2/1/2006 Goettingen, Germany Tobias Raupach et al. ©The European Society of Cardiology 2005 The evidence that active smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the leading cause of preventable death is overwhelming. However, numerous epidemiological findings indicate that even passive exposure to cigarette smoke may exert detrimental effects on vascular homoeostasis. Recent experimental data provide a deeper insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms linking secondhand smoke (SHS) to CVD. Importantly, most of these effects appear to be characterized by a rapid onset. For example, the relatively low doses of toxins inhaled by passive smoking are sufficient to elicit acute endothelial dysfunction, and these effects may be related, at least in part, to the inactivation of nitric oxide. Moreover, passive smoking may directly impair the viability of endothelial cells and reduce the number and functional activity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells. In addition, platelets of non-smokers appear to be susceptible to pro-aggregatory changes with every passive smoke exposure. Overall, SHS induces oxidative stress and promotes vascular inflammation. Apart from vascoconstriction and thrombus formation, however, the myocardial oxygen balance is further impaired by SHS-induced adrenergic stimulation and autonomic dysfunction. These data strongly suggest that passive smoking is capable of precipitating acute manifestations of CVD (atherothrombosis) and may also have a negative impact on the outcome of patients who suffer acute coronary syndromes. Authors: Tobias Raupach, Katrin Schäfer, Stavros Konstantinides and Stefan Andreas Authors' affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Pulmonology, University Clinic, Georg August University of Goettingen, D-37099 Goettingen, Germany

2/1/2006 Goettingen, Germany Tobias Raupach et al. ©The European Society of Cardiology 2005 The evidence that active smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the leading cause of preventable death is overwhelming. However, numerous epidemiological findings indicate that even passive exposure to cigarette smoke may exert detrimental effects on vascular homoeostasis. Recent experimental data provide a deeper insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms linking secondhand smoke (SHS) to CVD. Importantly, most of these effects appear to be characterized by a rapid onset. For example, the relatively low doses of toxins inhaled by passive smoking are sufficient to elicit acute endothelial dysfunction, and these effects may be related, at least in part, to the inactivation of nitric oxide. Moreover, passive smoking may directly impair the viability of endothelial cells and reduce the number and functional activity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells. In addition, platelets of non-smokers appear to be susceptible to pro-aggregatory changes with every passive smoke exposure. Overall, SHS induces oxidative stress and promotes vascular inflammation. Apart from vascoconstriction and thrombus formation, however, the myocardial oxygen balance is further impaired by SHS-induced adrenergic stimulation and autonomic dysfunction. These data strongly suggest that passive smoking is capable of precipitating acute manifestations of CVD (atherothrombosis) and may also have a negative impact on the outcome of patients who suffer acute coronary syndromes. Authors: Tobias Raupach, Katrin Schäfer, Stavros Konstantinides and Stefan Andreas Authors' affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Pulmonology, University Clinic, Georg August University of Goettingen, D-37099 Goettingen, Germany

2/1/2006 San Diego, CA press release Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) Immusol announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Baylor College of Medicine for the exclusive, worldwide rights to a novel oncolytic viral therapy using herpes simplex viruses. Baylor researchers have developed extensive expertise in the field of oncolytic virotherapies against a wide variety of solid tumors. The in-licensed therapy represents Baylor's most advanced virotherapy to date and has shown safety and strong efficacy in a number of preclinical animal tumor models. Oncolytic viruses are human viruses that infect and replicate in cancer cells, destroying these harmful cells and leaving normal cells largely unaffected as a result of specific viral genetic modifications. Principal anti-tumor mechanism used by these viruses is a direct cytopathic effect, produced as the virus propagates and spreads from initially infected tumor cells to surrounding tumor cells, achieving a progressively larger volume of distribution and enhanced tumor cell killing. "The recent approval of the first oncolytic viral therapy for head and neck cancer by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration, together with the increasing number of clinical trials for oncolytic viral therapies worldwide signal the coming of age of oncolytic viral therapy as a new and important modality for cancer treatment," said Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal, Immusol's Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Research. "We believe that the Baylor oncolytic viral therapy has significant advantages over many other oncolytic viruses, including higher potency and efficacy in metastatic tumors. We are excited to [...]

2/1/2006 Kerrville, TX Amy Armstrong Kerrville Daily Times (dailytimes.com) Twenty-two-year-old Kristen Morton of San Angelo knows a thing or two about not only surviving, but also thriving when faced with adversity. The senior at Schreiner University in Kerrville, and 2002 graduate of San Angelo Central High School, is leaving a giant legacy at this small private school, its Kerrville community and on hundreds of people who are battling cancer. While creating decorations for a Mini Relay for Life to be held on the Schreiner campus Thursday, she calmly discusses her own battle with cancer. Morton, a San Angelo native, was only weeks from her 17th birthday when she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma — a cancer so rare that her doctor informed her there were only 18 cases of adolescents getting this form of cancer since 1980. “He told me it is normally seen only in adults who smoke,” said Morton, a senior at Schreiner. Cancer was the last thing on Morton’s mind as she began her junior year at Central. A gifted student, who excelled academically as well as athletically on Central’s tennis team, Morton had noticed a bump on her tongue that wouldn’t go away. “I went for the biopsy and not too long after that my dad showed up at school one day and pulled me out of class,” Morton said. “He said ‘You have cancer and you have to start treatment right away,’” she said. “After that everything happened really fast.” Morton underwent three different [...]

1/31/2006 New York, NY Tara Parker-Pope DelawareOnline (www.delawareonline.com) Many cancer patients take a range of antioxidant vitamins in hope of improving their odds, but some research suggests the supplements may be doing more harm than good. A report published in CA, an American Cancer Society medical journal, says cancer patients shouldn't use antioxidants during radiation or chemotherapy because the supplements may reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Worse, some research suggests that antioxidants may actually feed cancers, protecting the very cancer cells patients are trying to attack. The news further clouds the role that vitamins play in promoting good health. Earlier this year, a major study showed that certain people who regularly take vitamin E supplements had a higher risk for heart failure. The notion that antioxidants may be harmful is likely to be upsetting and confusing to the large number of cancer patients gobbling down vitamins and supplements to help fight the disease. Studies show that as many as a third to half of cancer patients are taking antioxidants, vitamins and other supplements. Antioxidants include beta carotene, lycopene and vitamins A, B, C and E, among others. In the body, antioxidants mop up rogue molecules called free radicals, which have the potential to cause extensive cell damage and are believed to play a role in heart disease, cancer and numerous other health problems. A substance that attacks free radicals would seem to battle cancer in theory. But the results of both lab and human studies of cancer and antioxidants have [...]

1/31/2006 Ann Arbor, MI press release Newswise (www.newswise.com) Chemotherapy and radiation can be effective at treating cancer of the larynx, or voice box, without removing the organ that controls speech and swallowing. But it doesn’t work for everyone. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that determining early into treatment which patients would benefit from the chemoradiation treatment and which would be better off having surgery led to better survival rates than typically expected for this type of cancer. “Approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of patients with advanced laryngeal cancer will not be cured with chemotherapy and radiation. The survival rates for such patients have traditionally been poor. That’s why these patients should be identified as early as possible. When we did that, we found that the survival rate for these patients was markedly improved, as was the survival rate for the group of patients who were successfully treated with chemotherapy and radiation,” says study author Gregory Wolf, M.D., professor and chair of otolaryngology at the U-M Medical School. The study appears in the Feb. 1, 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study looked at 97 patients with advanced-stage laryngeal cancer. The larynx, or voice box, plays a role in breathing, swallowing and talking. Traditional treatment for this type of cancer has been surgery to remove the voice box or part of the voice box, leading to significant quality of life concerns. In this study, patients began with six days of chemotherapy, after [...]

1/31/2006 Pittsburgh, PA press release EurekAlert (www.eurekalert.ort) A protein associated with the growth of head and neck tumors may be a tumor suppressor that could prevent the spread of cancer when it is expressed above normal levels, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). The study, led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine professor of otolaryngology and pharmacology, Jennifer Grandis, M.D., is the first to show that the expression of a protein called STAT1 may play a vital role in preventing head and neck tumor growth. STAT1 belongs to a family of proteins called signal transducers and activators of transcription that have been linked to tumor progression in many cancers. "While the activation of STAT1 has been associated with increased survival in breast cancer patients, its role in head and neck cancer has not been clearly understood," said Dr. Grandis. "Our study reveals that it is a critical survival pathway in head and neck cancer and that therapeutic strategies to restore its functioning may be of benefit to patients." Dr. Grandis, who also is director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), and colleagues compared the expression of STAT1 in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) tumors to its expression in normal tissue samples. They found that STAT1 was expressed in lower levels in the tumor cells than in the normal cells. And, when they chemically [...]

1/31/2006 Ketchum, ID staff cancerconsultants.com Researchers affiliated with the Southern California Evidence-Based Practice Center have reviewed 38 medical publications and concluded that there was no significant association between omega-3 fatty acid intake and the risk of cancer. The details of this report appeared in the January 25, 2006, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Omega-3 fatty acids have been purported to play a role in the prevention of various cancers. However, the literature is confusing with some studies showing a preventative effect, some showing an increased incidence of some cancers and most showing no effect. The current study involved 38 articles involving 20 cohorts of patients from 7 different countries. Risks of 11 different cancers were evaluated in several different statistical methods. Of the 11 studies involving breast cancer, one showed a significant increase in risk, 3 showed a decreased risk and 7 showed no effect with increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids. In colorectal cancer, 17 of 18 studies showed no effect of omega-3 fatty acid intake on risk. In lung cancer there were 4 studies that showed no effect, one showed an increased risk and one showed a decreased risk with high intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Similar findings were reported for prostate cancer with 15 of 16 studies showing no effect. The single study of skin cancer showed an increased incidence with increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids. In other cancers such as head and neck, bladder, ovarian, pancreatic, stomach and lymphoma there was [...]

1/31/2006 Fresno, CA staff abc action news (abclocal.go.com) Each year, there are nearly 30,000 cases of head and neck cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation all have their benefits but can leave patients with a difficult time swallowing. Now, doctors are working to improve that. Allen Clark, M.D., is a plastic surgeon. But two years ago, he became a patient. "I actually had a lymph node come up in my neck," he says. "Being a physician -- a surgeon -- knowing what that means, I was pretty sure I had cancer." It was throat cancer. Doctors recommended chemotherapy and radiation. But radiation caused Clark's throat to tighten, and swallowing became excruciatingly painful. "It's almost like you're drinking hot coffee that's too hot, and you burn your throat, but you do that every day for six or seven weeks," Bill Carroll, M.D., an otolaryngologist at University of Alabama at Birmingham, tells Ivanhoe. Dr. Carroll and colleagues noticed patients who continued to swallow during treatment, instead of relying on a feeding tube, did better. Now, patients are taught a series of swallowing exercises they do before and during treatment. "One of the exercises that we did was we'd hold my tongue between my teeth and swallow," Clark says. Another is making a high-pitch "E" sound to elevate the larynx. All the exercises work to strengthen the tongue and throat muscles. Patients say the exercises are simple but can be painful. "But most of them do try," Dr. Carroll says. "And for the ones [...]

1/30/2006 London, England Patricia Reaney Reuters (www.alertnet.org) Along with smoking and chronic infections, alcohol consumption is an important cause of several types of cancer, researchers said on Monday. Excessive drinking raises the risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon and breast. It may also be linked with cancer of the pancreas and lung. "Alcohol is underestimated as a cause of cancer in many parts of the world," said Dr Paolo Boffetta of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. "A sizeable proportion of cancer today is due to alcohol intake and this is increasing in many regions, particularly in east Asia and eastern Europe," he added in an interview. Boffetta and Mia Hashibe, who reviewed research into the link between alcohol and cancer, found the more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of developing cancer. But they advised people to drink moderately, rather than give up alcohol completely, because of its protective benefits against cardiovascular disease. "Total avoidance of alcohol, although optimum for cancer control, cannot be recommended in terms of broad perspective of public health, in particular in countries with high incidence of cardiovascular disease," Boffetta said in a report in The Lancet Oncology journal. Instead, the scientists said men and women should limit how much alcohol they drink to reap the benefits but avoid the dangers. "The most recent version of the European code against cancer recommends keeping daily consumption to two drinks for men and one for women," Boffetta noted. [...]