whereas those with tumors in multiple lymph nodes did not benefit from combination treatment; they fared better with radiation alone. "The clinical implication of these findings is that the high-risk group of patients is not as homogenous a group as we believed it was before the study started," lead author Jay S. Cooper, MD, director of the Maimonides Cancer Center, in Brooklyn, New York, told Medscape Medical News. Dr. Cooper and his colleagues analyzed 10 years of follow-up data from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9501/Intergroup phase 3 trial, which examined 410 patients with high-risk resected head and neck cancers. The patients were considered high risk for cancer recurrence because they had microscopically involved resection margins, extracapsular spread of disease, or multiple lymph node involvement. "The allocation was equally divided [according to treatment regimen] at the beginning of the study; the groups were not intended to be balanced for the different [risk] factors," Dr. Cooper said. "We thought they were all equally important." The treatment regimen [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-01-28T08:34:43-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Erlotinib dose doubled for smokers with head/neck cancer

Source: www.oncologyreport.com Author: Miriam E. Tucker Giving smokers a higher, short-course dose of erlotinib before definitive surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck resulted in favorable responses for the first patients evaluated in a small pilot study. Investigators gave 300 mg of erlotinib (Tarceva) to smokers daily and 150 mg daily to nonsmokers who had a waiting period of more than 14 days before scheduled surgery for head and neck cancer. Seven of the 10 patients evaluated so far had partial responses and 3 had stable disease, according to a poster presented at a head and neck cancer symposium sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology. The study was based on recent data in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients showing that smokers metabolize erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, twice as quickly as do nonsmokers (J. Clin. Oncol. 2009;27:1220-6), said lead author Dr. Mercedes Porosnicu of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, N.C. That study established the maximum tolerated dose of erlotinib at 300 mg daily in NSCLC patients who smoke. Dr. Poroniscu’s presentation included the case study of a smoker with a very large oral cavity tumor protruding through his lips. He was described as being in significant pain and unable to eat or chew. The first CT scan showed a tumor of at least 8 cm and there was "significant metabolic activity" on PET scan. "At 6 days of erlotinib treatment, his tumor was obviously smaller and he could [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-01-28T08:25:19-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Head and neck cancer in transplant patients: For better or worse?

Source: medicalxpress.com Author: Henry Ford Health System staff Transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer are more likely to be non-smokers and non-drinkers, and less likely than their non-transplant counterparts to survive past one year of diagnosis, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. As part of a 20-year review, Henry Ford researchers found cancers of the throat, tonsils and mouth may be more aggressive in transplant recipients as the result of long-term immunosuppressive therapy required to prevent solid organ rejection. Transplant patients in the study who developed skin cancer in the head and neck region were more likely to have multiple lesions, compared to the general public. In all, 2.6% of transplant patients in the study developed some form of head and neck cancer. While the risk for developing head and neck cancer is small, the study serves as an important reminder to all transplant recipients to be vigilant about any changes to their skin, as well as persistent sore throat, ear pain or swallowing issues – all signs of head and neck cancer. "The benefits of organ transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy still outweigh the risk of transplant patients developing head and neck cancer," says study author Robert Deeb, M.D., with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford. "Still, our study highlights that head and neck cancer arising in transplant patients warrants the need for regular screenings and aggressive treatment." The study will be presented Jan. 28 in Miami Beach at [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-01-28T08:19:08-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Newer radiation technology improves head and neck cancer patients’ long-term quality of life

Source: Eurekalert.org Patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer report an increasingly better quality of life post-treatment when compared to patients receiving other forms of radiation therapy, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM. Intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, is a highly specialized form of external beam radiation therapy that allows the radiation beam to better target and conform to a tumor. It is a newer treatment that has become widely adopted for treating head and neck cancer. Prior studies have shown that IMRT decreases the probability of radiation therapy related side effects, including dry mouth and chewing and swallowing problems, but no study has been conducted to measure long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with various forms of radiation therapy. Investigators from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, prospectively administered the University of Washington Quality of Life instrument, a standardized, previously validated questionnaire that patients complete after radiation therapy, to 155 patients undergoing treatment for cancers of the head and neck and analyzed the scores over time. Fifty-four percent of patients were initially treated with IMRT and 46 percent were treated with non-IMRT techniques. The researchers showed that the early quality of life gains associated with IMRT not only are maintained but become more magnified over time. At one-year post-treatment, 51 percent of IMRT patients rated their quality of life as very good or outstanding compared [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-01-27T11:29:03-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed

Source: Colorado Cancer Blog Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million. A study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. “It’s a rather dramatic effect,” says Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. It depends in large part, says Agarwal, on a healthy cell’s ability to wait out damage. “Cancer cells are fast-growing cells,” Agarwal says. “Not only that, but they are necessarily fast growing. When conditions exist in which they can’t grow, they die.” Grape seed extract creates these conditions that are unfavorable to growth. Specifically, the paper shows that grape seed extract both damages cancer cells’ DNA (via increased reactive oxygen species) and stops the pathways that allow repair (as seen by decreased levels of the DNA repair molecules Brca1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci). “Yet we saw absolutely no toxicity to the mice, themselves,” Agarwal says. Grape seed extract kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed (image courtesy of Flickr user Anders Ljungberg) Again, the grape seed extract killed the cancer cells but not the healthy cells. “I think the whole point is that cancer cells have a lot of defective pathways and they [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-01-27T11:17:39-07:00January, 2012|Oral Cancer News|