Oral Cancer News

SciClone identifies unique genetic markers associated with patient response to SCV-07 treatment in oral mucositis

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that researchers have identified two unique gene clusters that differentiated subjects who responded to treatment in the Company's phase 2a proof of concept study of SCV-07 for the prevention of severe oral mucositis (OM; WHO grades 3-4) in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. The Company believes that the discovery of these gene clusters may assist in providing the framework for effectively identifying those patients most likely to respond to SCV-07 in future clinical trials based on their individual genomic profile or gene signature. These findings were presented today in a poster presentation at the 4th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development. As part of the Company's recently completed phase 2a OM study, researchers collected and analyzed RNA samples from patients prior to and at the completion of the trial's treatment phase. Results from this gene expression analysis demonstrated the strong association of two specific gene clusters with patient response to SCV-07. Consistent with SCV-07's activity as a modulator of the immune system, these clusters included genes associated with G-protein coupled receptors, signal transducers, glycoproteins and membrane proteins. "The identification of these specific genetic markers represents an exciting and potentially powerful development in the clinical advancement of SCV-07 for the treatment of oral mucositis," said Dr. Stephen T. Sonis, speaking in his role as Chief Medical Officer of Biomodels, LLC. Dr. Sonis is also a Clinical Professor of Oral Medicine [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-30T12:56:10-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Nuances in the changing epidemiology of head and neck cancer

Source: Cancer Network Author: Daniel C. Beachler, MHS Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a heterogeneous group of malignancies caused by the traditional risk factors of tobacco, alcohol, and poor oral hygiene, as well as more recently identified roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).[1-3] We commend Kim and colleagues on their comprehensive review of the epidemiology of HNSCC. There has been a clear change in the epidemiology of HNSCC which has further accentuated differences in etiology, survival, and demographics among HNSCC patients. We will discuss several important nuances of this changing epidemiology, including the role of tobacco, race, sexual behavior, and gender, as well as HNSCC in nonsmokers and nondrinkers. As tobacco use has declined over the past several decades,[4,5] so has the number of cancers caused by tobacco and alcohol.[1,6,7] Continued decline in tobacco use and associated HNSCC is not guaranteed, however; in fact, some recent evidence suggests rates of tobacco use in the US may be stabilizing.[5] In contrast, the incidence of HPV-associated HNSCC has increased over the past several decades,[7] although it is unclear what is driving this change. The increasing incidence of HPV-associated HNSCC could be related to changes in oral sexual practices resulting in more oral HPV infection, or it may be explained by increased persistence and progression due to changes in relevant cofactors. Kim and colleagues noted in their review that HPV-associated HNSCC largely occurs among nonsmokers and nondrinkers. While it is true that HNSCC patients with HPV-associated disease [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-09-30T12:46:32-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

SIBLING proteins may predict oral cancer

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: Medical College of Georgia The presence of certain proteins in premalignant oral lesions may predict oral cancer development, Medical College of Georgia researchers said. SIBLINGs, or Small Integrin-Binding Ligand N-linked Glycoproteins, are a family of five proteins that help mineralize bone but can also spread cancer. SIBLINGs have been found in cancers including breast, lung, colon and prostate. "Several years ago we discovered that three SIBLINGs -- osteopontin, bone sialoprotein and dentin sialophosphoprotein -- were expressed at significantly high levels in oral cancers," said Dr. Kalu Ogbureke, an oral and maxillofacial pathologist in the MCG School of Dentistry. "Following that discovery, we began to research the potential role of SIBLINGs in oral lesions before they become invasive cancers." The study, published online in the journal Cancer, examined 60 archived surgical biopsies of precancerous lesions sent to MCG for diagnosis and the patients' subsequent health information. Eighty-seven percent of the biopsies were positive for at least one SIBLING protein -- which the researchers discovered can be good or bad, depending on the protein. For instance, they found that the protein, dentin sialophosphoprotein, increases oral cancer risk fourfold, while bone sialoprotein significantly decreases the risk. "The proteins could be used as biomarkers to predict [the potential of a lesion to become cancerous]," said Dr. Ogbureke, the study's lead author. "That is very significant, because we would then be in a position to modify treatment for the individual patient's need in the near future." Precancerous oral lesions, which can develop [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-21T12:49:42-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

‘Synthetic lethality’ strategy improves molecularly targeted cancer therapy

Source: www.physorg.com Author: Fox Chase Cancer Center Molecularly targeted therapies can reduce tumors rapidly. However, not all tumors respond to the drugs, and even those that do often develop resistance over time. Looking for a way to combat the problem of resistance, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center hypothesized that hitting already weakened cancer cells with a second targeted agent could kill them—but only if it was the right second agent. One well-validated molecular target for anti-cancer drugs is the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. Using a novel screening approach, investigators in the Fox Chase Developmental Therapeutics Program identified over 60 additional proteins that are necessary for cells to survive in the presence of an EGFR inhibitor. When they simultaneously blocked the EGFR inhibitors and any one of these other proteins, more of the cancer cells died. The researchers say this screening strategy to identify targets for effective combinations of cancer drugs will open the door for future therapies. Already, two clinical trials are under way to test innovative drug combinations suggested by the new tactic. "We found that knocking out one or the other target doesn't have a major effect, but knocking out both increases tumor cell death," says Igor Astsaturov, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor and medical oncologist at Fox Chase. Astsaturov led the study, which will be published in the September 21, 2010 issue of Science Signaling. To identify additional targets that would boost the effectiveness of EGFR inhibitors against cancer, Astsaturov and colleagues screened only [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-21T12:40:30-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Robotic surgery breakthrough helping Valley throat and mouth cancer patients

Source: www.abc15.com Author: Jodie Heisner A breakthrough surgery helping those with mouth and throat cancer is being offered by a surgeon right here in the Valley (Mesa, AZ). “It’s nice when about every few years something comes along that’s really a giant step,” said Dr. Glen Rothman of Banner Desert Medical Center. That giant step is being taken with small robotic arms and 3-D imaging. The procedure is done without the doctor even touching you. “Truly the ability to go through the mouth where my hands and my eyes cannot see, with tiny instrumentation and remove tumors in ways that really just did not exist before this technology,” said Dr. Rothman. The procedure is helping patients with mouth and throat cancers similar to the type Michael Douglas is fighting. “It is my understanding that he has squamous cell cancer of his tongue base and that is one of the areas where the daVinci robot could really be used,” said Dr. Rothman. Douglas has opted for chemotherapy and radiation to treat the disease, but for those that choose the surgery with the daVinci robot there are benefits. Without the robot the surgery involves cutting through the jaw leaving scarring. Typically patients are in the hospital for at least eight days. “We do it though the mouth with no incisions on the outside. Just a couple days in the hospital, none of those tubes, no external scars and a much faster, easier recovery,” said Dr. Rothman. It also helps to eliminate many [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-21T12:34:10-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

GSK European Commission amends licence for Cervarix

By: GlaxoSmithKline Source: PharmPro GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) confirmed today that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorisation to amend the licence for its cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix®. The approval from the European Commission is important as it recognises the extent of cervical cancer protection demonstrated by Cervarix®, which was not highlighted by the previous indication. The licence amendment is supported by data from the largest efficacy trial of a cervical cancer vaccine conducted to date, the PATRICIA study, and acknowledges that Cervarix® has shown efficacy beyond HPV 16 and 18, the two virus types contained in the vaccine. The summary of product characteristics (SPC) for Cervarix® will be updated to include the prevention of precancerous lesions and cervical cancer causally related to certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and will reflect data showing efficacy against the two vaccine types contained in the vaccine (HPV 16 and 18) and the three next most common cancer-causing virus types (HPV 31, 33 and 45).* Together these five HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33 and 45) account for 80 percent of all cervical cancers. * Vaccine efficacy is different for each of the HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, and varies in different cohorts and endpoints. GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Biologicals), GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines business, is one of the world’s leading vaccine companies and a leader in innovation. The company is active in vaccine research, development and production with over 30 vaccines approved for marketing and 20 more in development - both in the prophylactic and therapeutic fields [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-09-17T09:07:55-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Medicare expands coverage of tobacco cessation

By Mike Lillis Source: thehill.com The Obama administration on Wednesday expanded Medicare to cover more seniors hoping to kick their tobacco habits. "Most Medicare beneficiaries want to quit their tobacco use," Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement announcing the move. "Now, [they] can get the help they need." Under previous rules, Medicare covered tobacco-related counseling only for beneficiaries already suffering from a tobacco-related disease. Under the new policy, Medicare will cover as many as two tobacco-cessation counseling tries each year, including as many as four individual sessions per attempt. The move is the latest in a string of White House efforts to shift the nation's healthcare system toward prevention, in lieu of simply treating diseases after they've developed. If successful, the new tobacco policy could pay dividends. Of the 46 million Americans estimated to smoke, about 4.5 million are seniors older than 65, HHS says. And nearly 1 million more smokers are younger than 65, but eligible for Medicare benefits. They aren't cheap. Tobacco-related diseases are estimated to cost Medicare about $800 billion between 1995 and 2015. Donald Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the expansion lends seniors valuable help "to avoid the painful — and often deadly — consequences of tobacco use." The change affects Medicare Parts A and B — hospital care and physician services — but not Part D, which already covers smoking-cessation drugs for all beneficiaries.

Charlotte Parker2010-09-17T08:57:45-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco won’t help smokers quit

Source: www.webmd.com Author: Bill Hendrick Smokeless tobacco products -- whether chewed or used as dry or moist snuff -- may increase the risk of heart attack, fatal stroke and certain cancers, says a new policy statement published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "No tobacco product is safe to consume," Mariann Piano, PhD, lead writer of the policy statement and a professor in the department of behavioral health science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, says in a news release. The notion that smokeless tobacco may help reduce the rate of cigarette smoking is based in part on Swedish research, which showed a significant decline in smoking by Swedish men between 1976 and 2002 that corresponded with an increase in the use of smokeless tobacco. But in similar research in the U.S., the opposite was found to be true, the article says. There was no reduction in smoking rates among people who used smokeless tobacco products. Nicotine-Replacement Therapy Piano says that smokers trying to kick the habit might want to try nicotine-replacement therapy, by chewing nicotine gum or using a nicotine patch that can be attached to the skin, rather than using smokeless tobacco products. Piano tells WebMD that most people who use nicotine-replacement therapy do so for short periods of time, and it doesn't appear to be as addictive as smokeless tobacco "because of slower absorption, lower doses of nicotine, greater cost, lack of flavoring, sociocultural influences" or a combination of such factors. She says [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-14T09:06:26-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

FDA sends e-cigarette companies a warning

Source: www.boston.com Author: staff The Food and Drug Administration is lighting a fire under the electronic cigarette industry to work with the agency to legally market the devices and is cautioning other companies that their sales and manufacturing practices violate federal law. The FDA said yesterday it sent warning letters to five companies that make e-cigarettes or components for the plastic and metal devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable cartridge, creating vapor that the smoker inhales. In the letters, the FDA said the companies are violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, including unsubstantiated claims and poor manufacturing practices. The FDA is asking the companies to let the agency know within 15 business days how it plans to correct the violations. The other companies receiving warning letters were E-CigaretteDirect LLC of Colorado, Ruyan America Inc. in Minneapolis, Gamucci America in Florida, and Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC of Wisconsin. But in a letter to the Electronic Cigarette Association, the FDA said the actions were not meant to be seen as a larger effort to ban e-cigs. It urged the industry group to work with the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the devices to help people quit smoking traditional cigarettes through usually expensive clinical trials. “We are interested in finding out whether e-cigarettes can be proven safe and effective,’’ said Michael Levy, FDA compliance lawyer.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-13T09:02:45-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

U.S. smoking rate hasn’t changed, CDC says

Source: www.latimes.com Author: Thomas H. Maugh II One in five Americans lights up regularly. If all states had prevention programs like those in California and Utah, 5 million fewer people would be smoking, the agency says. After 40 years of continual declines, the smoking rate in the United States has stabilized for the last five years, with one in every five Americans still lighting up regularly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Moreover, more than half of all children are exposed to toxic, secondhand smoke and 98% of those who live with a smoker have measurable levels of toxic chemicals in their blood stream, setting them up for future harm from cancer, heart disease and a variety of other ailments. "If you smoke and have children, don't kid yourself. Your smoke is harming your children," CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said in a news conference. Using products marketed as being less harmful is no panacea, he added. "All cigarettes kill equally, and we know that light and low-tar cigarettes are no less likely to kill you." Despite the reduction in smoking over the last four decades, Frieden said, smoking remains the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Every year, an estimated 446,000 Americans die from smoking-related diseases. The good news is that some states are making progress in combating smoking. Utah has the lowest smoking rate at 10%, and California is second with a rate just below 13%, according to CDC figures. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-13T08:07:11-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|