4/24/2007 New York, NY Megan Rauscher Scientific American.com (www.sciam.com) Detecting head and neck cancer early, when the odds of successful treatment are best, may be as simple as gargling with saline and spitting in a cup, according to a study conducted by a Miami, Florida-based research team. Oral rinsing flushes out a protein called CD44 -- a known biomarker for cancers of the head and neck. It also detects altered DNA related to these tumors. And the combination of these two biomarkers reliably detects head and neck tumors, the research shows. Dr. Elizabeth J. Franzmann of the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center reported her team's work at the annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Los Angeles. "Cancer of the head and neck is a very debilitating and deadly disease that is often detected in late stages when cure rates are only about 30 percent," Franzmann told Reuters Health. "If we could catch it earlier, we should be able to cure it at least 80 percent of the time but we really need an early detection test." The CD44 protein is involved in normal cell functions, but in cancer it is over expressed and appears in alternative forms that are also involved in tumor formation. Importantly, the protein and altered form can be found in bodily fluids. "Initially, we found that if a patient swishes and gargles for 5 seconds each with saline and spits in a cup, we can actually measure the CD44 level; and it [...]

4/24/2007 San Diego, CA press release Biocompare News (news.biocompare.com) Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego report that they have developed a new method for detecting cancer very early in its development, when it consists of just a few cells. The best existing detection methods are not able to detect a tumor until it consists of about one million cells. The paper, published in the April 18 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE, describes a series of proof-of-concept experiments in which the researchers, working with two cancer cell lines, were able to select out and amplify tiny amounts of cancer-causing DNA in the presence of more than 99.9 percent of normal DNA. Current methods for identifying deleted DNA would not work in clinical settings because they require isolation of relatively pure cancer cells. This is not feasible for clinical samples, which typically contain large amounts of the person’s normal cells. “We have developed a new technology for very early detection of virtually any type of solid-tumor cancer based upon damaged DNA, which is where all cancers begin,” said co-author Dennis A. Carson, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Moores Cancer Center. “We are now working with engineers toward the fabrication of the clinical devices that will enable this to be widely used in patients.” Carson said they are several years away from clinical testing, but ultimately individuals will be able to be screened for DNA markers of cancer cells using simple [...]

4/24/2007 Haifa, Israel Oded Hershkovich et al. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 62:361-366 (2007) Oral cancer's much higher prevalence among older people may be due to an age-related reduction in protective salivary antioxidant mechanisms and/or an age-related increase in the magnitude of oral carcinogen attack, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), causing DNA aberrations. This study found a significantly reduced total value of salivary antioxidant capacity in elderly persons (as measured by overall antioxidant capacity [ImAnOx] assay), (46% of healthy individuals, p =.004), increased oxidative stress (86% increase in carbonyl concentrations—indicators of enhanced ROS attack, p =.001), and increased salivary concentrations and total values of RNS (7-fold and 3-fold higher respectively, p =.001), all contributing to increased DNA oxidation of oral epithelial cells. Salivary oxidative stress-related changes in the intimately related saliva and oral epithelium compounded with higher viscosity of saliva may explain the higher prevalence of oral cancer in the elderly population. Administration of local therapeutic agents (i.e., antioxidants) to the oral cavity should be considered. Authors: Oded Hershkovich (1), Itay Shafat (2) and Rafael M. Nagler (3) Authors' affiliations: 1 Oral Biochemistry Laboratory, 2 Cancer and Vascular Biology Research Center, and 3 Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Rambam Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

4/22/2007 Los Angeles, CA WebWire (www.webwire.com) As the first FDA-approved cancer vaccine, designed to protect against human papillomavirus, has moved from scientific discussion to social debate, other vaccine studies are continuing to make progress. While HPV vaccine efforts had the "benefit" of a viral source for the disease, other researchers are developing vaccines for cancers that are not virally based, in an effort to coax the immune system into attacking cancerous cells. Today at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, presentations on ongoing HPV trials and other new approaches to stimulating the immune system are injecting momentum into cancer vaccine research. Substantial impact on precancerous lesions and HPV infections through 5.5 years in women vaccinated with the HPV-16/18 L1 VLP AS04 candidate vaccine: Abstract 4900 Ongoing evaluation of a phase II trial of a human papillomavirus vaccine, developed to prevent cervical cancer, shows that the vaccine continues to protect against HPV types 16 and 18 at five and a half years into the study, according to researchers from the University of Louisville. Their findings also show that the vaccine offers significant cross-protection for HPV types 45 and 31. The study follows 1113 women between the ages of 15 and 25 in North America and Brazil randomized to receive three doses of either the vaccine or the control. The vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline, which funded the study, is designed to protect against two strains of HPV, types 16 and 18, which together are thought to cause [...]

4/22/2007 web-based article Lory Laughter, RDH, BS Woman Dental Journal (rdh.pennnet.com) When I present a concept or technique to dental hygienists, more often than not someone asks for evidence. We are an evidence-based group of professionals. Every educational program that offers a degree in dental hygiene might as well have a disclaimer that states, “Gullible need not apply.” While evidence may be the universal requirement, there are varying opinions on what exactly constitutes acceptable proof. Journals, opinions of key leaders and even common sense are often accepted as viable research by many in the dental profession. But somewhere in the search we need to look for trials, systematic reviews, case studies, and our own clinical experience. In October 2006 I attended the Idaho Conference on Health Care in Pocatello, Idaho. The focus was “Quality Health Care: Sifting Through the Evidence.” Being among scientists and evidence-based decision makers brought on an excitement that is hard to explain to anyone who doesn’t share a passion for research. My anticipation was never dampened by the possibility that some of my strongly held opinions might be challenged. Mark Lingen, DDS, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. His presentation, “Oral Cancer: New Technologies for Early Detection and Prevention” was more than enlightening, it was somewhat discouraging. Dr. Lingen provided evidence that oral cancer is often associated with the papillomavirus, the same virus found in several types of cervical cancer. Medical research has [...]

4/22/2007 Topeka, KS staff 49news (www.49abcnews.com) "This is about as good as you're gonna get on this TV," Charlie Osborne said. Osborne is grateful technology's improved over the years. But he never appreciated it more than during his recent battle with throat cancer. "They would have had to cut out my voice box. That was the only other option. If this happened four years ago, that was still the standard procedure," Osborne said. He had a tumor in his neck the size of a golf ball. Typically, doctors would perform radical surgery to remove it. "He would have had a tracheotomy, at least temporarily, an opening in the neck. And he would have ended up having a feeding tube in his stomach because he was having so much trouble with his swallowing," head and neck surgeon Dr. Miriam Lango said. Instead, Dr. Lango used a minimally invasive procedure called transoral laser surgery. "We can access tumors not through the neck, but actually through the mouth," Lango said. The carbon dioxide laser is an intense beam of energy that cuts and seals the tissue simultaneously. "You are able to cut very precisely without having blood in your field. So you can really distinguish between normal tissue and tumor tissue," Lango said. Because the laser is less invasive, patients have a lower risk of infection and a faster recovery. "Patients have much less trouble with swallowing and with speech. Often times the speech is almost normal after the surgery," Lango said. Dr. [...]

4/22/2007 Okemos, MI press release Business Wire (home.businesswire.com) Despite the fact that one American life is lost every hour and approximately 30,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year, a recent EPIC-MRA Omnibus survey of 600 Michigan adults revealed little-to-no awareness of oral cancer or its signs and symptoms. Commissioned by Delta Dental of Michigan (Delta Dental), the study showed that when respondents were asked to list three forms that cancer can take, not one person named oral cancer. Additionally, 16 percent of the study’s respondents believe oral cancer is a less serious form of the disease than other cancers. In reality, the death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney, or skin cancer. The low awareness levels of oral cancer are compounded with an ironic and grim statistic pertinent to Michigan – African American men in Wayne County have one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the country. In recognition of National Oral Cancer Awareness Week (April 16-22), Delta Dental is asking Michigan residents to request an oral cancer exam during their next dental visit. Oral cancer exams are quick, painless and involve an evaluation of the mouth, gums, throat and tongue by a licensed dentist using a piece of gauze to move the tongue from side-to-side. With this exam, the dentist is able to detect suspicious mouth lesions (unexplained red or white spots), an indicator of cancerous tissues. Oral cancer falls into the [...]

4/20/2007 Cape Town, South Africa staff health24.com If you want to reduce your risk of several common types of cancer, help may be no farther away than your kitchen. A trio of new studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research found that vegetables and fruits help lower your chances of getting head and neck, breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. One of the studies even found that just one additional serving of vegetables or fruits could help lower the risk of head and neck cancer. Still, the more fruits and vegetables you can consume, the better. 29% reduced risk "Those who ate six servings of fruit and vegetables per 1 000 calories had a 29 percent decreased risk relative to those who had 1.5 servings," said Neal Freedman, a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the division of Cancer Prevention at the US National Cancer Institute and author of one of the studies. Freedman looked at how the fruit and vegetable intake compared to the incidence of head and neck cancer in 490 802 adults. During the five-year study period, 787 people were diagnosed with head and neck cancers. After adjusting the data to account for smoking and alcohol use - known head and neck cancer risk factors - the researchers found that those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk for head and neck cancers. Vegetables appeared to offer more cancer prevention than fruits alone did. Adding just one serving of fruit [...]

4/19/2007 Princeton, NU Jason Sheltzer DailyPrincetonian.com It is quite strange to me how in this country, Republicans have always been considered to be the party of "family values" and "morality." Republicans want to end social welfare programs, criminalize homosexuality and institute a system of forced-childbirth for our nation's women. This has never struck me as particularly moral. Liberals, meanwhile, care about combating the spread of global poverty, ending climate change and raising the minimum wage. These are true moral concerns. Two recent controversies have underscored the hypocrisy in the Republican position. The first debate concerns the new HPV vaccine. It's an indisputable fact that mandating the HPV vaccine would save thousands of lives. Yet, conservatives groups like Focus on the Family have led the opposition to mandatory vaccinations, arguing that it encourages sexual promiscuity in young women. This is just stupid. First of all, there's absolutely no evidence supporting that claim. Moreover, even if the vaccine did encourage promiscuous behavior, ask yourself what's worse — a sexually active 16-year-old or an 18-year-old with cervical cancer? The second, more recent example of conservative immorality comes from the debate over human embryonic stem cells. President Bush has declared his intent to veto a bill passed by Congress that would provide federal funding for stem cell research. His justification is that it "crosses a moral line" that he finds "troubling." Bush is right about one thing — the bill does cross an important "moral line," though not the one that he's thinking of. [...]

4/18/2007 St. Petersburg, FL John Barry St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.com) David Hastings doesn't fit the throat cancer profile. So he looked for answers and was surprised by what he found. During the grisly battle for his life, David Hastings played medical detective. He read everything he could find on what was trying to kill him. Nothing made sense. Hastings had throat cancer, mostly known for killing old people. Imagine an elderly soul addicted to cigarettes and alcohol for 40 years. There's a likely victim. Hastings didn't fit. He was 58. He looked 48. He hadn't smoked since college, and he doesn't drink. His chief addiction is cycling. He rides his bike about 100 miles per week. He'd never have guessed where he finally did fit in. He did not have an old smoker's disease, after all. His throat had been attacked by a cancer-causing virus infamous for killing women. It was HPV, the human papilloma virus, that causes most cervical cancers. HPV is the virus at the center of a national argument over preventive vaccinations of young girls. To his great surprise, Hastings discovered that this controversial women's vaccination plan aimed at ridding the world of HPV cancers may have started with the wrong gender. One day, the answer might be found here. A thousand Tampa men are currently participating in the world's largest study of male HPV infections. The National Institutes of Health has awarded the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa $10-million for the work. It involves [...]