10/22/2004 Linda Marsa The Grand Rapids Press Because the early signs of oral cancer -- white spots or red areas in the mouth -- are painless and difficult to detect, diagnosis usually occurs only after the disease has reached the point of requiring aggressive, disfiguring treatments. Half of those diagnosed will die of the disease. But a soy-derived experimental treatment is being tested that could reduce this deadly toll by stopping oral cancers from developing. "Mortality rates haven't changed in 40 years because we don't have any good treatments beyond surgery and no way of preventing cancers from returning," says Dr. Frank L. Meyskens Jr., an oncologist at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California (Irvine) Medical Center. Meyskens and other scientists hope if the drug proves effective, it may be used to protect against oral cancer in people who are at increased risk. "This approach seems promising," says Sol Silverman, a professor of oral medicine at the University of California (San Francisco) Medical School and spokesman for the American Dental Association. About 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year, and only 57 percent survive more than five years. Tobacco use is the culprit behind about 75 percent of oral cancer cases, and alcohol also is a major contributing factor. Oral cancer is the leading cancer among men in India, and incidence rates can be as high as 40 percent in Southeast Asia, where people chew betel nuts, which contain lye, or tobacco laced [...]

10/22/2004 no attribution Datamonitor NewsWire Biopharmaceutical oncology therapeutics developer Viventia Biotech has filed for orphan drug designation with the FDA for its lead armed antibodies drug candidate, Proxinium, for the treatment of head and neck cancer. Proxinium is a targeted therapeutic consisting of a proprietary antibody fragment conjugated with a cancer-killing payload. It targets a cell surface protein found on most head and neck cancers and has been designed to deliver a therapeutically potent anticancer payload directly to tumors, avoiding healthy, normal tissue. If the application is approved by the FDA, under the US Orphan Drug Act, Proxinium will be entitled to various incentives, which may include a waiver of regulatory filing fees, access to potential grant funding for non-clinical and clinical research, and seven years of market exclusivity if it is subsequently approved by the FDA In addition, many orphan drugs receive expedited regulatory review because they have been developed to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses, and as such the approval time for orphan drugs has historically been considerably shorter than for other drugs. "Obtaining orphan drug designation from the FDA is an important step in Viventia's strategy to rapidly develop Proxinium as a treatment for patients with advanced head and neck cancer," said Dr Glover, president and CEO of Viventia Biotech.

10/21/2004 Austin, TX no attribution Austin Business Journal Austin-based Introgen Therapeutics Inc. has licensed a patent that covers several methods for administering its anticancer therapy to patients. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 6,805,858, entitled "Methods for the Administration of Adenovirus p53," to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System. The patent is exclusively licensed to Introgen. In 2003, Introgen's investigational drug, Advexin, was granted "fast track" designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for head and neck cancer. The new patent covers methods by which Advexin can be administered. The patent is directed to various routes of administration of adenoviral p53, including nearly all the routes currently being used for adenoviral delivery, such as direct administration to the tumor or body region where the tumor is located, as well as systemic, intravenous or intratracheal delivery. "This patent represents yet another important step in our Advexin portfolio development, which has been to issue both broader and narrow patents covering all aspects of adenoviral compositions and clinical therapy," says David Parker, Introgen's vice president of intellectual property. Unlike other viral delivery systems, adenoviruses, which have been used for years in the vaccine field, do not mix with a patient's DNA, according to Introgen. Instead, they are genetically altered so they are unable to replicate in humans. Adenoviruses also have properties that allow for commercial scale manufacturing. Introgen develops biopharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The company [...]

10/21/2004 San Diego, CA Press Release Genetronics Biomedical Corporation Genetronics Biomedical Corporation is a late stage biomedical company focused on building an oncology franchise based on its proprietary electroporation therapy. The therapy targets a significant unmet clinical need: the selective killing of cancer cells and local ablation of solid tumors while preserving healthy tissue. The company is moving its lead product, the MedPulser® Electroporation Therapy System, through pre-marketing studies for head and neck cancer in Europe, where it has CE Mark accreditation, and a U.S. Phase III pivotal study for recurrent head and neck cancer. Merck, Vical, Chiron, the US Navy and other partners are also employing Genetronics' electroporation technology, which enhances local delivery of drugs and DNA, in their development of novel DNA vaccines and gene therapies. Genetronics is a leader in electroporation, with over 240 patents worldwide that are issued, allowed or pending.

10/21/2004 Kelly Bothum The Patriot News Sean O'Donnell wears his yellow wristband in remembrance of three grandparents who died of cancer. Katie Knoble gave away 20 bracelets for her family and friends to wear as a sign of support for her grandfather battling prostate cancer. Vince Mascoli feels an added surge of inspiration running cross country while wearing the strip of yellow on his right wrist. Three reasons, one bracelet, one message. Live Strong. With a simple message, cheap price and word-of-mouth appeal, the wristbands have become a fashion must-have in high school classrooms and on college campuses nationwide. Those who wear the bands -- the same color as the jersey worn by Tour de France bicycle race champion Lance Armstrong and imprinted with "Live Strong" -- say it's much more than a trend. "People don't have to go to a lot of trouble to wear one, but it shows support," said Nick Albert, a senior at Central Dauphin High School, where the popular yellow bands can be spotted on the wrists of freshmen and seniors alike. The wristbands have popped up on the wrists of actors, athletes and ordinary folk since May, when the Lance Armstrong Foundation introduced them to raise money for cancer research, support and education. Armstrong, who won a record sixth Tour de France this summer, is a seven-year survivor of testicular cancer. More than 17 million wristbands have been sold, and the demand shows little sign of slowing. Most stores reported selling out during the [...]

10/21/2004 Press Release - Sarah L. Zielinski Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 96, No. 20, 1487, October 20, 2004 Efforts focused on increasing the use of screening mammography among targeted groups of women should be made a top priority to achieve the largest reduction in late-stage breast cancers, according to the authors of a new study in the October 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the author of an editorial in the same issue suggests that certain biases often found in breast cancer screening studies should be taken into account when interpreting the results of the study. Because mammography increases the detection rate of early-stage breast cancers, the incidence of late-stage breast cancers should decline. However, despite high levels of screening in the general population, late-stage breast cancers still occur. The occurrence of late-stage breast cancers could indicate failures in the screening process. To establish where the screening process breaks down and where changes in care might have the greatest impact, Stephen H. Taplin, M.D., M.P.H., now at the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues in a consortium of integrated health plans, The Cancer Research Network, conducted a retrospective case–control study using data from seven health care plans that included 1.5 million women aged 50 years and older who had access to screening mammography. They compared women who had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer with those who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and, on the basis of their earliest screening mammogram [...]

10/19/2004 Maddireddy Umameshwar Rao Naidu et al Neoplasia September/October 2004, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 423-431(9) The term mucositis is coined to describe the adverse effects of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Mucositis is one of the most common adverse reactions encountered in radiation therapy for head and neck cancers, as well as in chemotherapy, in particular with drugs affecting DNA synthesis (S-phase–specific agents such as fluorouracil, methotrexate, and cytarabine). Mucositis may limit the patient's ability to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and nutritional status is compromised. It may drastically affect cancer treatment as well as the patient's quality of life. The incidence and severity of mucositis will vary from patient to patient. It will also vary from treatment to treatment. It is estimated that there is 40% incidence of mucositis in patients treated with standard chemotherapy and this will not only increase with the number of treatment cycles but also with previous episodes. Similarly, patients who undergo bone marrow transplantation and who receive high doses of chemotherapy have a 76% chance of getting mucositis. Patients receiving radiation, in particular to head and neck cancers, have a 30% to 60% chance. The exact pathophysiology of development is not known, but it is thought to be divided into direct and indirect mucositis. Chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy will interfere with the normal turnover of epithelial, cells leading to mucosal injury; subsequently, it can also occur due to indirect invasion of Gram-negative bacteria and fungal species because most of the cancer drugs will cause [...]

10/19/2004 Mt. Vernon Beth Durbin Mount Vernon News Photodynamic therapy, which uses a red laser and a light-sensitive drug to destroy cancer cells without harming normal tissue, is a promising new treatment option for patients with lung and esophageal cancers, according to Dr. Patrick Ross, associate professor of surgery and director of thoracic surgery at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University in Columbus. One of his patients, Ray McCann of Mount Vernon suffers from high-grade Barrett’s esophagus disease which is often a precursor to esophageal cancer. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse describes Barrett’s as a condition that develops in some people who have chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or inflammation of the esophagus. In Barrett’s esophagus, the normal cells that line the esophagus, called squamous cells, turn into a type of cell not usually found in humans, called specialized columnar cells. Damage to the lining of the esophagus — for example, by acid reflux from GERD —causes these abnormal changes. McCann’s doctor told him the condition is caused in part by smoking, being overweight and the American lifestyle. About 5 to 10 percent of people with Barrett’s develop cancer of the esophagus. Because of the cancer risk, people with Barrett’s esophagus are screened for esophageal cancer regularly. McCann has been undergoing PDT as a precautionary treatment for the past six weeks. Ross and his team at the James Cancer Hospital have been using this minimally invasive laser light therapy for five years. “We’ve become [...]

10/19/2004 Martina Pelzmann; Dietmar Thurnher; Claudia Gedlicka; Helga Martinek; Birgit Knerer Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine November 2004, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 607-613 Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are known to inhibit the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). There are two isoforms of the enzyme. Recent investigations indicate that both isoforms, COX-1 and COX-2, are involved in carcinogenesis. Methods: We investigated the effects of nimesulide, a COX-2 selective and indomethacin, a non-selective NSAID on the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines SCC-9 and SCC-25. Effects on cell numbers and apoptosis were assayed by cell counting, immunofluorescence and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). COX expression was examined by Western blotting. Results: The investigated cell lines express COX-1 and COX-2. Nimesulide and indomethacin induce apoptosis and cause a reduction of cell number. Incubation with NSAIDs upregulated COX-2 expression. Conclusion: The results of our study on HNSCC cells together with data from different studies showing anti-cancer activity of NSAIDs suggest that COX inhibitors could play a role in HNSCC treatment and prevention.

10/17/2004 Seattle, WA Chiun Hsu American Association for Cancer Research Disease prevalence in Taiwan corresponds to increased production of betel quid, a nut common to Asia and infamous for its intoxicating effects upon chewing Over the past couple of decades, scientists have been perplexed by a substantial rise in the incidence of head and neck cancers among Taiwanese men. According to cancer statistics, the disease increased by 85 percent among men there from 1981 to 2000. A new study, presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research Third Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, now suggests that the increased incidence may be linked to increased domestic production of a popular legal stimulant in Asia called betel quid. "Recent findings have spurred a great debate about whether the government should curb the expansion of domestic betel quid cultivation," said Dr. Chiun Hsu, from the Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital. "It is our hope that these findings will prove helpful in shaping future public health policy on this issue." Chewing betel quid, traditionally practiced in many parts of Asia and in Asian-immigrants around the world, can be likened to tobacco use in the states. It is often rolled like a cigar or intricately folded and generally consists of a betel palm leaf spread with lime paste (calcium hydroxide) wrapped around a slice of areca nut. Betel quid is chewed for many reasons, including for its stimulant effects, to satisfy hunger, to sweeten the breath, and as [...]