10/10/2005 Detroit, MI Karen Buffard Detroit News (www.detnews.com) Sometimes, it's hard for Bill Downs to speak because a near-fatal bout with cancer robbed him of his salivary glands 15 years ago. But the 70-year-old Detroiter often speaks to community groups -- as many as three a week -- to share his hopeful tale of surviving cancer. It's just one of Downs' many volunteer efforts. He has devoted his life to volunteer activities, from starting the first Little League team in his neighborhood to coaching Junior Achievement and working on behalf of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the United Way. "Sometimes my voice is cracking because I've had surgery 11 times in my neck area," said Downs, who suffered an aggressive form of head and neck cancer. "But I still do volunteer work. "I've been doing it for 35 years, and I think I've done just about everything you can think of." Born and raised in West Virginia, Downs came to Detroit, where he thought job opportunities would be better. His first job was picking up car parts for mechanics at an auto dealership. But eventually, he opened his own party store, Billy D's, on the corner of 14th Street and McGraw in Detroit. That's when the volunteer work started. "Kids (in the neighborhood) didn't have anything to do; they were just hanging out and getting in trouble," Downs said. "I said 'Why don't you play some baseball?' "I got all the instructions on how to start a team, [...]

10/9/2005 Dallas, TX Kathy LaTour Cure Magazine, October 2005 Looking at Larry Menkhoff, it’s hard not to be a little skeptical as he launches into his history with oral cavity cancer. In 1999 the discovery of a tumor against his upper teeth and palate resulted in removal of the teeth on the upper left side, half of his palate and jawbone and a sinus cavity. The discovery of another tumor in a salivary gland a few years later meant more surgery and radiation. But to any but the highly observant, Menkhoff looks normal, a comment that prompts him to remove the prosthesis that fills out his cheek and sinus cavity for closer inspection. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” Menkhoff says of his cancer. What Is It Oral cavity cancer is included in the larger category of head and neck cancers (see sidebar), which account for 3 to 5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States and result in nearly 13,000 deaths a year. There are more than 500,000 head and neck cancer survivors living in the United States today. In addition to oral cavity cancer, cancers of the larynx, pharynx, salivary glands and lymph nodes are also included in the designation. Within each location are subsites, says Nancy Leupold, oral cavity cancer survivor and founder of Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC). “There are so many locations for head and neck cancer and then each of those have subsites and then [...]

10/8/2005 San Francisco, CA staff MedIndia (www.medindia.net) Gold nanoparticles are potential and very practical agents in therapeutic applications. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and Georgia Institute of Technology, writing Cancer Letters (Available online 28 September) demonstrate the efficiency of gold nanospheres as photothermal agent by selectively delivering gold nanoparticles to oral carcinoma cells that overexpress EGFR, a clinically related cancer biomarker, and discuss the potential of using this selective technique in molecularly targeted photothermal therapy. In the study, two oral squamous carcinoma cell lines and one benign epithelial cell line were incubated with anti-epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody conjugated gold nanoparticles and then exposed to continuous visible argon ion laser at 514 nm. It was found that the malignant cells required less than half the laser energy to be killed than the benign cells after incubation with anti-EGFR antibody conjugated Gold nanoparticles. No photothermal destruction was observed for all types of cells in the absence of nanoparticles at four times energy required to kill the malignant cells with anti-EGFR/Au conjugates bonded. Gold nanoparticles thus offer a novel class of selective photothermal agents using a CW laser at low powers. Photodynamic therapy for the management of malignant tumors is gaining acceptance in Europe and United States for various malignancies as new generation of photosensitizers becomes available and technological improvement in the delivery of light occurs. It is an attractive alternative to surgery or radiation with less morbidity and can preserve the anatomic and functional integrity of many [...]

10/8/2005 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada I C Munro, G M Williams, H O Heymann, and R Kroes Food Chem Toxicol, September 28, 2005 Tooth whitening products (TWP) containing hydrogen peroxide (HPO) or carbamide peroxide (CPO) were evaluated in relation to potential oral cancer risk from their use. HPO is genotoxic in vitro, but such activity is not expressed in vivo. The genotoxic risk of HPO exposure of the oral mucosa encountered from TWP use is likely therefore to be vanishingly small. Available animal data on the carcinogenicity of HPO are of limited relevance to risk assessment of oral hazard of HPO exposure from TWP, and where relevant, do not indicate that there is an increased oral cancer risk for people using TWP. Clinical data on HPO-containing TWP only show evidence of mild, transient gingival irritation and tooth sensitivity, with no evidence for the development of preneoplastic or neoplastic oral lesions. Exposures to HPO received by the oral cavity, including areas commonly associated with oral cancer, are exceedingly low and do not plausibly pose a risk for the promotion of initiated cells or for induction of co-carcinogenic effects in conjunction with cigarette smoke or alcohol. The use of TWP was concluded not to pose an increased risk for oral cancer in alcohol abusers and/or heavy cigarette smokers. Furthermore, TWP were concluded to be safe for use by all members of the population, including potential accidental use by children.

10/8/2005 Carbondale, IL SJ Maurizio et al. J Dent Hyg, December 1, 2005; 79(1): 10. Local health departments can be resources for the public and health professionals to access educational materials on a variety of topics. Though the dental office is ideal, it should not be the only venue for obtaining oral cancer educational materials. As part of a cancer prevention and early detection project, this pilot study solicited printed educational materials concerning oral cancer from all local health departments (LHDs) in Illinois. Sixty of the 94 health departments responded, for a response rate of 63.8%. Only 32 had printed oral cancer educational materials for public and professional distribution, and most focused on tobacco. Forty-eight different samples were received. At least one risk factor was identified in all materials. The most common was tobacco usage, present in 100% of the materials. Twenty-nine (61%) identified tobacco use as the only risk factor. Alcohol consumption, the second most frequently identified risk factor, was mentioned in only 12 (26%) of the materials. Few materials comprehensively covered areas such as signs and symptoms, risk factors, and the importance of examinations for early detection. Only five materials (11%) acknowledged that early lesions are often asymptomatic. Local health departments are in an influential position to disseminate educational materials to the public and health professionals. Dental hygienists have the knowledge and expertise required to identify quality materials. They should be proactive in assisting LHDs with acquisition of appropriate printed materials and partner with them to advocate for [...]

10/7/2005 Oslo, Norway Robert Preidt Forbes.com Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) shows promise in preventing mouth cancer in former and current smokers but may pose a heart risk, according to a Norwegian study in this week's issue of The Lancet. The study of more than 900 active and former smokers concluded that use of NSAID painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen -- but not aspirin -- reduced the risk of mouth cancer by half but also doubled users' risk of death from heart disease. The study authors said their results show the need for careful risk-benefit analysis when long-term NSAID use is being considered. The study did not include data on use of the cox-2 inhibitor subclass of NSAIDs, which includes Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. The findings were first reported last spring at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Researchers led by Dr. Jon Sudbo of Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, found that NSAIDs reduced the risk of oral cancer by 53 percent, even in active smokers. This protective effect against oral cancer is comparable to quitting smoking. However, the study found this protective effect against oral cancer didn't translate into increased overall survival. That's because long-term NSAID use doubled the risk of death due to heart disease, the study found. The study authors noted that oral cancer prevention trials of NSAIDs are either planned or already under way. "Researchers of these trials must carefully monitor potential adverse cardiovascular effects in their populations, which are at [...]

10/6/2005 Ketchum, ID staff CancerConsultants.com According to a phase I clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 22% of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck experienced a partial reduction of their cancer following treatment with Iressa® (gefitinib) and Celebrex® (celecoxib). 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 the cells that line the mouth, throat, and other structures. When initially diagnosed, more than 70% of patients have cancer that has advanced locally, regionally, or to distant locations in the body. Iressa is an anti-cancer agent that selectively blocks epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR). EGFR is a protein involved in the growth and replication of a cell. In some cancers, the EGFR may not be working properly, leading to excessive replication of the cancer cell. Iressa is taken orally and binds to a portion of EGFR to inhibit cancer cell growth. Celebrex is a pain reliever that inhibits the COX-2 enzyme. COX-2 is overexpressed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and higher levels are associated with worse prognosis. To evaluate use of Iressa and Celebrex in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, researchers conducted a phase I clinical trial in 19 patients. All patients had inoperable cancer and had experienced cancer progression after at least one previous regimen of chemotherapy [...]

10/6/2005 Toronto, Ontario press release Newswire Canada (www.newswire.ca) Viventia Biotech Inc. today announced that it has received clearance from Health Canada to initiate a Phase II study evaluating Proxinium(TM) for the treatment of patients with chemotherapy-refractory recurrent head and neck cancer. "This clearance will allow us to expand our proposed Phase II trial for Proxinium(TM) to include Canadian patients and reflects our strategy to ultimately develop Proxinium(TM) on a global basis," said Dr. Nick Glover, Viventia's President and CEO. Viventia recently announced it had been cleared by the FDA to initiate a Phase II trial of Proxinium(TM) for chemotherapy-refractory recurrent head and neck cancer. The Company anticipates initiating the trial by the end of 2005. Information for physicians and patients will be made available on the Company's website, www.viventia.com. About Proxinium(TM) Proxinium(TM) combines a powerful cytotoxic protein payload with the highly precise tumour-targeting characteristics of a monoclonal antibody. A single molecule of the cytotoxic protein payload, Pseudomonas exotoxin, is capable of killing a cancer cell. The antibody fragment of Proxinium(TM) targets EpCAM -- an antigen that is highly expressed on many epithelial cancers including head & neck cancer, ensuring that the payload is delivered directly to the tumour. Proxinium(TM) has been designated an Orphan Drug for the treatment of head and neck cancer in the U.S. and EU. Head and neck cancer is the 9th most common cancer in North America, with approximately 55,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the U.S. alone, leading to 14,000 deaths annually. Head and neck [...]

10/6/2005 Philadelphia, PA press release Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) Zila Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a business unit of Zila, Inc. will launch its ViziLite(R) Plus with TBlue630(TM) oral lesion identification and marking system at the 146th American Dental Association Annual Session in Philadelphia, October 6 to 9, 2005. ViziLite(R) Plus combines the oral screening technology of ViziLite, an advanced chemiluminescent light technology to help detect oral abnormalities, with TBlue630, a marking system using Zila(R) Tolonium Chloride (ZTC(TM)), the only patented pharmaceutical-grade form of toluidine blue that has been cleared by the FDA for use in marking lesions identified during a ViziLite(R) examination. ViziLite(R) Plus makes oral screening more comprehensive than ever before and is indicated for use in individuals at increased risk of oral cancer: if ViziLite(R) reveals an abnormality, TBlue630 can then be used to mark suspicious lesions for further evaluation. Douglas D. Burkett, Ph.D., Zila's Chairman, President and CEO, stated, "The launch of ViziLite(R) Plus with TBlue630 is an important milestone in the fight against oral cancer. The use of Zila(R) Tolonium Chloride in this new system provides the practitioner with an opportunity to further evaluate and monitor lesions after they are identified during a ViziLite(R) examination. ViziLite(R) Plus helps dental professionals perform a complete and thorough oral screening, and we all recognize that better screening saves lives. We are pleased that with the recent addition of Sullivan-Schein Dental, all major dental distributors in the U.S. are now promoting ViziLite(R)." Zila Pharmaceuticals will supply ViziLite(R) Plus in product configurations of [...]

10/8/2005 Columbus, OH staff Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com) New research shows that a small gene variation that increases the risk of inherited cancer can also arise during the development of spontaneous, or non-inherited, tumors. The findings, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that the variation might play a fundamental role in the development and spread of cancer in the body, and that the variant could be an important target for anticancer drugs. The research focused on the gene for type 1 transforming growth factor-beta receptor, or TGFBR1, and on a variation of that gene, TGFBR1-6A. The 6A variant can be inherited and can increase cancer susceptibility by 19 percent in individuals with one copy of the gene and by 70 percent in those carrying two copies. The study showed that the 6A variant, which is carried by nearly one in seven Americans generally and by one in six people with cancer, can also arise as a gene mutation during cancer development. The research was led by scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University . “Our findings show for the first time that the 6A variation of this gene also arises by mutation during tumor development in patients born with the normal TGFBR1 gene, and that this mutation may contribute to tumor growth and spread,” says principal [...]