Oral Cancer News – Page 183

Fighting cancer with scorpions?

Source: www.foxnews.com Author: Chris Kilham In the fight against cancer, scientists and medical researchers around the world are developing new medicines from seemingly unlikely natural substances. Recent reported developments involve the use of a bacteria found in soil, a poison from a highly toxic scorpion, and the virus that causes herpes. All three demonstrate novel properties that may save lives in cases of otherwise hard to treat killer cancers. The use of bacteria for health and therapeutic purposes is in fact quite common. Various beneficial bacteria within the human digestive tract support digestion and elimination, help to detoxify the body, reduce the risk of some types of disease, and help to maintain overall health. These bacteria are widely available in supplements, and in various “live, active” yogurts. But ever since Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine (for cow pox) in 1796, bacteria have also played central roles in the development of vaccines against several diseases, including against tuberculosis, and even for plague, as in the case of Yersinia pestis. A team from North Carolina State University is developing an oral vaccine against deadly Anthrax poisoning, using Lactobacillus acidophilus, a common beneficial bacteria used to culture yogurt. Recent findings from Britain’s University of Nottingham show another ingenious use for bacteria, in the treatment of cancers. A team of scientists led by Professor Nigel Minton has reported that the bacteria Clostridium sporogenes a species widespread in nature, can be used as a vehicle to deliver anovel enzyme that activates a cancer drug [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-09T05:49:57-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers want to introduce breath analysis into clinical pathology laboratory testing

Source: www.darkdaily.com Author: Pamela Scherer McLeod Recent advances in breath analyzer technologies may give pathologists new diagnostic tools Does breath analysis have a promising future in pathology and clinical laboratory testing? That day may not be far off. Scientists in multiple research laboratories are developing cost-effective, non-invasive diagnostic test technologies based on breath specimens from patients. Researchers say that breath analysis can provide critical information in real time and deliver numerous advantages over fluid and image-based testing. In fact, glucose testing via breath specimen may be just around the corner! On May 31, 2011, Xhale, Inc. was issued a patent for its system and method for non-invasive monitoring of glucose concentrations in blood to provide critical information in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. The Xhale system consists of a small handheld device that analyzes exhaled breath condensate. Xhale recognizes that blood glucose testing is a huge market for a medical laboratory test that offers benefits over existing clinical laboratory testing methodologies. According to data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, released January 26, 2011, a total of 25.8 million children and adults in the U.S.—that’s 8.3% of the population—have diabetes. “The great value of this [breath analysis] technology lies in its ability to provide important information to patients and healthcare providers that can be used to make better healthcare decisions,” said Richard Melker, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Xhale, Inc. Other advantages, Melker said, are reduced healthcare costs and improved health outcomes. He added that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-09T05:39:04-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Strategy to conquer cancer drug resistance uncovered

Source: info.cancerresearchuk.org Author: staff US scientists have identified a way in which cancer cells can become resistant to the cancer drug cetuximab (Erbitux), and suggest that treatments that are already available might be able to overcome this resistance. Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, US, have been studying why some patients only experience short-term benefits with cetuximab, or none at all. Cetuximab is an antibody that interferes with cancer cell growth. It can be given in combination with chemotherapy to patients with bowel cancer or head and neck cancer. Until now, scientists didn't know why some cancers failed to respond to the drug, or initially responded but then became resistant. The new study, published in Science Translational Medicine, found that in some of the drug-resistant cells, a protein known as ErbB2 (also known as HER2/neu) was sending 'grow' signals. These were bypassing the 'stop growing' signals caused by the drug. Pasi Janne, the study's co-senior author, said: "ErbB2 activates a critical signalling pathway that is not normally blocked by cetuximab, and in this way subverts cetuximab's function. "Because ErbB2 isn't affected by cetuximab, this is an easy way for cancers to become resistant to the drug." The researchers suggest that combining cetuximab with already available ErbB2 inhibitors such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) could produce an effective therapy to tackle cancers that previously showed resistance to cetuximab. Henry Scowcroft, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Unfortunately, patients's tumours can become resistant to treatment, and understanding why this happens is a major [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-09T05:32:14-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers Find New Hope for Oral Cancer

Source: Newswise.com NIH Director: rescuing and repurposing abandoned therapies for new uses could save time and money Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio. September 6, 2011. Scientists on the cutting edge of biomedical research know that research is a process – a combination of successes and failures that inform the next step forward. However, for some researchers at The Ohio State University progress means taking a step back. Supported by the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), these scientists are using failed and forgotten research to uncover future treatments for major health conditions as diverse as oral cancer and stroke. In a recent editorial that detailed the goals of the soon-to-be launched National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS), NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D. noted that the current research process for discovering new therapies is often slow, expensive and unsuccessful. He went on to describe several ways that translational medicine could revolutionize the system, including the idea of “repurposing and rescuing” drugs that could potentially have other uses - an idea being put into action at Ohio State. “The translational science approach puts cross-functional teams and new technologies to work in more efficient ways, ” says Rebecca Jackson, M.D., Associate Dean for Clinical Research in the College of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the Ohio State CCTS. “It allows our researchers to do innovative work – like resurrecting old data – that maintains a focus on answering questions that will make timely, positive impacts on the major health [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-07T16:00:59-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

New Evaluation for HPV16 Related Cancers Using “Pap-Test Equivalent”

Source: Cancer Prevention Research Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for the rising incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers (OSCC) in the United States, and yet, no screening strategies have been evaluated. Secondary prevention by means of HPV detection and cervical cytology has led to a decline in cervical cancer incidence in the United States. Here, we explored an analogous strategy by evaluating associations between HPV16 infection, cytopathology, and histopathology in two populations at elevated risk for OSCCs. In the first, a cross-sectional study population (PAP1), cytology specimens were collected by means of brush biopsy from patients presenting with oropharyngeal abnormalities. In the second (PAP2), a nested case–control study, bilateral tonsillar cytology samples were collected at 12-month intervals from HIV-infected individuals. The presence of cytopathologic abnormality in HPV16-positive tonsil brush biopsies (cases) was compared with HPV16-negative samples (controls) matched on age and gender. HPV16 was detected in samples by consensus primer PCR and/or type-specific PCR. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations. In PAP1, HPV16 alone (OR: 6.1, 95% CI: 1.6–22.7) or in combination with abnormal cytology (OR: 20, 95% CI: 4.2–95.4) was associated with OSCC. In PAP2, 4.7% (72 of 1,524) of tonsillar cytology specimens from HIV-infected individuals without oropharyngeal abnormalities were HPV16 positive. Tonsillar HPV16 infection was not associated with atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASCUS), the only cytologic abnormality identified. Therefore, HPV16 was associated with OSCCs among individuals with accessible oropharyngeal lesions but not with cytologic evidence of dysplasia among high-risk individuals without such lesions. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-05T12:06:20-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

HPV- Related Head and Neck Cancers Increase while Non-HPV Related Head and Neck Cancers Decrease in Canada

Source: SAGE Journals Online Abstract Objective: 1) Learn how the incidence of HPV-related and non-HPV-related Head and Neck Cancers (HNC) in Canada has changed in the time period 1992 to 2008. 2) Learn how the age at diagnosis and overall survival for these cancers in Canada has changed over that period. Method: We used Canadian Cancer Registry Data (1992-2008), categorizing HNCs into 3 groups: (High (HHPV), ie, oropharynx; Moderate (MHPV), ie, oral cavity; and Low (LHPV), ie, larynx); based on the probability that HPV causes the cancer. We calculated age-adjusted incidence, median age at diagnosis, and survival for each category. Results: HHPV cancers increased in incidence at an average annual rate (AAR) of 1.02% (P = .010); MHPV and LHPV cancers decreased at an AAR of 2.38% (P = .000) and 3.67% (P = .000) respectively. The median age at diagnosis for HHPV cancers decreased by an average of 0.23 years/year (P = .000). There was no change for MHPV and an increase for LHPV of 0.10 years/year (P = .008). Survival for patients with HHPV cancers increased by 2.1%/year (P = .000), compared with an increase of 1.6% per year for MHPV (P = .003) and a marginal increase in LHPV of 0.6% per year (P = .002). Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV-related head and neck cancers in Canada is increasing, while the prevalence of non-HPV–related head and neck cancers is decreasing. This has been accompanied by a decrease in both age at diagnosis and mortality in HPV related [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-05T09:01:50-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

A step toward a saliva test for cancer

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff A new saliva test can measure the amount of potential carcinogens stuck to a person's DNA -- interfering with the action of genes involved in health and disease -- and could lead to a commercial test to help determine risks for cancer and other diseases, scientists reported in Denver during the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). "The test measures the amount of damaged DNA in a person's body," said Professor Hauh-Jyun Candy Chen, Ph.D., who led the research team. "This is very important because such damaged DNA -- we call this 'DNA adducts' -- is a biomarker that may help doctors diagnose diseases, monitor how effective a treatment is and also recommend things high-risk patients can do to reduce the chances of actually getting a disease," said Chen. The research team is at National Chung Cheng University (NCCU) in Taiwan. "We tried urine and blood and found these adducts. Then we turned our attention to saliva. It's much more convenient to collect a sample of saliva." A DNA adduct forms when a potentially cancer-causing substance is chemically attached to a strand of DNA, which makes up genes. People come into contact with such substances in the environment, certain workplaces and through everyday activities. Cigarette smoke, for instance, contains at least 20 known cancer-causing substances. When such a substance binds to DNA, it changes the DNA so that genes may not work normally. Our body has a built-in repair system that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-02T19:27:30-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Trans-oral robotic surgery has all the right stuff to remove head & neck cancers

Source: inventorspot.com Author: T Goodman Historically, surgical removal or oral and throat cancers have not allowed patients to go back to living their normal daily lives. Oral cancer removals caused severe pain, particularly ugly scarring, and an inability to eat, speak, or swallow normally. Even breathing problems might result. But now along comes TORS, the robot with the right stuff. Just over a dozen hospitals in the U.S. currently have the TORS, which stands for Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery. The system uses the da Vinci Surgical System, which has developed since the mid 90's to arguably be the most successful robotic surgery system in the world. It employs tiny robotic surgical instruments, operated from a command station by the appropriately trained human surgeon who maneuvers the robot's 'arms' and instruments. As with other da Vinci procedures, TORS has the benefits of being less invasive, with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. There is less blood loss, little scarring, and fewer temporary and permanent side effects, such as loss of speech or swallowing ability. Generally, there is no need to begin cancer therapy with radiation, which would increase the discomfort and recovery time. Tamer A. Ghanem, M.D., Ph.D., director of Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery Division in the Department of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, says that with TORS, "Surgeons operate with greater precision and control using the TORS approach, minimizing the pain, and reducing the risk of possible [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-02T19:22:47-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Scientific literature supports safety of essential oil mouthrinses

Source: www.dentistryiq.com Author: Christine Charles, RDH Antimicrobial mouthrinses provide anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis benefits beyond brushing and flossing alone. An antimicrobial mouthrinse where the active ingredient is the fixed combination of four essential oils (EO), thymol, menthol, eucalyptol and methyl salicylate in a hydroalcohol solution (pharmaceutical grade ethanol functions as a solvent, a vehicle for the active ingredients and as a preservative in a mouthrinse), has been proven clinically effective and safe in over 50 clinical trials, including 6-month trials with plaque reductions up to 70.0%(1) and gingivitis reductions up to 36%(1,2) compared with negative control. Sharma, et al, showed the clinically significant incremental benefit of including an EO antimicrobial mouthrinse in a daily mechanical oral regimen of brushing and flossing.(3) Mechanical oral hygiene techniques generally focus on the teeth, but teeth comprise only about 25% of the surface area of the mouth. Bacteria are also prevalent on the other 75% of the mouth’s surface area, in bacterial reservoirs on the tongue, cheek, palate and oral mucosa.(4) A mouthrinse can reach the rest of the mouth, where a toothbrush and floss cannot. EO works by killing planktonic and biofilm-associated bacteria and a broad spectrum of bacteria and yeasts associated with halitosis, gingivitis and periodontitis by: (1) disrupting bacterial cell membranes and cell walls, (2) inhibiting bacterial growth and development, (3) inhibiting glucosyltransferase (gtf) enzymes, reducing extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) formation, and (4) reducing plaque endotoxin levels.(5) The scientific literature supports the safety of EO mouthrinses,(7-9) including use in xerostomic patients,(8) and evidence [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-02T19:11:29-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Medicated patch shows promise in oral cancer prevention

Source: www.healthnewsdigest.com Author: press release Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a medicated oral patch that allows a chemoprevention drug to release directly into precancerous lesions in the mouth over an extended time. The study evaluated the drug fenretinide, a synthetic derivative of vitamin A that has highly promising anti-cancer properties. Until now, scientists have failed to achieve a therapeutic, systemic dose of fenretinide because of drug toxicity and rapid release from the body. By using a new mucoadhesive patch invented by a team from Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) and the University of Michigan, the researchers developed a delivery system that can provide continuous drug therapy to saliva-coated oral tissue. “The challenge with oral gels or rinses is the medication can dissolve in saliva before it penetrates into the tissue. This patch allows us to target and control drug delivery and tissue exposure,” says Dr. Susan Mallery, an oral pathologist at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. The patch consists of three layers: a disk saturated with fenretinide and polymers to make the drug more soluble in saliva, an adhesive ring to hold the disk in place, and a backing layer to ensure the medication stays within the patch. In their study recently published online by the journal Pharmaceutical Research, Mallery and co-investigator, Dr. Peter Larsen of Ohio State, tested the fenretinide patch using simulated saliva as well as lab animals. In [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-02T19:03:27-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|