WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Self-reported physical health changes in the year after head and neck cancer patients are diagnosed may help predict their five-year survival, says a U.S. study.

It included 403 male and female patients (average age 58.7) diagnosed with head and neck cancer between 1995 and 2005. The patients completed general physical health assessment questionnaires when they were diagnosed, and again three, six, nine and 12 months later. They were then followed for up to five years.

Health assessment scores decreased for all patients between diagnosis and the three-month point. Patients who died during the second or third year showed no recovery in their health scores at 12 months. Those who died within the fourth or fifth year showed some recovery, and those who survived five years or longer recovered almost to their baseline scores.

The results, published in the September issue of the journal Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, suggest that a self-reported health score "captures prognostic information related to cancer state," wrote Dr. Mark J. Jameson, of the University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, and colleagues.

"It seems intuitive that a patient's perception of well-being would fluctuate (e.g., during intensive cancer therapy versus after recovery from successful treatment), and it seems possible that this fluctuation may be predictive of long-term outcome. This study demonstrates that the change in self-reported health status during the first year is predictive of long-term outcome (i.e., five-year survival)."

The researchers concluded that it may prove useful to include a measure of general health and well-being to the care of patients with head and neck cancer, especially during the first year.

"It has the benefits of refining prognosis and identifying patient needs that may not be clinically obvious in a brief encounter but may have substantial effect on quality of life," the study authors wrote. "Further study is warranted to determine how to best integrate data from patient-reported health assessment into patient care."

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about head and neck cancer.

TUESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- For people coping with advanced cancer, massage therapy may offer some relief from pain and depressed mood, according to a new study.

Reporting in the Sept. 16 Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that people who received massage from a licensed, specially trained therapist reported greater improvements in pain and mood symptoms than did people who received simple touch. However, these improvements didn't last over time.

"Our goal was to see if massage therapy compared to simple touch would be beneficial," said the study's lead author, Dr. Jean Kutner, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

Measuring patient outcomes immediately after massage sessions, her team found that "massage was better than simple touch for pain and mood," she said.

"But, on a weekly basis, there was no difference between the groups," she added. "So, massage was better in the immediate time frame, but didn't appear to have a sustained effect."

The study included 380 adults with advanced cancer. All had at least moderate pain, and most were receiving hospice care. The types of cancer included lung, breast, pancreatic, colorectal and prostate.

About half of the group received at least one massage therapy session, while the remaining half was given "simple touch" therapy. Simple touch consisted of having a therapist place both hands on the patient for three minutes at 10 specific body sites. The massage therapy was done by licensed therapists trained in oncology massage who had at least six months' experience in cancer massage.

The therapists in both groups were asked to keep talking to a minimum and to simply provide instructions or answer therapy-related questions. No music or scented oils were used.

The therapists interviewed patients before and after each session, asking about pain and mood. The patients were then re-interviewed three weeks later to assess if the therapy had any long-term effect. Pain was rated on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Mood was rated on a scale of 0 (worst mood) to 10 (best mood).

After massage therapy, mood scores immediately increased by an average of 1.58 points and pain scores decreased by 1.87 points. In the touch therapy group, mood immediately improved by an average of 0.97 points and pain decreased by an average of 0.97 points.

After three weeks, however, there were no statistically significant sustained changes, according to the study.

"If massage helps people with advanced cancer feel better, then I'd say great, do it," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chair of oncology and hematology at Ochsner Health Foundation in Baton Rouge, La. Brooks does recommend that anyone with cancer, especially those on active treatment regimens, should check with their doctor before getting a massage.

Kutner said that, although massage appears perfectly safe from this study, they didn't include people who had a high risk of bleeding or fractures.

If massage therapy is something you'd like to try, she advises finding a qualified therapist.

Kathleen Clayton, a licensed massage therapist and a spokesperson for the American Massage Therapy Association, agreed. "Make sure the person giving you a massage knows what they're doing. They need to be a licensed massage therapist and someone who has taken courses in oncology massage," she said, adding, "Massage can be a form of symptom relief and can improve your quality of life."

One caveat, however: Many insurance companies don't reimburse for the cost of massage therapy. But, Clayton said, some do, so be sure to check with your carrier.

More information

Read more about massage for people with cancer at the University of California San Diego  .

MONDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A new Web site to help cancer patients learn more about how they can preserve their ability to have children has been launched by Northwestern University in Chicago.

"It's overwhelming for cancer patients to have to make urgent decisions about fertility preservation at the same time that they are struggling to come to terms with their recent cancer diagnosis and imminent treatment plan. This offers them a critical resource that is easy to use and understand," Web site creator Kemi Jona, a research associate professor in learning sciences and computer sciences at Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy, said in a university news release.

The multi-media Web site, www.MyOncofertility.org, contains more than 200 expert videos and survivors stories and informs patients about the potential effect of cancer treatments on their fertility, options to preserve their fertility, and how to discuss these issues with their doctors.

Future plans include a message board, so that cancer patients can connect with survivors and post their own personal stories and videos.

"It's a warm and friendly site, because we knew this would be used during an emotionally fragile time. It's an inviting refuge where patients and their families can come and feel they can get information at the level they are ready for," Jona said.

The Web site is an educational project of the national Oncofertility Consortium of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The consortium is a research, clinical and education program focused on cancer treatment-related fertility problems.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about cancer and fertility  .

MONDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A test that uses immune system biomarkers to detect lung cancer can identify the presence of the disease a year before diagnosis, long before a patient experiences any symptoms, according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the University of Michigan.

They noted the immune system mounts a response against specific antigens, or proteins, produced by lung tumors in their early stages of development.

"This kind of immune response won't necessarily kill the tumor, but it can act as a canary in a coal mine, signaling lung cancer at an early stage, before actual symptoms emerge. It is an important step toward developing a biomarker-based blood test for the early detection of lung cancer," Dr. Samir M. Hanash, head of the Molecular Diagnostic Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center, said in a news release.

Hanash and colleagues tested the sensitivity and specificity of three antigens linked to early stage, pre-symptomatic lung cancer -- annexin1, 14-3-3 theta, and LAMR1. The researchers used blood samples taken from 85 current or former smokers within a year of being diagnosed with lung cancer and blood samples from 85 current or former smokers who didn't develop lung cancer.

The three antigens were found in the blood of 51 percent of the smokers who developed lung cancer and in 18 percent of those who didn't develop the disease.

"The fact that we got a signal like this with just three biomarkers is very significant. If we enlarge this (biomarker) panel by adding a few more, we could develop a blood test with sufficient sensitivity and specificity for detecting lung cancer much earlier than current screening methods allow," Hanash said.

The study was published online Sept. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Within five years, it may be possible to have a blood test that can be used in conjunction with CT scans and other imaging techniques to improve early detection of lung cancer in high-risk people, Hanash said.

He also said this method may prove effective in early detection of other common kinds of cancer.

"If we could identify those antigens that provide the best signature for not only lung cancer, but also for cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, ovary and the like, then with the tiniest drop of blood, we could have a screening test for all the common types of cancer to catch them at their earliest stages, when cure rates are high. That would be phenomenal," Hanash said.

More information

The National Cancer Institute has more about lung cancer.