4/27/2006 New York, NY staff ABC News Health (www.abcnews.go.com) After Bruce Paltrow died in 2002, his wife, Blythe Danner, began fighting to raise awareness about head and neck cancer, which is diagnosed in 40,000 Americans every year and kills 11,000. "It means a lot to get the word out," Danner said. "It's a very unrecognized cancer." Paltrow was first diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 1998. He had been hoarse for months but had refused to go to the doctor. By the time he went, the cancer was in stage IV. "Because it was hidden way back in [his] throat, it was hard to detect," Danner said. "Stage I or II, he'd still be with us, I think." Regular dental checkups are important to early detection, because dentists often see the first signs of the disease, like unusual white spots on the gums or jaws. There are particular warning signs of head and neck cancer: Persistent sore throat and hoarseness Lingering pain in the mouth An unhealed lump on the mouth or neck Ear pain on one side only Sinuses that don't clear Paltrow underwent six weeks of radiation therapy, and he went into remission for four years. Then, in October 2002, he flew to Italy for his daughter Gwyneth Paltrow's 30th birthday. Friends discovered him in his room after the celebration throwing up blood. Gwyneth forced him to go to the hospital, where doctors discovered that his cancer had returned. He died before any other family member could [...]

4/27/2006 New York, NY Heiko Schöder et al. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Vol. 47 No. 5 755-762 Introduction: 18F-FDG PET has a high accuracy in staging head and neck cancer, but its role in patients with clinically and radiographically negative necks (N0) is less clear. In particular, the value of combined PET/CT has not been determined in this group of patients. Methods: In a prospective study, 31 patients with oral cancer and no evidence of lymph node metastases by clinical examination or CT/MRI underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT before elective neck dissection. PET/CT findings were recorded by neck side (left or right) and lymph node level. PET/CT findings were compared with histopathology of dissected nodes, which was the standard of reference. Results: Elective neck dissections (26 unilateral, 5 bilateral; a total of 36 neck sides), involving 142 nodal levels, were performed. Only 13 of 765 dissected lymph nodes harbored metastases. Histopathology revealed nodal metastases in 9 of 36 neck sides and 9 of 142 nodal levels. PET was TP in 6 nodal levels (6 neck sides), false-negative in 3 levels (3 neck sides), true-negative in 127 levels (23 neck sides), and false-positive in 6 levels (4 neck sides). The 3 false-negative findings occurred in metastases smaller than 3 mm or because of inability to distinguish between primary tumor and adjacent metastasis. TP and false-positive nodes exhibited similar standardized uptakes (4.8 ± 1.1 vs. 4.2 ± 1.0; P = not significant). Sensitivity and specificity were 67% and 85% on the basis of neck [...]

4/27/2006 Louisville, KY Laura Ungar The Courier-Journal (courier-journal.com) University of Louisville researcher leads campaign An apple a day may be a good thing, but a University of Louisville researcher argues that berries could be the real key to staving off cancer. Ramesh Gupta is leading a research effort that has shown certain berries may help protect against two of the nation's most deadly cancers: breast cancer and lung cancer. "We've been told we need to eat more fruits and vegetables," said Gupta, who is based at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. "But berries certainly seem to come to the top of the list. " Gupta, who presented his breast-cancer findings to the American Association of Cancer Researchers in Washington, D.C., this month, found that eating antioxidant-rich blueberries and black raspberries reduced the size of breast tumors by 60 percent to 70 percent among rats exposed to estrogen. His lung-cancer research, given at an earlier meeting of the association, showed that a mixture of four berries -- strawberries, blueberries, black raspberries and blackberries -- reduced the incidence and number of lung tumors by 30 percent to 35 percent in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. He is planning human tests in the next two years. The research provides hope to people such as 71-year-old Harvey Plaschke of Louisville, whose wife, Amparo, died of lung cancer three years ago, at age 68. A nonsmoker, she had suffered pneumonia twice since 2000, then developed a persistent cough. She died shortly before their 40th [...]

4/25/2006 San Francisco, CA press release prnewsire.com Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced today that five abstracts summarizing data from clinical trials conducted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) or the National Cancer Institute (NCI) evaluating ispinesib (SB-715992) or SB- 743921 will be presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Atlanta, Georgia. Ispinesib and SB-743921 are both novel, chemically distinct, small molecule inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein (KSP), a mitotic kinesin essential for proper cell division. Both drug candidates have arisen from a broad strategic collaboration between Cytokinetics and GSK to discover, develop and commercialize novel small molecule therapeutics targeting human mitotic kinesins for applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Abstract: A Phase II Study of SB-715992 (Ispinesib) in Patients with Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (RMHNSC). Abstract will be published in the ASCO 2006 Annual Meeting Proceedings. About Ispinesib Ispinesib is a novel small molecule inhibitor of Kinesin Spindle Protein (KSP), a mitotic kinesin protein essential for proper cell division. Ispinesib is the first drug candidate in clinical development that has arisen from a broad strategic collaboration between Cytokinetics and GSK to discover, develop and commercialize novel small molecule therapeutics targeting human mitotic kinesins for applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. GSK is conducting a broad clinical trials program for ispinesib designed to study this drug candidate in multiple tumor types, combination regimens and dosing schedules. GSK is currently evaluating ispinesib in two Phase II clinical trials [...]

4/24/2006 Watertown, MA NN Maser et al. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., April 1, 2006; 15(4): 774-81 Recent case-control studies indicate that alcohol increases the risk of oral premalignant lesions (OPL) among tobacco users, but the independent association between alcohol and OPL remains unclear. We prospectively evaluated the association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of OPL. Participants were 41,458 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Alcohol consumption was assessed every 4 years using validated food frequency questionnaires. We confirmed clinically or histopathologically diagnosed OPL events occurring between 1986 and 2002 by medical record review (193 cases). Multivariate-adjusted relative risks of OPL were calculated from Cox proportional hazards models. With detailed control for tobacco and other variables, multivariate relative risks (95% confidence intervals) were 1.7 (0.9-3.2) for drinkers of 0.1 to 14.9 g/d, 2.9 (1.5-5.6) for 15 to 29.9 g/d, and 2.5 (1.3-5.1) for >/=30 g/d, compared with nondrinkers. Approximately one additional drink per day (12.5 g) was associated with a 22% increase in risk (P < 0.001). The associations did not vary by beverage type, frequency, or consumption with meals. Results were similar when restricted to cases of oral epithelial dysplasia. Alcohol increased OPL risk in never-users of tobacco as well as in past or current users. An interaction between alcohol and tobacco was apparent by their more-than-additive joint effects. Alcohol is an independent risk factor for OPL, regardless of beverage type or drinking pattern. Recommendations to reduce alcohol intake have the potential to reduce incidence of OPL in [...]

4/22/2006 San Francisco, CA press release EurekAlert (www.eurekalert.com Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center report that they have found a potential molecular cause for the aggressive growth and spread of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a highly malignant form of cancer with a very high death rate. The discovery could potentially lead to new treatments as well, say the researchers. Their key finding is the triple interaction between three players: CD44, a surface receptor molecule that plays an important role in a variety of cellular functions; hyaluronan (HA), a complex carbohydrate found in the connective tissues between cells; and LARG, a signal activator found in tumor cells. That interaction apparently initiates two molecular pathways that simultaneously cause tumor cell growth and tumor cell migration, says lead author Lilly Bourguignon, PhD, a research career scientist at SFVAMC and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The study results are reported in the current on-line "In Press" section of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Working with human cancer cells in culture, Bourguignon and her team found that HA mediates the interaction between CD44 and LARG in a way that stimulates a molecular pathway called RhoA. Through a series of complex steps, the RhoA pathway causes the tumor cell's cytoskeleton – the structure that maintains the cell's shape – to reorganize in a way that causes tumor cells to migrate to other sites in the body, resulting in cancer metastasis. At the same time, the [...]

4/18/2006 Charleston, SC Holly Auer Charleston,net Oral cancer survivor's cook book helps keep weight on with good food George Chajewski is a man who lives for food. From European chocolate to tropical fruit to roasted game meats, fine cuisine is both his life's work and his personal passion. But when he was diagnosed with oral cancer last winter, the flavors died. After doctors removed a 16 mm tumor (almost the diameter of a penny) from Chajewski's tongue, he was forced to trade his love for filet mignon for months of agony following surgery and radiation to his mouth. As the head catering chef for the Medical University of South Carolina, cans of Ensure just wouldn't do for Chajewski. He didn't mind the butter pecan flavor, but it still wasn't enough to keep meat on his bones. So he combined his skills in the kitchen with his newfound role as a cancer patient and created a cookbook that allows patients to eat well and stay healthy during treatment and recovery. Because South Carolina has long suffered from high rates of head and neck cancer, Chajewski has a captive audience of readers. The Palmetto State ranks third in the nation for deaths from these cancers, which take the lives of 3.8 out of every 100,000 state residents. Just as smoking fuels many of the state's other health woes - heart disease and diabetes among them - tobacco use is related to about 85 percent of head and neck cancers. Most often, the [...]

4/17/2006 Bangalore, India staff sify.com Biotech major Biocon today said it expected its drug for head and neck cancer to hit the market by the end of the current financial year. "It (the drug hitting the market) should hopefully be by the end of this year", Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw told reporters here. Mazumdar-Shaw said BIOMAb EGFR, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of solid tumours of epithelial origin such as head and neck cancer, had gone through the required clinical development time-line. "It’s now for the regulators to look at the data and approve it. We are just in the process of compiling the data and filing it (before regulators for approval). We will file it in the next month", she said. According to Biocon officials, the drug is engineered to specifically target and block the epidermal growth factor receptor responsible for the proliferation of cancer cells. "BIOMAb EGFR will spearhead Biocon Pharmaceutical’s foray into proprietary products for cancer therapy", they said. "It is estimated that the incidence of new cancer cases in India is about 700,000 annually of which nearly 2,30,000 are tobacco-related and occur in the head and neck region". Earlier today, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram inaugurated Biocon Biopharmaceuticals, the company’s multi-product biologics facility on the city outskirts. Biocon said monoclonal antibodies are emerging as the fastest growing segment, especially in oncology and auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus.

4/17/2006 Washington, D.C. staff MedGadget (www.medgadget.com) Attention all the connoisseurs of Copenhagen, Skoal, Beaver Chew and other snuff stuff! The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, is reporting that a novel device "allows dentists to visualize in a completely new way whether a patient might have a developing oral cancer." Moreover, the device seems to be pretty accurate, according to the NIH: "Testing the device in 44 people, the results of which are published online in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, the scientists found they could distinguish correctly in all but one instance between normal and abnormal tissue. Their diagnoses were confirmed to be correct by biopsy and standard pathology." This site, being on the side of chewing peasants and closeted snuff-using intellectuals, has obtained pictures of the Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope (VELScope) and the following description of the device from LED Dental Inc., a manufacturer out of Vancouver, Canada: LED Dental Inc. developed the VELscope in cooperation with the British Columbia Cancer Agency and its affiliated US partners. The VELscope is a portable device comprised of a light source, light guide, and a viewing hand-piece. The system includes a disposable protective end cap for use with each patient examination and a tissue retractor with measurement guide as needed. The VELscope was designed for optimal flexibility and placement within the operatory. Fluorescence technology can enhance oral mucosal screening. The VELscope technology platform is based on the visualization of tissue fluorescence and the [...]

4/16/2006 New York, NY DE Morse and AR Kerr J Am Dent Assoc, February 1, 2006; 137(2): 203-12 Background: The authors present statistics and long-term trends in oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) incidence, mortality and survival among U.S. blacks and whites. Methods: The authors obtained incidence, mortality and five-year relative survival rates via the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program Web site. Current rates and time trends for 1975 through 2002 are presented. Results: From 1975 through 2002, age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIRs) and mortality rates (AAMRs) were higher among males than among females and highest for black males. By the mid-1980s, incidence and mortality rates were declining for black and white males and females; however, disparities persisted. During the period 1998-2002, AAIRs were more than 20 percent higher for black males compared with white males, while the difference in rates for black and white females was small. AAMRs were 82 percent higher for black males compared with white males, but rates were similar for black and white females. Five-year relative survival rates for patients diagnosed during the period 1995-2001 were higher for whites than for blacks and lowest for black males. Conclusions: Despite recent declines in OPC incidence and mortality rates, disparities persist. Disparities in survival also exist. Black males bear the brunt of these disparities. Practice Implications: Dentists can aid in reducing OPC incidence and mortality by assisting patients in the prevention and cessation of tobacco use and alcohol abuse. Five-year relative survival may be improved through early [...]