Smoking significantly increases the risk for head and neck cancers for both men and women, regardless of the anatomic site. Published in the October 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, a large, prospective study confirmed strong associations between current and past cigarette smoking and malignancies of the head and neck in both genders.
Though the overall incidence of head and neck cancers has fallen in the United States, the rate of oropharyngeal (chiefly, tonsil and base of tongue) cancers is stagnant and appears to be rising is certain populations and these trends are likely due to oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
On 23 August 2007, Dr Howard Zucker, Head of the WHO cluster Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals and Representative of the Director-General on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Public Health of the World Health Organization (WHO), was visiting the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) at Langen near Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Angiogenesis inhibitors that block a tumor’s development of an independent blood supply have been touted as effective cancer fighters that result in fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
Avastin (bevacizumab), Roche’s innovative anti-cancer drug, was approved today in Europe for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy.
When human heart muscle cells derived from embryonic stem cells are implanted into a rat after a heart attack, they can help rebuild the animal’s heart muscle and improve function of the organ, scientists report in the September issue of Nature Biotechnology.
AS (f, 28 years) who lived in Banjar Batu Gaing, Baraban, Kediri, Tabanan Bali died on August 21, 2007 at 01.30 p.m. at Sanglah Hospital. She was identified positive of avian influenza (AI) based on observation of Balitbangkes and Eijkman Laboratory. Therefore, there are 2 AI positive cases dead in Bali.
Consents allowing the supply of 200mg and 400mg tablets of the COX-2 anti-inflammatory medicine Prexige have been revoked in New Zealand by the Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, Medsafe.
Indonesia has sent specimen of H5N1 virus to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, (CDC Atlanta), USA, on Thursday, August 16, 2007. It is sent by National Institute of Health Research & Development (Balitbangkes) MOH through NAMRU-2 (Naval Medical Research Unit-2) USA, which is located in Balitbangkes building at Jl. Percetakan Negara, Jakarta.
The Ministry of Health is encouraging councils and drinking water suppliers need to make greater use of the Government?s drinking water technical assistance programme.