We all know acupuncture as an old medical procedure that originated in China — a practice of inserting thin needles into specific body points to improve health and well-being.
Now, new data from a randomized, controlled trial found that acupuncture provided significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and dry mouth in head and neck cancer patients after radical neck dissection.
According to David Pfister, MD, Chief of the Head and Neck Medical Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) — who led the study and who presented the results at the ASCO Annual Meeting:
“Chronic pain and shoulder mobility problems are common after …read more

An allergic reaction to the cancer drug cetuximab has been found.
Sometimes the reaction includes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition characterized by a drop in blood pressure, fainting, difficulty breathing, and wheezing.
Now researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered that specific pre-existing antibodies cause the severe reaction to the drug.
Cetuximab is an immune-based therapy commonly used to treat persons diagnosed with head and neck cancer, or colon cancer, marketed as the popular brand Erbitux — a product of ImClone Systems Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
Find more details from …read more

Such were the findings of scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center who were able to capture genetic signatures common to head and neck cancer.
The researchers collected the rinsed saliva and filtered out cells thought to contain one or more of 21 bits of chemically altered genes common only to head and neck cancers. Tumor and blood samples also were collected.
The cellular mishaps occur when small molecules called methyl groups clamp on to the DNA ladder structure of a gene. In the grip of too many methyl groups, these genes can incorrectly switch on or off …read more

A web-based software program that can make more accurate predictions of long-term survival for head and neck cancer patients have been developed by researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute.
According to Samuel J. Wang, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator, Holman Pathway Resident in the Department of Radiation Medicine, OHSU School of Medicine:
“This new tool can help us make personalized predictions of conditional survival for an individual patient depending on his or her specific situation.
This is the first time we have the ability to make a customized prediction of conditional survival probability for an individual head and neck cancer …read more

These are some of the important and interesting  stuff on cancer that I missed while I was enjoying the beach:

Anthocyanidins May Help Treat Leukemia
Mushrooms to Prevent Breast Cancer
Pomegranate Juice May Help Fight Lung Cancer
Risk of Head and Neck Cancer Reduced with Fruits and Veggies

Do check them out.
Now you know that I am not only in the summer vacation mode but also in the “pig out mode”.
(Where I am is summer, sorry to confuse our readers of the west!)

At the moment, let me first direct you to interesting blog posts relating to cancer:
Ruth Schaffer discussed snake venom toxin that can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and the blood DNA test for early detection of liver cancer at The Biotech Weblog; fruit and vegetables reduce the risk of head and neck cancer at Eating Fabulous.
Kate Baggott wrote about breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk at Babylune.
Beauty blogger Christina Jones asks the question: to tan or not to tan at e-Beauty Daily (a pretty important question to those at risk of skin cancer).
Last but not least, Veggie Chic tells …read more

Alteration of the sense of taste is a common side effect for head and neck cancer patients after radiation therapy and supplementation of zinc sulfate has been thought to help quickly regain the sense of taste in this patient population.
Now, in a new study recently released by the International Journal for Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics (the official journal of ASTRO), zinc sulfate has been found to have no significant impact in either preventing or curing taste alteration in these radiation therapy-treated cancer patients.
According to Michele Y. Halyard, M.D., lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale …read more

Radiation-induced damage to the salivary glands is a common consequence of treatment for head and neck cancer.
Patients with head and neck cancer often receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, the salivary glands, which frequently reside within the irradiation field, can become damaged at the same time.
The resulting salivary dysfunction may involve dry mouth, oral infections, dental caries, and difficulty eating, some of which persist long after treatment ends, even permanently.
Now, researchers have shown that targeted overexpression of heat shock protein 25 prevents such a damage.
In treated rats, HSP25 protected salivary gland function by maintaining gland weight, salivary …read more