Maria M. LoTempio

Curcumin Suppresses Growth of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether curcumin would trigger cell death in the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines CCL 23, CAL 27, and UM-SCC1 in a dose-dependent fashion. Experimental Design: HNSCC cells were treated with curcumin and assayed for in vitro growth suppression using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiozol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses. Expression of p16, cyclin D1, phospho-Iκβ, and nuclear factor-κβ (NF-κβ) were measured by Western blotting, gel shift, and immunofluorescence. Results: Addition of curcumin resulted in a dose-dependent growth inhibition of all three cell lines. Curcumin treatment resulted in reduced nuclear expression of NF-κβ. This effect on NF-κβ was further reflected in the decreased expression of phospho-Iκβ-α. Whereas the expression of cyclin D1, an NF-κβ–activated protein, was also reduced, there was no difference in the expression of p16 at the initial times after curcumin treatment. In vivo growth studies were done using nude mice xenograft tumors. Curcumin was applied as a noninvasive topical paste to the tumors and inhibition of tumor growth was observed in xenografts from the CAL27 cell line. Conclusions: Curcumin treatment resulted in suppression of HNSCC growth both in vitro and in vivo. Our data support further investigation into the potential use for curcumin as an adjuvant or chemopreventive agent in head and neck cancer.

Comparison of quality of life outcomes in laryngeal cancer patients following chemoradiation vs. total laryngectomy

OBJECTIVE : To evaluate quality of life issues in patients with laryngeal cancer after treatment with either chemoradiation or total laryngectomy and radiation therapy. METHODS : Forty-nine patients with a history of stage II-IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated primarily with either chemoradiation or by total laryngectomy with postoperative radiation completed the University of Washington Quality of Life instrument, version 4. Patients were identified on a volunteer basis in an academic university head and neck clinic setting. Each patient completed the above instrument, and statistical analysis was performed by Wilcoxon and X 2 , tests. RESULTS : Instruments were completed by all 49 patients: 15 patients who underwent primary chemoradiation and 34 patients who underwent a total laryngectomy followed by radiation. Domains reported in both treatment groups without significant differences were appearance, activity, recreation, moods, taste, saliva, anxiety, and general questions. However, there were significant differences between the 2 groups in the domains of pain, swallowing, chewing, speech, and shoulder function. The laryngectomy patients reported greater impairment of speech (P = 0.001), and shoulder function (P = 0.018), whereas the chemoradiation patients suffered from greater pain, difficulty swallowing (P = 0.061), and problems chewing (P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS : Most patients with laryngeal cancer, whether treated primarily with chemoradiation or total laryngectomy, reported excellent functional outcomes and health-related quality of life. Pain, swallowing, chewing, saliva, and shoulder function were recorded as significant factors affecting their daily quality of life.

Quality of life outcomes in laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancer patients after chemoradiation

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare quality of life issues in patients with advanced laryngeal versus oropharyngeal cancer after treatment with chemoradiation. DESIGN: A cohort study of 31 patients with laryngeal or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemoradiation completed the University of Washington quality of life instrument version 4 (UW-QOL v4). Statistical analysis was performed with Wilcoxon rank sum and chi-square tests. SETTING: Academic tertiary care center. RESULTS: Both groups reported similar impairment in the domains of swallowing, chewing, and taste. Oropharyngeal cancer patients reported significantly worse quality of life in the domain of saliva (P < 0.007). CONCLUSION: Swallowing, chewing, and taste were adversely affected by chemoradiation for both groups. Oropharyngeal patients experienced significantly worse problems with saliva than laryngeal patients. These patients reported high levels of satisfaction with health-related quality of life issues. SIGNIFICANCE: Specific head and neck subsites have different morbidities when treated with primary chemoradiation for advanced tumors.

Curcumin suppresses growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Problem: To determine whether curcumin would trigger cell death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines CCL 23, CAL 27, UMSCC-1, and UMSCC-14 in a dose-dependent fashion. Methods: In-vitro studies included MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry of the HNSCC cells at 8 and 15 hours after treatment with curcumin. In vivo studies were done on HNSCC xenograft tumors grown in nude mice, using curcumin paste applied topically to the tumors daily for 4 weeks. Results: CCL23 cell lines had dose-dependent reduction in cell viability following treatment with curcumin, with nearly 100% cell survival at 100 μM and less than 5% survival at 300 μM. CAL27 cell lines showed reduction of cell viability beginning at 60 μM, and 0% survival at 300 μM. UMSCC-1 cell lines showed reduction in cell viability from 70% at 100 μM to 0% at 200 μM, at both 8 and 15 hours after treatment. UMSCC-14A cell lines showed similar sensitivity, with an average 40% reduction in viability beginning at 100 μM and 0% survival at 200 μM. Flow cytometry demonstrated early and late apoptosis with the curcumin-treated CCL23 and CAL27 cells. The xenograft tumors exhibited more than 50% decrease in size with the curcumin/saline paste. Conclusion: Curcumin has a direct effect on CCL23, CAL27, UMSCC-1, and UMSCC-14, reducing viability in both cell lines in a dose-dependent fashion. In addition, curcumin/saline paste had a significant suppressive effect on HNSCC xenograft tumors, confirming curcumin’s anti-tumor properties in vivo. Significance: To determine whether curcumin would trigger cell death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Support: None reported.

Quality of life outcomes in the evaluation of laryngeal cancer treatments

Objectives: To evaluate the quality of life issues of patients with laryngeal cancer after treatment with either chemoradiation or total laryngectomies. Methods: A prospective study of 31 patients with a history of stage III/IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated primarily with either chemoradiation or by total laryngectomy completed the University of Washington quality of life questionnaire. Patients were identified on a volunteer basis in an academic university head and neck clinic setting. Each patient completed the above questionnaire and statistical significance was assessed by nonparametric 2-tailed test. Results: Questionnaires were completed by all 31 patients, 15 patients who underwent primary chemoradiation and 16 patients who underwent a total laryngectomy followed in most cases by radiation. Problems reported in both treatment groups without significant differences were appearance, activity, recreation, shoulder impingement, moods, anxiety, swallowing, chewing, speech, taste, and general questions. However, there were significant differences between the 2 groups in issues of speech, pain, and saliva. The laryngectomy patients reported greater impairment of speech (P = 0.04), and more pain (P = 0.05), while the chemoradiation patients suffered from decreased saliva (P = 0.08). Conclusions: Most patients with laryngeal cancer, whether treated primarily with chemoradiation or total laryngectomy, reported excellent functional outcomes and health-related quality of life issues. Speech, pain, and saliva were recorded as significant factors affecting their daily quality of life.