Oral Cancer News – Page 296 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Cancer patient held at US airport for missing fingerprint

Source: www.reuters.com Author: Tan Ee Lyn A Singapore cancer patient was held for four hours by immigration officials in the United States when they could not detect his fingerprints -- which had apparently disappeared because of a drug he was taking. The incident, highlighted in the Annals of Oncology, was reported by the patient's doctor, Tan Eng Huat, who advised cancer patients taking this drug to carry a doctor's letter when traveling to the United States. The drug, capecitabine, is commonly used to treat cancers in the head and neck, breast, stomach and colorectum. One side-effect is chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet and the skin can peel, bleed and develop ulcers or blisters -- or what is known as hand-foot syndrome. "This can give rise to eradication of fingerprints with time," explained Tan, senior consultant in the medical oncology department at Singapore's National Cancer Centre. The patient, a 62-year-old man, had head and neck cancer that had spread but responded well to chemotherapy. To prevent the cancer from recurring, he was put on capecitabine. "In December 2008, after more than three years of capecitabine, he went to the United States to visit his relatives," Tan wrote. "He was detained at the airport customs for four hours because the immigration officers could not detect his fingerprints. He was allowed to enter after the custom officers were satisfied that he was not a security threat." Tan said the loss of fingerprints is not described in the packaging [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-27T12:35:09-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New model suggests role of low vitamin D in cancer development

Source: news.biocompare.com Author: Staff In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer. "The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels," said epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who led the work. "In this new model, we propose that this loss may play a key role in cancer by disrupting the communication between cells that is essential to healthy cell turnover, allowing more aggressive cancer cells to take over." Reporting online May 22, 2009 in the Annals of Epidemiology, Garland suggests that such cellular disruption could account for the earliest stages of many cancers. He said that previous theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies. "Competition and natural selection among disjoined cells within a tissue compartment, such as might occur in the breast's terminal ductal lobular unit, for example, are the engine of cancer," Garland said. "The DINOMIT model provides new avenues for preventing and improving the [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-06-02T20:52:32-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Taiwan researchers discover blood marker for metastatic cancer

Source: www.monstersandcritics.com Author: staff A Taiwan hospital announced Wednesday it has discovered a blood marker for detecting cancer metastatic cancer. 'Foreign doctors have discovered blood marker for cancer before, but this is the first time a blood marker has been found for metastatic cancer, or cancers that can spread to other parts of the body,' Dr Chiang Ming-chung, a member of the research team, told German Press Agency dpa by phone. 'Currently, hospitals use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound scan, X-ray and other equipment to check for cancer. Such equipment is expensive. In some backward countries, hospitals cannot afford (such equipment), so this new testing method using the blood marker will be very helpful,' he said. Researchers at the Tung's hospital discovered the blood marker - described only as 'a serological cancer metastatic marker' - while doing research on a cancer-related gene. They found there was more secretion of the serological cancer metastatic marker in the sera of patients with metastatic cancer than in the sera of patients with primary cancer. So they did further study by collecting serum samples from 164 patients with various types of cancer, ultimately concluding that the blood marker is a secretory protein linked to metastatic cancer. Chiang said the blood marker they found can help screen a dozen types of cancer - including breast cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer and colon cancer - to see if they have spread to other parts of the body. The Tung's hospital, in Taichung County, west Taiwan, has [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-21T18:10:30-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

BioVex to report phase I/II clinical trial results for the front line treatment of head and neck cancer

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff BioVex Inc, a company developing next generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that the results from a Phase I/II combination study in previously untreated patients with head and neck cancer will be presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which will take place May 29, 2009 - June 2, 2009 in Orlando, FL. The results are to be presented in an abstract (number 6018) entitled, "Phase I/II dose escalation study of OncoVEX GM-CSF and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in untreated stage III/IV squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN)," at a poster session on Friday, May 29, 2009 from 2:00pm - 6:00pm EDT on Level 2, West Hall F3 of the conference. A poster discussion will take place from 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT. Study Rationale Patients with head and neck cancer often present with bulky disease that is too large or too close to vital organs for surgical removal. These patients typically undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatment prior to surgery. Patients who present with tumor containing lymph nodes are particularly difficult to treat and approximately half of these patients relapse within two years. In this study, OncoVEX GM-CSF was administered by direct injection, at three dose levels, into tumor containing lymph nodes in combination with standard first line chemo radiotherapy every three weeks for four cycles. All patients then went for surgery. Of the 17 Stage III/IVA (N1-3) patients treated, 16 had N2 or [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T18:06:43-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Influences and predictors of long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(4):380-384. Authors: Mark W. El-Deiry, MD et al. Objective: To examine the impact of clinical predictors (pretreatment variables) and other influences (treatment and posttreatment variables) on long-term quality of life (QOL) in patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. We hypothesized that baseline QOL and comorbidity would be predictors of QOL 1 year after treatment. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Academic Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Patients: Patients (N = 173) with baseline (pretreatment) and 1-year posttreatment QOL data. Main Outcome Measure: Head and neck–specific QOL scores at 1 year after treatment (as measured by the University of Washington Quality of Life [UW-QOL] scale). Results: We identified strong relationships between 1-year UW-QOL scores and baseline UW-QOL scores (correlation coefficient [Pearson r] = 0.58; P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:48:02-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Robot-assisted surgery for upper aerodigestive tract neoplasms

Surce: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(4):397-401. Authors: Bridget A. Boudreaux, MD et al. Objectives: To assess the feasibility and safety of performing robot-assisted resections of head and neck tumors, and to predict which variables lead to successful robot-assisted resection and better functional outcome. Design: Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. Setting: Academic tertiary referral center. Patients: Thirty-six patients with oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or laryngeal tumors. Intervention: Robot-assisted resection of indicated tumors. Main Outcome Measures: Ability to perform robot-assisted resection, final pathologic margin status, ability to extubate postoperatively, need for tracheotomy tube, and need for gastrostomy tube. Any clinically significant complications were recorded. Results: Thirty-six patients participated in the study. Eight patients had previously been treated for head and neck cancer. Twenty-nine patients (81%) underwent successful robotic resection. Negative margins were obtained in all 29 patients. Twenty-one of 29 patients were safely extubated prior to leaving the operating room. One patient required short-term tracheotomy tube placement. A total of 9 patients were gastrostomy tube dependent (2 preoperatively, 7 postoperatively). Factors associated with successful robotic resection were lower T classification (P = .01) and edentulism (P = .07). Factors associated with gastrostomy tube dependence were advanced age (P = .02), tumor location in the larynx (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:42:46-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Aspiration, weight loss, and quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:1100-1103 Authors: Bruce H. Campbell, MD et al. Objective: To determine associations between objective assessments (swallowing function and weight change) and subjective quality-of-life (QOL) measures. Design: Observational case series using clinical testing and questionnaires. Setting: University hospital-based tertiary clinical practice. Patients: Convenience sample of 5-year survivors of head and neck cancer (62 nonlaryngectomy survivors were studied). Interventions: Objective testing included examination, weight history, videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS), and oropharyngeal swallowing efficiency (OPSE). Subjective testing included QOL questionnaires (University of Washington Quality-of-Life [UWQOL] Scale, Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients [PSS-HN], Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment–General [FACT-G] Scales, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Head and Neck [FACT-H&N] Scale). Main Outcome Measures: Aspiration (identified by VFSS), weight change, and QOL measures. Results: Aspiration was associated with the decreased QOL scores in chewing, swallowing, normalcy of diet, and additional concerns of the FACT-H&N Scale. No association was found between aspiration and willingness to eat in public, subjective understandability, or any of the FACT-G scales. Of the nonlaryngectomy survivors, 27 (44%) demonstrated some degree of aspiration during VFSS. Associations were found between aspiration, primary tumor T stage, weight change, and OPSE. Aspirators lost a mean of 10.0 kg from precancer treatment weight, while nonaspirators gained a mean of 2.3 kg (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-20T09:37:36-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Samuel Broder: Why Isn’t There a Gardasil for Men?

Source: Health.usnews.com Author: Samuel Broder, M.D. There's an HPV vaccine for women; why don't men have one? Why was the vaccine against the cancer-causing, sexually transmitted HPV virus not approved for men at the same time it was for women? Is there any reason to think that men and women would react to it differently? Interesting question. First, a little background. Gardasil is a genetically engineered vaccine to immunize girls and women ages 9 to 26 against four types of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the name given to a family of viruses, many of which can be transmitted from one partner to another through sexual activity. HPV may represent the most frequent sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It is estimated that over 6 million people become infected by a sexually related form of HPV every year. Some estimates suggest that over half of all sexually active males and females become infected at one point or another in their lifetimes. Certain types of HPV can sometimes evade the body's immune system and, when they do, establish a state of persistent infection. That in turn may cause certain cancers. Indeed, this is now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer and related conditions, and vaccines that immunize people against HPV could make a dramatic impact against these diseases. Gardasil is the first vaccine in the United States approved for the prevention of cervical cancer and precancerous cell abnormalities in the cervix and also certain precancerous conditions in the [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-05-19T15:39:45-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Chewing tobacco use surges among boys

Source: Msnbc.msn.com Author: Staff WASHINGTON - Use of snuff and chewing tobacco by U.S. adolescent boys, particularly in rural areas, has surged this decade, a federal agency said in a report on Thursday that raised concern among tobacco control advocates. The use of such smokeless tobacco products increases the risk of oral cancer as well as heart disease and stroke. It leads to nicotine addiction just like cigarette smoking. The report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed a 30 percent increase in the rate of smokeless tobacco use among boys aged 12 to 17 from 2002 to 2007. Use by adults remained stable. In 2007, the report estimated that 566,000 boys in that age group had used chewing tobacco or snuff. "This trend toward more smokeless tobacco use by kids is of great concern," Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids advocacy group, said in a telephone interview. "This is an industry that has a history of targeting kids because they know that's when everybody starts," he added. Among adolescent boys, the rate of use of smokeless tobacco rose from 3.4 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2007, according to the report. McGoldrick said the increase occurred as smokeless tobacco companies greatly increased their spending on marketing and introduced a new range of products. The findings reiterated the need for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have the power to regulate tobacco products, as legislation being considered by [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-05-19T15:05:12-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Novel therapy may prove effective in treatment Of 30 percent of cancers

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff A ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial led by Dr. Katherine Borden, at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, has shown that a common anti-viral drug, ribavirin, can be beneficial in the treatment of cancer patients. The study demonstrates that ribavirin suppresses the activities of the eIF4E gene in patients. This gene is dysregulated in 30 percent of cancers including breast, prostate, head and neck, colon and stomach cancer. The study, inspired by the exciting discoveries made by Dr. Borden at IRIC, was a joint project between her research group, who monitored molecular events in trial patients, and Dr. Sarit Assouline of the Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital, who led the clinical part of the trial. The integration of these two teams made it possible to rapidly move from a research lab to patient tests. The study team targeted the gene by giving trial participants a mimic of its natural target, ribavirin. "Our results are the first to show that targeting eIF4E in humans is clinically beneficial," explains Dr. Borden. "We also found that ribavirin not only blocks eIF4E, it has no side effect on patients." The trial studied patients with M4/M5 acute myeloid leukemia who had undergone several other treatments that had previously failed. "We had striking clinical improvements with even partial and complete remissions," indicated Assouline. Dr. Wilson Miller, director of the Clinical Research Unit, Jewish General Hospital, and co-investigator in the trial added: "It's rare that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-05-16T21:17:55-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|