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).

8/15/2007 Memphis, TN staff CancerConsultants.com According to an early online article recently published in the journal Head and Neck, treatment of patients with cancer cachexia with Celebrex® (celecoxib) resulted in weight gain, increased body mass index (BMI), and better quality of life. Cachexia is a debilitating and life-threatening effect of advanced cancer and other diseases diseases. Cachexia is diagnosed when there is an involuntary weight loss of greater than 5% within a three- to six-month period. Cachexia involves anorexia, fat and muscle tissue wasting, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life. It is thought that cachexia has several different causes, which include: metabolic abnormalities, inflammatory processes, decreased food intake, as well as a number of unidentified issues. Currently, there is much room for improvement in treatment for cachexia. Celebrex is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Celebrex reduces the activity of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2)—a protein involved in the promotion of inflammation. Because inflammation appears to be a component in the development of cachexia, researchers from the University of North Carolina recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate Celebrex in the treatment of cachexia. This study included 11 patients with head and neck cancer or cancer of the gastrointestinal system. Patients were treated for 21 days prior to chemotherapy with either Celebrex or placebo (inactive substitute). - Patients treated with Celebrex experienced weight gain and an increase in BMI, but patients who received placebo experienced weight loss and a decline in BMI. - Patients treated with Celebrex reported better quality of life. The [...]

8/14/2007 web-based article Vikki Chapman Clinical Biology (www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals) A microscopic sieve opens the way to earlier diagnosis of oral cancer, say US researchers. Worldwide, oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer and is often fatal as many patients are not identified until the cancer is at an advanced stage. Current detection methods rely on the physical identification of a growth, followed by biopsy to identify whether the growth is cancerous. Now, John McDevitt and co-workers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a sensor capable of identifying oral cancer at an early stage. The device identifies cancer-related markers, in this case a protein receptor called epidermal growth factor receptor, located on the surface of cells found in saliva and other body fluids. These are present before an obvious tumour is visible. The device captures cancer cells on a microsieve membrane The sensor is a multi-layer structure on a Perspex base. A cell culture suspension flows through the device, and a membrane within the base acts as a microsieve to capture marked cells before the suspension flows out. Once captured, the cells on the membrane are fluorescently labelled, automatically imaged and analysed. By comparing the labelled sensor to a control, it is possible to detect whether the sample contains the cancer markers. The new sensor is much quicker than conventional techniques, taking under ten minutes to prepare the samples. It also requires significantly less sample and reagent, reducing cost. This opens the possibility of point-of-care oral cancer screening [...]

8/14/2007 web-based article staff foxnews.com Users of smokeless tobacco are exposed to higher amounts of tobacco-specific carcinogenic molecules than cigarette smokers, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. In a study comparing 182 chewing tobacco or oral snuff users with 420 cigarette smokers, the Minnesota researchers found that snuff users were exposed to higher levels of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) than smokers. NNK is a human carcinogen known to produce lung cancer as well as cancers of the pancreas, nasal mucosa and liver in laboratory animals. “Smokeless tobacco products have been proposed by some as safer alternatives to cigarettes, but they are not safe,” said author Stephen S. Hecht, Ph.D., professor of cancer prevention at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, in a news release. “The only likely safe alternative to smoking is the long term use of nicotine replacement therapy as a means to reduce dependence.” The study participants included men and women aged 17 to 80 who had sought – but had yet to begin – treatment for tobacco addiction, and who used conventional, popular U.S. brands of smokeless tobacco. Hecht and his colleagues found that levels of various known carcinogens were higher in the urine of snuff users than smokers, when adjusted for age and gender, according to the findings reported in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. . “American smokeless tobacco manufacturers are forbidden by federal law from claiming that smokeless tobacco is [...]

8/14/2007 Moscow, Russia S Subramanian et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital, April 1, 2007; 27(2): 309-16 In spite of advancement in science, molecular medicine and target therapies, surgical treatment of metastases using different techniques, from selective neck dissection to extended radical neck dissections, form a major part in the management of neck metastases. This is due to the fact that, so far, there is no treatment more effective for resectable neck metastases, than surgery. Since most head and neck cancer patients die due to loco-regional progression of disease, and a very large majority of them do not live long enough to develop distant metastases, the status of neck lymph nodes remains the single most important prognostic factor, in these cases. In the 100 years since George Washington Crile described Radical Neck Dissection, we now have a much better understanding of the biological and clinical behaviour of neck metastases. This has ultimately led to the conservative approaches of selective neck dissections depending on the primary site of the tumour, type of tumour and the characteristic features of the metastases themselves. A search of the literature on neck lymph nodes and neck dissections, on the internet and in old publications, not available in the electronic media, has been carried out. Using this as the basis, we arranged, in sequence, the dates of various landmarks in the treatment of head and neck cancer related to neck dissections to emphasize the overall process of evolution of neck dissection thereby showing how the field of head [...]

9/11/2007 web-based article staff Biocomare.com So vital is the p53 tumor suppressor gene in controlling cancer that its dysfunction is linked to more than half of human cancers. At the same time, the gene’s capacity for shutting down cell growth, even causing cells to commit suicide if necessary, is so absolute that it must be tightly regulated to maintain the optimal balance between protecting against cancer and permitting normal growth. Now, a study by scientists at The Wistar Institute reveals new levels of subtlety in the body’s management of this all-important tumor suppressor gene and the protein it produces. The experiments show that, while the addition of a specific molecule at a particular site on the p53 protein prevents it from acting, the addition of a second copy of the same molecule at the same site reverses the effect, sending p53 into action. Further, removal of the second copy returns the protein to its repressed state. In addition to the implications for understanding the activity of the p53 gene, the findings also outline an important new cycle of gene-regulating modifications involving the addition and removal of the molecules, called methyl groups, that may be widespread in the genome. A report on the study appears in the September 6 issue of Nature. “The p53 tumor suppressor is extremely potent in halting cell growth,” says Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., the Hilary Koprowski Professor at The Wistar Institute and senior author on the study. “So, as critical as p53 is in protecting against [...]