10/11/2004 Dallas-Fort Worth By Lisa P. White Star-Telegram.com The mood is tense in the conference room where a dozen teen-agers have gathered. Their body language -- eyes downcast, arms crossed, slumped in their seats -- says they don't want to be there. They have no choice. They've been caught. They are among nearly 4,000 Tarrant County teens sent to anti-smoking school in the seven years since the Legislature enacted a tough law that penalizes minors who use tobacco and the retailers who sell it to them. Some of the dozen teens were caught smoking or using smokeless tobacco behind a school. Others did it in a parked car. One even did it in the back of a police cruiser, lighting up after he was caught smoking marijuana. Now, for eight hours over four evenings, they must attend awareness classes at Tarrant County Public Health. The state program is designed to help minors break their tobacco habit before it's too late. Police in Texas can issue citations to people younger than 18 who are caught using, buying or possessing tobacco products. Those who fail to attend the classes and pay a fine of up to $250 can lose their driver's license for six months. Texas is one of 32 states that ban tobacco possession by minors, the American Lung Association says. But there is no consensus in the public health community about whether such laws are a deterrent. A state Health Department study of Texas secondary-school students published in August found [...]

10/11/2004 Malibu, CA National Desk, Health Reporter U.S. Newswire Three-time Emmy winner and cancer survivor, actor Jack Klugman couldn't speak for more than three years after his cancer treatments. Having regained his voice, he's lending it to the Oral Cancer Foundation's effort to educate the public through television PSAs about the need for an annual screening to catch oral cancers in their early, most survivable stages. The public service announcements began airing September 15, and will continue to air in several hundred markets in the United States through the end of the year. Klugman, who is most famous for his television roles portraying compulsive slob Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple" and medical examiner Quincy in "Quincy, M.E.," recently made his return to television with an appearance as a medical examiner on "Crossing Jordan" and in live theater to rave reviews in the production of "An Evening with Jack Klugman." Klugman returns to the stage again this month at the Falcon Theatre in "Golf With Alan Shepard," directed by Skip Greer; and in the spring will play a movie director in "The Value of Names," to be staged at New York's Queens Theatre in the Park. "When I contacted Jack about doing the PSA for the Oral Cancer Foundation, he responded immediately," said Brian Hill, foundation executive director, and himself a survivor of a late stage oral cancer. "He said, 'I'm your perfect candidate--I'm here today only because my doctors found it and treated it early... let's do it!'" Klugman [...]

10/11/2004 Amaral TMP, da Silva Freire AR, Carvalho AL, Pinto CAL, Kowalski LP Oral Oncology 40 (8): 780-786 Sep 2004 The incidence of occult neck metastasis in early stage tumours of the tongue and floor of the mouth varies from 20% to 30%, and the survival rates in 5 years from 73% to 97%. This study analyzes the rates of occult metastasis and prognostic factors for clinical stages I and II squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth. The records of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth, without prior treatment and treated by surgery between 1965 and 1998 were reviewed. All cases were re-staged and the surgical specimens were reviewed. This study included 193 patients, 145 men (75.1%), with ages ranging from 29 to 89 years old (mean, 60 years). The tumour site was the tongue in 132 cases (68.4%), the floor of the mouth in 45 (23.3%) and both in 16 (8.3%). With regard to stage, 85 cases were at clinical stage I (44.0%) and 108, clinical stage II (56.0%). One hundred and seventeen patients (60.6%) were submitted to a neck dissection and 27 (23.1%) had metastasic lymph nodes (pN+). The only factor associated with the presence of occult metastasis for all patients was the presence of muscular infiltration (p = 0.020); for tongue tumours the presence of vascular embotization (p = 0.043) and the presence of desmoplastic reaction (p = 0.050); for floor of the mouth tumours [...]

10/11/2004 A Sparano, G Weinstein, A Chalian, M Yodul, and R Weber Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, October 1, 2004; 131(4): 472-6 Objectives The elective dissection of cervical lymph nodes from patients with early oral tongue cancer and a clinically negative neck (T1/T2N0), remains an unsettled issue that continues to be investigated. This study examines clinical and histopathologic factors through univariate and multivariate analysis to correlate the risk of neck micrometastasis in patients with T1/T2N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. Study design and methods The clinical files and histologic sections of tumor from 45 clinically determined N0 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The factors examined include degree of tumor cell differentiation, T1/T2 staging, presence of perineural invasion, presence of angiolymphatic invasion, type of invasion front, depth of muscle invasion, and tumor thickness. Results Independent correlates of positive occult neck metastasis included greater tumor thickness ( P = 0.01), greater depth of muscle invasion ( P = 0.01), T2 stage ( P = 0.01), poorly differentiated tumors ( P = 0.007), infiltrating-type invasion front ( P = 0.03), presence of perineural invasion ( P = 0.001), and presence of angiolymphatic invasion ( P = 0.005). The final multivariate model for estimation of an increased probability of occult neck disease included greater tumor thickness, presence of perineural invasion, infiltrating-type invasion front, poorly differentiated tumors, and T2 stage. Conclusions The clinical and histopathologic factors studied herein permit greater selectivity and more informed decision-making than does presurgical evaluation, when addressing elective neck treatment for [...]

10/10/2004 New Haven, Conn Press Release CuraGen Corporation Clinical data to be presented in December at the 46th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting CuraGen Corporation (Nasdaq: CRGN - News) announced today that clinical data from Phase I will be presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) taking place December 4th - 7th, 2004 in San Diego, California. "We are very pleased with the progress we have achieved with CG53135 for oral mucositis and look forward to sharing the results of our Phase I program at ASH," stated William Hahne, M.D., Vice President of Clinical Development at CuraGen. "The clinical data we have obtained has sparked the interest of several investigators who are eager to work with us in Phase II, and we are in the process of making the necessary preparations to transition the program later this year." In Phase I, the safety, tolerability and potential activity of CG53135 were explored in two studies involving different populations at risk for oral mucositis: patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies and patients receiving chemotherapy for metastatic gastrointestinal cancers. Both studies explored the effect of a single dose of CG53135 administered intravenously. Data from both studies will be published as part of the meeting proceedings. The bone marrow transplant study data will be disclosed as a poster at the meeting. "We look forward to exploring the ability of a single dose of CG53135 to prevent oral mucositis in a double-blind, randomized, placebo [...]

10/10/2004 Dr. John Briffa Sunday Observer Dr John Briffa, one of Britain's top health experts, offers his suggestions Sunday October 10, 2004 The Observer Maintain a healthy weight Excess weight appears to increase the risk of several types of cancer, including those of the esophagus, colon, breast, kidney and womb. Experience shows that a diet based on whole, natural and unprocessed foods such a meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and nuts is usually the way forward for those seeking to achieve a healthy body weight. Be active Physical activity has been associated with relative protection from colon cancer and probably breast cancer, too. While it is not known how much activity is necessary for benefit here, half an hour's daily exercise can make a difference. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables Fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and plant substances known as phytochemicals, many of which may have cancer-protective effects. A good intake of fruit and vegetables has been associated with a reduced risk of a range on cancers, including those of the mouth, esophagus, stomach and colon. Five 80 gram servings of fruits and vegetables each day seems to be the amount needed for optimum protection. Fruits that have been singled out for particular anti-cancer properties include all types of berries such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Vegetables that are similarly lauded include broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Limit your alcohol intake Relatively high alcohol intakes are associated with an increased risk of several [...]

10/10/2004 Andrew Purvis The Observer Eating the wrong foods could be responsible for up to 30 per cent of cancers, but there is growing belief that 'superfoods' are the key to preventing it. Can broccoli really be that good for you? Andrew Purvis finds out It's an image familiar to every TV viewer - Anthony Hicks, 58, real-life front man of the Government's Quit Smoking campaign, propped in a hospital bed with his voicebox removed, eyes sunken, skin the color of tobacco smoke, croaking intermittently about plans to spend Christmas with his daughter. Ten days later, the caption tells us, Anthony is dead - killed by cancer of the lung and larynx, a compliant victim of his own smoking habit. There is no ambiguity in the NHS message - and those of us who don't smoke breathe a sigh of relief (because we can). We walk to the kitchen, take a ready-made lasagne from the fridge, place it in the microwave; if we're feeling generous to ourselves, we might fry a fillet steak in a little butter, eat it (guiltily) with a plateful of oven chips and treat ourselves to a can of lager and a tub of chocolate chip ice cream. Unwittingly, we are placing ourselves in the same high-risk category as Anthony - victims not of cigarette smoke but of our Western diet. In its World Cancer Report, published last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) quietly dropped the bombshell that 30 per cent of cancers in the [...]

10/9/2004 Mohitpal Singh , , R. Krishanappa , Anjana Bagewadi and Vaishali Keluskar Oral Oncology Volume 40, Issue 6 , July 2004, Pages 591-596 This study evaluates the efficacy of lycopene in the treatment of oral leukoplakia and compares two different doses with a placebo. Fifty-eight clinically and histologically diagnosed patients of oral leukoplakia were selected for the study. They were randomly divided into three groups. Group A: (n=20; 8 mg lycopene/day), Group B: (n=20; 4 mg lycopene/day) and Group C: (n=18; placebo). The duration of the therapy was three months. Outcome was assessed clinically as well as histologically. Post-treatment patients were on follow-up for two months. Student's ‘t' test was used for statistical evaluation. Clinically the patients in Groups A, B, C had a mean response of 80%, 66.25% and 12.5% respectively. Histological evaluation too had similar results. Patients receiving lycopene in both regimes show highly significant difference in response as compared to placebo (Group C). The observed effect of lycopene suggests that it can be effectively and safely used for the management of oral leukoplakia.

10/9/2004 Karen Pihl-Carey BioWorld Online Eight months after receiving approval for Erbitux in colorectal cancer, ImClone Systems Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. set out on another Phase III program for the drug, this time targeting non-small-cell lung cancer. While New York-based ImClone and Princeton, N.J.-based Bristol-Myers intend to file a supplemental biologics license application in 2005 for Erbitux to treat head and neck cancer, a filing for the lung cancer indication could follow in 2006 if data prove positive. About 80 percent of the 173,000 Americans diagnosed with lung cancer each year have non-small-cell lung cancer - providing Erbitux with another major market opportunity. The American Cancer Society said about 160,000 of those diagnosed will die from the disease. "It's obviously one of the deadliest cancers in this country, and one of the most prevalent ones as well," said David Pitts, ImClone's assistant vice president of corporate communications. "So it's a substantial market." ImClone and Bristol-Myers are initiating the Phase III trial of Erbitux (cetuximab), an IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in 800 patients with second-line non-small-cell lung cancer. The trial was designed based on a special protocol assessment with the FDA and could help Erbitux receive an accelerated approval. The primary endpoint is tumor-response rate, defined as tumor regression of greater than 50 percent. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival and overall survival. The trial will evaluate chemotherapy alone, either with docetaxel or pemetrexed, or the same chemotherapy in combination with Erbitux. "We don't know how quickly they're going to be able [...]

10/9/2004 Jane Elliott BBC News Online health staff Think of medieval England and you are likely to conjure up an image of a wizened hag with black stumps for teeth. But although that might have been the unfortunate state of some people's teeth, others had much better care. Documents show that, not only were the educationally elite aware of the importance of keeping their teeth clean, but they also knew how to fill cavities and deal with facial fractures. They could recognise oral cancer and even knew the rudiments of teeth whitening. A paper published in the British Dental Journal shows that medieval (12-14th century) literature even makes reference to creating false teeth. The paper's author, osteo-archeologist Trevor Anderson, said the papers referred to ways of preserving and improving teeth. "There were liquids to whiten teeth, methods of removing calculus (plaque) and compounds for filling cavities. "There is also a reference to dentures made of human teeth or cow bone. "Surgery is known for oral cancer as well as the repair of fractured jaws." But Mr Anderson said the documents would only have been available to an elite group of physicians and surgeons, usually based in the larger cities or university towns. He added: "The richer the person was the more sugar they had in their diet and therefore the more decay. The medieval peasants would probably have been eating a coarser diet and so they would have less trapped in their teeth and therefore less decay. Most people would [...]