Oral Cancer News – Page 322 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Chest scans may help monitor spread of head and neck cancer in high-risk patients

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff Among high-risk patients with head and neck cancer, chest computed tomography (CT) may help detect disease progression involving the lungs, according to a new report. Developing a second, distant cancer (a metastasis or a new primary cancer) is an important factor affecting survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for most head and neck cancers, according to background information in the article. The most common site at which such patients develop new metastases is the lungs, with an incidence of 8 percent to 15 percent. Chest X-rays are the most commonly used screening tool for detecting these malignancies but do not always identify early abnormalities. Yen-Bin Hsu, M.D., of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues evaluated 270 screening chest CT scans performed over 42 months in 192 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The scans were categorized as new cases, follow-up cases or recurrent cases, and results classified as normal or abnormal. Of the 270 scans, 79 (29.3 percent) were considered abnormal, including 54 (20 percent) that identified a malignant neoplasm of the lung and 25 (9.3 percent) showing indeterminate abnormalities. "The rate of an abnormal scan was significantly higher in the follow-up case group (44.2 percent) than in the new case group (14.2 percent)," the authors write. Patients whose cancer was classified as stage N2 or N3 (indicating some degree of lymph node involvement), who had stage IV disease (in which the cancer has spread to another [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-21T07:57:51-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

The benefits of exercise for cancer patients

Source: www.latimes.com Author: Jeannine Stein Strength-training programs and cardiovascular workouts may lessen fatigue, improve muscle function and quality of life for current or former cancer patients, studies show. * A regular weight-training program can improve quality of life among breast cancer survivors. In a study published in the journal Cancer in 2006, 86 breast cancer survivors were put into a weight-training program or a control group; at the end of the program, those women with increased upper body strength and lean mass were generally found to have higher quality-of-life scores. * Aerobic training can boost physical performance in cancer patients who have just finished a high-dose chemotherapy program. In a study published in the journal Cancer in 1997, 16 patients completed a seven-week treadmill rehab program and 16 served as a control group. By the end of the study, the exercise group showed improvements in maximum physical performance and hemoglobin concentration. Also, none of them reported fatigue or limitations in their daily activities due to low physical performance; one quarter of the patients in the control group did. * Men with prostate cancer appear to have less fatigue after participating in a resistance training program. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2003, 155 men who were scheduled to receive androgen deprivation therapy for at least three months were assigned to a thrice-weekly, 12-week exercise program or a control group. Those in the exercise group suffered less fatigue during daily activities and had a higher quality [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-20T07:27:46-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Piramal Life Sciences begins Phase II trial of P276 for head and neck cancer

Source: www.equitybulls.com Author: press release Piramal Life Sciences Ltd has announced that a Phase II study for its lead cancer molecule P276 for the treatment of head and neck cancer has been initiated in India. This Phase II study will evaluate the efficacy of P276 in the treatment of head and neck cancer and will enroll approximately 40 patients in about five centres across India. Approximately 200,000 new cases of head and neck cancer in India and 600,000 cases worldwide have been projected for 2008. P276 is an inhibitor of CDKs, the key enzymes involved in the uncontrolled division and multiplication of cancer cells. The molecule has completed two Phase I studies and is being tested in another Phase I/Il trial for Multiple Myeloma in India. Another trial for Multiple Myeloma will start in the US in the near future. Dr. Swati Piramal, Director, Piramal Group, said, "Piramal Life Sciences aims to reduce the burden of disease by finding new and affordable cures for unmet medical needs. Committed to the Group's values - knowledge, action and care, we nurture breakthrough thinking and follow it up with dynamic, nimble-footed delivery to impact lives of millions of people. We are pleased that our clinical trial application for Phase II of P276 has been accepted by the Indian regulatory authorities." Dr. Somesh Sharma, Managing Director, Piramal Life Sciences, stated, "The unique property of the P276 is that it is a small molecule while current targeted therapy for head and neck cancer is a [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-17T07:15:22-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Mouth tumors increase; same virus causes cervical cancer

Source: The Oregonian (www.oregonlive.com) Author: Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian St. Louis Ten years ago, most of Dr. Brian Nussenbaum's oral cancer patients were men over 60 who used tobacco and drank heavily. Today, his patients with oral cancer look different. And so does the risky behavior that seems to be leading to their cancer. Nussenbaum, an ear, nose and throat doctor at Washington University, estimates that 70 percent of his cancer patients have tumors on the back of their tongues and tonsils caused by human papillomavirus-16. Most patients are between ages 45 and 55. About half are women. And experts suspect that all got the HPV from oral sex. "We know now that 98 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, and mostly HPV-16," says Nussenbaum. "But no one talks about how you can also get mouth cancer from it." Last week, Dr. Harald zur Hausen, a German doctor and scientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for finding human papilloma viruses that cause cervical cancer, the second-most-common cancer among women. In awarding zur Hausen the prize, the Nobel assembly said he "went against current dogma" in the 1970s when he discovered that certain types of HPV caused the cancer and that the DNA of HPV could be found in tumors. More than 20 years passed before researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center reported a link between HPV and these specific throat cancers in 2000. They and other medical experts suspect the increase in HPV oral cancer stems [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-15T14:06:48-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Laser treatment for oral cancer

Source: abclocal.go.com Author: Leslie Toldo A quick zap from a painless laser could stop a deadly form of cancer. HealthFirst reporter Leslie Toldo tells us about this oral cancer breakthrough. Oral cancer has a high death rate compared to some other cancers, and the survival rate isn't improving. But this new treatment could stop it before it starts. They're often detected in a routine dental or doctor's exam -- red or white lesions called leukoplakia that can turn into serious, even deadly oral cancers. "I do happen to know people that have died of this kind of cancer, and so we watch it very closely," said oral cancer survivor Mike Hagerman. Hagerman, a former smoker, is a two-time oral cancer survivor. His leukoplakia is back. This time, he's part of a study testing a new photodynamic laser treatment designed to eliminate precancerous cells. Dr. Stuart Wong is a medical oncologist. "When the laser fires onto the lesion, it emits light at a very specific frequency that causes free oxygen radicals that destroy the lesion." Tested on the hand or used in the mouth on actual lesions, researchers say the laser doesn't hurt. it's a preventive measure that doctor say could save lives. "There is some emerging data that the better we can kill off these early precancerous lesions, that that might translate later down the road many, many years to a decreasing in the development of cancers and that's the goal," Wong noted. Oral cancer has a five-year survival rate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-15T14:00:40-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Merck Serono’s Erbitux nominated for International Prix Galien Award – transforming head and neck cancer treatment

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff Merck Serono's Erbitux® is one of the finalists for the prestigious International Prix Galien Award for excellence in pharmaceutical development and innovation due to its role in transforming the treatment of head and neck cancer. Erbitux is the first and only targeted therapy approved for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and works in a completely different way to conventional chemotherapies. Through its targeted mode of action, Erbitux blocks the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is expressed in more than 90% of SCCHN tumors1 and is directly related to a poor prognosis for patients. The efficacy and tolerability of this novel drug have been shown in clinical trials2 - the latest of which, EXTREMEa, demonstrated the first significant advance in 30 years for the treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN. 3 "We are very pleased that Erbitux has been short-listed for arguably the most prestigious award in our industry," said Dr Wolfgang Wein, Executive Vice President, Oncology, Merck Serono. "This recognizes not only the outstanding clinical excellence of Erbitux but also the significant breakthrough that the drug offers patients with head and neck cancer, which is so difficult to treat. Merck Serono is passionate about advancing research across a range of oncology indications and improving the treatments available to cancer patients." Erbitux is licensed in locally-advanced SCCHN on the basis of data demonstrating that in combination with radiotherapy it achieved locoregional control for more than two years, almost 20 [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-15T06:32:49-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Racial disparities exist in head and neck cancer outcomes

Source: www.forbes.com Author: staff Blacks and the poor have worse outcomes when it comes to head and neck cancer, researchers say. In a new study, published in the Nov. 15 issue of Cancer, researchers examined the data on diagnosis, coexisting conditions, and procedures performed among 20,915 cases of head and neck cancer. The found a worse prognosis was associated with race, poverty, age, gender, tumor site and stage, treatment type, and history of smoking and alcohol consumption. Specifically, the survival time among blacks was 21 months after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer, compared to 47 months among Hispanics and 40 months among whites. In addition, blacks were diagnosed at a younger age, were diagnosed with more advanced disease, and were less likely to have undergone surgery (45 percent versus 32 percent), when compared with whites. The treatment type did not seem to be the reason for the disparity in outcomes, however. Even among the patients who had surgery, blacks had a shorter survival time than whites. As for socioeconomic status, the patients who lived in communities where the poverty levels exceeded 15 percent were diagnosed with these cancers at a significantly younger age and with more advanced disease. Additionally, average survival time was shorter in patients who lived in areas of the highest poverty rates, regardless of the type of therapy that was received. The authors of the study concluded that racial disparities continue to exist in head and neck cancer outcomes, and that socioeconomic factors also play [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-22T11:56:08-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Impact of tumor board recommendations on treatment outcome for locally advanced head and neck cancer

Source: Oncology, October 8, 2008; 75(3-4): 186-191 Author: Nam P Nguyen et al. Background/Aims: To identify physician selection factors in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer and how treatment outcome is affected by Tumor Board recommendations. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 213 patients treated for locally advanced head and neck cancer in a single institution was performed. All treatments followed Tumor Board recommendations: 115 patients had chemotherapy and radiation, and 98 patients received postoperative radiation. Patient characteristics, treatment toxicity, locoregional control and survival between these two treatment groups were compared. Patient survival was compared with survival data reported in randomized studies of locally advanced head and neck cancer. Results: There were no differences in comorbidity factors, and T or N stages between the two groups. A statistically significant number of patients with oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumors had chemoradiation and postoperative radiation, respectively (p

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-12T17:35:20-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Long-term neck control rates after complete response to chemoradiation in patients with advanced head and neck cancer

Source: Am J Clin Oncol, October 1, 2008; 31(5): 465-9 Author: R Rengan et al. Objectives: To examine the long-term neck failure outcome in patients with advanced head and neck cancer treated on larynx/organ preservation protocols at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Materials and methods: Two hundred thirteen patients were enrolled from 1983 through 1995 on larynx/organ preservation protocols receiving induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy alone or with concomitant chemotherapy. Eighty-six patients with node-positive disease received definitive chemoradiotherapy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A median dose of 70 Gy was delivered. The median follow-up of the surviving patients was 9 years. Results: Sixty-five patients with node-positive disease achieved a clinical complete response and were observed after chemoradiation without immediate neck dissection. The crude rate of subsequent neck failure among those patients according to initial nodal classification was: N1 14% (3 of 21), N2: 15% (6 of 40), N3: 0% (0 of 4). The median overall survival of these patients was: N1: 12.2 years; N2: 6.5 years; N3: 0.8 years. Patients who experienced a complete response to induction chemotherapy in the neck had improved overall survival (53% vs. 29%; P = 0.005) and a lower incidence of neck failure (10% vs. 24%; P = 0.14) when compared with those patients who had less than a complete response. Conclusions: Our data suggests that in patients with advanced neck disease who have a clinical complete response in the neck to chemoradiation long-term neck control is 85% or greater without neck dissection. Whether functional imaging [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-12T17:29:57-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Like mother, like daughter – cover story interview with Grandmother Blythe Danner

Source: www.grandmagazineonline.com Author: Mary Hunt Mom to Gwyneth and grandmother to Apple, Emmy Award-winner Blythe Danner at 62 is finding more fame than she ever sought. Blythe Danner, at 62, just set the new record for the number of Emmy nominations for acting in a single year (three). But ask most people to put her name and “superstar” in a sentence, and another name will most likely be added: Blythe Danner is the mother of superstar Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow once told reporter Jeanne Wolf, “I did not set out to be a celebrity. I just wanted to do what my mother did. I don't know how it snowballed into what it snowballed into.” What her mother has done is to have a solid, satisfying career balancing stage, TV and the occasional film. How her mother avoided the snowball was primarily her passion for privacy—and for her family. There was never anything to gossip about with Blythe Danner. She married young and stayed married, and once told a reporter that the only designer wear she owned was Halston—specifically, his Brownie Leader uniform. Today she relishes the role of grandmother, both onscreen (with Robert DeNiro as her husband, in Meet The Parents and Meet The Fockers) and off, calling herself “a doting grandmother” to 20-month-old Apple Blythe Martin, Gwyneth's daughter. It all sounds pretty wholesome for a woman whose first big career move was in her underwear. In 1969, Danner made her Broadway debut in Butterflies Are Free, at the age of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-12T17:18:03-07:00October, 2008|OCF In The News|