8/27/2007 New York, NY Salynn Boyles CBS News (www.cbsnews.com)Unlike most head and neck cancers, throat cancer rates in the United States have not dropped in recent years, and infection with the sexually transmitted infection human papilloma virus (HPV) may be the cause. HPV is a virus that causes genital warts and most cervical cancers, but its transmission through oral sex has only recently been identified as a potential cause of throat cancer. In a newly published analysis of head and neck cancer rates in the U.S., researchers from Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found the incidence of throat cancer to be stagnant and even rising in some populations, defying a downward trend in other head and neck cancers linked more closely with smoking. The findings underscore the importance of research aimed at determining if the newly available HPV vaccine is effective in males, researcher Erich Sturgis, M.D., MPH, tells WebMD. "The vaccine has been shown to be almost 100% effective for preventing cervical infection," he says. "We would encourage the medical community and [vaccine] industry to study its role in preventing this oral cancer." Tobacco use and drinking alcohol are by far the biggest risk factors for head and neck cancers. About 90% of patients with these malignancies either smoke or chew tobacco or have done so in the past, and up to 80% of oral cancer patients also drink a lot of alcohol, according to the American Cancer Society. In their newly published analysis of head and neck cancer [...]

8/23/2007 United Kingdom Roger Dobson Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk) An electrical saliva 'stimulator' is being used for patients who suffer from a chronically dry mouth. The battery-powered device is embedded in a mouthguard that fits over the teeth and is operated by a handheld remote control. It sends out mild pulses of electricity, not felt by the patient, to stimulate the nerves that control the release of saliva. Dry mouth and lack of saliva is a common problem that affects around one in ten adults at some time. It occurs when the glands in the mouth that make saliva are not working properly, and there are several possible reasons for this. More than 400 medicines, including some over-the-counter formulations, can cause the salivary glands to make less saliva, or to change its composition so it doesn't work properly. Some chemotherapy cancer treatments make saliva thicker, so less lubricating, and injury to the head or neck can damage the nerves that activate the salivary glands. According to the journal Advances In Clinical Neuroscience And Rehabilitation, there are up to 10 million people with dry mouth in the UK. Other symptoms can include bad breath, a sore throat, a burning mouth and an altered sense of taste. These symptoms have an effect on digestion and dental health because the low levels of saliva mean people with dry mouth lack the enzymes that help break down food. A number of other compounds contained in saliva fight the bacteria that form dental plaque and cause [...]

8/23/2007 Sydney, Australia staff Azonano.com Using a microfluidic device designed to capture and enrich cells from biological samples, a research team at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a test that can detect an important early marker for oral squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for more than 90 percent of oral cancers. Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and is difficult to detect early enough to treat successfully. John McDevitt, Ph.D., led the research team that developed this microfluidic cell capture and interrogate device. The research appears in the journal Lab on a Chip. The device is simple in design and use. The key component is an etched membrane that gently captures cells in biological fluids, such as saliva, flowing through microfluidic channels. Once captured on the membrane, the cells are exposed to a solution containing fluorescently labeled antibodies that bind specifically to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein found on the surface of tumors removed from 90 percent of oral cell carcinoma patients. Labeled cells, that is, those with EGFR, are readily visible using a standard fluoresence microscope. The entire assay takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Research by other investigators has demonstrated that EGFR is present on cells during the early stages of tumor development. In addition, an EGFR-targeted antibody has been approved to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma, although the drug is not used widely to treat this form of cancer because of the difficulty in determining which patients would [...]

8/23/2007 South Korea SY Kim et al. Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdm270 Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) to detect second primary cancers and distant metastases in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Patients and methods: Patients with previous untreated HNC, between 2004 and 2005, underwent head and neck CT and whole-body FDG-PET/CT, before and at fixed intervals after therapy, for staging and detection of second primary cancers and distant metastases. Patients with malignant or equivocal findings on FDG-PET/CT underwent further imaging, endoscopy and/or biopsy. Results: Of the 349 eligible patients (267 men and 82 women), 14 (4.0%) had second primary cancers and 26 (7.4%) had distant metastases at initial staging or during mean follow-up of 15 months after treatment. FDG-PET/CT correctly identified second cancers or distant metastases in 39 of these 40 patients; there was one false negative and 23 false positive FDG-PET/CT results. Therefore, FDG-PET/CT had a sensitivity of 97.5%, a specificity of 92.6%, a positive predictive value of 62.9% and a negative predictive value of 99.7% in detecting second primary cancers and distant metastases. Conclusion: Combined FDG-PET/CT is useful as a primary method for detecting second cancers and distant metastases in patients with HNC. Authors: SY Kim1, J-L Roh1,*, N-K Yeo1, JS Kim2, JH Lee3, S-H Choi1 and SY Nam1 Authors' affiliations: 1 Department of Otolaryngology 2 Department of Nuclear Medicine 3 Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic [...]

8/23/2007 San Francisco, CA Rachel Tompa UCSFToday (pub.ucsf.edu/today) Could scrutiny of spit save your life? Cancer researchers may soon know the answer. More than 30,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year in the US alone, many when it’s too late to prevent death. Dentists and hygienists find oral cancers during exams, but researchers at UCSF now are developing ways to detect cancers earlier — before tumors become visible to the naked eye.To do so they are examining telltale proteins in saliva. Saliva, besides helping your digestion, reflects the state of your body. It contains the same proteins found in your blood, but at much lower levels. Cancers produce proteins abnormally. Cancer researchers have wondered if these abnormalities are reflected in a measurable way in the molecular contents of saliva as well as blood. A few researchers who study oral cancer also have been intrigued by the possibility that relatively high levels of proteins and other molecules from oral cancer cells might end up in saliva. Current methods for oral cancer detection are visual.The dentist and hygienist examine the mouth. Suspicious looking bumps or patches are sampled, so that on the microscopic scale a pathologist can look for cancerous cells. These biopsies are a useful screening tool, but they are time consuming. Furthermore, cutting out tissue can be painful for the patient. Disease screening in saliva might prove to be faster, less invasive, and potentially less expensive than blood tests or biopsies, according to UCSF oral and maxillofacial [...]

8/22/2007 Derbyshire, United Kingdom Angela Brooks DailyMail (www.dailymail.co.uk) About 2,200 people a year are diagnosed with cancer of the voice-box, or larynx. In conventional surgery, the voice-box is removed, leaving patients unable to speak. But a new technique leaves it intact. The Patient - Roger Stone My work involves travelling around the world. In February 2001, I was in Nigeria when I couldn't shake off a sore throat. When I got back home five months later, my GP prescribed antibiotics, but the sore throat continued over the summer when I went to work in Mozambique. By the time I went back to see my GP four months later, swallowing had become painful. He noticed the lymph nodes in my neck were swollen and referred me to a specialist at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. Mr Sean Mortimore, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, examined my throat and said I needed a biopsy, where pieces of tissue are removed under a general anaesthetic for laboratory testing. When he asked if I could come in for it the next day, alarm bells started ringing. As soon as I came round, I asked Mr Mortimore straight out whether he had found a malignancy on my larynx. He told me they wouldn't know for certain until they got the results back from the laboratory a couple of weeks later. My results came back on Christmas Eve and I had an appointment with Mr Mortimore the same day. He introduced the Macmillan cancer nurse specialist to me [...]

8/19/2007 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Charlotte L. Zuur et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 25, No 24 (August 20), 2007: pp. 3759-3765 Purpose: Cisplatin concomitantly administered with radiotherapy is increasingly used in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We aimed to compare the incidence of hearing loss between patients treated with intra-arterial high-dose cisplatin chemoradiation with sodium thiosulfate (CRT-IA) and intravenous high-dose cisplatin chemoradiation without sodium thiosulfate (CRT-IV). Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of hearing thresholds at low and (ultra-) high frequencies obtained before, during, and after treatment in 158 patients. Patients were randomly assigned for either CRT-IA (150 mg/m2, four courses) with sodium thiosulfate cisplatin neutralization or CRT-IV (100 mg/m2, three courses) without rescue. All patients received concomitant radiation therapy (RT; 70 Gy). Results: CRT-IA resulted in approximately 10% less hearing loss at frequencies vital for speech perception, compared with CRT-IV (P < .001). In CRT-IA, fewer ears qualified for hearing aids (36% v 49%; P = .03). However, in both treatment arms, the incidence expressed in National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (version 3) did not deviate (P > .14). Age, cumulative cisplatin dose, cumulative RT dose, and the considered frequency area determine the degree of hearing loss (P < .001). Cisplatin induced increasing hearing loss of 24% to 60% with increasing frequencies. RT induced hearing loss at speech frequencies of 9% to 12%. Conclusion: Depending on the criteria used to assess hearing loss due to treatment, differences in ototoxicity [...]

8/19/2007 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Heather Schultz Edmonton Journal (www.canada.com/edmontonjournal) Steven Csorba passed out the first time he saw himself in a mirror after undergoing head-and-neck cancer surgery. "I looked like a monster." Now, with an urgency born from personal pain, the local artist -- well-known for his portraits of Oiler greats such as Wayne Gretzky --is fighting to bring Edmonton's cancer researchers together. Drawing inspiration from his battles with cancer, Csorba is using work begun during his recovery -- depictions of vivid balls of energy and question-provoking pop art -- to raise $3.3 million for the new Art of Hope Foundation. "Van Gogh had his ear cut off," Csorba says. "I had doctors cut into my neck." Art of Hope is aimed at facilitating greater collaboration between institutions and programs such as the Cross Cancer Institute's Art in Medicine program and the head-and-neck reconstruction centre at the Misericordia Hospital. The key is communication and, while he dreams big, Csorba is willing to start small. "I believe Edmonton could become a model, a centre of collaboration. They're amazing at what they do, but they can do better." Diagnosed in 2003 at 39, Csorba endured 14 hours of surgery and seven weeks of radiation. An active non-smoker, the diagnosis caught him off guard. "You wake up and you're living in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," he says. "It's hell." Csorba lost 70 pounds, 88 lymph nodes, 25 teeth and his saliva. Muscles from his left arm were taken to rebuild his [...]

8/18/2007 Helsinki, Finland press release Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com) Most head-and-neck cancers that recur locally after prior full-dose conventional radiation therapy respond to Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). These results were obtained in a Phase I/II study at the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. The scientific director of the research program, professor Heikki Joensuu, University of Helsinki, considers the results clinically significant and very interesting. They open a new field for BNCT, since thus far BNCT has been evaluated only in the treatment of some brain tumours. The follow-up results of 12 patients diagnosed with cancer of the head-and-neck and treated in a prospective clinical trial were reported in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology & Physics. All patients had cancer of the head-and-neck that had recurred locally after surgery and conventional radiation therapy. Ten out of the 12 patients had substantial tumour shrinkage following BNCT, and in 7 cases the tumour disappeared completely. Adverse effects of treatment were moderate and resembled those of conventional radiation therapy. The study has been expanded, and up to 30 subjects will now be allowed to enter the study protocol. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a form of targeted radiation treatment for cancer. It is still considered experimental. In this method a boron-containing compound (boronophenylalanine) is first infused into a peripheral vein, following which the compound accumulates in cancer tissue. Cancer is subsequently irradiated with neutrons obtained from a nuclear reactor, which causes boron atoms to split within the cancerous tissue as a result [...]

8/15/2007 web-based article R. Colin Johnson EETimes.com A new in-office test for oral cancer that takes only 10 minutes will soon be available using lab-on-a-chip microfluidic electronics, according to scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health. Billed as the world's first fully automated, all-in-one test, the lab-on-a-chip electronic reader, which is about half the size of a toaster, can scan cells brushed from the inside of the mouth with a swab. Crafted by the University of Texas (Austin) in the lab of Professor John McDevitt, the prototype has so far confirmed that the test can accurately perform the necessary measurements in under 10 minutes. Test development was supported by the NIH's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, which plans to recommend that dentists use the test to screen for oral cancer during routine checkups. Lab-on-a-chip concentrates the sample from the swab in microfluidic channels and then mixes fluorescent marker proteins among the cells in the sample. Any suspect cells will become fluorescent. Test results showed that the quick 10-minute test was just as accurate as the overnight flow cytometry version of the test. When timed to the minute, the lab-on-a-chip test took 9 minutes and the traditional flow cytometry test took 2 hours and 5 minutes (although laboratories routinely run such tests in batches overnight).