9/1/2004 Medical College of Georgia By Christine Hurley Deriso Medical News Today The health benefits of green tea are finding their way into gum, mints, skin cream and other products with the help of a Medical College of Georgia cell biologist. Dr. Stephen Hsu, a researcher in the MCG Schools of Dentistry and Graduate Studies whose work has revolutionized the understanding of green tea's healing and preventive properties, recently began an arrangement with New Jersey-based CCA Industries, Inc. to make those properties readily available in everyday products. The first of these products, Mega-T Green Tea Chewing Gum, is on store shelves now. Each piece of the mint-flavored, sugar-free gum equals two cups of green tea. CCA Industries, Inc. is a public company listed in the American Stock Exchange under the stock symbol, CAW. Dr. Hsu has been intrigued by the properties of green tea since observing that populations that drink green tea regularly have much lower cancer rates than populations that don't. His research helped determine that green tea polyphenols help eliminate free radicals, which can damage DNA and lead to cancer. He further found that green tea-induced p57--a protein that helps regulate cell growth and differentiation--changes the behavior of healthy cells as polyphenols target cancer cells for destruction. This change of behavior protects the healthy cells. Dr. Hsu discovered that the polyphenols activate two separate pathways, one for normal cells and one for cancer cells. The polyphenols serve as a sentinel, separating cells with p57 from cancer cells, which [...]

9/1/2004 By SANDRA DICK The Scotsman News IMAGINE for a moment that there is a food that is juicy, soft and scrumptious, sweet and oozing flavour, that can keep you looking young, healthy and free of all manner of unpleasant ailments. Just say it comes in a convenient little package, easy to eat on the go, relatively cheap and readily available. There would be no likelihood of becoming bored eating it - this wonder product would come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and tastes. And, just for good measure, there’s a royal seal of approval chucked in. Now wouldn’t that be a mouth-watering prospect? In fact, nutritionists and medical scientists have already pinpointed just such a wonder product, and there’s a very good chance some is already lurking either in your fruit bowl, fridge or even growing at the bottom of your own garden. Berries - from the luscious red strawberries associated with tennis, lashings of cream and sunny summer days, to the tangy raspberries which herald the early days of autumn and even the all-American blueberries in your coffee shop muffin - are rapidly becoming the wonder food of the moment. Whether it’s a cure for hay fever, something to put some zap into your sagging love life, protection against heart disease and cancer or even a magic solution to keep you looking young, it seems berries are . . . simply the berries. According to leading nutritionist Patrick Holford, of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in [...]

9/1/2004 Fadlo R. Khuri, Reuben Lotan Journal of Clinical Oncology (see below) An Initial Era of Optimism The study of retinoids in lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancer dates back to seminal observations by Wohlbach and Howe,1 who discovered that vitamin A deprivation of cattle led to an increased incidence of lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers. Subsequent studies have demonstrated enhanced lung carcinogenesis in vitamin A-deficient animals exposed to the tobacco carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, possibly due to enhanced binding of the carcinogen to tracheal epithelial DNA.2,3 These findings have paved the way to vitamin A intervention in experimental lung carcinogenesis.4,5 The extension of these studies to human lung carcinogenesis and prevention was supported by epidemiologic studies, which suggested that significant dietary intake of vitamin A and carotenoids plays an important role in decreased cancer incidence.6 Pharmacologically, it would be several decades before Hong et al7 and others would show that high-doses of a synthetic retinoid (13-cis-retinoic acid or isotretinoin) could reverse oral premalignant lesions. Further trials by Hong et al8 and Pastorino et al9 showed that high-doses of synthetic or natural vitamin A could reduce the incidence of second primary head and neck and lung tumors in patients with a prior history of tobacco-related cancer. While the high-doses, in particular of the synthetic vitamin A derivatives, were too toxic to administer to a broad patient population, this optimism led to further development of retinoids in tobacco-related cancers, as well as the biologic implications of loss or gain of function of [...]

9/1/2004 Chapel Hill, NC By: LL Patton, R Agans, JR Elter, JH Southerland, RP Strauss, and WD Kalsbeek Journal of Public Health & Dentistry, June 1, 2004; 64(3): 173-80. OBJECTIVE: This study assesses knowledge of oral cancer risk factors, clinical signs, and oral cancer examination experience among North Carolina adults. METHODS: A statewide random digit dial, computer-assisted telephone interview was conducted in 2002. Data from 1,096 respondents, with a response rate of 62 percent, were poststratified to 2000 census data by sex, race, and age group to produce population-based estimates. Knowledge of one sign of oral cancer, four or more risk factors for oral cancer, and having ever had an oral cancer examination were compared in logistic regression models using normalized weights. RESULTS: Fourteen (95% confidence interval [CI] +/-2) percent of adults had never heard of oral or mouth cancer. Risk factor knowledge was high for 56 percent (95% CI+/-3) and associated in a logistic regression model with younger age, feeling personal factors cause cancer, and nonuse of snuff. One sign of oral cancer (sore/lesion, red or white patch in mouth, and bleeding in the mouth) was correctly identified by 53 percent (95% CI+/-3) with significantly more correct responses from younger people, nonsmokers, and some college education. Only 29 percent (95% CI+/-3) reported ever having had an oral cancer examination when this procedure was described. Most respondents reported exams performed by dentists. In a weighted logistic regression model, older age, being dentate, nonsmokers, alcohol users, and those with some college [...]

9/1/2004 Berlin, Germany A.A. Dünnea, V.G. Budachb, W. Wagnerc, J.A. Wernera Onkologie 2004;27:363-367 (DOI: 10.1159/000079089) Squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract are characterized by a high frequency of lymphogenic metastatic spread. The neck should be included in the treatment concept because almost 25% of all patients develop occult lymph node metastases. The only exception are early carcinomas of the lower lip and the vocal cords. Since currently for high risk patients no prognostic markers or other factors for occult metastatic spread are available, treatment strategies have to include the exact knowledge of direction and extent of regional lymphatic drainage. Based on this prerequisite, concepts for selective cervical lymph node dissection in case of the clinical N0 situation were developed which may also be used for an individually optimized radiotherapy. Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) bears a high potential for an optimized irradiation in case of potential occult metastatic spread of carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract. Without compromising local control rates, IMRT allows a considerable reduction of permanent xerostomia by sparing at least one major salivary gland. The significant scientific purpose for the N0 neck, however, will remain the identification of high-risk patients, e.g. by means of tissue and/or serum-related markers, which carry a high risk of local and distant metastases. Authors affiliations: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head Neck Surgery, Philipps University, Marburg; Department of Radiation Oncology, Charite CCM Humboldt University, Berlin; Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany

8/30/2004 Washington, DC News release from AHNS American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) Most adult Americans know how to light a cigarette and order a drink, but a great number of them are clueless about the consequence of these two destructive habits – oral and head and neck cancer. Oral and head and neck cancer (OHNC) is the term used for the group of cancers found in head and neck region, including the oral cavity (mouth, floor of mouth, lips, teeth, gums, lining of lips and cheeks), oropharynx (the back one-third of the tongue), the nasopharynx (area behind the nose), hypopharynx (lower part of the throat), and larynx (voice box). It is estimated that nearly 40,000 new cases of oral, head, and neck cancer were diagnosed in 2003; approximately 85 percent of them attributable to tobacco use and heavy alcohol consumption. The five year survival rate for OHNC is only 56 percent, a rate that has remained unchanged over several decades. Considering that most adults who smoke today started using tobacco before the age of 18 and adolescent tobacco users are three times more likely to drink alcohol than non-tobacco users, the Federal Government has included improved survival and early detection of oral and head and neck cancer as two of the nation’s health objectives. Experts believe that increased efforts to educate the public about OHNC will lead to early detection and treatment of these cancers, increasing survival. The current study endeavors to document the public’s belief about OHNC in [...]

8/30/2004 NEW ORLEANS, LA James A. Bonner, MD 40th ASCO Annual Meeting By blocking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cetuximab (Erbitux, ImClone and Bristol-Myers Squibb) may be a valuable treatment option for patients with head and neck cancer. In several studies presented here at the 40th ASCO Annual Meeting, cetuximab produced results as a single agent or in combination with other drugs or radiation in patients with locoregionally advanced and recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Adding cetuximab to radiation therapy nearly doubled survival for patients with locoregionally advanced SCCHN in a phase-3 international trial. “The use of cetuximab and radiation therapy may become an excellent choice of therapy for this group of patients,” said James A. Bonner, MD, the chairman and Merle M. Salter Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Most SCCHN cells overexpress the EGFR, which is associated with aggressive tumor behavior and poor clinical outcome. Bonner and his colleagues hypothesized that treating patients with EGFR-blocking drugs, like cetuximab, could potentially make these cancers more sensitive to radiation. The researchers compared survival between 211 patients who received high-dose radiation therapy plus cetuximab and 213 patients who received radiation therapy alone. Median survival was nearly twice as great in the cetuximab group: 54 months versus 28 months. At one year, 69% of patients in the cetuximab-radiation arm had achieved locoregional control, compared with 59% of patients in the radiation-alone arm. More of the cetuximab patients were alive [...]

8/27/2004 LONDON, England Reported by a release to the Associated Press Lancet A German who had his lower jaw cut out because of cancer has enjoyed his first meal in nine years -- a bratwurst sandwich -- after surgeons grew a new jaw bone in his back muscle and transplanted it to his mouth in what experts call an "ambitious'' experiment. According to this week's issue of The Lancet medical journal, the German doctors used a mesh cage, a growth chemical and the patient's own bone marrow, containing stem cells, to create a new jaw bone that fit exactly into the gap left by the cancer surgery. Tests have not been done yet to verify whether the bone was created by the blank-slate stem cells and it is too early to tell whether the jaw will function normally in the long term. But the operation is the first published report of a whole bone being engineered and incubated inside a patient's body and transplanted. Stem cells are the master cells of the body that go on to become every tissue in the body. They are a hot area of research with scientists trying to find ways to prompt them to make desired tissues, and perhaps organs. But while researchers debate whether the technique resulted in a scientific advance involving stem cells, the operation has achieved its purpose and changed a life, said Stan Gronthos, a stem cell expert at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in Adelaide, Australia. "A [...]

8/25/2004 Reported on Forbes.com Associated Press Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates contributed $400,000 to the campaign backing a California ballot measure that would make billions of dollars available for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning projects in the state, according to campaign records. Gates is the latest billionaire to contribute to a campaign that has amassed more than $12 million in support of Proposition 71, which would have the state borrow $3 billion to fund the controversial research over 10 years. Cloning projects solely for research would be funded, but cloning programs to create babies would be barred. Only two California measures on the Nov. 2 ballot, each related to gambling, have attracted more campaign contributions. EBay Inc. founder Omar Omidyar and his wife have contributed $1 million in support of Proposition 71, as have billionaire savings and loan executives Marion and Herbert Sandler. Venture capitalists, Hollywood celebrities and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation have also made big contributions to the campaign. "Bill believes in the promise of science and research and development to create new ways to improve health and well being around the world," said Joe Cerrell, a Gates' family spokesman. The Yes on 71 campaign declines as a matter of policy to discuss individual campaign contributions. The $27 billion Gates Foundation is one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations dedicated to curing diseases. The campaign to defeat Proposition 71 has garnered just $15,000 in contributions. Human embryonic stem cells are created in the first days after [...]

8/24/2004 See below for authors Journal of Otolaryngology & Head Neck Surgery Background: Xerostomia is a permanent and devastating sequela of head and neck irradiation, and its numerous consequences affect most aspects of the patient's life. A new method of preserving and protecting a single submandibular gland from radiation damage through the Seikaly-Jha procedure (SJP) has recently been described. Objective: To report the long-term outcomes of the SJP. Design: Inception cohort. Patients: The trial was conducted between February 1, 1999, and February 1, 2002. All patients were followed up through the head and neck cancer clinic at the Cross Cancer Institute. All data were collected by a dedicated research nurse. Salivary function was evaluated at regular intervals with salivary flow studies and questionnaires. Results: Ninety-six patients were enrolled in the study, and 38 had a minimum of 2 years' follow-up. The cohort of 38 patients was composed of 2 groups: 26 patients had preservation of one submandibular gland through the SJP, while the remaining 12 did not. Salivary flow was preserved in the SJP group, in which 83% of patients reported normal amounts of saliva 2 years after radiotherapy, compared with none in the SJP group. There were no disease recurrences on the side of the transferred gland or in the submental space. There were no surgical complications attributed to the transfer procedure. Conclusions: The SJP prevented xerostomia in 83% of the study patients. The approach appears to be oncologically sound and safe. From the Divisions of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck [...]