stem cells

Reducing xerostomia through advanced technology

Source: The Lancet Oncology Radiation-related xerostomia has been the most significant and disabling side-effect of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer for more than 50 years. With the PARSPORT trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology, the largest and best designed of several randomised trials focusing on xerostomia, radiation oncologists and their partners in physics and dosimetry should take pride that significant progress has been made. Before the introduction of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), more than 80% of survivors experienced substantial dry mouth syndrome and associated effects on dental health, swallowing, taste, and quality of life. By contrast, Nutting and colleagues report about 25% of 2-year survivors had significant clinician-rated xerostomia. Taken together with two randomised trials of IMRT for nasopharyngeal cancer, there is now compelling evidence of the power of advanced technology in reducing toxicity from head and neck radiotherapy. Can even better use of technology help us to further reduce xerostomia? The parotid glands provide watery saliva during eating, which is largely replaceable by consuming more water or lubricants. The submandibular, sublingual, and minor salivary glands provide mucinous saliva, associated with the resting sense of moisture and dry mouth symptoms. Future work should systematically explore the prioritisation of different components of the salivary gland system. A clinical benefit from sparing the submandibular glands may be seen, beyond that seen by sparing the parotid glands. The mean dose delivered to the minor salivary glands within the oral cavity has also been reported to be a significant factor in patient-reported xerostomia. Further possibilities include gland repair [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-01-31T14:08:42-07:00January, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Plant stem cells pave way for low-cost cancer drug

Source: sify.com Author: saff A new study has suggested that a well-known cancer drug could be produced cheaply and sustainably using stem cells derived from trees. University of Edinburgh researchers have isolated and grown stem cells from a yew tree whose bark is a natural source of the anticancer compound paclitaxel. The development could enable the compound to be produced on a commercial scale at low cost, with no harmful by-products. Scientists and engineers behind the development say the drug treatment - currently used on lung, ovarian, breast, head and neck cancer - could become cheaper and more widely available. Currently, an extract from yew tree bark is used to industrially manufacture the compound paclitaxel. However, this process is expensive, requires supplies of mature trees, and creates environmentally damaging by-products. Researchers claim that using stem cells-self-renewing tree cells which can be manipulated to produce large amounts of the active compound-would effectively create an abundant supply of the drug. Scientists behind the project have also cultured stem cells from other plants with medical applications, indicating that the technique could be used to manufacture other important pharmaceuticals besides paclitaxel. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-26T08:33:51-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Nanomagnet in “Star-Trek style” wand could cure cancer

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk Author: staff The space-age technology, which uses microscopic iron particles to heat up and destroy tumours, may be ready for clinical trials in as little as three years. Different teams of UK scientists have been working together on the research, which could bring new hope to patients who are no longer responding to standard therapy. In future the ''nanomagnet'' cancer treatment may even be administered in GP surgeries or out-patient clinics. Crucially, the scientists believe it will be highly cost-effective. The technique literally ''cooks'' cancer cells as if they were in a microwave oven. But instead of microwaves, a rapidly changing magnetic field is generated by the paddle-shaped ''wand''. This heats up thousands of iron oxide ''nanoparticles'' placed inside the tumours. Heating the cells by only 5-6C is enough to send them into shock and kill them. Meanwhile, surrounding healthy tissue in which the iron oxide particles are absent is left unharmed. A major part of the research has involved finding ways to target tumours with the nanoparticles. Two approaches have been explored, one using bone marrow stem cells and the other using antibodies to ferry the particles to cancer sites. A major advantage of using a biological version of ''iron filings'' in the therapy is that they can easily be tracked by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Doctors will be able to map exactly where the nanoparticles - and the cancer - are situated in the body. The ''wand'' can then be held over the hidden [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T20:29:12-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|