chemotherapy – Page 26 – Oral Cancer News

FDA clears transoral robotic surgery – developed at Penn –for tumors of mouth, throat and voice box

Source: www.healthcanal.com Author: staff A minimally invasive surgical approach developed by head and neck surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, California) has been cleared for TransOral Otolaryngology surgical procedures to treat benign tumors and selected malignant tumors in adults. Drs. Gregory S. Weinstein and Bert W. O’Malley, Jr. of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery founded the world’s first TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) programat Penn Medicine in 2004, where they developed and researched the TORS approach for a variety of robotic surgical neck approaches for both malignant and benign tumors of the mouth, voice box, tonsil, tongue and other parts of the throat. Since 2005, approximately 350 Penn patients have participated in the world’s first prospective clinical trials of TORS. These research trials compromise the largest and most comprehensive studies of the technology on record. “TORS has dramatically improved the way we treat head and neck cancer patients, completely removing tumors while preserving speech, swallowing, and other key quality of life issues,” said Bert O’Malley, Jr., MD, professor and chairman of Penn Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology:Head and Neck Surgery. “It is very exciting that a concept conceived at PENN, evaluated in pre-clinical experimental models at Penn, tested in clinical trials at Penn, and then taught to key surgeons and institutions both within the U.S. and internationally has been officially [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-19T23:10:00-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Q&A: treating larynx cancer with chemotherapy alone

Source: www2.mdanderson.org/cancerwise Author: Cancerwise Blogger In certain cases, cancer of the larynx (voicebox) can be treated successfully with chemotherapy alone, according to a recent study at M. D. Anderson. Chris Holsinger, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, was co-author of the study, which is the first of its kind in the United States. He answers questions about this groundbreaking research that may provide hope for some patients. How has the treatment for larynx cancer evolved over the past few decades? Thirty years ago, the only option for cancer of the larynx, also called laryngeal cancer was surgical removal of part of the larynx. In the 1970s, treatment moved away from surgery and more toward radiation. Then we began to combine radiation and chemotherapy. What are some of the disadvantages of treating cancer of the larynx with radiation? Radiation can have side effects, especially long-term toxicity. In many patients, the cancer returns. Sometimes, radiation therapy saves the larynx and trachea (windpipe), but they do not work as well. This requires some patients to have a tracheotomy (a surgical procedure that makes an incision in the trachea to open a direct airway) or gastrostomy (surgical opening into the stomach). If patients who have radiation need surgery later, they often have more surgical complications and lower survival rates. What inspired you to look at treating larynx cancer with chemotherapy? While the treatment of larynx cancer was evolving in the United States, another story was unfolding in Paris. Two [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-02T21:12:25-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Neck response to chemoradiotherapy

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(11):1133-1136 Author: Alexander Langerman, MD et al. Complete Radiographic Response Correlates With Pathologic Complete Response in Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Objective: The role of neck dissection following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer is an area of active debate. Patients who have a complete radiographic response may not need dissection, and the extent of neck dissection necessary for those patients with residual disease is unclear. Design: Retrospective review of data from a prospectively collected database of patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer treated as part of a phase 2 study of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent CRT. The results of post-CRT neck computed tomography (CT) imaging and pathologic analysis of the neck dissection specimens were compared to evaluate correlation between radiographic and pathologic response. Results: Forty-nine patients underwent 61 hemineck dissections. Overall, 209 neck levels were dissected. Radiologic complete response in the neck was achieved in 39 patients, all of whom had pathologic specimens negative for tumor cells. Ten patients (20%) had a total of 14 neck levels with residual disease on CT imaging. Five (50%) of these 10 patients were found to have residual tumor cells on pathologic analysis. Tumor cells were contained only to those levels found positive on CT imaging; they were present in 7 (50%) of the 14 positive levels. Conclusions: Neck levels with residual disease on post-CRT CT imaging warrant removal. However, neck levels without evidence of disease on post-CRT CT imaging [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-17T19:34:20-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Erbitux recognized by ASCO as a 2009 major cancer advance as first SCCHN treatment to improve survival in 30 years

Source: www.vwd.de Author: press release The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has once again recognized Erbitux® (cetuximab) as one of the major clinical cancer advances of 2009. This year Erbitux was selected by ASCO for providing the first significant increase in survival for 30 years in the treatment of patients with first-line recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck(SCCHN).1 ASCO Clinical Advances Report1 The ASCO report, ‘Clinical Cancer Advances 2009: Major Research Advances in Cancer Treatment, Prevention and Screening’, published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is an independent assessment of the most significant clinical cancer research studies of the past year. Erbitux was singled out for the pivotal first-line SCCHN study, the first randomized trial in 30 years to identify a regimen that increases survival for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN. The report commented that, “The ability to improve overall survival with chemotherapy has proven elusive over the last 30 years in several randomized trials comparing different chemotherapy regimens in this setting. Thus, the results of this trial are particularly noteworthy and are changing clinical practice.” This is the second consecutive year that Erbitux has featured in the ASCO ‘Advances’ list.3 In 2008 it was recognized for extending survival in the first-line treatment of NSCLC and for the role of KRAS tumor status in predicting whether patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer will respond to Erbitux.2 “Merck Serono is honored that Erbitux is recognized by ASCO two years in a [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-16T22:39:55-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Chemo treatments lengthen lives for head, neck cancer patients

Source: www.privatemdlabs.com Author: Brendan Missett Patients with head and neck cancer receiving a combined treatment of chemotherapy and radiation may live 2.1 years longer than those treated only with radiotherapy, new research suggests. The study, published in the October 27 issue of The Lancet Oncology, separated 966 patients with advanced head and neck cancer into four treatment groups, and examined their progression over 10 years, HealthDay News reports. The four groups designated patients who received radiotherapy alone, two courses of simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy, two courses of chemotherapy after completing radiotherapy, and chemotherapy both during, and after radiotherapy. Researchers found that chemo, given at the same time as radiotherapy, was most effective in reducing deaths and cancer recurrence in head and neck cancer patients who hadn't undergone surgery. Chemotherapy given after radiotherapy was completely ineffective, according to the study. The UK Head and Neck Cancer Group researchers wrote that chemotherapy drugs offer an "inexpensive" method to "considerably improve the likelihood of completing treatment, essential for improving the chances of a cure." According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1,500 people in the U.S. are expected to die of cancer each day in the next year. Doctors recommend an array of imaging tests or lab tests to detect some types of cancer while they are treatable.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-11T14:29:36-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Weekly radiation of more than 10 gy improves local control in head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.docguide.com Author: John Otrompke Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who receive an average weekly fractionated radiation dose of more than 10 gy experience significantly better local control at 2 years, unless they are receiving chemotherapy at the same time, according to a study presented here at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) 51st Annual Meeting. "We're not seeing the benefit in those who also receive chemotherapy with the radiation," said Alek F. Dragovic, MD, Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. If they have low-stage cancer, they may not necessarily need chemotherapy along with radiation. Also, patients are often not healthy enough to receive chemotherapy if they can't tolerate the side effects, Dr. Dragovic explained in his presentation on November 3. In the study, 601 patients who received definitive radiotherapy were divided retrospectively into those who received more or less than an average weekly dose of 10 gy. Patients who received the traditional schedule of once per day made up 45.1% of the patient population, those who received concomitant boost radiation, in which patients get treated twice per day during the last 2 weeks of radiotherapy, were 17.6% of the population; while 17.5% were treated with simultaneous integrated boost, 15.1% received radiation twice daily, and other received other schedules. Overall, patients who received on average more than 10 gy per week experienced 77.4% local regional control at 2 years, compared with 71.4% who received less than 10 gy per week. For [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-11T07:50:14-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Chemoradiation confers long-term benefits in head and neck cancer

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Zosia Chustecka In patients with head and neck cancer who do not undergo surgery, chemotherapy with nonplatinum agents given concurrently with radiotherapy offers clear benefits for recurrence and survival, say the authors of one of the largest and longest randomized trials carried out in this patient group. Event-free survival in patients who received concomitant chemoradiation was double that seen in patients who received radiotherapy alone or in those who received chemotherapy after radiation (with or without concurrent chemotherapy). Overall survival was also nearly doubled, although this result was not statistically significant. These benefits persisted for 10 years, the researchers note in their report published online October 27 in the Lancet Oncology. The results come from the UK Head and Neck (UKHAN1) trial, headed by Jeremy Tobias, FRCP, from the Department of Clinical Oncology, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Chemoradiation as a treatment option for head and neck cancer is still rather controversial, Dr. Tobias told Medscape Oncology, and there are some physicians who would consider using radiation alone. "I think this study has gone quite a long way toward showing that chemotherapy given simultaneously with radiation is useful," he said. The benefits were "so striking that they trump any additional toxicity," he added. However, chemotherapy given after radiation did not confer any benefit, and it increased toxicity. Also, there was no benefit from the addition of chemotherapy to radiation in patients with head and neck cancer who had undergone surgery. Details of the Long-Term Results The [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-05T07:45:25-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

PMH finding may help some tonsil cancer patients avoid chemotherapy

Source: www.sciencecodex.com Author: staff Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have confirmed that patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer ("tonsil cancer") harbour a common type of human papilloma virus (HPV16), but also that such cancers are very sensitive to radiation. For some patients, this may mean successful treatment with radiation alone and avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy. "This represents the power of personalized medicine. By using a relatively simple molecular test to evaluate the tumour, we can customize the treatment plan, produce an excellent outcome, and maintain the patient's quality of life," says principal investigator Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, PMH radiation oncologist, Head of the Division of Applied Molecular Oncology, Ontario Cancer Institute, and Dr. Mariano Elia Chair in Head & Neck Cancer Research, University Health Network. Dr. Liu's team discovered that patients whose tumours tested positive for HPV16 had a much better survival, compared to patients whose tumours did not harbour HPV16. This HPV effect was independent of treatment (radiation alone, or radiation plus chemotherapy), suggesting that some HPV16 patients could be treated with radiation only. As a result, PMH now routinely tests tonsil-area tumours for HPV16 -- one of the first cancer programs to do so. The study's finding is important because this particular type of cancer is increasing – up more than 10% in the past 20 years. The jump is likely attributed to the spread of HPV16 through sexual activity, compared with a 20% decline in other similar head-and-neck cancers over the same period because [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-04T12:27:48-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Adding chemo helps head, neck cancer patients

Source: HealthDayNews Author: Staff TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Combining chemotherapy with radiation treatment for patients with advanced head and neck cancer increases their event-free survival to 2.2 years from just one year with radiotherapy alone, finds a new study. According to the study authors, "events" include cancer recurrence, new tumors or death. British researchers looked at the 10-year outcomes of 966 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Those who hadn't undergone surgery for their cancer were randomly assigned to one of four groups: radiotherapy alone (233 patients); two courses of simultaneous (SIM) chemotherapy given at the same time as radiotherapy (166 patients); two courses of chemotherapy after (subsequent -- SUB) completing radiotherapy (160 patients); or both SIM and SUB (154 patients). Patients who'd had surgery were randomly assigned to radiotherapy alone (135 patients) or SIM alone (118 patients). Overall, non-platinum-based chemotherapy given at the same time as radiotherapy reduced deaths and cancer recurrence in patients who hadn't undergone surgery, with acceptable toxicity. But patients who'd undergone surgery didn't benefit from this combined treatment. The researchers also found that chemotherapy given after radiotherapy was ineffective, didn't improve survival, and doubled the rate of toxicity. Among patients who didn't have surgery, median survival time was 2.6 years in the radiotherapy group, and 4.7 years, 2.3 years and 2.7 years, respectively, in patients who received SIM alone, SUB alone, and SIM plus SUB. Median event-free survival among patients who didn't have surgery was one year in the radiotherapy group, 2.2 years in [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-10-30T05:30:39-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Collaboration In The Quest To Contain Cancer

Source: forbes.com Author: Thomas Stossel This year's Lasker Foundation annual prize for medical breakthroughs--the American version of the Nobel Prize--recognizes a breakthrough cancer treatment that has revolutionized chemotherapy, a "targeted therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia." But more symbolic--and no doubt controversial--was to whom the prize was awarded: two academic scientists and a former drug company employee. Ironically, the treatment probably shouldn't exist. Only 3,000 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, a population usually thought too small to justify the hundreds of millions of dollars that companies must spend to develop new medicines. That the therapy exists at all is a testament to the dedication of our research community and the vital collaboration between academic and commercial scientists. The Lasker prize for CML is viewed as the first practical payoff from decades of research attempting to understand why some cells deviate from their normal programming to become life-threatening cancer. It has long been known that cancer cells multiply and spread wildly to destroy healthy tissues. The research that led to the new treatment revealed that in cancer cells a component of the signaling system controlling cell behavior performs autonomously, like a traffic light permanently set on green, instructing cells to multiply and uncontrollably invade nearby tissues. Researchers speculated that by shutting down the abnormal signals (switching the light from green to red) cancer cells, lacking the key signal to multiply, would behave normally. This approach is a radical departure from 50 years of cancer treatment [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-15T12:44:10-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|