Oral Cancer News

Light-mediated therapy aims to overcome both tumour cell uptake barriers and toxicity problems

Source: news.prnewswire.com Author: press release PCI Biotech Holding ASA, the Norwegian drug delivery company focusing on effective delivery of cancer therapeutics, today announced that the first patient has received treatment in the Phase I/II trial with the lead candidate Amphinex(R), which uses a new approach called photochemical internalisation. The patient was treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) in London. PCI's proprietary photosensitiser Amphinex(R) is in this study combined with the therapeutic agent bleomycin. When activated by light, Amphinex(R) promotes effective delivery of large therapeutic molecules such as bleomycin through triggered endosomal release. The trial will investigate a broadly representative spectrum of cancers including head and neck cancer and breast cancer, to demonstrate the safety and potential of this new approach. The primary objective of this study is to assess the maximum tolerated dose of Amphinex(R), in PCI treatment with bleomycin. Secondary objectives include determination of the antitumor activity of Amphinex(R) when used in combination with bleomycin, as well as its pharmacokinetics. Colin Hopper, Principal Investigator at UCH, said: "At UCH we are dedicated to high quality patient care and we have extensive experience in the use of photodynamic therapy to treat cancer patients. PCI is a very exciting new approach in photodynamic medicine that has shown great promise in preclinical studies. We are very proud of being the first centre to move this new technology into the clinic." Per Walday CEO of PCI Biotech, said: "This first in man trial is an important step forward for the company. We [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-24T20:34:26-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

First ever list of top-rated cancer fighting nonprofits

Source: Hotindienews.com Author: Staff Menlo Park, Calif. — For donors and volunteers looking to support a cancer charity, GreatNonprofits releases the first ever list of top-rated cancer fighting nonprofits. A huge variety of cancer support, education, and advocacy organizations were reviewed during the 2009 GreatNonprofits Cancer Fighters Awards in July. The large diversity of organizations that received reviews combined with the large number of reviews posted, shows the incredible passion and commitment these organizations inspire. “We’re really proud of this,” says Brian Hill, Founder and Executive Director of The Oral Cancer Foundation, which won for top-rated cancer organization with an annual budget below $250,000. “It’s an honest appraisal of metrics of what we’ve accomplished that’s actually human.” Nancy Frank is the Executive Director of the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, the winner among organizations with budgets over $1,000,000. She says, “We were thrilled with the response. We work our little nose to the grindstone every day and this kind of renewed our spirits in this hard year.” The contest, held throughout July, asked people to submit reviews and ratings about nonprofits serving the cancer community. The contest was sponsored by GreatNonprofits, GuideStar and Planet Cancer. The results provide surprising and inspiring insights into the diversity of organizations that are considered effective and important by volunteers, donors and stakeholders of the cancer community. This is the first ever list providing reviews of cancer fighting nonprofits by those who have actually experienced their work. These unique results will be helpful to donors and [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-08-24T22:36:54-07:00August, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Surgeons carry out world’s first face, jaw and tongue transplant

Source: www.mirror.co.uk Author: staff Surgeons have successfully carried out the world's first face, jaw and tongue transplant. They spent 16 hours operating on a man of 43 whose face had been horribly disfigured by radiotherapy for a tumour 11 years ago. The patient will eventually be able to eat, taste, swallow and speak again. Pedro Cavadas, who led 30 Spanish medics in Valencia in the day-long op, said yesterday: "The patient's seen himself and is delighted." The case was marred by controversy after authorities released details about the donor against his family's wishes. French woman Isabelle Dinoire received the first face transplant four years ago after losing her nose, lips and chin when a dog mauled her.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-22T05:37:19-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Laser microsurgery for tongue cancer

Source: www.ajho.com Author: staff A retrospective chart review undertaken at a Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, indicates that transoral laser surgery to treat cancer of the tongue is as effective as open surgery. The less invasive procedure may also improve patients' quality of life. The study reviewed data from 71 patients who underwent transoral laser microsurgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue. At 24 months, overall survival was 90% and disease-specific survival was 94%. Of the 46 patients for whom quality-of-life information was obtained, the majority reported mild or no pain, minimally impaired to normal swallowing, and normal speech. Surgical approaches through the neck once provided the only safe access to the base of the tongue, although the voice box, trachea, esophagus, lymph nodes, muscles, and large nerves make surgical resection in this area difficult. Significant complications often included impairment of speech and of swallowing. Transoral laser microsurgery, using an endoscope with a lighted camera, a microscopic lens, and a CO-2 laser, enables surgeons to treat cancers that were not treatable previously. Dr Guy Petruzzelli, study author and chief of the Section of Head, Neck and Skull Base Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, noted, “Due to the precision of this surgery, most patients require less adjuvant chemotherapy, and in some cases patients will not need chemotherapy. And the functional outcomes are superior. Patients are able to speak and swallow much sooner and better than with an open technique.” Of patients responding, 91% reported [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-21T04:54:55-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Worldwide study shows MI risk increases with all forms of tobacco use

Source: HeartWire Author: Steve Stiles London, UK - Tobacco use significantly ups the risk of nonfatal MI independently of its varied methods around the world and whether exposure is direct or through second-hand smoke, according to INTERHEART, a large, broadly international case-control study [1]. The findings sharpen and add a global perspective to the massive epidemiologic evidence implicating smoking and other tobacco uses as causes of heart disease. The analysis, which appears in the August 19, 2006 issue of the Lancet, suggests that current cigarette smoking confers nearly triple the adjusted MI risk faced by persons who have never smoked and that the hazards can't be escaped by resorting to other forms of tobacco use. The study looked at the effects of not only smokeless tobacco but also less common modes of smoking, including some that are primarily limited to specific geographic regions such as South and Central Asia. "Our findings show that tobacco in any form is harmful," write the authors, Dr Koon K Teo (McMaster University-Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON) and associates. Other noteworthy observations include a significant dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes consumed daily and the likelihood of MI, even at only a few cigarettes per day. Commenting on the study for heartwire, Dr Ira S Ockene (University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester) said that it replicates much earlier work but "adds so much more," including a global perspective not only geographically but in terms of spanning virtually all forms of tobacco exposure. Its data on the risks of chewing [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-08-20T14:47:56-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Three clinical studies give GSK’s cancer vaccine an edge

Source: EH News Bureau Author: Staff GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited (GSK) recently shared the results of three recently published clinical studies, conducted for its cervical cancer vaccine—Cervarix. Said Dr Hasit Joshipura, Vice President, South Asia and Managing Director, GSK India, "The findings confirmed that the vaccine offers protection against five of the most common cancer-causing virus types, generates significantly higher immune response compared to the other available vaccine Gardasil and provides high and sustained antibody levels for at least 7.3 years till date." The clinical studies involved 18,644 women and was published in The Lancet. The study confirmed that Cervarix is not only highly effective at protecting against the two most common cervical cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) types, 16 and 18, but also provides additional cross-protection against HPV types 31, 33 and 45, the three most common cancer-causing virus types beyond 16 and 18. This additional efficacy could translate into approximately 11-16 per cent extra protection against cervical cancer over and above the protection afforded by efficacy against HPV 16 and 18 alone. In India, the same five HPV types are responsible for almost 90 per cent cervical cancer cases. "These results amply demonstrate that preventive vaccination is one of the most effective methods of primary prevention of HPV infection, the necessary cause of cervical cancer. In tandem with screening tests, it is perfectly positioned to lend a decisive edge against this deadly cancer. Extending the scope of protection beyond types 16 and 18 will allow prevention of the vast majority [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-08-21T04:48:45-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Involvement of potential pathways in malignant transformation from oral leukoplakia to oral squamous cell carcinoma revealed by proteomic analysis

Source: 7thspace.com Author: staff Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common forms of cancer associated with the presence of precancerous oral leukoplakia. Given the poor prognosis associated with oral leukoplakia, and the difficulties in distinguishing it with cancer lesion, there is an urgent need to elucidate the molecular determinants and key signal pathways underlying the malignant transformation of precancerous to cancerous tissue, and thus to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic target. Results: We have utilized two dimensional electrophoresis followed by ESI-Q-TOF-LC-MS/MS to identify proteins differentially expressed in six pairs of oral leukoplakia tissues with dysplasia and oral squamous cancer tissues, each pair from the same patient. Approximately 85 differentially and constantly expressed proteins (>two-fold change, P>0.05) were identified, 52 up-regulated and 33 down-regulated. Gene ontological methods were employed to identify the biological processes that were over-represented in this carcinogenic stage. Potential biological networks were also constructed to reveal the link between those protein candidates. Among those proteins, three homologs of proteosome activator PA28 a,b and g were shown to have up-regulated mRNA levels in OSCC cells relative to oral keratinocytes. Conclusions: Amounts of differentially expressed proteins involved in the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. Their expression level, bioprocess, interactions networks could be analyzed by bioinformatics approach. All the three homologs of PA28 may be shown to play an important role in the malignant transformation. Our study is an example of a systems biology study, in which functional proteomics was constructed to help to elucidate mechanistic aspects [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-20T05:54:53-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Snuff and chewing tobacco linked to increased risk of fatal MI or stroke

Source: WebMD Author: Marlene Busko Lyon, France - Smokeless tobacco—such as snuff and chewing tobacco—is not harmless when it comes to heart health, according to a new meta-analysis [1]. A review of 11 studies from Sweden and the US, almost entirely in men, showed that smokeless-tobacco users had an increased risk of death from MI or stroke. The study, by researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC), is published online August 18, 2009 in BMJ. Contrary to common belief that smokeless tobacco has very little effect on health, these products have been shown to increase cancer risk, coauthor and IARC researcher Dr Kurt Straif (Lyon, France) told heartwire. "There is sufficient evidence for a causal association between smokeless tobacco and oral and pancreatic cancer [2] and probably also esophageal cancer [3]," he said. "Now, this study adds evidence that smokeless tobacco causes death from cardiovascular diseases," Straif summarized. Widespread, growing use of snus Types of smokeless tobacco used in North America and Europe include dry snuff that is inhaled, as well as moist snuff (called snus in Sweden) and chewing tobacco (or spit tobacco), which are sucked inside the cheek. These products have been around for centuries, and after a decline in consumption for most of the 20th century, use has rebounded in the past few decades, the authors write. In 2000, 23.9% of men and 4.1% of women in Sweden reported using snus daily or occasionally. In the same year, in the US, 4.4% of men and 0.3% of women were [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-08-19T12:14:50-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Taste and smell disorders caused by cancer or treatments add to patients’ problems

Source: www.oncologynursingnews.com Author: Delicia Yard Although the mechanisms underlying abnormalities in the senses of taste and smell in cancer patients are unknown, such disturbances clearly decrease quality of life for the majority of cancer patients—and clinicians need to be aware of the problem in order to help a person's recovery. This is the word from a study recently published in The Journal of Supportive Oncology (2009;7:58-65). Jae Hee Hong, PhD, Pinar Omur-Ozbek, PhD, Brian T. Stanek, and coinvestigators from Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Virginia Tech's food science and technology department and biomedical engineering school conclude, “Oncologists who understand the types and causes of taste and olfactory abnormalities may be better prepared to discuss and empathize with these negative side effects.” Altered sensory perception can undermine a person's struggle against cancer by causing malnutrition and anxiety. One study cited by Dr Hong and colleagues found that malnutrition, not malignancy, was the primary cause of morbidity in 20% of cancer patients. Dr Hong and colleagues explain that disorders of taste and odor can result from cancer itself or from cancer treatments, with 68% of chemotherapy patients reporting such problems. But the specific causes of these alterations often remain unidentified. How Senses Go Bad According to the researchers, problems with taste and smell break down into 3 categories: loss of sensitivity, distorted perception, and hallucination. The abnormalities may take the following forms: • absence of taste perception (ageusia) or odor perception (anosmia) • reduced sensitivity to taste perception (hypogeusia) or [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-19T12:07:17-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Oral cancer risks that may surprise you

Source: www.examiner.com Author: staff "I am a non-smoker; I do not need to worry about Oral Cancer... right?" Not exactly... Oral Cancer is a debilitating and frightful disease that affects 34,000 new Americans each year. Approximately one person dies of oral cancer each hour and it is estimated that 8,000 will die this year. Of the 34,000 diagnosed in 2009, less than half will live to see 2014. The mortality rate of Oral Cancer is higher than that of Cervical, Testicular and Malignant Melanoma (Skin Cancer). Although Oral Cancer is not addressed as often as other forms of cancer, it is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Many associate Oral Cancer to tobacco use, which is the main risk factor along with excessive alcohol consumption. However, 25% of new Oral Cancer patients do not possess these risk factors. Because of the aggressive nature of the disease, early diagnosis is crucial. Therefore knowing all the risk factors will enable individuals to become proactive in their oral health. Risk factors of Oral Cancer include: Tobacco: Especially "chewing" tobacco, this is thought to contribute to Oral Cancers in the young (less than forty years of age). Alcohol: Consuming three or more alcohol beverages per day increases your risk for Oral Cancer development. Diabetes: It is thought that those individuals who are diabetic are at an increased risk because of compromised immune systems. Human Papilloma Virus: HPV-16 increases the risk for Oral Cancer (it is the same form of HPV that is responsible [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-19T07:23:25-07:00August, 2009|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|