6/2/2004 Laurie Barclay, MD Journal of the National Cancer Institute Exclusive pipe smoking confers a risk of tobacco-associated disease similar to that of cigar smoking but less than that of cigarette smoking, according to the results of a prospective cohort trial published in the June 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Although many studies have examined the adverse health effects of pipe smoking combined with other forms of tobcco use, few have included large numbers of exclusive pipe smokers," write S. Jane Henley, from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues. "The prevalence of pipe smoking has declined since the 1960s, yet usage is still common regionally, especially among older populations." Previous studies of exclusive pipe smoking were small and could not exclude potential confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status and alcohol use. Pipe tobacco is the least commonly used tobacco product in the U.S., with overall use decreasing from 14% in 1965 to 2% in 1991. However, pipe smoking remains common among the American Indians and some other populations, and it has been increasing among American middle and high school students since 1999. Of 138,307 men enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II, 15,263 men were current or former pipe users, and 123,044 men had never used tobacco. During the 18-year follow-up, there were 23,589 deaths. Based on this mortality data, the investigators compared the risks of death from nine cancers (bladder, colon/rectum, esophagus, kidney, larynx, lung, oropharynx, pancreas, and stomach) and three [...]

6/2/2004 Phoenix, AZ BUSINESS WIRE Zila, Inc. (Nasdaq:ZILA) announced today that the Code Revision Committee of the American Dental Association (ADA) has approved a new dental reimbursement code for oral cancer screening products. Zila's ViziLite(R) product provided the pathway for the new code, and Zila anticipates that OraTest(R) will also satisfy the code requirements once its FDA clearance is obtained. Zila said it recently received notice that the Committee approved a code for an "adjunctive pre-diagnostic test that aids in detection of mucosal abnormalities including pre-malignant and malignant lesions, not to include cytology or biopsy." Douglas D. Burkett, Ph.D., Chairman, CEO and President of Zila, Inc., said, "The ADA Committee's action is further evidence that the dental profession recognizes the importance of early detection in the prevention and treatment of oral cancer." Dr. Burkett continued, "There has never been such a reimbursement code available to dentists, because there has never been an FDA approved product for oral pre-cancer and early cancer identification -- until ViziLite. ViziLite's recent clinical efficacy data was cited as a factor in the Committee's decision. We are unaware of any available products, other than ViziLite, that will be covered under this new code. We expect that the code will encourage the use of ViziLite, and we anticipate that this reimbursement code will be available for OraTest when its regulatory approval is achieved." Zila envisions ViziLite and OraTest to be synergistic products that provide a means for all adults to benefit from improved identification of oral pre-cancers [...]

6/11/2004 By JANET McCONNAUGHEY The Associated Press High concentrations of the virus that causes mononucleosis can help doctors predict the spread of a type of cancer that develops behind the nose, a study found. Epstein-Barr virus levels in the blood may also help predict the course of Hodgkin's disease and some other cancers of the immune system, said lead researcher Jin-Ching Lin of Taiwan. Researchers do not know exactly how the virus is connected to those cancers, but a link has been found in the past. The study is too small to draw any final conclusions, said Dr. Ralph Vance, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society. ``It will be interesting to see if it can be duplicated by others,'' said Vance, a professor in the University of Mississippi School of Medicine's department of oncology. Epstein-Barr is one of the most common human viruses - as many as 95 percent of U.S. residents have been infected by age 40. Most have no symptoms, though up to half of those infected as adolescents and young adults develop mono, according to the National Institutes of Health. After infection, the virus can lurk in a few cells, occasionally becoming active again. Lin, of the department of radiation oncology at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, studied a cancer that is rare in the United States but common in southeastern China - cancer of the nasopharynx, an area above the soft palate. All 99 patients in the study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine [...]

6/1/2004 Newport Beach, CA The Oral Cancer Foundation It would seem that the debate on this issue is yet to be resolved. Two studies published at the same time in respected peer reviewed journals come to different conclusions. The studies appear below. Marijuana Use and Risk of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Rosenblatt KA, Daling JR, Chen C, Sherman KJ, Schwartz SM. Department of Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois. Previous laboratory investigations, case reports, and a hospital-based case-control study have suggested that marijuana use may be a risk factor for squamous cell head and neck cancer. We conducted a population-based case-control study to determine whether marijuana use is associated with the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Case subjects (n = 407) were 18-65-year-old residents of three counties in western Washington State who were newly diagnosed with OSCC from 1985 through 1995. Control subjects (n = 615), who were similar to the cases with respect to age and sex, were selected from the general population using random-digit telephone dialing. Lifetime histories of marijuana use and exposure to known OSCC risk factors were ascertained using a structured questionnaire. Information on genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase enzymes was obtained from assays on participant DNA. Odds ratios for associations with features of marijuana use were adjusted for sex, education, birth year, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking. A similar proportion of case subjects (25.6%) and control subjects (24.4%) reported ever use of marijuana (adjusted odds ratio, 0.9; 95% confidence interval, [...]

6/1/2004 London, UK Medical News Today Cigarette smoke transforms healthy saliva into a deadly cocktail that can accelerate mouth cancer, according to new research in the British Journal of Cancer. Normally, saliva provides a protective buffer between toxins and the lining of the mouth because it contains important enzymes that fight and neutralize harmful substances. But the new research shows that the chemicals in tobacco smoke combine with saliva with devastating effect. They destroy the protective components of saliva – leaving a corrosive mix that damages cells in the mouth and can eventually turn them cancerous. The researchers in this study wanted to examine saliva's role in the development of mouth cancer. The study recreated the effects of cigarette smoke on cancerous cells of the mouth. Half of the cell samples were exposed to cigarette smoke and the other half to the saliva and cigarette smoke mixture. Cancerous cells were used in order to quickly assess whether the saliva and smoke mixture would speed the cancer's development. The study revealed that the longer the mouth cells were exposed to the contaminated saliva, the more the cells were damaged. Dr Rafi Nagler, based at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, who co-led the study, says: "Most people will find it very shocking that the mixture of saliva and smoke is actually more lethal to cells in the mouth than cigarette smoke alone. "Our study shows that once exposed to cigarette smoke, our normally healthy saliva not only loses its beneficial qualities but [...]

5/26/2004 Datamonitor Services GSK is awaiting the outcome of a Phase III trial to evaluate an anti-cervical cancer vaccine. GlaxoSmithKline's [GSK.L] four-year clinical trial of an HPV vaccine could have a significant affect on cervical cancer treatment, as HPV is a known contributory factor to the disease. However, GSK will need to consider how this product should be positioned, especially with regard to use in pediatrics, so as to maximize revenues. GSK's global Phase III PATRICIA HPV vaccine trial will involve 90 sites and approximately 13,000 young women aged 15-25 worldwide, lasting for approximately four years. HPV is associated with cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer in women worldwide, and the leading cause in the developing world. Furthermore, cervical cancer develops early in life, with a median age of 38 years. Although there are more than 100 different types of HPV, approximately 70% of all cervical cancers are associated with just two types, namely HPV 16 and HPV 18. It is against these oncogenic strains that the HPV vaccine is intended to confer protection. GSK's main challenge will be identifying the optimal target population. Judging by the proposed trial, it can be inferred that GSK anticipates its target population to be young women, from mid-teens to early twenties. This means that the HPV vaccine will not be included on the US pediatric immunization schedule, which is the most commercially attractive sector for vaccine manufacturers due to its large patient population and high compliance rates. Consequently, GSK will [...]

5/21/2004 Houston, Texas KPRC TV Studies Link Oral Sex To Cancer AIDS has been known for a long time as a sexually transmitted virus. Now, doctors are warning about a new virus that causes cancer and is spread through sexual contact, News2Houston reported Thursday. It's called human papillomavirus, also known as HPV. Out of the hundreds of different strains of human papillomavirus, doctors said No. 16 causes cervical cancer. Approximately 20 percent of people have a type of HPV at any one time, according to statistics. That means two of every 10 people are active carriers. "The human papillomavirus is very common today because of sexual practices," said Dr. Randal Weber, a head and neck surgeon at M.D. Anderson Hospital. "It is human-to-human contact and exchange of bodily fluids -- that's the way this is transmitted." Now doctors like Erich Sturgis at M.D. Anderson Hospital said it is also the culprit in another cancer. "The virus that is likely associated with head and neck cancer is the same virus associated with cervical cancer in women," Sturgis said. "Is this theory that you are speaking of or is it accepted in the medical community?" asked News2Houston's Krista Moreno. "I think it is accepted in the field of individuals who work in head and neck cancers, and I think it is also accepted in the field of individuals who work in human papillomavirus. But it is just not common knowledge among most physicians," said Dr. Maura Gillison, with Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer [...]

5/11/2004 Dave Kindred Golf Digest Hubert Green said, "That pine tree, the tall one, all the way to the left." He looked at the tree through a range finder. "It's 144, 145 yards." It was one of those bright winter days in Florida when the sun is betrayed by a chilling wind off the Gulf of Mexico. The breeze came past that pine tree, came against Green's face. Because he's diabetic, his hands and feet quickly get cold. He was uncomfortable. He wore shimmering blue slacks, a blue sweater over a blue long-sleeved shirt, and the wide-brimmed leather hat that is his trademark. He'd driven his golf cart onto the back practice tee at Hombre Golf Club, his home course in Panama City Beach. In a red plastic crate, he'd brought along a couple hundred Callaway reds, each ball marked with an inked circle and inside the circle the initials "HG." He hit five, six balls with a 9-iron. Earlier, he'd said he felt weak. Instead of the club hitting the ball, it was like the ball hit the club. A 9-iron might go 110 yards, a measure of strength so dispiriting that he said, "Right now I couldn't play on the LPGA Tour." On the practice tee, he moved to a 5-iron. A little draw, pretty enough. Nine, 10 swings. The balls fell 10, 15 yards short of that left pine tree. He turned and said to the only other player on the range, "Whatcha hitting?" "Five-iron," said Allen [...]

5/11/2004 HILARY WALDMAN Hartford Courant Cancer patients often leap two gigantic hurdles in the race against disease. First comes treatment to stay alive. Next is life after treatment. And for patients such as Sandra Smith, who lost most of her jaw and the floor of her mouth to oral cancer, living now includes smiling, speaking clearly and chewing tender meat with replacement parts that move and function almost as well as the originals. Smith and about 6 million other people nationwide are beneficiaries of advances in reconstructive surgery that some doctors say they could not have imagined 10 years ago. The ability to create Smith's new, living jawbone; to rebuild breasts without destroying abdominal muscles; and to restore function to limbs or fingers damaged by accident hinges on the relatively newfound ability of doctors to stitch together veins and arteries whose diameters are about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. "Reconstructive surgery has never been more exciting," said Dr. Allen Van Beek, a Minnesota plastic and reconstructive surgeon and president of the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, an arm of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "It goes well beyond what would have been possible without the advent of microsurgery." Most people have heard the term microsurgery when a person loses a finger in an accident and the severed digit is placed in an ice-filled baggie and rushed to the hospital along with the patient. A surgeon in Boston started experimenting with replacing and restoring function to severed [...]

5/10/2004 NEW YORK , NY Reuters Health Puffing on one cigar may be enough to harden the body's main artery for hours afterward, a small study shows. Researchers say the findings add to evidence that, far from being a "safe" alternative to cigarettes, cigars increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study of 12 healthy men who smoked cigarettes and cigars found that shortly after smoking a cigar, the men showed evidence of greater stiffness in the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The degree of stiffness in large arteries is key in how well the heart's main pumping chamber can work and blood can flow. The new findings provide the first evidence that cigar smoking immediately increases stiffness in large arteries, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Charalambos Vlachopoulos of Athens Medical School in Greece. They report the findings in the American Journal of Hypertension. Tobacco use in its various forms has long been known to carry serious health risks. Yet there's been a popular perception that cigars, which enjoyed a surge in popularity starting in the 1990s, offer a safer way to smoke. But research shows that cigar smoking does boost the risk of heart disease, stroke and several types of cancer, including lung and oral cancers. In the new study, the researchers used a measure called pulse wave velocity to gauge aortic stiffness in 12 young, male smokers for two hours after they smoked a cigar, [...]