8/1/2006 Glasgow, Scotland staff BBC News (news.bbc.co.uk) Mouth cancer can develop in two specific ways, researchers have found. Doctors had previously understood that all cases of mouth cancer developed in the same way. The work by a team at Glasgow's Beatson Institute for Cancer Research provides clues about how the different forms of cancer could be detected early. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, may also help identify patients with the more aggressive form of the disease. Around 1,600 people die each year in the UK from mouth cancer. The most common indicators of mouth cancer are persistent sores, ulcers, red or white patches and unexplained pain in the mouth or ear. People can also have lumps in their necks, a persistent sore throat or difficulty swallowing. 'Valuable findings' In this study, researchers took samples from the mouths of 19 people with pre-cancerous lesions, or spots, 16 patients with mouth cancer and the mouths of four healthy people. They then compared the samples, which each contained thousands of cells. They found two distinct genetic patterns in the samples from patients with cancers and lesions. In those with the most aggressive form of tumour, faults were found in the p53 gene, which should act to stop damaged cells dividing and so stop cancers growing, and no expression of the p16 gene which controls cell regulation. Cells in this form of mouth cancer were dubbed "immortal", because they keep on dividing, making them more likely to spread and to cause [...]

7/30/2006 Dallas, TX Associated Press Sam Myers, best known as a blues vocalist and harmonica player, had been with The Rockets as their featured vocalist since 1986. Myers, along with The Rockets, collectively won nine W.C. Handy awards, the blues community's equivalent to the Grammy awards. The Laurel, Miss., native had performed since his late teens dating back to the early 1950s. He moved to Dallas in the 1980s. Myers was a former drummer with blues great Elmore James from 1952 to 1963 and had performed with countless others. Myers got started in music while living in Jackson. He became skilled enough at playing the trumpet and drums that he received a non-degree scholarship from the American Conservatory School of Music in Chicago. Myers attended school by day and at night frequented the nightclubs of Chicago's South Side, meeting and sitting in with Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Little Walter. In 1956, Myers wrote and recorded what was to be his most famous single, “Sleeping In The Ground,” a song that has been performed by Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and others. From the early 1960s until 1986, Myers worked the clubs in Mississippi. He toured Europe with Sylvia Embrey and the Mississippi All-Stars Blues Band. In 1986, Sam met Anson Funderburgh, from Plano, Texas, and joined Funderburgh's band, The Rockets. Their last album was 2003's “Which Way is Texas?” Myers' final release was his 2004 solo album, “Coming from the Old School.” His last appearance in Mississippi came [...]

7/29/2006 Alexandria, VA David G. Pfister et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 24, No 22 (August 1), 2006: pp. 3693-3704 Purpose: To develop a clinical practice guideline for treatment of laryngeal cancer with the intent of preserving the larynx (either the organ itself or its function). This guideline is intended for use by oncologists in the care of patients outside of clinical trials. Methods: A multidisciplinary Expert Panel determined the clinical management questions to be addressed and reviewed the literature available through November 2005, with emphasis given to randomized controlled trials of site-specific disease. Survival, rate of larynx preservation, and toxicities were the principal outcomes assessed. The guideline underwent internal review and approval by the Panel, as well as external review by additional experts, members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Health Services Committee, and the ASCO Board of Directors. Results: Evidence supports the use of larynx-preservation approaches for appropriately selected patients without a compromise in survival; however, no larynx-preservation approach offers a survival advantage compared with total laryngectomy and adjuvant therapy with rehabilitation as indicated. Recommendations: All patients with T1 or T2 laryngeal cancer, with rare exception, should be treated initially with intent to preserve the larynx. For most patients with T3 or T4 disease without tumor invasion through cartilage into soft tissues, a larynx-preservation approach is an appropriate, standard treatment option, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy therapy is the most widely applicable approach. To ensure an optimum outcome, special expertise and a multidisciplinary team are necessary, and [...]

7/28/2006 Baltimore, MD Kellye Lynne wjz.com Two experimental vaccines could someday extend life and improve the quality of it for people with head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancers include those of the throat, mouth, voice box, sinuses and skin. They can be hard to treat and have a high risk of recurrence. Healthwatch Reporter Kellye Lynn spoke to patients who suffer from the disease, and to the University of Maryland doctors testing the vaccines that could help them live longer. This year about 40,000 people in the United States will learn they have head and neck cancer. Lisa Harrigan got the diagnosis in 1999. Now, the cancer that started in her throat has spread to other parts of her body. "This is my last chance because I've had everything. There's not much more you can do," Harrigan told Healthwatch Reporter Kellye Lynn. A scan of Lisa's brain shows a mass which doctors say cannot be treated by existing therapies. Her only hope is an experimental therapy being tested at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The vaccine, which is in its first phase of testing, is designed to stimulate the body's immune response against cancer. It works by targeting the proteins linked to Squamos Cell Carcinoma, the most common form of oral cancer. "It's a way to try to turn on the immune response so it recognizes the tumor but not the tissues around the tumor," said Doctor Scot Strome, who is testing the vaccines. Patients receive four [...]

7/28/2006 Richland, WA press release Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) A powerful new medical isotope -- Cesium 131(TM) -- is providing a fast and effective treatment option for prostate cancer patients nationwide. Offering significant advantages over other medical isotopes now in use, Cesium-131 represents the first major leap in seed brachytherapy in 20 years. This major advancement in seed brachytherapy will be spotlighted at booth #141 during the 48th Annual Meeting of The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), July 30-August 3, 2006 in Orlando, FL, at the Orange County Convention Center. AAPM (www.aapm.org) is a scientific, educational, and professional organization of more than 6,000 medical physicists. "Brachytherapy has proven to be effective, but the introduction of Cesium-131 takes this treatment option to a new level. Attendees at AAPM will be introduced to a breakthrough option for fast and effective treatment of prostate cancer," said Chairman and CEO Roger Girard. Seed brachytherapy -- where seeds are implanted in and around a cancerous tumor -- is a proven and common treatment for prostate cancer, with 50,000 to 60,000 procedures conducted each year. Clinical data shows that patient outcomes for seed brachytherapy are superior to those for radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation, IMRT, cryotherapy and experimental procedures at far less cost and with a much higher quality of life. Now available in over 50 locations across the United States, Cesium-131 delivers its therapeutic radiation faster than other isotope seeds -- Palladium-103 and Iodine-125 -- and at a reduced risk to patients when [...]

7/28/2006 New York City, NY Dr. Jay Adlersberg wabc tv (abclocal.go.com) There's new information on using heat to kill cancer tumors. The procedure is called Radio Frequency Ablation. It doesn't easily roll of the tip of your tongue, but it is a nonsurgical option for treating early cancer. On Call with Dr. Jay Adlersberg: Louis De Pasquale, accompanied by his wife Diane, is on his way to the radiology treatment suite at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The 73-year-old retired electrician has a small cancerous tumor in his lung. De Pasquale did not want to have surgery so he opted instead for the procedure which will require no cutting, R.F.A., which stands for Radio Frequency Ablation. Louis DePasquale, RFA patient: "It sounded like the way to go. I consulted with my brothers who are doctors and they agreed. Let's go for it. And here I am." Dr. Stephen Solomon, an interventional radiologist, uses high tech imaging machines, a cat scan, and an advanced x-ray machine to put the needles. With these machines, he can see the tumor and the needles directly and in 3-dimensions. Dr. Stephen Solomon, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Ctr.: "We do it in patients with lung cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, and bone cancer. And in many of these cases, what we're doing is we're trying to kill the tumor right where it is rather than have to cut it out." Once he is comfortable with the placing, the energy is turned on for 10 to 30 [...]

7/25/2006 New Haven, CT staff Biocompare (news.biocompare.com) There is a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer in Asia where people smoke heavily, which may be accounted for by high consumption of tea, particularly green tea, according to a review article published by a Yale School of Medicine researcher. "We do not yet have a full explanation for the 'Asian paradox,' which refers to the very low incidence of both heart disease and cancer in Asia, even though consumption of cigarettes is greater than in most other countries," said Bauer Sumpio, M.D., professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery. "But we now have some theories." Sumpio, the lead author of the review in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, said he and his colleagues reviewed more than 100 experimental and clinical studies about green tea in writing the article. He said one theory is that the average 1.2 liters of green tea consumed daily by many people in Asia offers the anti-oxidant protective effects of the polyphenolic EGCG. EGCG may prevent LDL oxidation, which has been shown to play a key role in the pathophysiology of arteriosclerosis. EGCG also reduces the amount of platelet aggregation, regulates lipids, and promotes proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells, which are all factors in reducing cardiovascular disease, he said. Sumpio said other reports show that EGCG prevents growth of certain tumors. Tea, according to studies, also can improve gastrointestinal function, alcohol metabolism, kidney, liver and pancreatic function, [...]

7/25/2006 Australia Alice Bergin EurekaStreet (www.eurekastreet.com.au) The Federal Government has fired up its anti-smoking campaign with new national regulations forcing tobacco companies to include large colour photos of diseased and cancerous body parts on cigarette packs. Previous anti-smoking warnings have proven to be impotent against the ‘evil’ and vicious cycle of nicotine addiction and it seems smokers’ attempts to kick the habit would continue to be futile without these other more strident warnings and bans planned to come into force state by state. So instead of the tamer text warnings that have become so ubiquitous, smokers are seeing a range of photographs of lung disease cases, tongue cancers and even a dissected brain. As of 1 March 2006, it has been obligatory for these warnings to cover 30 per cent of the front and 90 per cent of the back of the box. The graphics are meant to leave no doubt about what medical experts already know – that smoking kills. These new regulations are part of a series of recent changes that include the implementation of a nationwide policy of smoke-free pubs as well as other enclosed public spaces. Tobacco smoking is a serious public health problem. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 17 per cent of Australians aged older than 14 years smoke daily. That’s about 3.4 million people. These people make up our beloved families, friends, neighbours and work colleagues. They commit themselves to a life plagued by lung and heart disease and potentially [...]

7/25/2006 London, England staff British Dental Journal (2006); 201, 75. doi: 10.1038 Surgeons from the Mayo Clinic (USA) claim they have developed a promising new process for mandible reconstruction following removal of oral cancer. The new method, which the investigators tested in rabbits, used distraction osteogenesis after tumor removal surgery to restore the missing portion of a patient's jaw. With distraction osteogenesis, the surgeon made a cut at one of the remaining ends of the patient's jawbone. As the break healed, the first phase of growth, soft tissue, appeared. The surgeon then stretched the pliable soft tissue under the tension of a device to fill in the gap in the patient's jaw. Within 24 hours of completing the stretching process, physicians started administering radiation therapy to the mandible to decrease the likelihood of cancer recurrence. As the soft tissue healed, it hardened into bone. The investigators found that the radiation therapy, which they had suspected could interrupt the bone consolidation prior to the study, had no ill effects on the bone's healing. “Patients with large oral tumors should have radiation therapy after surgery to decrease the chances of cancer recurrence,” says Dr Daniel Price, M.D., Mayo Clinic ear, nose and throat surgery resident and lead study investigator. “Radiation needs to be completed 13 to 14 weeks after the patient's cancer diagnosis to achieve maximum effect. As these patients require mandible reconstruction after tumor removal, we wanted to find a way to get both the radiation and the reconstruction done quickly [...]

7/24/2006 Miami, FL staff Biocompare (news.biocompare.com) While it is established that nicotine by itself is not carcinogenic, researchers have now shown that nicotine promotes cell proliferation and the progression of tumors already initiated by tobacco carcinogens. In a study by Srikumar Chellappan and colleagues from the University of South Florida appearing online on July 20 in advance of print publication in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the authors show that the presence of receptors that bind nicotine, known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), on bronchial cells as well as lung cancer cells are key to nicotine-induced cell proliferation of lung cancer cells. nAChRs function mainly in the neuronal system, however recent studies have shown their expression and function in non-neuronal systems as well. In the current study, the authors show that stimulation of human non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) as well as cells lining the air passages of the lung (known as bronchial cells) with a physiological concentration of nicotine leads to robust cell proliferation that is dependent on nAChRs. Furthermore, nicotine appears to activate the major components of the cell proliferation cycle in a manner very reminiscent of growth factors. Specifically, nicotine stimulation leads to the binding of Raf-1 to Rb, activation of cyclin-dependent kinases, phosphorylation of Rb, and recruitment of E2F1 to proliferative promoters. Previous studies had shown that interfering with the interaction of Rb and Raf-1 prevented cell growth and tumor growth. In the current study the same appears to be true for [...]