toxicity – Page 2 – Oral Cancer News

Medicated patch shows promise in oral cancer prevention

Source: www.healthnewsdigest.com Author: press release Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a medicated oral patch that allows a chemoprevention drug to release directly into precancerous lesions in the mouth over an extended time. The study evaluated the drug fenretinide, a synthetic derivative of vitamin A that has highly promising anti-cancer properties. Until now, scientists have failed to achieve a therapeutic, systemic dose of fenretinide because of drug toxicity and rapid release from the body. By using a new mucoadhesive patch invented by a team from Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) and the University of Michigan, the researchers developed a delivery system that can provide continuous drug therapy to saliva-coated oral tissue. “The challenge with oral gels or rinses is the medication can dissolve in saliva before it penetrates into the tissue. This patch allows us to target and control drug delivery and tissue exposure,” says Dr. Susan Mallery, an oral pathologist at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. The patch consists of three layers: a disk saturated with fenretinide and polymers to make the drug more soluble in saliva, an adhesive ring to hold the disk in place, and a backing layer to ensure the medication stays within the patch. In their study recently published online by the journal Pharmaceutical Research, Mallery and co-investigator, Dr. Peter Larsen of Ohio State, tested the fenretinide patch using simulated saliva as well as lab animals. In [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-09-02T19:03:27-07:00September, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Study identifies patients best suited to second round of head-and-neck treatment

Source: http://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/ Author: Delicia Honen Yard A small group of patients with recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer achieved long-term cure after undergoing concomitant chemotherapy with reirradiation. However, the associated risk of severe toxicity demonstrated that only carefully selected patients should undergo treatment readministration. Joseph Salama, MD, formerly with the University of Chicago (Illinois), and colleagues analyzed data from 166 patients with head and neck cancer who had received a first round of radiation followed by a second round plus chemotherapy because their cancer recurred or because they developed a new tumor. After a median follow-up of 53 months among surviving patients, median overall survival was 10.3 months. The 2-year rates for overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional control, and freedom from distant metastasis were 24.8%, 19.9%, 50.7%, and 61.4%, respectively. Despite yielding a 2-year cure rate of nearly a quarter of the subjects, the second course of treatment was highly toxic: 33 participants (19.9%) died of treatment-related toxicity, and some lost the ability to speak or swallow. The investigators found that certain patients benefited from the second treatment over others: Those who were cancer-free for a longer period of time, did not have chemotherapy with their first course of radiation, were treated with a higher dose of radiation in their second round, and had surgical resection or debulking prior to the second course of radiation were more likely to be cured at 2 years than those who had none or only some of these features. “This can help doctors determine [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-07-03T09:12:41-07:00July, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

ASCO: Antibody improves head and neck cancer results

Source: www.medpagetoday.com Author: Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today A novel antibody improved outcomes for patients with advanced and inoperable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, researchers reported. Combined with radiation or chemoradiation, the substance -- a fully humanized monoclonal antibody dubbed nimotuzumab -- significantly outperformed either modality alone in an open-label randomized trial, according to K. Govind Babu, MD, of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bangalore, India, and colleagues. At the same time, there was little serious toxicity -- such as debilitating skin rash -- attributed to the compound, the researchers reported in a poster discussion session at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology here. It's the first randomized study of the drug to show clinical benefit without the toxicities associated with similar antibodies, the researchers said. In general, neither radiation nor chemotherapy provides a good outcome for patients with inoperable stage III or IVa squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. However, substances such as cetuximab (Erbitux) that target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -- overexpressed in such tumors -- have improved outcomes. Nimotuzumab, like cetuximab, targets EGFR, but is highly selective for tumor tissues, limiting toxicity, the researchers said. The study enrolled 92 patients, and 76 were evaluable for efficacy. They were treated with radiation or chemoradiation (with cisplatin), with or without nimotuzumab. The substance was given by intravenous infusion of 200 milligrams over a 60-minute period, once a week for six weeks. In group A -- [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-06T07:24:13-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer risk reduction study reports green tea extracts may protect against oral cancer

Source: baileyshealthstore.wordpress.com Author: staff Over 50 per cent of participants in the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center study experienced a clinical response to the green tea extracts, according to findings published in Cancer Prevention Research. “While still very early, and not definitive proof that green tea is an effective preventive agent, these results certainly encourage more study for patients at highest risk for oral cancer,” explained the research team. “The extract’s lack of toxicity is very crucial in prevention trials. It’s very important to remember that these are otherwise healthy individuals and we need to ensure that agents studied produce no harm,” they added. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC). The study followed 41 people with oral leukoplakia, a condition is a sign of oral cancer risk. The participants were assigned to receive either placebo or green tea extract at one of three doses, including 500 milligrams or 1,000 mg three times a day. The researchers collected oral tissue biopsies, which they say was “essential in that it allowed us to learn that not only did the green tea extract appear to have benefit for some patients, but we pointed [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-09T09:56:41-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Adverse events associated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer

Source: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(12):1209-1217 Authors: Daniel J. Givens, BS et al. Objective: To assess toxicities, functional outcomes, and health-related quality of life associated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in patients with head and neck cancer. Design: Prospective and retrospective outcomes study. Setting: Tertiary care institution. Patients: Participants in the longitudinal Outcomes Assessment Project whose head and neck cancer was treated with CRT between February 1, 2000, and March 1, 2007 (n = 104). Interventions: Patients prospectively provided functional and health-related quality of life information, including data from the 1-year and most current follow-up visits. Medical records were reviewed to determine toxicity and survival rates. Main Outcome Measures: Well-defined acute and late toxicities; functional outcomes (diet, dentition, tracheostomies); head and neck cancer–specific, general health, and depression outcomes; and survival rates. Results: Most patients had oropharyngeal or laryngeal tumors (87.5%) and advanced-stage disease (75.0%). Approximately one-half had hematologic toxicities and toxicity-related treatment delays. Approximately one-quarter had neurotoxicities and/or ototoxicites, moist desquamation, pneumonia, nausea and vomiting requiring hospitalization or intravenous fluids, dehydration or malnutrition requiring hospitalization, and mild or moderate fever. Although patients receiving the current intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) protocol using the Pinnacle3 planning system had more toxicity-related treatment delays, they had fewer toxicities and better functional and health-related quality of life outcomes compared with those receiving conventional lateral opposing-field radiation or the initial IMRT protocol using the Best nomos PEACOCK planning system. Conclusions: Patients receiving CRT experience a substantial number of treatment-related adverse events, primarily affecting oropharyngeal and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-23T14:52:45-07:00December, 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|

Does green tea prevent cancer?

Source: www.ivanhoe.com Author: staff Evidence continues to brew about the protective effects of green tea against cancer, but scientists are still not sure the tea leaves reveal the answer. Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulo, M.D., professor of medicine in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues tested 41 patients who took green tea extract orally for three months at three dose levels. Nearly 60 percent of patients with oral pre-malignant lesions, who were at the highest dose levels, displayed clinical response, compared with less than 20 percent among those taking placebo. Researchers also observed a trend toward improved histology, and a trend toward improvement in a handful of biomarkers that may be important in predicting cancer development. Patients were followed for 27.5 months, and at the end of the study period, 15 developed oral cancer. Although there was no difference in oral cancer development overall between those who took green tea extract and those who did not, patients who presented with mild to moderate dysplasia had a longer time to develop oral cancer if they took green tea extract. Although encouraged by the results, Dr. Papadimitrakopoulo cautioned against any recommendations that green tea could definitely prevent cancer. "This is a phase II study with a very limited number of patients who took what would be the equivalent of drinking eight to 10 cups of green tea every single day," Dr. Papadimitrakopoulo was quoted as saying. "We cannot with certainty claim [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-09T14:03:35-07:00November, 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|

YM Biosciences reports positive nimotuzumab four-year survival data

Source: www.reuters.com Author: press release YM BioSciences Inc., a life sciences product development company that identifies and advances a diverse portfolio of promising cancer-related products at various stages of development, announced that an oral presentation at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) 2009 Annual Meeting reported positive 48-month survival data for its EGFR-targeting antibody, nimotuzumab. The "BEST" trial was a randomized four-arm study treating patients with inoperable, locoregionally-advanced, stage III/IVa head and neck cancer with radiation alone, chemoradiation alone, or radiation or chemoradiation in combination with nimotuzumab. These data were a follow-up to 30-month survival data presented at ASCO 2009 and demonstrate that the benefit of adding nimotuzumab to radiation and chemoradiation is durable and persists for several years. "These data are convincing evidence that nimotuzumab is an efficacious and safe drug and highlight its potential in the head and neck cancer indication. In this respect we note that the National Cancer Centre of Singapore has initiated a global Phase III trial with nimotuzumab in the adjuvant setting for head and neck cancer patients," said David Allan, Chairman and CEO of YM BioSciences. "Activity of nimotuzumab in the BEST trial was similar to that demonstrated in separate trials with cetuximab in locally advanced head and neck cancer but there was no evidence that nimotuzumab's activity was accompanied by the advanced toxicities of the class." In the ASTRO presentation, Dr. Lokesh Viswanth, Kidwani Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India described that the addition of nimotuzumab to radiotherapy (RT) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-11-03T08:17:42-07:00November, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Light-mediated therapy aims to overcome both tumour cell uptake barriers and toxicity problems

Source: news.prnewswire.com Author: press release PCI Biotech Holding ASA, the Norwegian drug delivery company focusing on effective delivery of cancer therapeutics, today announced that the first patient has received treatment in the Phase I/II trial with the lead candidate Amphinex(R), which uses a new approach called photochemical internalisation. The patient was treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) in London. PCI's proprietary photosensitiser Amphinex(R) is in this study combined with the therapeutic agent bleomycin. When activated by light, Amphinex(R) promotes effective delivery of large therapeutic molecules such as bleomycin through triggered endosomal release. The trial will investigate a broadly representative spectrum of cancers including head and neck cancer and breast cancer, to demonstrate the safety and potential of this new approach. The primary objective of this study is to assess the maximum tolerated dose of Amphinex(R), in PCI treatment with bleomycin. Secondary objectives include determination of the antitumor activity of Amphinex(R) when used in combination with bleomycin, as well as its pharmacokinetics. Colin Hopper, Principal Investigator at UCH, said: "At UCH we are dedicated to high quality patient care and we have extensive experience in the use of photodynamic therapy to treat cancer patients. PCI is a very exciting new approach in photodynamic medicine that has shown great promise in preclinical studies. We are very proud of being the first centre to move this new technology into the clinic." Per Walday CEO of PCI Biotech, said: "This first in man trial is an important step forward for the company. We [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-24T20:34:26-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|