Oral Cancer News – Page 54 – The Oral Cancer Foundation News Archive

Merck’s Keytruda wins FDA approval to treat head and neck cancer

Source: www.pharmalive.com Author: staff, Reuters Health Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a type of head and neck cancer. The drug was approved for use as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with a common chemotherapy regimen, to treat previously untreated patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, Merck said. The approval is based on results from a late-stage trial, where Keytruda showed a significant improvement in overall survival in cancer patients, Merck said. Keytruda, a type of immunotherapy called a PD-1 inhibitor, is already an approved treatment for several forms of cancer, including lung and skin cancers. Head and neck cancer includes tumors in the mouth, tongue, nose, sinuses, throat and lymph nodes in the neck. Merck estimates that there will be more than 65,000 new cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed in 2019 in the United States. Keytruda works by increasing the ability of patients’ immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells. The drug has been amassing approvals as a standalone therapy and in combination with other drugs to treat several forms of cancer. It is the leading immunotherapy for treating lung cancer, ahead of rival drugs from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and AstraZeneca. Keytruda, first approved for advanced melanoma in 2014, is Merck’s most important growth driver. It has overtaken Bristol’s Opdivo as the industry’s immuno-oncology leader with sales expected to top $10 billion this year [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-12T07:49:37-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Antibodies against HPV16 can develop up to 40 years before throat cancer is diagnosed

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: news release An international group of researchers has found that antibodies to the human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16) develop in the body between six to 40 years prior to a clinical diagnosis of throat cancer, and their presence indicates a strong increased risk of the disease. The study, which is published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1] today (Wednesday), also found that having HPV16 antibodies increased the risk of throat cancer far more in white people than in black: nearly 100-fold in white people, but 17-fold in black people. Patients with HPV-associated throat cancer tend to respond better to treatment than those whose cancer is not associated with the infection; the researchers say this may partly explain the worse survival rates among black patients. The main causes of throat cancer (known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, OPSCC) are smoking, alcohol use and infection with HPV16. In the USA the proportion of OPSCCs attributable to HPV16 is around 70%; in some European countries a similar proportion is caused by HPV16, although this varies from country to country. [2] Dr Mattias Johansson, a cancer epidemiologist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, who led the research, said: "Importantly, the proportion of throat cancers caused by HPV16 has been increasing over the past few decades, particularly in men, and in some countries the overwhelming majority are now caused by the virus. "Investigating the range in time prior to diagnosis in which [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-12T07:46:27-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers zero in on new class of oral cancer drugs

Source: UT Health San Antonio Date: June 3, 2019 Author: Rosanne Fohn SAN ANTONIO (June 3, 2019) ― Researchers at UT Health San Antonio have identified a potent new class of anti-cancer drugs that target oral cancer cells while leaving other cells unharmed. The new drug class also has shown promise in stopping other types of cancer. In two recent papers, a research team led by Cara Gonzales, D.D.S., Ph.D., developed a new class of drugs broadly referred to as capsazepine analogs and tested them against oral and other types of cancers in preclinical and animal studies. Low survival rate for advanced and recurrent oral cancer “Our main goal was to develop cancer-targeting drugs to effectively treat advanced and recurrent oral cancer,” said Dr. Gonzales, an associate professor in the School of Dentistry’sDepartment of Comprehensive Dentistry. “This is important because oral cancer is a deadly disease with a five-year survival rate of only 40 percent,” she said. “Oral cancer is rarely diagnosed in its earliest stages when it can be cured. About 75 percent of patients come to the clinic with advanced disease, dramatically lowering their chance of survival,” she said. The team’s previous research showed that capsazepine is a potent cancer killer. Capsazepine is a synthetic cousin of capsaicin, the substance in chili peppers that gives them their heat. While studying oral cancer pain, Dr. Gonzales’ team discovered that capsazepine has significant cancer-fighting activity through a cancer-selective mechanism of action. In collaboration with the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery, a partnership of [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-06-10T10:07:13-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer not better than radiation therapy, study finds

Source: News Medical Date: June 7, 2019 Author: Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych (Editor) In 2012, scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute launched the world's first clinical trial comparing robotic surgery to radiation therapy for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer (cancer at the back of the throat). The team is now reporting findings from the seven-year study which challenges beliefs that surgery leads to better swallowing outcomes, suggesting instead that radiation results in better quality of life for patients. For Betty Ostrander, an operating room nurse from Tillsonburg, Ontario, a throat cancer diagnosis was life-changing. Betty was 59 when she discovered a small lump on the right side of her neck. After seeking medical care and testing, she was told she had oropharyngeal cancer. "I remember thinking 'I'm healthy, I eat right and I exercise; this can't be happening to me.' But it was, and it was scary," recalls Betty. "One of the first questions I asked was whether there were any clinical trials available." Betty was one of 68 research participants in the ORATOR trial. The study included six centres from across Canada and Australia, including London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) London Regional Cancer Program. Participants were randomized to receive either precision radiation therapy, often combined with chemotherapy, or transoral robotic surgery (TORS). TORS is a surgical method for treating throat cancer which uses a small 3D camera and miniature robotic instruments to remove tumors. LHSC was the first center in Canada to offer TORS in 2011. "Early studies [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-06-10T10:11:19-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers training AI mobile app to detect early signs of oral cancer

Source: www.beckershospitalreview.com Author: Andrea Park Computer scientists have secured funding to develop artificial intelligence that can automatically identify signs of early-stage oral cancer using an existing screening app. The project will build upon Cancer Research Malaysia's Mobile Mouth Screening Anywhere (MeMoSA) app, which is currently used to capture images of the oral cavity for remote interpretation by oral medicine and surgical specialists. Researchers from the U.K.'s Kingston University and Malaysia's University of Malaya will train a deep learning system to distinguish between thousands of photos with and without signs of oral cancer, then integrate that system into the app. "Our challenge is to develop deep learning models that demonstrate a high accuracy and prediction of disease," said lead researcher Sarah Barman, PhD, a professor of computer vision at Kingston. "If we find this approach is reliable enough, artificial intelligence could be used for other forms of disease screening with a wide range of possible applications in the field of medical diagnostics."

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-06T07:18:50-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

‘Game-changing’ new treatment for cancer patients available in Canada

Source: www.ctvnews.ca Author: Jackie Vandinther, Digital Content Editor In the last three years, David Hutson has beaten both throat and skin cancer. Now he’s hoping a new form of radiation treatment will help him overcome the prostate cancer he was diagnosed with last September. Hutson is the first patient in the world to experiment with a new cancer-killing technology called MR-Linac. Radiologists from the Christie Hospital Manchester in the United Kingdom help cancer patient David Hutson out of the MR-Linac radiation machine in Manchester, U.K. in May 2019 Patient David Hutson receives radiation treatment for his prostate cancer using an MR-Linac machine at the Christie Hospital Manchester in Manchester, the United Kingdom in May 2019. (ITN) "I feel very lucky indeed that I'm having this treatment. I feel very confident in this technology,” he says from the Christie Hospital Manchester in the United Kingdom. "And from my diagnosis, it's going to help me to defeat this third bout of cancer." Normally, radiotherapy is carried out in two stages. First, a scan of the tumour is made. Then a dose of radiation is delivered. Part MRI scanner and part radiation machine, the MR-Linac allows doctors to do both tasks at once; they can visualize the tumour in real time while beaming high-energy radiation to the area. The result is on-the-spot imaging and targeted treatment in one shot. Because doctors can give more precise and intense doses of radiation, the groundbreaking technology could treat cancers with unprecedented safety [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-02T09:00:50-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

A new way to predict complications after larynx cancer surgery

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: News release - Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan Rebecca Hoesli, M.D., and Matthew Spector, M.D., evaluate an image from the studey A technique that illuminates blood flow during surgery predicted which head and neck cancer patients were likely to have issues with wound healing. It could enable surgeons to make adjustments during surgery or recovery to improve outcomes. A team of surgeons at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found the approach so successful in a clinical trial that they closed the study early. Most people with larynx cancer will have radiation and chemotherapy. But about one-third of the time, the cancer will return or will prove resistant, leaving surgery as the next option. At this point, tissue damage from the radiation adds challenges to the operation. When the surgeon closes the wound, damaged tissue can interfere. For about 40% of patients, this will lead to a pharyngocutaneous fistula, a hole in the neck where saliva can leak out. It can cause bleeding or infections, keeping patients in the hospital longer, and in 10% of cases sending them back to the operating room to fix it. "Radiation damage is something you can't always see. There have been very few examples in the literature that would explain or predict who's going to have a complication," says Matthew E. Spector, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Michigan Medicine. Spector is the senior author on a paper made available online in February ahead of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2019-06-02T08:52:12-07:00June, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Queensland scientist develops new HPV cancer vaccine

Source: 9News Date: May 22, 2019 Author: 9News Staff *click Source to view video* Former Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer has developed a vaccine aimed at treating HPV-related cancers of the head, neck, throat and tongue. While funding is still being finalised, a trial of the vaccine is being prepared for people with incurable oropharyngeal cancers. Professor Frazer, the Scottish-born immunologist who developed and patented the vaccine against HPV-related cervical cancer, has been working on this vaccine for nearly 15 years. While the cervical cancer vaccine works as a preventative, this new vaccine is a treatment therapy. It works by teaching the patient’s immune system to target the cancer cells containing HPV. The patient will then be given immunotherapy drugs that supercharge the immune system. “This is all about a new way to treat cancer using the body's defence against infection,” Professor Frazer said. “This might give a second chance at life.” HPV-related throat cancer kills three Australians every day. “It's going to become a major problem in Australia, in fact in the US we've seen an increase in HPV-related throat cancers by 225 per cent," head and neck radiation oncologist Sandro Porceddu said. Professor Porceddu will conduct the trial at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. It should begin towards the end of this year if a further $700,000 in necessary funding is found. © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019

Charlotte Parker2019-05-22T16:06:08-07:00May, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

Greens and Genes

Source: Harvard Medical School Date: May 16, 2019 Author: Jacqueline Mitchell Your mother was right: Broccoli is good for you. Long associated with decreased risk of cancer, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables—the family of plants that also includes cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, Brussels sprouts and kale—have now been found to contain a molecule that inactivates a gene known to play a role in a variety of common human cancers. In a new paper published May 16 in Science, researchers led by Pier Paolo Pandolfi, the HMS Victor J. Aresty Professor of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, demonstrate that targeting the gene, known as WWP1, with the ingredient found in broccoli suppressed tumor growth in cancer-prone lab animals. “We found a new important player that drives a pathway critical to the development of cancer, an enzyme that can be inhibited with a natural compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables,” said Pandolfi, who is also director of the Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess. “This pathway emerges not only as a regulator for tumor growth control, but also as an Achilles’ heel we can target with therapeutic options,” Pandolfi said. One of the most frequently mutated, deleted, downregulated or silenced tumor suppressor genes in human cancersis PTEN. Certain inherited PTEN mutations can cause syndromes characterized by cancer susceptibility and developmental defects. Because complete loss of the gene triggers an irreversible and potent failsafe mechanism that halts proliferation of cancer cells, it’s rare for both copies of the gene (humans have one [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-05-20T11:00:28-07:00May, 2019|Oral Cancer News|

The Problem With Supplements

Source: Elemental Date: May 6, 2019 Author: Markham Heid Earlier this year, federal authorities announced plans to strengthen oversight of the supplement industry. “The growth in the number of adulterated and misbranded products — including those spiked with drug ingredients not declared on their labels, misleading claims, and other risks — creates new potential dangers,” said U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in a February press release. Heightened oversight is needed, Gottlieb argued, because expansion and change within the supplement industry has made it difficult for his agency to keep pace. “What was once a $4 billion industry comprised of about 4,000 unique products, is now an industry worth more than $40 billion, with more than 50,000 — and possibly as many as 80,000 or even more — different products available to consumers,” he said. From multivitamins and botanicals to probiotics and protein powders, roughly three out of four Americans now take some kind of supplement on a regular basis. Since the days of palliative tonics and snake-oil salesmen, Americans have been readily lured by the promise of health or longevity in the form of a drink, pill, or powder. While the terminology has evolved — “biohacking” and “nutraceuticals” are some of the buzzwords du jour — the implied benefits of most supplements still outpace or ignore the science. And despite recent studies that find supplements are frequently contaminated or that the best way to get nutrients is through food, Americans’ interest in supplements is only growing. And experts say many supplement users don’t recognize or appreciate the risks that accompany the [...]

Charlotte Parker2019-05-07T11:05:54-07:00May, 2019|Oral Cancer News|