8/8/2006 Iowa City, IA staff CancerConsultants.com Researchers from Argentina have reported that the intravenous administration of L-alanyl-L-glutamine was effective in reducing the incidence and severity of oral mucositis following chemotherapy for head and neck cancer.[1] The details of this randomized trial appeared in the August 1, 2006, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics . Oral mucositis is a significant complication of cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Several approaches have been used to decrease the incidence and severity of mucositis, including local cryotherapy, the administration of Ethyol (amifostine), and the administration of growth factors including Kepivance® (ketatinocyte growth factor), which is approved by the U.S. FDA for prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving autologous stem cell transplants. L- glutamine is of interest in preventing oral mucositis as it is an essential amino acid involved in cellular repair. L-glutamine has also been used as a supplement in parenteral nutrition preparations with some evidence that it prevents infections in debilitated patients. L-glutamine as a preventative agent for oral mucositis has been studied as an oral agent. Previous studies of L-glutamine to prevent oral mucositis have involved an oral preparation called AES-14. AES 14 is combined with a vehicle (Saforis™), which enhances its availability to cells of the mucous membrane. This oral combination has been shown to favorably affect the course of chemotherapy-induced mucositis.[2] AES 14 is marketed by Aesgen and has fast tract designation by the FDA for treatment of oral mucositis. The results of a randomized, double-blind, [...]

8/8/2006 S Friis et al. British Journal of Cancer (2006) 95, 363-365 Epidemiologic data regarding the chemopreventive potential of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against oral cancer are sparse. We found a relative risk for oral cancer of 1.2 (95% CI, 1.0-1.6) among 169 589 Danish NSAID users (2 prescriptions), with no apparent trends in subgroups. Our study provided no clear evidence that NSAIDs may protect against oral cancer. There is substantial experimental and epidemiological evidence that aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against colorectal adenomas and cancer (Baron, 2003; Ulrich et al, 2006). Epidemiologic studies have also consistently pointed to inverse associations between NSAID use and cancers of the stomach and oesophagus, whereas the results are mixed for other cancer sites (Gonzalez-Perez et al, 2003). Studies of animal models and human cancer cell lines have indicated that the potential chemopreventive effect of NSAIDs might extend to oral cancer (Goodin and Shiff, 2004; Wang, 2005), and this year a large phase III prevention trial of COX-2 inhibitors in patients with premalignant oral lesions (leukoplakia) is scheduled to be launched (Nelson, 2006). Interestingly, only a few epidemiological studies have provided data on the relationship between NSAID use and oral cancer, and the data are conflicting (Thun et al, 1993; Bosetti et al, 2003; Sørensen et al, 2003). This paucity of epidemiologic data prompted us to examine the incidence of oral cancer in a large cohort of NSAID users in Denmark. Materials & Methods: The study was carried out within the [...]

8/3/2006 Waltham, MA Susan Okie, M.D. New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 355:437-440 A surprising court decision this past May has advanced an effort to allow terminally ill people to purchase experimental drugs after initial safety testing but before they have been shown to work. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was considering a lawsuit by the Abigail Alliance, a patient-advocacy group, against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two members of the panel ruled that patients with life-threatening and otherwise untreatable diseases have a constitutional right to seek experimental treatments for which efficacy is not yet established and that the government cannot interfere unless it proves it has a "compelling interest." The suit was sent back to a lower court, which had dismissed it. The dissenting judge, Thomas Griffith, wrote that "there is no evidence in this Nation's history and traditions of a right to access experimental drugs." "The prerogative asserted by the FDA — to prevent a terminally ill patient from using potentially life-saving medication to which those in Phase II clinical trials have access . . . impinges upon an individual liberty deeply rooted in our Nation's history and tradition of self-preservation." — D.C. Circuit Judge Judith Rogers "I have serious doubt about how a court can know, as a matter of constitutional law, that the lesser of two evils will be achieved by providing all terminally ill patients access to all Phase I experimental drugs, given the risks these [...]

8/3/2006 Newport Beach, CA press release U.S. Newswire (releases.usnewswire.com) If you are one of the more than 300,000 people worldwide affected by oral cancer each year, http://www.oralcancer.org could be your new best friend. At http://www.oralcancer.org patients, caregivers, and health care professionals alike are finding answers, support, and new allies in their struggle against this deadly disease. The web has changed our world in many ways, but one of the most positive examples is the ability for oral cancer patients to connect with others who are fighting the same battle, or with survivors who have been down this difficult road ahead of them. Through real time exchanges of experience and knowledge on The Oral Cancer Foundation's web site, they are supported with empowering information and the emotional understanding of individuals who have shared their experience. Currently receiving about 15 million hits per month, the OCF website, in addition to the interactive support forum it contains, has brought together hundreds of pages of useful information and facts reviewed by a science advisory board consisting of doctors from the worlds of treatment, education, research, and public health. Access to the site and its contents are provided at no cost. OCF founder, and a late stage oral cancer survivor himself, Brian Hill knows personally the need for information and support. "After a diagnosis of cancer, your world becomes one of terminology that you do not understand, decision making that must be based on sound information and emotional support as the impact of the word [...]

8/3/2006 Johannesburg, South Africa Lesley Stones allAfrica.com Massive computing power generated by a network of computers around the world is being used to try to develop a cure for cancer. The World Community Grid is a virtual supercomputer set up by IBM for humanitarian studies. IBM SA's communications executive, Mathula Magubane-Mphande, said its latest project lets researchers analyse large numbers of cancer tissue samples simultaneously, so multiple experiments could be conducted in shorter periods. "The World Community Grid makes it possible to analyse in one hour the number of specimens that would take approximately 160 years to complete using a traditional computer," said David Foran, the pathology professor heading the three-month project. Researchers are analysing breast cancer first, then head and neck cancers. The speed and sophistication of the computing grid could make it possible to detect and track subtle changes not apparent with human inspection or traditional analysis alone. The grid harnesses the unused power of computers around the world, and so far 200000 people have linked up 360000 computers by downloading free software from the website www.worldcommunitygrid.org. Lance Armstrong Foundation CEO Mitch Stoller said: "This technology is especially exciting not only because it offers tremendous potential for breakthroughs in cancer research, but also because the project provides individuals an easy way to get involved in the fight."

8/3/2006 New Zealand press release Scoop News (www.scoop.co.nz) Survey results are something to chew on. New Zealanders lag behind the world when it comes to looking after our mouths, a new international survey reveals. But the upside is, we’re better than the Aussies in a few categories! The Colgate Oral Health Month Survey completed in 29 European and Australasian countries reveals only 58 per cent of us clean our teeth at least twice a day. Across the ditch they are even more lax – only 54 per cent of our Aussie cousins brush twice a day or more. At nearly 40 per cent, we also have the lowest rate of visiting the dentist on a regular annual basis. The average percentage of people across all countries doing so once a year or more was 62 per cent. The main reason? The perceived expense. Among people who had not visited a Dentist in last 12 months, we had the highest rate of participants citing this reason, at 55 per cent. The average number in the survey citing expense as a reason was 24 per cent. Dr Theresa Madden, Colgate Senior Lecturer in Periodontology at Otago University says despite these results, New Zealanders get good value for money from the dental profession. She fears that New Zealanders are taking unnecessary risks. If mouth cancer, gum disease and dental decay are not detected early, the consequences may be devastating, and much more expensive to treat. “Dentists have never been as well equipped or [...]

8/3/2006 Keith D. Hunter et al. Cancer Research 66, 7405-7413, August 1, 2006 Most head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients present with late-stage cancers, which are difficult to treat. Therefore, early diagnosis of high-risk premalignant lesions and incipient cancers is important. HNSCC is currently perceived as a single progression mechanism, resulting in immortal invasive cancers. However, we have found that 40% of primary oral SCCs are mortal in culture, and these have a better prognosis. About 60% of oral premalignancies (dysplasias) are also mortal. The mortal and immortal tumors are generated in vivo as judged by p53 mutations and loss of p16INK4A expression being found only in the original tumors from which the immortal cultures were derived. To investigate the relationships of dysplasias to SCCs, we did microarray analysis of primary cultures of 4 normal oral mucosa biopsies, 19 dysplasias, and 16 SCCs. Spectral clustering using the singular value decomposition and other bioinformatic techniques showed that development of mortal and immortal SCCs involves distinct transcriptional changes. Both SCC classes share most of the transcriptional changes found in their respective dysplasias but have additional changes. Moreover, high-risk dysplasias that subsequently progress to SCCs more closely resemble SCCs than nonprogressing dysplasias. This indicates for the first time that there are divergent mortal and immortal pathways for oral SCC development via intermediate dysplasias. We believe that this new information may lead to new ways of classifying HNSCC in relation to prognosis. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(15): 7405-13) Authors: Keith D. Hunter1,2, Johanna [...]

8/2/2007 web-based article Carol M. Bareuther www.the-triton.com You’ve heard the warning: If you want to prevent skin cancer, lather up with a lotion that has a high sun protection factor. But what you eat can play an equal role in the development or prevention of this potentially deadly disease that can be a real occupational hazard to those who work full-time aboard yachts. Why worry about skin cancer? According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 1.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States alone. That’s more new cases of skin cancer each year than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. What’s more, one in five Americans (including one in three Caucasians) will develop some type of skin cancer in the course of a lifetime, and one person dies every hour from skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which usually show up on sun-exposed areas of the body, are easy to cure. However, if left untreated, these cancers can spread to other areas of the body. Melanoma, on the other hand, is more aggressive and has the potential to turn deadly. So what can you do diet-wise? First, eat your veggies. In a study reported in the International Journal of Cancer last year, Australian researchers randomly selected 1,056 people living in the sunny subtropics and followed them for 10 years. The result? Those who had the highest intake of green leafy vegetables (dark romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, beet greens, Swiss chard, [...]

8/1/2006 Memphis, TN staff CancerConsultants.com Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a part of the World Health Organization) located in Lyon, France have reported the findings of a meeting of seventeen scientists from eight countries concerning the evidence that smoking cessation has definable health benefits. The details of this summary were reported in the July 29, 2006, issue of The Lancet. Smoking is the cause of 85% or more of all lung cancers. Smoking also increases the incidence of other cancers such as cancer of the head and neck, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, kidney, urinary bladder, cervix, ovaries and breasts. Factors determining a smoker’s risk for cancer include the number of years the person has been smoking, as well as the number of cigarettes smoked each day. Previous studies have shown that men who quit smoking can significantly reduce their risk of developing lung cancer. The benefit of quitting has been observed even if the men waited until middle age to do so. The following observations were made with regard to smoking cessation and cancer: - Although persons lower their risk of lung cancer by stopping, they always have a higher risk than never smokers. - Risk for laryngeal cancer decreases with time with reductions of over 60% at 10-15 years. - Risk for oral and pharyngeal cancers decreases over time but remains higher than non-smokers. - Risk for stomach cancer decreases with time after cessation, but little is known about long term benefits after smoking cessation. [...]

8/1/2006 Washingtn, D.C. staff United Press Interenational (www.upi.com) The new vaccine that can prevent about 75 percent of cervical cancer should be given to men, boys and even women already exposed to the virus that causes the disease, researchers said Monday. Although the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been approved for women aged 9 to 26, Bradley Monk, in a commentary to be published in the August issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, argued that more widespread use of the vaccine may improve the chances that most of cervical cancer can be banished. "We need to work together to implement this huge breakthrough by widespread vaccination of young people, both genders without regard to risk," Monk, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California-Irvine, told United Press International. HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, is ubiquitous in the United States, with about 20 million men and women currently infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, the agency says that about 80 percent of U.S. women by age 50 will be exposed to one of the 100 strains of HPV, known to cause genital warts and cervical, vulva and vaginal cancer in women. The newly approved vaccine called Gardasil -- developed by Merck -- protects against transmission of virus Types 6 and 11, which are believed responsible for 90 percent of disfiguring and difficult-to-treat genital warts, and against Types 16 and 18, responsible for 70 percent to 75 percent of cervical cancer -- a disease [...]