2/14/2006 Cambridge, MA press release NewsWire Canada (ww.newswire.ca) BioVex Inc, a leading developer of advanced biologics for the treatment of cancer announced today that the first patients in its phase II clinical trials of OncoVEXGMCSF in malignant melanoma and in head and neck cancer had received their initial doses of the therapeutic treatment. The melanoma trial is a 50 patient multi-center study. The first dosing took place at the Mary Crowley Medical Research Center, Dallas, Texas. The Principal Investigator is Dr John Nemuniatis. The primary endpoint of the study is tumor response rate with secondary endpoints including time to disease progression and median survival time. The head and neck cancer trial is a 16 patient open label study in combination with chemoradiotherapy. It is being carried out at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London (UK). The first patient in this trial has recently completed the seven week dosing regime. The Principal Investigator is Dr Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research. The end point of the trial is to assess the safety of OncoVEXGMCSF combined with chemoradiotherapy, and the potential of OncoVEX as neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Preliminary results from both trials will be available in late 2006. OncoVEX GMCSF is the first in a new class of oncolytic virus that selectively kills tumor cells. In addition it induces tumor cells to secrete GMCSF, to enhance tumor destruction. OncoVEX GMCSF has completed a Phase I/II study in several solid tumors including breast cancer, [...]

2/14/2006 Gainesville, FL Sl Tomar and HL Logan J Public Health Dent, September 1, 2005; 65(4): 221-30. Objective: This study assessed awareness of oral cancer, knowledge of its major risk factors and clinical signs, and oral cancer examination experiences among Florida adults aged 40 years and older. Methods: A statewide random digit dial, computer assisted telephone survey was conducted in 2002. Data from 1,773 respondents were weighted to permit statewide estimates. Bivariate analyses were used to examine awareness and knowledge of oral cancer. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to model past-year oral cancer examination experiences of Florida's adults. Results: In Florida, 15.5% of adults aged 40 years and older had never heard of oral cancer and another 40.3% reportedly knew little or nothing about it. About one-half of adults did not think oral white or red patches or bleeding could indicate oral cancer and 27.6% correctly identified three of oral cancer's major risk factors. After hearing an oral cancer exam described, just 19.5% of adults reported receiving one within the preceding 12 months. Blacks and Hispanics were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have received a recent oral cancer examination. Persons with low levels of education, those who lacked a regular dentist or source of preventive medical care, and adults who knew few or none of the clinical signs of oral cancer also were less likely to have received a recent oral cancer exam. Conclusions: There is widespread lack of awareness and knowledge in Florida regarding oral cancer [...]

2/13/2006 Great Britain S. Petti and C Scully British Dental Journal (2006); 200, 145 This study suggests that spirit consumption may have a disproportionate effect on oral cancer compared with other alcoholic beverages. Alcohol greatly elevates the oral cancer risk in tobacco smokers, and is thought to be a separate carcinogen, but little is known about the relationship of different patterns of alcohol consumption to this risk. This study investigated 20 countries in respect of WHO reported patterns of alcohol use, and male age-standardised oral cancer mortality rates (ASMRs) provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Overall annual alcohol consumption per capita in litres (AAC) varied from 2 in Albania to 21 in Moldova. Male ASMRs for oral cancer varied from 088 per 100,000 in Israel (AAC: 21) to 687 in Croatia (122). When multiple regression analysis took into account the best smoking data available, and the type of alcoholic beverage consumed, smoking and spirit consumption were the only variables related significantly to ASMR. The authors discuss possible explanations, and suggest that the carcinogenic effect of concentrated ethanol might overcome the possible cancer-preventing effects of polyphenols, which are higher in beers and wines.

2/13/2006 Great Britain R. West et al. British Dental Journal (2006); 200, 151 Objective: There are more than 2,000 new cases of mouth cancer each year in Britain. Early detection is important yet little is known about population awareness of this disease and ability to recognise early signs, particularly among high risk groups. This study aimed to address this issue. Methods: Data were collected by means of household survey. A total of 3,384 adults were questioned using a national probability sample. Respondents provided information on demographic characteristics, smoking status, and frequency of alcohol use. They were asked whether they had heard of mouth cancer. Their knowledge of early signs and risk factors was assessed. Results: Whereas 95.6% of respondents said they had heard of mouth cancer, their awareness of early signs was low; for example, only 33.8% recognised that white patches in the mouth were a sign. The large majority understood that smoking and chewing tobacco were risk factors (84.7% and 80.1% respectively) but only 19.4% recognised alcohol use as a risk factor. In multiple logistic regression analyses controlling for relevant demographic factors, smokers and those with more frequent alcohol consumption were less likely to recognise early signs. Conclusions: Awareness of early signs of mouth cancer is low and lower in people who as a result of their behaviour are at higher risk. There is a need to raise awareness in those at most risk. Authors: R. West, M. N. Alkhatib, A. McNeill and R. Bedi Comment by R. Croucher [...]

2/13/2006 Santa Monica, CA staff Nano TechWire (nanotechwire.com) By interacting with two biochemical processes common among tumors, nanoparticles made of the human protein albumin, are capable of boosting the amount of anticancer drug available to kill malignant cells. That was the message that Michael Hawkins, M.D., delivered on January 24, 2006, in the latest installment of the National Cancer Institute’s Nanotech Seminar Series. Hawkins, Chief Medical Officer of American BioScience, Inc., in Santa Monica, CA, presented some of the clinical data for Abraxane®, the first approved drug to use albumin nanoparticles to improve the therapeutic and safety properties of an anticancer agent. On February 7, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a nanoparticulate formulation of the widely used anticancer drug paclitaxel, for use in patients with metastatic breast cancer who have failed combination therapy. Hawkins also discussed the results of experiments showing how albumin nanoparticles may be able to improve the clinical usefulness of a wide variety of anticancer drugs. Abraxane, said Hawkins, was formulated to eliminate the safety issues associated with other approved paclitaxel preparations, such as Taxol®, that use various detergents to help the paclitaxel molecule dissolve in water. Solubility in water is essential for administering drugs into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, the detergents used in other paclitaxel formulations can themselves be toxic, requiring that patients receive additional medications to counteract those toxicities. Albumin nanoparticles overcome this solubility issue, taking advantage of the fact that albumin is the body’s natural carrier of molecules that are poorly soluble [...]

2/12/2006 Australia Paul Dyer news.com.au Smokers will soon be confronted with images of mouth cancer, gangrenous feet, rotting tongues and diseased lungs on every pack of cigarettes. The graphic images will be displayed on the packets from March 1. Smokers – and shoppers – will be confronted with the gruesome images as part of a new "in your face" anti-smoking campaign. The aim is to shock people into quitting smoking and prevent young people from taking up the habit, which has been linked to heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. It is also targeting people who have quit smoking but are at risk of a relapse. The 14 images depict the health effects of smoking, including lung cancer, emphysema, gangrene, clogged arteries, peripheral vascular disease and heart disease. Other images include graphs showing the number of smoking-related deaths in Australia and a picture of a child on a respirator with the caption: "Don't let children breathe your smoke". Christopher Pyne, who is Federal Parliamentary Secretary to Health Minister Tony Abbott, said new packaging was a ramping up of the campaign to show the dangers of smoking. "Warnings on tobacco product packaging have been telling us this for more than 30 years," he said. "Sadly, very few Australians realise the full extent of the illness and disease which smoking causes." Mr Pyne said a review of cigarette labelling had been prompted by a perceived "complacency" among smokers about the old text warnings. The new warnings will cover 30 per cent of [...]

2/12/2006 San Francisco, CA M. Young et al. J Calif Dent Assoc, December 1, 2005; 33(12): 967-71 Gene therapy is a new therapeutic modality in which defective genes are replaced with functional ones, or genes are delivered that can specifically kill cancer cells. Efficient gene delivery is an important component of gene therapy approaches. Potential safety problems with viral vectors necessitate the development of efficient nonviral vectors. DNA complexes with synthetic cationic liposomes or polymers constitute a simple means of transferring DNA into target cells. Gene delivery mediated by many nonviral vectors, however, is inhibited by serum components, and this is expected to limit the efficiency of gene delivery in vivo. In this study, the authors examined two novel gene transfection reagents, Metafectene and GeneJammer, for their ability to deliver a reporter gene to SCCVII murine squamous cell carcinoma cells in the presence of high concentrations of mouse serum. After establishing conditions that achieved significant gene delivery, the authors introduced the Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene into the cells using the cationic liposome reagent, Metafectene, followed by the administration of ganciclovir. After seven days of incubation, 90 percent and 82 percent cytotoxicity was observed in 0 percent and 60 percent mouse serum, respectively. The authors' observations suggest that Metafectene may be useful for the gene therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma in a murine model involving the induction of oral tumors by SCCVII cells. Authors: M Young, N Overlid, K Konopka, and N Duzgunes Authors' affiliation: University of [...]

2/11/2006 Ketchum, ID staff cancerconsultants.com Among patients with oropharyngeal cancer, the presence of a high-risk type of human papillomavirus, coupled with high levels of a protein known as p16, may identify a subset of patients with a good prognosis. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck include cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses, oral cavity, nasopharynx, and oropharynx. Factors that increase the risk of head and neck cancers include tobacco, alcohol use, and possibly infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV16 is a type of HPV that has been linked with cervical cancer, and evidence of HPV16 has been found in tumor samples from some patients with head and neck cancer as well. Some studies have suggested that HPV-linked head and neck cancers have a better prognosis than head and neck cancers that do not show evidence of HPV. To further explore the role of HPV in oropharyngeal cancer, researchers conducted a study among 78 patients. In addition to simply determining whether HPV16 was present or absent, the researchers also collected information about levels of a protein known as p16. High levels of p16 have been reported in cancers caused by HPV. Information about p16 level may provide clues about whether or not HPV played a role in causing the cancer. If HPV is present but p16 levels are low, factors other than [...]

2/11/2006 Ketchum, ID staff concerconsultants.com In patients with head and neck cancer, the presence of proteins indicating low oxygen levels in tumor cells is linked with worse survival after radiation therapy. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year. Cancers of the head and neck include cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses, mouth, and throat. Among head and neck cancer patients who receive radiation therapy, the oxygen level in cancer cells influences the success of treatment: Radiation therapy is less successful when cancer cells have low oxygen levels. Unfortunately, many cancers, including head and neck cancers, tend to be hypoxic (lacking in oxygen). To explore the relationship between two markers of tumor hypoxia and response to either standard or accelerated radiation therapy, researchers evaluated tumor tissue from 198 patients with head and neck cancer. The tumor tissue was tested for two proteins that indicate hypoxia: HIF-2 and CA9. This study was originally designed to compare two different approaches to radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: standard and accelerated. The study failed to find a benefit of accelerated therapy, and the researchers hypothesized that accelerated radiation therapy may only benefit those patients whose tumors have adequate oxygen levels. Fifty-nine percent of subjects were classified as HIF-2 positive and 58% of subjects were classified as CA9 positive. Forty percent of subjects were positive for both markers. The presence of either marker was linked [...]

2/11/2006 New York, NY staff CancerPage.com Selective neck dissection (SND) can achieve acceptable regional recurrence rates in patients with T1 or T2, N1 head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC), according to Brazilian researchers. However, this operation may not be suitable for patients with advanced T tumors or N2b disease as regional recurrence rates are increased. In the January issue of Archives of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, Dr. Claudio Roberto Cernea and colleagues at Sao Paulo Medical School note that radical neck dissection, in which all node levels are removed, is the standard treatment for node-positive head and neck cancers. However, this operation can result in considerable morbidity, so there has been a move to less extensive procedures that, in theory, do not compromise oncologic control. SND, in which one or more node levels is preserved, has been traditionally applied to node-negative malignancies, but in recent years, there have been reports of its use for node-positive disease. The researchers studied 191 patients with node-positive disease who underwent 256 neck dissections at one center between 1999 and 2002. The study focused on 34 SNDs that were performed in 28 patients. Of these patients, 2 had T1 disease, 2 had T2, 7 had T3, and 17 had T4. The breakdown for the N category was 8 patients with N1 disease, 2 with N2a, 7 with N2b, and 11 with N2c. Four patients (11.8%) experienced regional recurrences following SND, the report indicates. All of these patients had T3 or T4 disease and [...]