7/15/2006 Baltimore, MD Karl B. Hille Examiner.com A possible cure for some types of mouth, larynx and throat cancer is being tested at the University of Maryland Medical Center. University researchers have begun testing “Trojan peptide” vaccines to treat squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of head and neck cancer. The vaccine targets specific proteins made by tumors, and in theory can stimulate the body’s immune system to destroy the cancer. “It’s really founded on very strong science,” said Dr. Scott Strome, who developed the vaccine and stands to benefit if it becomes an approved treatment. Currently, researchers are accepting patients for Phase I trials, which test the safety of a new therapy. If it proves safe, further trials will test the effectiveness of the vaccine. Strome said the vaccine is experimental and it is not known yet if it will reduce or eliminate patients’ tumors. Researchers hope the vaccine therapy will improve the survival rate and quality of life for patients. Cancers of the head and neck — including those of the throat, mouth, voice box, sinuses, salivary glands and skin — are often difficult to treat and have a high risk of recurrence, according to information provided by the University of Maryland. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Much larger than traditional vaccine molecules, these peptides contain approximately 40 to 50 amino acids, Strome said. Researchers believe these larger peptides may trigger a stronger, two-pronged response by the body’s immune system. The vaccines prepare white blood cells [...]

7/15/2006 Sao Paolo, Brazil L. Cuffari et al. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, July 1, 2006; 102(1): 56-61 OBJECTIVE: To identify pain as the initial symptom of oral cancer patients. STUDY DESIGN: Hospital charts of 1412 patients (1977 to 1998) with oral cancer were reviewed (238 female and 1174 male). Results: Pain was the initial complaint in 19.2% of the sample. Oral cancer (ratio 4:1) and initial pain (ratio 9:1; P= .001) was prevalent in men. There were 12 different complaints of pain: sore throat (37.6%), tongue pain (14.0%), mouth pain (12.9%); pain when swallowing (11.1%), dental pain (5.9%); earache (5.9%); pain in the palate (4.1%); burning mouth (3.3%); gingival pain (2.2%); pain when chewing (1.1%); neck pain (1.1%), and facial pain (0.7%). Pain was associated with advanced TNM staging and location of tumor in the tongue (P= .004) and the tongue/mouth floor (P< .006). Conclusion: There were 12 different descriptions of pain; pain was related to TNM staging in the tongue and the tongue/mouth floor. The data presented reinforce the suggestion that patients with orofacial pain need systematized evaluation and sometimes require an interdisciplinary approach. Authors: L Cuffari, JT Tesseroli de Siqueira, K Nemr, and A Rapaport Authors' affilation: Oral Surgery, Dental School of Universidade Bandeirante (UNIBAN), São Paulo, Brazil

7/15/2006 Iowa City, IA staff CancerConsultants.com The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently published guidelines about larynx preservation in patients with laryngeal cancer. The guidelines note the importance of balancing successful cancer treatment with patient function and quality of life. Head and neck cancers originate in the throat, larynx (voice box), pharynx, salivary glands, or oral cavity (lip, mouth, tongue). Most head and neck cancers involve squamous cells, which are cells that line the mouth, throat, or other structures. For patients facing the treatment of laryngeal cancer, an important consideration is whether the larynx can be preserved. Because the larynx is involved in speech and communication, complete removal of the larynx can have a dramatic and adverse effect on a patient’s life. Treatment approaches that preserve the larynx include radiation therapy alone, chemotherapy plus radiation therapy, and surgery that preserves the function of the larynx. Certain patients, however, may not be candidates for these approaches, and may require more extensive treatment. To guide the use of larynx-preservation approaches, the American Society of Clinical Oncology summarized the available evidence and released recommendations. Final decisions about treatment, however, will still require consideration of each patient’s individual circumstances. - For patients with limited laryngeal cancer (T1 or T2), the recommendations note that patients should initially be treated with the intent to preserve the larynx. In these patients, radiation therapy alone or larynx-preservation surgery each appear to produce similar survival outcomes. The recommendations include the qualification that “Limited-stage laryngeal cancer constitutes a wide spectrum [...]

7/15/2006 Queensland, Australia D Chin et al. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther, July 1, 2006; 6(7): 1111-8 Head and neck cancer consists of a diverse group of cancers that ranges from cutaneous, lip, salivary glands, sinuses, oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Each group dictates different management. In this review, the primary focus is on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) arising from the mucosal lining of the oral cavity and pharynx, excluding nasopharyngeal cancer. Presently, HNSCC is the sixth most prevalent neoplasm in the world, with approximately 900,000 cases diagnosed worldwide. Prognosis has improved little in the past 30 years. In those who have survived, pain, disfigurement and physical disability from treatment have had an enormous psychosocial impact on their lives. Management of these patients remains a challenge, especially in developing countries where this disease is most common. Of all human cancers, HNSCC is the most distressing since the head and neck is the site of the most complex functional anatomy in the human body. Its areas of responsibility include breathing, the CNS, vision, hearing, balance, olfaction, taste, swallowing, voice, endocrine and cosmesis. Cancers that occur in this area impact on these important human functions. Consequently, in treating cancers of the head and neck, the effects of the treatment on the functional outcome of the patient need the most serious consideration. In assessing the success of HNSCC treatment, consideration of both the survival and functional deficits that the patient may suffer as a consequence of their treatment are of paramount [...]

7/11/2006 Rochester, MN staff www.biocompare.com Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed novel anti-cancer drugs to treat solid tumors. These "small molecules" belong to a class of pharmaceutical agents called anti-angiogenics. The new compounds are a refined form of drugs that effectively reduce blood flow to the tumor, thereby inhibiting tumor growth. The results of the study appear in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "This is a novel class of drugs that increases the potential for good, effective treatment for cancer patients with tumors," said Kevin Mayo, Ph.D., principle investigator and professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics at the University of Minnesota Medical School. There is currently a protein anti-angiogenic agent approved by the FDA for clinical use. These new tumor-targeting compounds were designed to mimic the functional part of an anti-angiogenic protein. But, because the compounds are not proteins themselves, they have the advantage of possibly being taken in pill form and being less costly to produce. In animal studies with mice, the compounds inhibited tumor growth by up to 80 percent, and in combination with chemotherapy tumors essentially disappeared. Although the compounds proved effective against solid tumors, researchers believe they have potential to treat liquid tumors as well, such as the type found in leukemia and other blood cancers. "Our next step is to treat people with the drug in FDA-approved clinical trials," said Mayo.

7/9/2006 Pittsburgh, PA Lee Bowman ScrippsNews (www.scrippsnews.com) The Pittsburgh Pirates' dugout at PNC Park, site of Tuesday's All-Star game, is less likely to be tobacco-stained than was their lair in old Three Rivers Stadium when the Midsummer Classic was last played there 12 years ago. A newly published study_ based on 10 years of surveys and looking into the mouths of professional baseball players at Pirates spring training camps _ finds that smokeless-tobacco use among members of the club's major and minor league teams declined by more than a third between 1990 and 2000. Dipping and chewing goes way back with baseball. Many think the urge to chew and spit is a way to expend nervous energy between the next at-bat or the next play in the field, whether the chew is sunflower seeds, bubble gum or wads of tobacco. "A lot of players say they only use tobacco during the season or cut way down in the off-season. It's very much part of the cultural aspect of baseball," said Dr. Keith Sinusas, lead author of the study published in the July issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. The difference, says Sinusas, is that tobacco users are much more likely to have one or more lesions or patches in or around the mouth that can progress to oral cancer. Since 1986, the U.S. Surgeon General has warned of a clear association between smokeless tobacco use and oral cancers. Sinusas and former Pirates team physician Dr. Joseph Coroso [...]

7/7/2006 India staff ExpressPharmaOnline.com A new cancer drug is on the way from Biocon. An announcement on these lines was made at the inauguration of Biocon Park, India's largest integrated biotech hub. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India inaugurated the park which comprises of an integrated cluster of research laboratories and manufacturing facilities laid out on a 90 acre expanse in Karnataka. Built with a total investment of Rs 650 crore, with further investments to follow, Biocon Park is the single largest capital investment made by Biocon in its 27-year history. Biocon Park is focused on exports of both biopharmaceutical products and research services. The multi-product facilities will mainly cater to disease segments like cardiovascular, cholesterol reduction, immunosuppressant in organ transplantation, diabetes and cancer. On the occasion, the President dedicated India's first indigenously developed monoclonal antibody, BIOMab EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) to the nation. This antibody is indicated for cancer and it works by binding only to cancer cell-specific antigens, and induce an immunological response against the targeted cancer cell. Although a large number of monoclonal antibodies have been introduced in the country, they are beyond the reach of a majority of cancer patients because of their prohibitive cost. Biocon joins the league of monoclonal antibody developers worldwide and aims to be a key player in this segment in the coming years. Biocon's new cancer drug will also be effective in several other cancers that express EGFR, including colorectal, pancreatic, metastatic breast, non-small cell lung and brain [...]

7/7/2006 Iowa City, IA staff Cancer Consultants.com According to results presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the addition of Taxotere® (docetaxel) to Platinol® (cisplatin) and 5-fluorouracil improves the rate of preservation of the larynx (voice box) in patients with advanced head and neck cancers. Approximately 40,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck include several types of cancers affecting different areas of the head and/or neck. In 2005 the American Cancer Society estimated that 11,000 people would die from head and neck cancer. Laryngeal cancer refers to cancer originating in the larynx, which is located within the throat. Hypopharyngeal cancer refers to cancer that originating in the bottom of the throat. Advanced head and neck cancer refers to cancer that spreads from its site of origin to other sites in the body. Standard treatment for advanced head and neck cancer often includes the use of several chemotherapy agents, the targeted agent Erbitux® (cetuximab), radiation therapy and/or surgery. Often, the surgical removal of laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer leaves patients with severe disfigurement, as well as impairment in quality of life issues. Due to the side effects associated with surgery, physicians may first treat the cancer so that it shrinks prior to surgery. The goal of treatment of advanced head and neck cancer is to preserve as much function and cosmetics as possible, while providing optimal long-term survival. Researchers affiliated with [...]

7/6/2006 Manchester, Egland Robbie MacDonald South Manchester Reporter (www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk) The ancient Egyptians believed it was a cure-all. Scots mix it with whisky for medicinal ‘hot toddies’. And Winnie the Pooh loved the stuff. Now in south Manchester, honey is being used to protect mouth and throat cancer patients from the MRSA superbug and other infections which are resistant to anti-biotics. In a worldwide first, the Christie Hospital is researching the powers of New Zealand honey to help mouth and throat cancer patients’ recover after surgery. Some of honey’s healing powers have been known for many years. For example, it can help scars and wounds, or be put on dressings. Nurses at Manchester Royal Infirmary have been using special honey coated dressings for the last two months. But the Christie work is unique. Survival rates for people suffering from throat and mouth cancer have improved over the last 15 years, thanks to doctors more effectively combining surgery with chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. An unfortunate side-effect, however is a condition called mucositis, which is an inflammation and infection of the lining tissue inside patients’ mouths and throats. The ongoing study is looking at whether manuka honey from New Zealand can reduce this inflammation and prevent infection. Sixty patients there have taken part in the study so far – and final results are expected in about 12 months. Specialist Dr Nick Slevin is leading the study and said: "Manuka honey has special anti-inflammatory and anti-infection properties, and is believed to reduce the likelihood [...]

7/6/2006 London, England staff www.lse.com.uk Recently-listed Hutchison China Meditech Ltd said US medicine regulators have given it permission to broaden the scope of the first clinical trials of its lead experimental cancer drug. HMPL-002 is a botanical extract under development as an orally administered treatment of head and neck cancer and non-small cell lung cancer in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The phase I/II trials can now be widened to include the much larger population undergoing concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy, which is now considered the standard treatment for most locally advanced head and neck cancers. Chief executive Christian Hogg described the decision as 'good news'. 'Widening the universe among which we can conduct clinical trials will make it easier and speedier to recruit trial patients. More fundamentally, it broadens the future market potential for this important drug candidate.'