12/10/2006 Baltimore, MD staff Eurekalert.org Sildenafil and other "impotence drugs" that boost the production of a gassy chemical messenger to dilate blood vessels and produce an erection now also show promise in unmasking cancer cells so that the immune system can recognize and attack them, say scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Tests at Hopkins on mice with implanted colon and breast tumors showed that tumor size decreased two- and threefold in sildenafil-treated animals, compared to mice that did not get the drug. In mice engineered to lack an immune system, tumors were unaffected, proof of principle, the scientists say, that the drug is abetting the immune system’s own cellular response to cancer. In a report published in the Nov. 27 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the Hopkins team says boosted levels of the chemical messenger nitric oxide appear to dampen the effects of a specialized cell that diverts the immune system away from tumors, allowing swarms of cancer-attacking T-cells to migrate to tumor sites in the rodents. Lab-grown cancer cells treated with sildenafil showed similar results, as did tissue samples taken from 14 head and neck cancer and multiple myeloma patients. Sildenafil, marketed under the trade name Viagra, is one of a class of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction in millions of men, and in recent years, its ability to stimulate the production of NO has been investigated by experts in diseases linked to the activity of blood vessels and blood components. The new [...]

12/10/2006 New York, NY Anthony J. Brown, MD today.reuters.co.uk Findings from a new study confirm that tea extracts applied to the skin promote the repair of damage from radiotherapy, and shed light on the mechanisms involved in the injury. The beneficial effects of the extracts are mostly from their ability to attenuate the body signals that trigger inflammation. Radiotherapy interruption because of toxic effects to the skin may compromise the outcome of cancer treatment, lead author Dr. Frank Pajonk, from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Reuters Health. "So, it is important to have an effective treatment for this problem." According to Pajonk, "tea extracts have been used as a folk remedy for sunburns, which led to their use as a treatment for radiation-induced skin toxicity. They have proven quite successful in this regard, but there were no scientific data" to clarify their effects. In a study reported in the journal BMC Medicine, the researchers analyzed the effects of green or black tea extracts given to 60 patients with skin damage related to radiotherapy for head and neck cancers and cancer in the pelvic region. Treatment with the tea extracts enhanced skin repair, the report indicates. For radiation damage in the head and neck region, the green and black tea extracts were comparable in promoting repair, whereas in the pelvic region, green tea extract was superior, Pajonk said. The tea extracts inhibit a key proteasome, which "is at the center of the inflammatory machinery," explained Pajonk. This [...]

12/8/2006 Hong Kong EH Pow et al. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, November 15, 2006; 66(4): 981-91 Purpose: To compare directly the effect of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) vs. conventional radiotherapy (CRT) on salivary flow and quality of life (QoL) in patients with early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods and Materials: Fifty-one patients with T2, N0/N1, M0 NPC took part in a randomized controlled clinical study and received IMRT or CRT. Stimulated whole (SWS) and parotid (SPS) saliva flow were measured and Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 (SF-36), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core quetionnaire, and EORTC head-and-neck module (QLQ-H&N35) were completed at baseline and 2, 6, and 12 months after radiotherapy. Results: Forty-six patients (88%) were in disease remission 12 months after radiotherapy. At 12 months postradiotherapy, 12 (50.0%) and 20 patients (83.3%) in the IMRT group had recovered at least 25% of preradiotherapy SWS and SPS flow respectively, compared with 1 (4.8%) and 2 patients (9.5%), respectively, in the CRT group. Global health scores showed continuous improvement in QoL after both treatments (p < 0.001). However, after 12 months subscale scores for role-physical, bodily pain, and physical function were significantly higher in the IMRT group, indicating a better condition (p < 0.05). Dry mouth and sticky saliva were problems in both groups 2 months after treatment. In the IMRT group, there was consistent improvement over time with xerostomia-related symptoms significantly less common than in the CRT group at 12 months postradiotherapy. Conclusions: IMRT was significantly [...]

12/8/2006 Madrid, Spain R Hitt and MJ Echarri Clin Transl Oncol, November 1, 2006; 8(11): 776-9 Major changes in the treatment of head and neck cancer are possible today because of the knowledge that we have on the molecular biology of these tumors. Different pathways are active in the development of this cancer and field cancerization is a major problem for the cure in early stage disease. Epidermal growth factor signal transduction pathway is now the principal target for this disease. New therapeutic strategies such as monoclonal antibodies and small molecules have appeared, however no more than 20% of the patients have objective responses with these therapies. Consequently, new alternatives of treatment in the basis of the understanding of molecular biology are necessary to increase the number of patients that can be cured in the future. Authors' affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology. Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre. Madrid. Spain

12/3/2006 internet web article staff CancerConsultants.com According to an article recently published in the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, treatment with cryboalative therapy may help preserve voice function in patients with cancer of the glottis. The glottis is the space directly above the vocal cords. Cancer of the glottis is treated with the surgical removal of the cancer, which is often followed by radiation therapy. Unfortunately, preservation of voice function is often severely impaired with standard treatments—a result that negatively impacts patient quality of life. Researchers continue to evaluate novel ways to preserve quality of life while producing positive outcomes for patients with cancer of the glottis. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic recently evaluated data regarding voice preservation after cryoablative therapy (use of freezing temperatures to kill cancer cells) in the treatment of patients with cancer of the glottis that had not spread to other sites in the body. This study included 20 patients who initially had their cancer removed with carbon dioxide laser therapy, followed by cryoablation. - At nearly 33 months follow-up, only one patient experienced a cancer recurrence at the site of treatment. - Treatment with carbon dioxide laser therapy and cryoablative therapy was associated with a significant improvement in voice quality. - Long-term voice impairment was improved compared with pretreatment conditions, even among patients requiring the most extensive treatment. The researchers concluded that the combination of carbon dioxide laser surgery and cryoablative therapy may result in better voice quality than standard radiation therapy among patients [...]

12/3/2006 Detroit, MI S Milberger et al. Tob. Control, December 1, 2006; 15 Suppl 4: iv17-iv26 Background: In the late 1990s and the early part of this decade, the major US cigarette manufacturers admitted, to varying degrees, that smoking causes cancer and other diseases. Objective: To examine how tobacco manufacturers have defended themselves against charges that their products caused cancer in plaintiffs in 34 personal injury lawsuits, all but one of which were litigated between the years 1986 and 2003. Methods: Defence opening and closing statements, trial testimony, and depositions for these cases were obtained from the Tobacco Deposition and Trial Testimony Archive (http://tobaccodocuments.org/datta/). All available defence-related transcripts from these cases were reviewed and a content analysis was conducted to identify common themes in the defendants' arguments. Results: After review of the transcripts, defendants' arguments were grouped into seven categories: (1) there is no scientific proof that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer; (2) the plaintiff did not have lung cancer as claimed; (3) the plaintiff had a type of lung cancer not associated with cigarette smoking; (4) the plaintiff had cancer that may have been associated with cigarette smoking or smokeless tobacco use, but tobacco products were not to blame in this particular case; (5) the plaintiff had cancer that may have been associated with cigarette smoking, but the defendant's cigarette brands were not to blame; (6) the defendant's cigarettes (or smokeless tobacco) may have played a role in the plaintiff's illness/death, but other risk factors were present that negate [...]

12/3/2006 Milan, Italy Daniela Alterio, M.D. ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Feb. 1, 2006 Doctors in Italy are studying whether a new type of mouthwash will help alleviate pain for patients suffering from head and neck cancer who were treated with radiation therapy, according to a study published in the February 1, 2006, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Fifty patients, suffering from various forms of head and neck cancer and who received radiation therapy as part of their treatment, were observed during the course of their radiation treatment. Mucositis, or inflammation of the mucous membrane in the mouth, is the most common side effect for these patients yet no additional therapy has been identified that successfully reduces the pain. All of the patients experienced some level of pain related to their cancer treatment and this study sought to discover if a mouthwash made from the local anesthetic tetracaine was able to alleviate the discomfort associated with head and neck cancer and if there would be any negative side effects of the mouthwash. The doctors chose to concoct a tetracaine-based mouthwash instead of a lidocaine-based version because it was found to be four times more effective, worked faster and produced a prolonged relief. The tetracaine was administered by a mouthwash approximately 30 minutes before and after meals, or roughly six times a day. Relief of oral pain was reported in 48 [...]

12/3/2006 internet web article staff CancerConsultants.com According to an article recently published in the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, long-term use of aspirin may reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancer among some patients. Head and neck cancer originates within the head or neck. The most common type of head and neck cancer is squamous cell, which refers to the type of cell where the cancer originated. Because head and neck cancer is often associated with a decline in quality of life due to side effects of standard therapies as well as with suboptimal outcomes once the cancer has spread from its site of origin, prevention of this cancer is an active area of research. Researchers from the Roswell Cancer Park Institute in New York recently evaluated data among 529 patients who were diagnosed with and treated for head and neck cancer between 1982 and 1998. The data from these patients were compared to data from hospital patients who did not have head and neck cancer. - The use of aspirin was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of head and neck cancer. - The risk of head and neck cancer was reduced further with frequent and prolonged use of aspirin. - Individuals who were aspirin users and had moderate exposure to either smoking or alcohol demonstrated a 33% reduced risk of head and neck cancer. - Individuals who were heavily exposed to either smoking or alcohol did not benefit from aspirin use. - Women [...]

11/30/2006 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Carolyn Abraham GlobeandMail.com At any other moment in Brad Thompson's life it might have sounded too strange. But when University of Calgary researchers approached the entrepreneur in 1998 about the potential of using a common stomach bug to fight cancer, their timing was uncanny. Dr. Thompson had lost his mother to lung cancer that year, his uncle to esophageal cancer and he himself had been diagnosed with melanoma. "I was open to thinking about cancer, and thinking about it in a new way," said the microbiologist, who was working with a biotech firm on bowel diseases at the time. "I'm awfully glad they came to see me." Eight years later, Dr. Thompson, now CEO of Calgary-based Oncolytics Biotech, is in the vanguard of one of the more promising, if unconventional, approaches to treating cancer patients: deliberately infecting them with viruses. Cancer cells, it so happens, are particularly vulnerable to viral invasion and the century-old concept has cured laboratory mice, pushed some end-stage cancer patients into long-term remission and raised hopes for a new generation of cancer therapies. Hundreds of patients in clinical trials in Canada, the United States and Europe have volunteered to catch a cold, a stomach bug, a mutant form of herpes and even a chicken flu. Researchers have found cancer cells lack the defences that healthy cells have to protect themselves from infection. Flipped into overdrive, a cancer cell never shuts down the pathway that allows a viral intruder to waltz in, replicate [...]

11/30/2006 Boston, MA Pascal Pommier et al. MedicalNewsToday.com Proton beam radiation therapy, a very precise type of radiation treatment, may be an effective treatment for advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma that has spread to the cranial base, according to a study from the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In the November issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the research team describes results from 11 years of using proton therapy to treat this tumor, which can be dangerous when it spreads into the complex structures at the base of the skull. "We are very encouraged by our results, in which local tumor control of advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma of the cranial base compared very favorably with results reported from traditional radiation therapy," says Annie Chan, MD, MGH Radiation Oncology, who led the study. Frequently originating in the salivary glands, adenoid cystic carcinoma is an indolent but aggressive tumor that is usually treated surgically if diagnosed at an early stage. However, when it originates in or spreads into the cranial base - a complex area involving the cranial nerves, the eyes and critical brain structures - it is impossible to remove the tumor safely. Traditional radiation therapy has had limited success in controlling the tumors' growth, largely because the sensitive adjacent structures sharply limit the ability to deliver a strong enough dose. Proton therapy takes advantage of an inherent quality of the positively charged atomic particles. As they travel through tissues, protons release [...]