Oral Cancer News – Page 326 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Doctors in the US and Netherlands using fast RapidArc radiotherapy technology to help fight cancer are now treating tumors of the head and neck

Source: www.earthtimes.org Author: press release Doctors at cancer treatment centers in the United States and the Netherlands are now treating head and neck cancer using RapidArc(TM) radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems. RapidArc was used to deliver ultra-precise image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) significantly faster than was previously possible with conventional IMRT. The RapidArc treatment plans for these cases also did a better job of protecting surrounding normal tissues and organs. "Traditional IMRT has been a gold standard for several years in radiotherapy when it came to avoiding healthy tissue and targeting the tumor mass," said Ben Slotman, MD, PhD, professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. "We have been so satisfied with the faster treatment planning and the faster delivery with RapidArc that we plan to treat all of our head and neck IMRT candidates using this technology." Slotman and his colleagues recently treated a 46-year old male with throat cancer. "The RapidArc plan showed better and more even tumor coverage, compared with a standard 7-field IMRT plan," said Slotman. "With RapidArc, we were also able to spare more of the organs at risk than with IMRT," he added. When treating a tumor in the head or neck it is important to avoid the highly sensitive organs nearby, such as the spinal cord, eyes, brainstem, and other vital areas of the central nervous system. At the Center for Radiation Therapy of Beverly Hills, Henry Yampolsky, MD, recently used RapidArc [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-18T06:56:45-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Health scores after 1 year may predict survival in head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: staff Changes in patients' physical health status during the year after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer appear to predict survival at five years, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The TNM staging system for cancer (based on the tumor, involvement of lymph nodes and any distant spread) is effective in predicting whether cancer patients will die of their disease, according to background information in the article. However, it considers only factors directly related to cancer and not information about other medical conditions or the patient's overall health status. "These factors may have a meaningful effect on the management of patients with head and neck cancer from the initial assessment through treatment selection and management of complications," the authors write. Mark J. Jameson, M.D., Ph.D., then of the University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, and now of the University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, and colleagues studied 403 patients (64 percent men, average age 58.7) who were diagnosed with head and neck cancer between 1995 and 2005. Participants completed general physical health assessments when they were diagnosed and again three, six, nine and 12 months later and then were followed up for five years. Among all patients, scores on the health assessments decreased between diagnosis and the three-month point. Those who died during the second or third year exhibited no recovery in their scores, while those who died within the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-16T08:43:58-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Mouthwash or hogwash?

Source: Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk) Author: Peta Bee Waking up with the unpleasant hum of dog breath is far from uncommon. Whether it is the after-effects of a curry, or a more lingering problem of sewer-scented oral odour, around 95 per cent of Britons suffer bad breath at some time in their lives. Such is the social embarrassment that £350 million a year is spent on products that promise to sweeten breath. But is it money well spent? An increasing number of medical experts think not, with some going as far as to caution that swilling with a mouthwash can cause more problems than it purports to cure. Central to the debate about the efficacy of mouthwashes is that many contain exceptionally high levels of alcohol. Some varieties - such as the UK's bestselling brand Listerine - contain 26.9 per cent alcohol, double the amount in wine and more than five times that in beer. It is not just that the alcohol in these products is risky to young children who might get hold of them. According to some critics, it may also render a mouthwash useless. Alcohol can dry out the mouth by drawing moisture from the tissues and slowing the flow of saliva. With limited saliva to flush away or dilute bacteria, it is suggested that rinses that contain alcohol cause germs to become more, not less, concentrated in the mouth - making smelly breath possibly worse. Dr Philip Stemmer, a dentist who runs the Fresh Breath Centre in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-15T22:18:18-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Erbitux – first treatment in 30 years to prolong survival in 1st-line recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff Data presented at the 33rd European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Stockholm demonstrate that the addition of Erbitux® (cetuximab) to platinum-based chemotherapy increases overall survival (OS) compared to chemotherapy alone in the 1st-line treatment of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).1 Furthermore the data showed the significant benefits of Erbitux were achieved without any detrimental impact on quality of life (QoL).2 "These data are incredibly exciting as they represent the first advance in the 1st-line treatment of head and neck cancer in this setting for three decades. For the first time since the introduction of platinum-based chemotherapy we are able to increase the overall survival time for recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer patients," said Professor Jan B. Vermorken, lead investigator of the EXTREMEa trial and head of the Department of Medical Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium. The EXTREME study was a multicenter, randomized, controlled, Phase III trial involving 442 patients, designed to assess the efficacy of Erbitux combined with cisplatin or carboplatin plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) versus chemotherapy alone in the 1st-line treatment of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN.1 Patients treated with Erbitux plus chemotherapy experienced the following improvements, compared to chemotherapy alone:1 - Increased median overall survival of nearly 3 months (10.1 vs. 7.4 months; p=0.04), equating to a 20% risk reduction of death (HR: 0.80) during the study period - A 70% increase in median progression-free survival (5.6 vs. 3.3 months; p<0.001) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-15T22:10:24-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Glaxo’s Tyverb study shows promise for head and neck tumors

Source: www.smartmoney.com Author: Elena Berton GlaxoSmithKline PLC said breast cancer pill Tyverb has shown encouraging results as a treatment for advanced head and neck cancer during a mid-stage trial. The findings, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, support GlaxoSmithKline's confidence in the potential for Tyverb, marketed as Tykerb in the U.S., to be used beyond breast cancer, the U.K. drugmaker said. Tyverb, known generically as lapatinib, works by inhibiting two proteins, EGRF and ErB2, which are linked to tumor growth. An increased abundance of EGRF has been reported in the majority of tumors, including head and neck, ovarian, bladder and lung. "This is the first demonstration that EGRF-driven tumors are affected by our drug," said Paolo Paoletti, who heads GlaxoSmithKline's oncology research and development unit. The phase-II study tested 107 previously untreated patients, who received either Tyverb or a dummy pill for a period of two to six weeks. After this initial treatment, all patients received standard treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. After two weeks, patients who were treated with Tyverb showed a modest, but statistically significant reduction in the proliferation of cancer cells, researchers found. GlaxoSmithKline is recruiting patients for a large, late-stage study that will test Tyverb in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy as a treatment for advanced head and neck cancer. Every year there are over 640,000 cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed worldwide, and over 350,000 deaths from the disease, according to the International Agency for [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-14T12:42:18-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Nanoshells for destruction of tumors enter human trials

Source: www.tcmnet.com Author: staff Nanophotonics pioneer Naomi Halas is one of the most recognized researchers in the field of nanotechnology, best known for her invention of nanoshells, a new type of nanoparticle with tunable optical properties especially suited for biotechnology applications. Now her invention is bearing fruit via a company she and her nanoshell collaborator Jennifer West founded. Nanospectra Biosciences, of Houston, has commenced a pilot human trial of its AuroLase Therapy in refractory and/or recurrent head and neck cancers. Of the hundreds of medical technologies and drugs incorporating nanotechnology that are in development today in the U.S., Clayton Teague, director of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office pointed to Halas' invention and Nanospectra's launch of a first-in-human trial as the brightest and most compelling example of the promise held via nanobiotechnology. "I've followed this particular one carefully," Teague said. "The way they preferentially aggregate malignant cells and the very particular way they operate is a very pure form of nanotechnology in the sense that almost every aspect of the designing of nanoshells involves very careful control and dimension at the nanoscale. It's clearly an undisputable form of nanotechnology." Interestingly, because the nanoshells are about 150 nm (a nanometer is smaller than bacteria or cells; most viruses, atoms and molecules are typically nanometer-sized), the FDA told Nanospectra President and CEO Donald Payne that it would not classify the nanoshells as nanomaterials because it declared nanomaterials to be only those that are less than 100 nm. Thus, the company is forbidden [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-13T14:52:21-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Reconstructive surgery aids swallowing after tongue cancer resection

Source: www.medicexchange.com Author: David Douglas Almost all patients with base of tongue cancers treated with primary surgery and reconstructed with a modified radial forearm free flap consistently achieve efficient and safe swallowing postoperatively, Canadian researchers report in the August issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. As senior investigator Dr. Hadi Seikaly told Reuters Health, "This procedure effectively restores swallowing, speech and quality of life for patients requiring major resections of the tongue." Dr. Seikaly of Walter C. MacKenzie Health Sciences Centre, Edmonton, Alberta and colleagues note that there is a lack of information on the functional outcome of such procedures. To investigate further, the team prospectively followed patients who were treated with primary surgical resection and reconstruction with the beavertail modification of radial forearm free flap followed by radiotherapy. After a follow-up of at least one year, 19 of the 20 patients with complete data who were included in the final analysis were able to swallow safely. Nevertheless, mobility of the base of the tongue was reduced compared to presurgical findings according to videofluoroscopic swallowing study data, but no significant difference was found in pharyngeal wall mobility, and the bulk of the base of the tongue was preserved. The procedure, the researchers conclude, maintains adequate base of the tongue and posterior pharyngeal wall apposition allowing "structures such as the pharyngeal, oral, and suprahyoid musculature to contract and generate the necessary force to propel the food bolus through the oropharynx, resulting in a safe swallow." Original source: [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-13T10:07:29-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Jean faced death without surgery that would scar her forever – but a beam of light saved the day

Source: Author: Three weeks ago Jean Pringle drove 400 miles to her son Sean's wedding. What makes her journey remarkable is that just six weeks earlier she had received devastating news: the cancer in her tongue and neck had returned and the only option was a drastic operation. 'I was told I would probably lose my tongue and voice box, and I would also would need an operation on the right side of my neck,' says 64-year-old grandmother Jean. But the former supervisor in ladies' fashion for Marks & Spencer refused. 'I wanted my children and grandchildren to remember me as someone they did lovely fun things with, not as someone dribbling in a corner, who could only grunt.' Her doctors suggested she needed to sort out her will, as it was possible that she wouldn't live until her son's wedding in August. But not only did Jean make it to the wedding in Kent but, at the end of the evening, she was well enough to dance with her grandchildren. 'I felt great and I had a fantastic day,' she says. 'I'm not disfigured and both my tongue and voice box are working fine. In October, my husband and I are going on holiday to Capri and Sorrento in Italy - I never imagined I'd be making plans for the future.' Jean had a cancer treatment that has almost none of the distressing side-effects of conventional options. It is also far cheaper and has been approved by NICE (National [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-12T12:52:27-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. starts patient enrolment in U.S. phase 2 clinical trial investigating Reolysin(R) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin

Source: www.marketwatch.com Author: press release Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that that it has started patient enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial using intravenous administration of Reolysin(R) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with advanced head and neck cancers. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Monica Mita of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "We are extremely pleased to open the second disease-directed study with Reolysin(R)," said Dr. Mita. "This study represents a promising option for patients with head and neck tumors refractory to standard chemotherapy and we are happy to have the opportunity to offer this option to our patients." This trial is a 14-patient, single arm, open-label, dose-targeted, non-randomized trial of Reolysin(R) given intravenously in combination with a standard dosage of paclitaxel and carboplatin. Eligible patients include those with advanced or metastatic head and neck cancers that are refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. The primary objective of the Phase 2 trial is to measure tumour responses and duration of response, and to describe any evidence of antitumour activity. The secondary objective is to determine the safety and tolerability of Reolysin(R) when administered in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin to patients with advanced or metastatic head and neck cancers. About Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics' clinical program includes a variety of Phase [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-12T12:44:22-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Platinum-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab in head and neck cancer

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 359:1116-1127, September 11, 2008, Number 11 Authors: Jan B. Vermorken, M.D., Ph.D. et al. Background: Cetuximab is effective in platinum-resistant recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. We investigated the efficacy of cetuximab plus platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Methods: We randomly assigned 220 of 442 eligible patients with untreated recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck to receive cisplatin (at a dose of 100 mg per square meter of body-surface area on day 1) or carboplatin (at an area under the curve of 5 mg per milliliter per minute, as a 1-hour intravenous infusion on day 1) plus fluorouracil (at a dose of 1000 mg per square meter per day for 4 days) every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles and 222 patients to receive the same chemotherapy plus cetuximab (at a dose of 400 mg per square meter initially, as a 2-hour intravenous infusion, then 250 mg per square meter, as a 1-hour intravenous infusion per week) for a maximum of 6 cycles. Patients with stable disease who received chemotherapy plus cetuximab continued to receive cetuximab until disease progression or unacceptable toxic effects, whichever occurred first. Results: Adding cetuximab to platinum-based chemotherapy with fluorouracil (platinum–fluorouracil) significantly prolonged the median overall survival from 7.4 months in the chemotherapy-alone group to 10.1 months in the group that received chemotherapy plus cetuximab (hazard [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-09-11T08:55:37-07:00September, 2008|Oral Cancer News|