3/14/2005 Ann Arbor, MI Shaomeng Wang, Ph.D., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (advanced online edition) Researchers have discovered a small molecule that could be the first step in developing a new drug that may one day be able to treat multiple types of cancer. The study, published this week in the advanced online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies a small molecule that inhibits in cell cultures a protein involved in multiple types of cancer. The protein, called Stat3, is constantly activated in some but not all tumors and has been identified in breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and head and neck cancer. It contributes to new cancer cells growing and prevents cancer cells from dying. It's associated with poorer prognosis for patients since traditional chemotherapy treatments cannot shut down this protein. That's what makes it such an attractive target for new drug development, researchers say. In this new study, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center discovered a molecule called STA-21 blocked Stat3 activity in human breast cancer cells, stopping cancer cells from growing and allowing them to die. “We now can use this compound as a starting point to develop a new class of anti-cancer drugs to target cancer cells with constantly activated Stat3. One of the promises of molecular target drugs like this is they will work in many types of tumors where Stat3 protein is constantly activated. While our work looked specifically at breast cancer cells, [...]

3/11/2005 S Syrjanen J Clin Virol, March 1, 2005; 32 Suppl: 59-66 The term "head and neck cancer" has been widely adopted in the recent literature, to include the lesions at several anatomic sites: the lip, oral cavity, nose and para-nasal sinuses, naso-pharynx, oro-pharynx, hypo-pharynx, and larynx. In this report, the data on human papillomavirus (HPV) involvement in oral, oro-pharyngeal, sino-nasal, and laryngeal carcinomas are reviewed. Our group was the first to present evidence on the involvement of HPV infections in both laryngeal and oral carcinogenesis, prompted by the discovery of morphological similarities between oral and cervical squamous cell lesions. The latest meta-analyses of the epidemiological studies as well as the multi-centre case-control studies have confirmed HPV as an independent risk factor for oral cancer, with a range of odds ratios (OR) between 3.7 and 5.4. Until 2002, 4768 oral carcinomas have been analysed for HPV DNA, and 22% were reported to contain HPV by any of the detection techniques. Of all non-genital cancers, tonsillar carcinomas appear to have the highest prevalence of HPV. By the end of 2002, 422 cases of tonsillar carcinoma have been analyzed for the presence of HPV DNA, with the overall detection rate of 51%. HPV 16 is the most prevalent HPV type found in 84% of HPV DNA-positive tumours. HPV seems to be mainly episomal in tonsillar carcinomas, but the significance of this observation is still obscure. Interestingly, patients with HPV 16-positive tumours seem to have a better overall- and disease-specific survival, as compared [...]

3/11/2005 Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) The jury may be out on whether a low-carb diet is the best way to lose weight. But moderating the carbohydrates you eat could help prevent cancer. “It's very clear for all the top cancers that diet has an influence on your risk of getting cancers,” says Mack Ruffin, M.D., M.P.H., professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Health System and a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. If your dinner plate is filled with all-white, starchy foods, take note: Not only is the food plain, but it has fewer cancer-fighting vitamins and minerals and is loaded with calories. “So you're lacking all of those protective agents and you're at risk for eating too many calories. The risk is about the same if you were eating micro-concentrations of dioxin or other pharmaceutical or other pesticide agents that might be harmful,” Ruffin says. Instead, Ruffin suggests bringing color to the dinner table through vegetables and fruits in the yellow, green, red and orange families. Fruits and vegetables contain thousands of micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals from the plants. These micronutrients have an antioxidant effect, reducing the amount of chemicals produced in the body. The nutrients - including vitamins A, B and E, carotenoids, selenium and calcium - work individually and together to protect your body. The more richly colored vegetables pack more protective ingredients. So mashed potatoes won't cut it. Look for spinach, broccoli, carrots and deep-hued berries such as blueberries or [...]

3/11/2005 Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) Emerging field of nano-medicine is part of cutting edge research at University of Missouri-Columbia. Earlier detection of cancer means a better chance of effective treatment. The five-year survival rate for a patient with Stage I breast cancer is 98 percent, while the survival rate for later detection, stage II or greater, drops to as low as 16 percent. University of Missouri-Columbia experts from several fields, including physics and radiology, are working together to use ultra tiny nanoparticles to detect and treat cancer at the molecular level. The researchers involved with this project say early detection of all types of cancer is the primary motivation for this research. “The nanoparticles are safe to handle and safe to administer, so this could speed the process of approval.” said Kattesh Katti, professor of radiology and biomedical physics. “This research looks very promising.” The metallic nanoparticles are made especially for medical applications in a patented process on the MU campus. Research is underway to use the nanoparticles to detect cancer, even at a pre-cancerous stage through medical imaging techniques. First, doctors would administer millions of nanoparticles programmed to target cancerous tumors. Once the metallic particles locate the early tumor, doctors would use an X-ray to see the tumor as early as just one cancer cell, possibly months or even years earlier than can be detected now. With current technology, cancer must exist within a cluster of hundreds of cells and in a much more advanced stage to be seen. [...]

3/11/2005 S Minami and K Komut Gan To Kagaku Ryoho, February 1, 2005; 32(2): 215-7 We report a case of recurrent and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma successfully treated with second-line combination chemotherapy of cisplatin and gemcitabine. A 62-year-old woman, who had previously been treated with surgery and chemoradiation, was referred to our department for systemic metastasis of oral cancer. She had received a combination regimen of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil against locoregional recurrence. Systemic evaluation revealed metastasis to the lungs, liver and bones. Three cycles of a four-week regimen of combination chemotherapy including cisplatin and gemcitabine resulted in remarkable reduction of the pulmonary and liver metastatic tumors despite frequent neutropenia. Combination chemotherapy of gemcitabine and cisplatin was highly effective in this case, which recurred after a cisplatin-containing regimen. Gemcitabine seems promising and active for head and neck cancer treatment. Authors' affilations: Dept of Respiratory Medicine, Osaka Police Hospital

3/9/2005 Jon Saraceno USA Today Curt Schilling is addicted. His drug of choice ... Smokeless tobacco. It is legal, but it certainly is not harmless. And someone you know — maybe even your own child — craves the stuff at this very moment. Many would like to shake the disgusting habit, but they can't seem to conquer the highly addictive properties of nicotine. They don't feel as alert when they're not using. They become edgy and irritable without the pinch of snuff between cheek and gum. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more young athletes are trying the nasty stuff — even girls. Many are like Schilling, who first dipped at 16 in his Arizona high school. "I tried it at lunch, liked it and have been doing it ever since." Schilling, 38, wants to quit, but that New Year's resolution seems like years ago now. His family is after him, too, particularly his 7-year-old daughter, Gabriella. Tuesday, the big, tough right-hander sounded scared — almost as afraid as the time when a lesion was discovered in his mouth several years ago. He went cold turkey for a year and a half, until someone handed him the strong stuff at a golf tournament. "I took one dip, and I was full-blown back in it," he says despondently. "It's an addiction that covers so many things physically and mentally." He stopped during spring training this year. For all of two days. "I've never had any experience with something [...]

3/9/2005 JoinTogether (jointogether.org) Testing saliva rather than urine or blood for evidence of drug use and disease may be the next big trend in drug testing, Newsday reported March 8. David Wong, a researcher at UCLA's School of Dentistry, told colleagues attending the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that saliva testing can detect a wide range of compounds in the body. "Saliva is really a reflection of our body and circulation and blood," he said. Dental researchers have used saliva to accurately predict the formation of cavities, and the federal government recently granted $57 million for research into saliva testing. Researchers have identified 310 proteins in saliva that can be measured to screen people for diseases like oral cancer or other problems. Low levels of any substance found in the blood or urine also shows up in saliva, and police in Europe and Australia are already using roadside saliva tests to detect drug-impaired drivers. More U.S. businesses also are using saliva tests like the Intercept screening tools from OraSure Technologies. "This is certainly a more dignified approach to drug testing," said OraSure CFO Ron Spair The detection window for saliva testing is one to two days, and researchers say that they have found no masking agents that are effective in distorting saliva-test results. Addiction Research and Treatment Corp. of Brooklyn, N.Y., uses the Intercept saliva tests to detect HIV and drug use among treatment clients. Beny Primm, the executive director of the program, says [...]

3/9/2005 Phoenix, AR Business Wire (businesswire.com) Zila, Inc. today announced that it has received preliminary comments from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on proposed amendments to the clinical program for its OraTest(R) product. The comments that were received were technical in nature and centered on the need to provide clarifications to previously submitted materials, particularly within the statistical metrics that would be used to evaluate the data gathered during the clinical trial. A significant component of the proposed clinical program is the identification of severe dysplasia as a primary endpoint. This and certain other elements of the proposed program would permit a reduction in the total number of patients and the number of visits per patient, which would reduce the cost and duration of the program. Douglas D. Burkett, Ph.D., chairman, chief executive officer and president of Zila, Inc. stated, "Although the FDA's comments are preliminary, we are encouraged by their initial response to our clinical program amendments. Zila will continue to communicate with the FDA, focusing on addressing their technical comments. Although the FDA may have additional comments, we have concluded, in consultation with our regulatory, clinical and medical advisors, that we now have adequate information to enable us to proceed with certain of the preliminary processes necessary to conduct the amended Phase III clinical program. These tasks will include the submission of our clinical protocols to the independent review boards (IRBs) at our investigative sites in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and the completion of required contractual [...]

3/6/2005 Miguel Sanchez A a common chemotherapy drug may cause a serious bone disease called "osteonecrosis of the jaw" (ONJ), according to doctors at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center. The discovery, published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, prompted both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Novartis, the manufacturer of bisphosphonates used in cancer chemotherapy, to issue warnings earlier this fall to physicians and dentists about the risk for this potential adverse effect. ONJ is a condition in which the bone tissue in the jaw fails to heal after minor trauma, such as a tooth extraction, causing the bone to be exposed. The exposure eventually can lead to infection and fracture, and may require long-term antibiotic therapy or surgery to remove the dying bone tissue. Prolonged Use of Bisphosphonates Causes ONJ The chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at LIJ, Salvatore Ruggiero, DMD, MD, and his staff reported that they were struck by the appearance of a cluster of cancer patients with necrotic lesions in the jaw, a condition they previously saw only rarely -- in one to two patients a year. When they launched a study of patients’ charts, they found that 63 patients diagnosed with this condition over a three-year period shared only one common clinical feature: They had all received long-term bisphosphonate therapy. Bisphosphonates commonly are used in tablet form to prevent and treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. Stronger forms are used widely in the management of advanced cancers [...]

3/5/2005 FDA Advisory Committee (www.fdaadvisorycommittee.com) Advanced Magnetics’ Combidex safety and efficacy data are insufficient for approval of a broad indication in metastatic lymph node detection, FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee concluded. The committee voted 15 to 4 that the data presented by Advance Magnetics do not support approval of the proposed Combidex indication. Advanced Magnetics is seeking an indication for Combidex (ferumoxtran-10) in the “differentiation of metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with confirmed primary cancer who are at risk for lymph node metastases.” “I really wanted to vote for this drug today,” committee member Otis Brawley (Emory University) said, but the safety and efficacy of Combidex is “not proven.” Committee member Michael Perry (University of Missouri) agreed, saying that he is “not yet convinced that it is effective.” The committee’s major concerns involved design and analysis of the pivotal Combidex trials. Committee member Gregory Reaman (Children’s National Medical Center) said that Combidex is one of the “most exciting agents we have had the opportunity to review”; however, the “data are some of the least satisfactory in study design.” In theory, lymph node imaging could obviate the need for biopsies. However, FDA pointed out in its briefing materials for the meeting that the agent’s near 20% false negative rate means that Combidex-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging cannot be used to replace biopsy. The size of the studies and the number of lymph nodes included in the primary efficacy analysis for Combidex were too small to support approval of the broad [...]