6/8/2008 Chicago, IL Jeremy Manier Chicago Tribute (www.chicagotribune.com) Dental exams are considered the first line of defense for many forms of oral cancer, but the usefulness of such screening is unclear for HPV-related throat cancer. Such tumors usually appear in the upper throat, which can be too far back for routine oral inspections to find them, experts said. "Often we'll get a referral from a dentist, but to be honest most of these patients' tumors are not detected that way," said Dr. Ezra Cohen, an oncologist at the University of Chicago Medical Center. One of the most common ways of catching such cancers is during a routine physical, when doctors feel the patient's neck for enlarged lymph nodes. If a patient or doctor feels a growth on the upper neck, the next step is often referral to an ear-nose-throat specialist, who can examine the upper throat by using an optical scope that's guided down through the nose. Although it's difficult for dentists to catch HPV-positive throat cancers, a thorough dental exam can catch oral cancer at an early stage. A study presented in April at the meeting of the American Academy of Dental Research suggests that patients with HPV and swollen gums are at increased risk of tongue cancer. Dr. Mine Tezal, a co-author of that paper, said dentists usually look for red or white discoloration of the gums, tongue or inside of the cheek. "Anybody can have red and white lesions, but they usually heal in a couple of [...]

6/6/2008 Dallas, TX Jessica Meyers Dallas Morning News (www.dallasnews.com) Katherine Kimzey started suffering debilitating headaches, fainting spells and arthritis-like stiffness last November. Six weeks later, the 14-year-old Dallas resident became so dizzy she could barely walk. She was hospitalized and missed three weeks of school. Then, she had a seizure. For weeks, she bounced back and forth between specialists and was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy. Katherine's mother, Michelle Kimzey, now believes her daughter's symptoms were caused by a new vaccine that was supposed to protect her against cervical cancer. The symptoms started not long after Katherine had her second shot late last year, she said. And they mirrored many of the 5,000 reports filed by the public through a national database that monitors the safety of vaccines after they are licensed. "When you read everybody's stories, they're too similar not to be related," Mrs. Kimzey said. But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and doctors nationwide said such concerns about the drug are unfounded and most significant side effects reported are unrelated to the vaccine. "The safety of the vaccine is being very closely monitored," said John Iskander, acting director for immunization safety at the CDC, which runs the database along with the Food and Drug Administration. "There certainly have been high-profile suspected side effects, some reports of deaths," he said, "but those have been investigated and they don't appear to have been causally related." The recommendations have not changed and the vaccine will remain available, he [...]

6/3/2008 Chicago, IL press release EurekAlert.com Patients treated for locally advanced head and neck cancer may respond better to treatment with the addition of cetuximab to chemotherapy, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) phase II study. The results will be presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago as an oral presentation. In the study, 39 patients with stages 3 or 4 head and neck cancer were treated initially with a combination of docetaxel, cisplatin and cetuximab, after which they received radiation therapy and additional cisplatin and cetuximab. Cetuximab, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2006 and also known as Erbitux, is often prescribed for metastatic colorectal cancer and is used in conjunction with radiation therapy to treat squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. This is the first time it has been used in combination with docetaxel and cisplatin as induction therapy. “We found that adding cetuximab to standard chemotherapy helped head and neck cancer patients respond better to treatment. Out of 37 patients, 32 responded to induction treatment for an 86 percent response rate, and all patients had their tumors reduced, either partially or completely, after radiation was completed,” said Ethan Argiris, M.D., lead investigator and medical director of the aerodigestive cancers program and co-leader of the head and neck cancer program of UPCI. Further evaluation of this treatment shows that the complete disappearance of the primary tumor occurred in about 80 [...]

6/3/2008 New York, NY edited by Andre Grenon Reuters News (www.reuters.com) A promising vaccine to treat brain cancer developed by Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc may also hold promise against numerous other types of cancer, Interim Chief Executive Anthony Marucci said in an interview. Researchers said on Monday that Avant's vaccine, licensed by Pfizer Inc in April, more than doubled the survival time in patients with the most common and deadly type of brain tumor in a clinical trial. Marucci, whose company is guaranteed an undisclosed double- digit royalty on Pfizer's future sales of the product, said the world's largest drugmaker has the money and could have the desire to greatly widen the scope of research on the vaccine. "My guess is they would want to do larger studies in different indications, like head and neck cancer, ovarian and prostate cancer," Marucci said in a recent interview, noting that such studies could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The vaccine works by targeting a receptor to a type of protein called epidermal growth factor that has a mutation only found in cancer cells. In the recently completed trial, the vaccine was used in combination with Temodar, a brain cancer drug sold by Schering- Plough Corp. "The only side effect you have with the vaccine is that it gives you a little redness around the site where it is injected, so the safety profile is an added bonus," Marucci said. "In oncology, any time you have a mild side effect profile, you're grateful." [...]

6/2/2008 Alexandria, VA staff Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (www.genengnews.com) A new study published in the June 2008 edition of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery focus on what role gender plays in the prognosis of oral tongue cancer. This study is a prime examples of the wide variety of critical research being undertaken every day by otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons; research that will improve physicians ability to provide the best patient care for the ear, nose, throat, head and neck, said journal editor Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD. Researchers at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, found that although oral cancer is more prevalent in men, in their study group of 71 women and 142 men diagnosed with tongue cancer, gender did not influence prognosis. Based on this, the researchers concluded that employing a less aggressive course of treatment in female patients due to their gender was not justified.

6/2/2008 New York, NY Jan Hoffman New York Times (nytimes.com) Over the Memorial Day weekend, the actor Patrick Swayze, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer, made a pointedly public appearance at a Los Angeles Lakers game, looking strong-jawed and bright-eyed. He released a statement about his lively schedule and good response to therapy. Meanwhile, Senator Ted Kennedy, who had recently left Massachusetts General Hospital with a diagnosis of brain cancer, flashing crowds a thumbs up, competed in a sailing race. International headlines cheered, “Fight, Ted, Fight!” As public figures are stricken with harrowing illness, the images of them as upbeat — think of the former White House spokesman Tony Snow, Elizabeth Edwards, the actress Farrah Fawcett — accompanied by stirring martial language, have almost become routine. “Whether you’re a celebrity or an ordinary person, it’s obligatory, no matter how badly you’re feeling about it, to display optimism publicly,” said Dr. Barron H. Lerner, the author of “When Illness Goes Public.” That optimism reassures anxious relatives, the public and doctors, regardless of whether it accurately reflects the patient’s emotional state. “If Ted Kennedy wanted to stick up his middle finger,” Dr. Lerner added, “that would be the more appropriate finger, but he’s doing what he is supposed to.” Whether such images inspire patients, or reinforce unrealistic expectations that they, too, should maintain a game face, remains an open question, say doctors, social workers, family members and patients themselves. Adam Lichtenstein, a founder of Voices Against Brain Cancer, a fund-raising and [...]

6/2/2008 web-based article Amanda Gardner U.S. News Health (health.usnews.com) Widely prescribed blood-boosters might stimulate malignant cells, hasten death, study says. Drugs used widely to treat anemia in cancer patients may actually speed progression of the cancer in certain individuals, but researchers report they may found a way to determine who those individuals are. "We may have a test to predict whether a patient is susceptible to having their tumor progress if treated with erythropoietin and, alternatively, we may be able to predict patients it would be safe to treat with erythropoietin," study author Dr. Tony Blau, of the University of Washington in Seattle, said during a Sunday news conference at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. Recent controversy over erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) such as Procrit, Epogen and Aranesp has centered around whether the blood-boosting drugs should be withdrawn from the market because of troubling side effects. In March, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted to recommend continued use of the drugs for patients on chemotherapy, unless the patient is likely to be cured. They also voted to recommend against the drugs' use in patients with breast or head and neck cancer. Eight clinical trials now suggest these medications actually speed the growth of tumors and shorten the lives of cancer victims. The drugs' manufacturers added a "black box" warning to the medications last November. "There has been lots of controversy over these stimulating agents, and we have an FDA advisory committee to act [...]

5/31/2008 New York, NY staff 7th Space Interactive (7thspace.com) New data from a randomized, controlled trial found that acupuncture provided significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and dry mouth in head and neck cancer patients after neck dissection. The study was led by David Pfister, MD, Chief of the Head and Neck Medical Oncology Service, and Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Dr. Pfister presented the findings today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology. Neck dissection is a common procedure for treatment of head and neck cancer. There are different types of neck dissection, which vary based on which structures are removed and the anticipated side effects. One type – the radical neck dissection – involves complete removal of lymph nodes from one side of the neck, the muscle that helps turn the head, a major vein, and a nerve that is critical to full range of motion for the arm and shoulder. "Chronic pain and shoulder mobility problems are common after such surgery, adversely affecting quality of life as well as employability for certain occupations," said Dr. Pfister. Nerve-sparing and other modified radical techniques that preserve certain structures without compromising disease control reduce the incidence of these problems but do not eliminate them entirely. Dr. Pfister adds, "Unfortunately, available conventional methods of treatment for pain and dysfunction following neck surgery often have limited benefits, leaving much room for improvement." Seventy patients participated in the study and [...]

5/31/2008 Williamsville, NY staff RTT News (www.rttnews.com) Saturday, GenVec, Inc. announced the results of a Phase I clinical trial of TNFerade in patients with head and neck cancer, reporting 9 out of 10 evaluable patients in the trial achieved an objective response to treatment. The company also said that 4 out of the 9 patients achieved complete clinical response by response evaluation criteria in solid tumors or RECIST criteria.

5/30/2008 San Francisco, CA Jeffrey Norris UCSFToday (pubaffairs.ucsf.edu/today) A new chapter in the saga of the war on cancer is being written. The subject is cancer stem cells. If more patients are to survive, then these cells must die. But many targeted treatments might be missing them. Communication between cancer experts and stem cell experts is at an exciting, pioneering stage. An important moment in the evolution of this convergence happened last Thursday and Friday at the UCSF Mission Bay campus – a "Stem Cells and Cancer" symposium presented by the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, in association with the UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine. The symposium brought together research leaders from around the world. Clearly, cancers sometimes grow back even after treatment appears to have eliminated any trace of disease. But only in recent years has a critical mass of researchers begun to explore the roles of cells within cancers that appear to be stem cells, or that act like stem cells. Forever Young, and Sometimes Deadly Stem cells are eternally youthful, immature cells that have infinite capacity to spin off new cells. In this way, they maintain and repair tissue. In contrast, their progeny cells normally mature and grow old. The progeny assume specialized tasks, and they have little or no capability to regenerate themselves. The persistence of abnormal cancer stem cells may be the key to why many cancers come back and resist further treatment. Most experts believe these cancer stem cells represent a very [...]