Learn more about cancer

Cancer research: Control your pain, control your cancer

2009-09-15T03:04:00.001-07:00

Kinda strange topic, since, after all, cancer is controlled through the normal treatments, being chemotherapy, radiation, or through surgery. What does controlling pain have to do with being beneficial to cancer treatment, especially when you consider the case of cancer in children. Well, it is being found that an essential part of trying to make cancer treatment in children more effective is also by treating the pain caused by the cancer and by its treatment. Pain affects the body's immune system, and also has profound psychological implications (link to article):

Experts at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital suggest that tumours press on nerves, bones and organs; radiation can damage the skin and mucus membranes; and chemotherapy agents can cause harsh side effects. Moreover, acute pain increases a patient's heart and respiratory rates, metabolism, blood pressure and stress hormones. Children who are hurting need more oxygen.
"Chronic pain influences the immune system, so patients don't heal as well. Research also shows that patients don't breathe as well when in pain, causing a higher risk of pulmonary complications after surgery," said Dr Doralina Anghelescu, Anesthesiology Division at St. Jude. "Patients in pain don't eat as well or sleep as well either. Pain management benefits the whole body," Anghelescu added.

What this study suggests is that, especially in the case of children, pain management and emotional support be an essential part of the treatment, and even the family members of the patient should be part of understanding pain management.

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Cancer research: Keep up the good mood to increase your chances of survival

2009-09-15T03:03:00.001-07:00

For those patients undergoing cancer treatment, many medical institutions also insist or recommend that they get counselling, and also ask family members to ensure that the mood remains light. This was seen as giving the patient more hope, a better chance of undergoing the various emotional and pyschological problems that afflict a person who is undergoing the trauma of cancer treatment. Now, it appears that there is actually scientific reasoning behind such a counselling and hope-for-better reasoning, since a study found that people who have good mental health and feel optimistic are actually better off in terms of their chances of surviving cancer than those patients who feel depressed (link to article):

People with cancer who are depressed are more likely to die than are patients with good mental health, psychologists reported Monday in the science journal Cancer. The study reported that death rates from cancer "were up to 25 per cent higher in patients experiencing depressive symptoms and up to 39 per cent higher in patients diagnosed with major or minor depression."
But Satin warned, "I want people to be cautious about this. We have not shown that depression itself causes mortality -- but we have a suggestion that this is possible." Satin cautioned against trying to match a specific patient's likelihood of death with the startling finding that death rates can be up to 39 per cent higher with depression that is serious enough to be diagnosed.

Even while scientists and researches try to find a link between cancer outcomes and mental health, it would anyhow be positive for people to try and ensure that cancer patients get all the help they need to have a more positive outlook to life.

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Cancer research: Brisk walking can reduce recurrence of breast cancer

2009-09-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer threatens a large number of people the women the world over, and even though the condition is treatable, it is still a major issue. The other worry is that even when it is treated, there is a threat of the breast cancer recurring; some woman who face a high risk of breast cancer have been known to have a healthy breast removed after they have been treated to reduce the risk. Now, research has shown that exercise is a factor in the reduction of the risk of recurrence of breast cancer (link to article):

Thirty minutes of brisk walking every day can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a new study. “Brisk walking - about 3.0 mph on a treadmill - for three to five hours per week, or about 30 minutes a day, can net big benefits for breast cancer survivors,” said Dr. Carolyn Kaelin, a Harvard surgeon, breast cancer survivor and author of The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan.
Recurrence rates and deaths from breast cancer decreased by 40 percent among those who exercise at least 3-5 hours per week, compared with those who were sedentary,” said Kaelin. “It does not need to be running a marathon, or biking a century, but rather simply walking briskly most days on a treadmill, at a shopping mall or around a track, that further reduces breast cancer recurrence for those who have been treated for the condition.

And of course, any kind of exercise such as brisk walking reduces the other health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle such as cardiovascular problems, obesity, helps bring diabetes under control, and so on.

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HPV vaccine may protect against breast cancer

2009-09-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is believed to be the most significant cause of cervical cancer, and to reduce the risk of cervical cancer, there is a Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that is used for the people at high risk of developing cervical cancer. However, researches have known for some time from analysis of cancerous breast cells that strains of HPV have been found; it's just that there has been no medical confirmation that indeed, there is a causal link between the HPV and breast cancer. However, in a recent study, the link was much clearer based on genetic analysis of cancerous cells; and if this link can be made more clear (past studies have run the risk of contamination of the study material), then there is a brighter chance of the use of the HPV vaccine to protect women who have an enhanced risk (link to article):

Researchers at the University of New South Wales used genetic probes to test cancerous breast cells, and found several strains of HPVs, which are known to have a high risk of initiating cancer of the cervix. HPV has a causal role in 90-95 per cent of cervical cancers. "The finding that high risk HPV is present in a significant number of breast cancers indicates they may have a causal role in many breast cancers. Confirming a cancer-causing role for HPV in some breast cancers establishes the possibility of preventing some breast cancers by vaccination against HPV," said Dr Noel Whitaker, a co-author of the new report.

If indeed further research establishes a much clearer causal link, then the lives of a percentage of people who die from breast cancer can be saved.

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Article: Whole grains can give health benefits, countering diabetes and cancer

2009-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

As part of a healthy diet, it has always been recommended to have whole grain as part of the dite. Remember when you pop off to get some bread, and the whole grain bread is advertised as the more healthy one, the type that is more beneficial to your health. You already know that, but here is some advice in the form of a study that recommends having more of whole grain, since it helps against both diabetes and cancer (link to article):

“Research shows that whole grains are good for your heart, lower risk of diabetes and stroke, and may help prevent certain cancers. They also help in managing weight,” she said. Sandon said that whole grains are chock full of good-for-you nutrients including fiber, folate and niacin, vital B vitamins, and magnesium.
She advised that people should by rule look for the words “Made with whole grain” and “100 percent whole grain” on packages. She gave other going-with-the-grain tips, which include swapping whole wheat breadstuffs for white rolls and breads, using whole wheat bread crumbs for stuffing.

This scientific advice will not be unknown to a number of people, but because whole grain stuff does not taste the same as the more processed stuff (food articles), people do not readily adopt whole grain; another byproduct of this attitude is that whole grain made items are not so readily available.

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Cancer research: Virus that causes cervical cancer also causes penile cancer

2009-08-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Not too many people have heard of penile cancer, that is, cancer that affects the penis; and it is rare, with only around 1% of total cancer cases in the United States and Europe being those of penile cancer. The cancer can cause mutilations, and affects a higher number (upto 10% of all cancer patients) in certain parts of Africa and Asia. Penile cancer starts at the tip (also called the glans) of the penis, and spreads from there. Some of the common symptons of penile cancer include:
* A wart-like growth or lesion
* An open sore that won't heal
* A reddish rash
* Persistent, smelly discharge under the foreskin
The good news is that research has establised that the virus that causes cervical cancer also causes at least half of penile cancer cases, and hence, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, used against cervical cancer, can also be used against penile cancers (link to article):

Dr. Silvia de Sanjose and colleagues reviewed cases of penile cancer reported in clinical studies between 1986 and 2008 and found 46.9 percent of tumors were associated with HPV.
Nearly all of these were linked to HPV strains 16 and 18, the two types that most commonly cause cervical cancer and which are targeted by Gardasil and Cervarix, they wrote in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Merck reported results of a clinical trial last November showing that Gardasil was effective in preventing lesions caused by the virus in men.

Finding that an existing medicine can be used in the fight against cancer is always great news.

Cancer Research: Some anti-psychotic drugs could fight against cancers

2009-08-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Antipsychotics (also called neuroleptics) are a group of psychoactive drugs commonly but not exclusively used to treat psychosis, which is typified by schizophrenia. Common conditions with which antipsychotics might be used include schizophrenia (as discussed above), mania, and delusional disorder. They might be used to counter psychosis associated with a wide range of other diagnoses, such as psychotic depression. These antipsychotic drugs can have a range of side-effects, causing many patients to stop taking them.
However, sometimes there are positive side effects. Research into finding medicines or chemicals that can help in the fight against cancer is one of the most researched areas in medical science. Cancer cells are much more rapidly growing than the normal cells in the neighborhood (surrounding body region), and it is by stopping the nutrients that nourish these cancer cells that antipsychotic drugs take effect (link to article):

According to a preliminary finding in the current online issue of the International Journal of Cancer, the anti-psychotic drug, pimozide, kills lung, breast and brain cancer cells in in-vitro laboratory experiments. Rapidly-dividing cancer cells require cholesterol and lipids to grow and the researchers suspect that pimozide kills cancer cells by blocking the synthesis or movement of cholesterol and lipid in cancer cells.
To test the idea, the researchers combined pimozide with mevastatin, a drug that inhibits cholesterol production in cells. The two drugs were more lethal in combination against cancer cells than when either drug was used alone. "The combination of pimozide and mevastatin increased cancer cell death," says UNSW researcher Dr Louise Lutze-Mann, a co-author of the study. Although side-effects are associated with the use of high doses of these drugs - such as tremors, muscle spasms and slurred speech - these effects are considered to be tolerable in patients where other treatments have failed and the drugs will only be used short-term.

Any research that helps in the fight against cancer is welcome, given that even with so many decades of research against cancer, it is still a fight; even effective treatment can have some bad side effects.

Cancer research: Blueberry leaves can help stop Hepatitis C Virus

2009-08-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver failure or other complications of cirrhosis, including liver cancer. An estimated 270-300 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a strictly human disease. No vaccine against hepatitis C is available. This virus was first isolated in 1989, and hence is a relatively new virus. It is to find vaccines that can reduce the number of people infected by preventing high risk people from getting the virus that research is targeting. There is one research that seems to have found a chemical that can stop the virus (link to article):

Hiroaki Kataoka and colleagues at the University of Miyazaki (U-M) in Japan believed that since HCV is localised in the liver and can take 20 years or more to develop into disease, a dietary supplement might help slow or stop disease progression.
So they screened nearly 300 different agricultural products for potential compounds that suppress HCV replication and uncovered a strong candidate in the leaves of rabbit-eye blueberry (native to the southeastern US). They purified the compound and identified it as proanthocyandin (a polyphenol similar to the beneficial chemicals found in grapes and wine). While proanthocyandin can be harmful, Kataoka and colleagues noted its effective concentration against HCV was 100 times less than the toxic threshold, said a U-M statement.

All such research eventually suceeds when these chemicals succeed in their trials and are rendered fit to be used in humans.

Cancer Research: Cancer therapy does not affect level of fitness

2009-06-10T21:27:00.003-07:00

Getting cancer is an extremely serious issue, and even if you have a form of cancer that is easily treatable, there is the worry about whether the cancer treatment will leave you debilitated, physically weak, and dependent. There is the example of the cyclist Lance Armstrong who came back from intensive cancer treatment to win numerous Tour De France cycling trophies, a very high endurance test. In a study done on the physical fitness and endurance of cancer patients undergoing therapy, it was concluded that the level of cardiovascular fitness among cancer survivors remains unaffected by therapies (link to article):

"In order to prescribe an exercise programme, it's critical that we understand our patient's fitness level and whether or not treatment has had an impact on their cardiovascular health," she said. Researchers conducted a chart review of 49 women who attended a physician-directed fitness clinic for cancer survivors, founded and run by Priscilla Furth, the study's co-author. Test completion and heart rate recovery were not affected by treatment or age.

Research: Vitamin D protects against cancer

2009-06-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

If you meet any doctor or nutrionist, they will always advise to have a balanced diet that ensures that the body gets enough of what it wants, such as proteins, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins, etc. Vitamin D is one nutrient that is typically made with exposure of the skin to sunlight, something that has got reduced nowadays due to increasing tendency to spend time either indoors, or under air-conditioned protection, away from the sun. Now, researches have found out that providing proper dosage of Vitamin D could reduce the incidence of bowel and breast cancer (link to article):

Taking supplements of vitamin D could reduce the incidence of breast cancer by a quarter and bowel cancer by a third, What’s more, the vitamin, sometimes called "bottled sunshine", should be offered to the population as part of a public health drive, the boffins suggested.
Vitamin D, made by the action of sunlight on the skin, has attracted increasing attention in recent years as its role in preventing cancer and other conditions including heart disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Drug experiment: Stopping breast cancers

2009-06-02T19:06:00.003-07:00

Finding drugs that can beat cancer is a massive, ongoing research. It takes a lot of reseach and medical studies to find suitable molecules that can affect a particular cancer; as a result, when a particular molecule seems to have some promise, it raises a lot of hope and optimism, as in this case for this molecule that seems to have a positive affect on breast cancer (link to article):

A new drug called olaparib may help thousands of women suffering from genetic breast cancer, if results of the first tests on patients are to be believed. The researchers behind the study tested the drug on 54 women with advanced genetic breast cancer, and found that the drug olaparib could stop the growth of tumours and shrink them in more than 40 per cent of cases.
A large number of cases of breast cancer are caused by defects on the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes, which put women at much higher risk of developing aggressive cancers of the breast or ovaries. And, usually, women who test positive for the mutations have their breasts removed as a precaution, because they have an 80 per cent risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime.

Not every molecule makes it to after trials and studies, but all of them promise hope. The drug could remove the tumor from some of those afflicted; the drug works by acting on a protein that promotes cancer; another positive side effect is by acting only on the cancer cells as opposed to other cancer treatments that have side effects.

Research: New surgery seen to have potential in cervical cancer

2009-06-02T19:06:00.001-07:00

Studies have postulated that a new form of surgery called mesometrial resection (TMMR) (a more targeted surgical operation) could lead to a significant improvement in the survival rate of patients afflicted with cervical cancer. At the same time, the surgery also promised other improvements such as reduced complications, reducing damages to nerves in the pelvis (thus reducing post-surgery problems with bladder and bowel functionality), and also sparing patients of radiotherapy (link to article):

Survival rates among cervical cancer patients may be improved by as much as 20 per cent by making subtle changes to major surgery, researchers in Germany suggest. The new technique removes a specific, more defined, section which includes the fallopian tubes, uterus, and certain parts of the vagina, which the researchers said are the main areas of local tumour spread.
"Based on historical controls, TMMR without adjuvant radiation has the potential to improve survival by 15-20 per cent," the BBC quoted Hockel as saying. He conceded that it was next needed to conduct larger trials in different hospitals. "This new surgical technique seems to have the potential to help women with early-stage cervical cancer avoid some of the unpleasant long-term effects of a hysterectomy and radiotherapy," Liz Woolf, head of Cancer Research UK's patient information website CancerHelp UK, said.

The improved surgery sounds promising, since it not only improves the survival rate of this cancer, but also seems to reduce the post-surgery complications suffered by patients.

Research: Low oxygen level indicates recurrence of prostate cancer

2009-05-23T06:45:00.001-07:00

For some time now, researches have been studying the link between low oxygen zones in prostate tumors, and the probability of recurrence of the cancer. Studies have made the connection that low oxygen zones are linked to the increased resistance to radiation among solid tumors. The study, if taken forward, can help in determing the amount of radiation levels (including increasing the dose) for treating patients whose tumors show such signs of oxygen resistance (and help in ensuring that the cancer is eliminated and does not come back) (link to article):

She says that the current study reinforces the preliminary findings of the six research papers published between 2000 and 2002, which detailed the link between low oxygen in tumours and the risk of increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.
The study showed that eight of the 57 patients experienced an increase in PSA levels following prostate cancer treatment, defined as an increase of 2 Ng /ml above the lowest PSA reading following Brach therapy. Overall, average muscle oxygenation was 12.5 times higher than that of the tumour. The researchers used a statistical model that accounted for such risk factors as tumour grade, PSA level and tumour size and determined that low oxygen was a significant independent predictor of an increase in PSA levels.

Research: Extract from red sea coral can treat skin cancer

2009-05-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Research for combating cancer goes off into many different paths - one area is to determine the genes that kick off the cancer cells, or provide an indication of whether there is a higher risk of cancer; another area is to find naturally occurring ingredients that can either decrease the chance of getting cancer, or reduce / stop the incidence of cance once a person has been afflicted with the cancer. As a part of this, researchers have found an extract from coral found in the red sea that acts against skin cancer (link to article):

The team led by SDSU distinguished professor Chandradhar Dwivedi looked at the chemo
preventive effects of sarcophine-diol, made from a substance called sarcophine that can be isolated from soft coral found in the Red Sea. They found that sarcophine-diol has the potential to inhibit cell growth of cancers, and induce orderly, programmed cell death of skin cancer cells.
The study showed that treating human skin cancer cells with different concentrations of sarcophine-diol for different lengths of time reduced the viability of cancer cells in each case. Sarcophine-diol also inhibited the proliferation or uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. It also induced apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells.

Further research is required in this area, but this a postive trend in the cure against skin cancer.

Cancer research: Time when menarche and menopause happens linked to cancer

2009-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Doing statistical analysis of patients to determine trends does not seem very exciting; however, large scale analysis is extremely useful to determine trends - these trends can in turn be used to determine when testing should happen, or to determine whether it can be determined that someone is at a higher risk of getting cancer. In the below article, scientists did analysis on tens of thousands of women to determine genetic variations that can determine the age of onset of menarche and menopause, which in turn are used to determine enhanced risk level of cancer (link to article):

Scientists have found new gene variants linked with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause, which can even help in preventing breast and endometrial cancer and osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. the researchers have identified 10 genetic variants in two chromosomal regions associated with age at menarche (the first menstrual period), and 13 genetic variants in four chromosomal regions associated with age at natural menopause.
The researchers explained that an early onset of menarche and later menopause are well-established risk factors for the development of breast cancer and endometrial cancer. On the other hand, early menopause increases risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have suggested both menarche and menopause may be partially under genetic control.

Research: Drug based on herbs lower risk of getting prostate cancer

2009-05-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

Prostate cancer is a diseases that affects a significant portion of men, with the chance of getting prostate cancer getting higher as men getting older. It has been recommended that older men go in for regular medical tests to make sure that they are not at early stages of prostate cancer. In a recent drug trial, men who had an increased risk of developing prostate cancer were administered the drug, and it was found to be effective in some cases (link to article):

A novel herb-based therapeutic called Zyflamend has been found to be linked with minimal toxicity and no serious adverse events in men at high-risk for developing prostate cancer in its phase I clinical trial.
"Since we know that men with HGPIN have an increased risk for developing prostate cancer, new strategies formulated to decrease cancer risk, prevent or delay surgery, and improve quality of life, will be greatly beneficial for these men," said senior author of the study Dr. Aaron E. Katz, an associate professor of Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The researchers say that basic science studies have suggested that Zyflamend may have an anti-inflammatory mechanism of action, and the agent has been found to be effective in decreasing the proliferation of prostate cancer
in cell culture.

Cancer research: Cancer patients prone to depression

2009-05-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

Cancer patients have been known to have higher chances of having depression, to the extent that many medical facilities provide counselling along with cancer treatment. It has always been accepted that cancer treatment and the pain resulting from the disease leads to the patient feeling depresses; of course, treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy with stiff side-effects can also cause more depression. However, a study has determined that the cancer actually produces chemicals that lead to depression (link to article):

"Our research shows that two types of tumour-induced molecules, one secreted by the immune system and another by the stress axis, may be responsible," said Leah Pyter, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of a paper. "Both of these substances have been implicated in depression, but neither has been examined over time frames and magnitudes that are characteristic of chronic diseases such as cancer," she added.
The results also showed that the rats with tumours had increased levels of cytokines in their blood and in the hippocampus (the portion of the brain that regulates emotion) when compared with healthy rats. Cytokines are produced by the immune system, and an increase in cytokines has been linked to depression. The team also found that stress hormone production also was altered in rats with tumours. The rats with tumours also had dampened production of the stress hormone corticosterone.

The study has been conducted in rats so far, but the fact is, if a study can conclusively determine that cancer does indeed medically lead to depression, there will be a greater focus on emotional counselling during treatment, something that should help the patient.

Cancer research: A gel that prevents skin cancers

2009-05-23T02:59:00.000-07:00

Increasing level of sun exposure has been shown in the past to be related to an increased risk of developing skin cancers, and is the reason why the increase of the hole in the Ozone was supposed to result in more skin cancers and health problems. It is also the reason why there is an increased focus on skin creams and sun-blockers for those who have a much higher exposure to the sun. But there are problems with unprotected higher exposure to the sun. Sun spots have an enhanced risk of developing into skin cancers if untreated. Now an Australian company has come out with a gel made from radium weed sap that removes sun spots (link to article):

Peplin, the Queensland-based pharmaceutical company, says that its gel can remove sun spots, which can develop into invasive skin cancers if left untreated. Dr. Peter Welburn, General Manager of the company, has revealed that human trials have shown that the gel can treat sun spots and lesions in just two days.
According to him, the gel successively removed every sun spot on 27 per cent of patients, with 44 per cent having partial success. "This is the first product that has demonstrated benefit in treating sun spots on the face, neck and difficult areas to treat like the arms and back of hands,’’ News.com.au quoted him as saying. He, however, conceded that the gel did not treat melanomas.

Nature has many cures present through either plant or animal extracts that can help in treating cancer; it is just about science being able to find them and developed them commercially.

Research: Exposure to pollutants ups cancer risk

2009-05-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Environmental pollution has been blamed for a number of things, such as global warming, changes in weather patterns, and for a number of health problems such as lung problems, skin problems and so on. Cancer is at a very high level defined as the abnormal behavior of the cells of the body, and has a variety of causes such as breakdown or mutation in DNA, hereditary reasons, and so on (as an example, people exposed to a number of carcinogens such as asbestos, high radiation levels, and so on). Environmental pollution was less blamed for this problem, but a recent study shows how pollution levels can affect DNA within a period as low as 3 days (link to article):

Exposure to environmental pollutants even for a short period can prompt genes to undergo reprogramming, and thereby increase an individual’s risk of developing cancer and other diseases, say Italian scientists. "Recently, changes in gene programming due to a chemical transformation called methylation have been found in the blood and tissues of lung cancer patients," said investigator Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, assistant professor of Applied Biotechnology at the University of Milan.
"The changes were detectable after only three days of exposure to particulate matter, indicating that environmental factors need little time to cause gene reprogramming which is potentially associated with disease outcomes," said Baccarelli. "As several of the effects of particulate matter in foundries are similar to those found after exposure to ambient air pollution, our results open new hypotheses about how air pollutants modify human health.

Even though environmental pollution is a reality we all live with, seeing this kind of reaseach increases the impulse to control and restrict such pollution levels. Fortunately, the research does indicate that this impact is reversible.

Analysis: Cancer drug linked to brain virus that proves fatal

2009-05-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

Rituximab is a popular drug that is used for treating brain cancer. Rituximab is the most important and widely used cancer drug for lymphoma. It is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and is widely used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis, lupus and auto-immune anaemias. However, a recent study seems to indicate that the drug is linked in some way to a fast acting and fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML). The infection causes the brain to degenerate, and can cause death. The study does not conclusively link the drug to the brain infection, but should seed the ground for further studies to determine this linkage (link to article):

A brain biopsy and a spinal tap confirmed the diagnosis of a swiftly moving and often fatal viral brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) that attacks the brain's white matter. Both had lymphoma and had been taking the popular cancer drug rituximab (brand name Rituxan) before they developed the brain infection.
Bennett reports on 57 cases from 1997 to 2008 in which patients with anemia, rheumatoid arthritis or lymphoma developed the fatal brain disease after taking rituximab. They died an average of two months after being diagnosed, said a Northwestern release. Bennett said the brain infection is often overlooked and undiagnosed because it is so subtle at first. "People may think it's early Alzheimer's disease or depression," he said. "Many of these patients have cancer and when they die, people assume it's the cancer that killed them."

It is useful for people having brain cancer to know more about the impact of the drug.

Patenting of genes: Cancer patients raise protest

2009-05-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine getting a test based on your genes that can help you determine whether you are at increased risk for ovarian cancer. Now you get a postive test, and given that a cancer is a pretty serious illness, you would like to get a second option, a second test from a different company so that you can be sure (and getting a second opinion is a pretty normal step when dealing with medical issues). However, there is a problem in this area - the US Government allowed a single company to get a patent on 2 genes that are associated with an enhanced risk for breast and ovarian cancer, as well as testing related to this risk. Now this patent is being challenged (link to article):

When Genae Girard received a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2006, she knew she would be facing medical challenges and high expenses. But she did not expect to run into patent problems. On Tuesday, Girard, 39, who lives in the Austin, Texas, filed a lawsuit against Myriad and the Patent Office, challenging the decision to grant a patent on a gene to Myriad and companies like it. She was joined by four other cancer patients, by professional organizations of pathologists and by several genetic experts.
“With a sole provider, there’s mediocrity,” said Wendy Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case. Chung and others involved with the suit do not accuse Myriad of being a poor steward of the information concerning the two genes at issue in the suit, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, but they argue that BRCA testing would improve if market forces were allowed to work.

Getting a patent on a gene has been debated for long; let us see how this patent challenge proceeds.

Research: Some ginger capsules help out in chemotherapy

2009-05-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

Chemotherapy (using some specific strong chemicals) is one of the treatments against cancer, and can be pretty effective. However, chemotherapy has the problem of causing some significant side effects that can be troubling for a large number of patients - nausea, vomiting can be very troubling to patients, and in some patients, the effects of nausea can be such that it inhibits them from going in for chemotherpay. So, a new research that touts the use of ginger several days before the bout of chemotherapy was found to be effective in reducing the extent of nausea among patients (link to article):

Ginger, long used as a folk remedy for soothing tummyaches, helped tame one of the most dreaded side effects of cancer treatment - nausea from chemotherapy, the first large study to test the herb for this has found. But don't reach for the ginger ale. Many sodas and cookies contain only flavoring _ not real ginger, Ryan said. Her study tested a drug-like ginger root extract, and it's not known if people could get the same benefits from ginger teas or the powdered ginger sold as a spice.
The study involved 644 patients from cancer centers around the nation who had suffered nausea in a previous round of chemotherapy. Two-thirds had breast cancer and the rest, other forms of the disease. They were placed in four groups and given one of three doses of ginger (the equivalent of one-half, 1 or 1{ grams of ginger per day) or dummy capsules in addition to standard anti-sickness medicines. Timing may have been key to success: An earlier study found ginger did no good when patients waited until the day of treatment to start taking it. In the new study, researchers wanted to see if having ginger in the system ahead of time would help.

This study finds a promising link, if researchers are able to conclusively find that taking ginger in this form, and with the adequate time period defined, can help patients in their post-chemotherapy problems, it will be a good solution.

Cancer research: Personalizing treatment for lung cancer

2009-05-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

One of the key areas of cancer research is to find more methods for personalizing cancer research. This article talks about some interesting leads in this area, including the use of cancer vaccines and targeted therapies to help people who have lung cancer, especially those who have had surgery; such treatment can help people avoid a recurrence of the cancer (link to article):

"Personalizing therapy is the key strategy for longer and better survival in lung cancer," said Prof Paris Kosmidis, head of the second Medical Oncology Department at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. "This is particularly important for early stage disease when following surgery, decisions about preventive therapy are based on specific prognostic and predictive factors."
At the conference, researchers will describe a gene signature that might predict which patients will benefit from the treatment. "Because the benefits of vaccination will be limited to a subgroup of patients, strategies to define these patients by means of biomarkers such as a genetic signature are of major clinical relevance, as only these patients might be candidates for vaccination in the future,” said Weder.

As we proceed on research, science keeps on finding weapons in the fight cancers; and one of the most worrisome issues for a patient who has had the removal of their cancer is whether the cancer will come back - this research points to indicators about how to prevent the delay.

Cancer research: A 'pied piper' to turn off cancer

2009-05-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

In cancer research, one of the key points is trying to determine if there are some sort of biological switches that turn on or off cancers. If for example, scientists are able to determine a point in the body / a protein / a gene that plays a key role in controlling the spread or rate of increase of cancer, the next effort would be find a chemical or biological agent that can control the spread of cancer. This article (link to article) is about scientists discovering a molecule in the blood that can slow down the growth of cancer in different types of cancers such as prostate, breast, colon and blood cancer:

Scientists have discovered a "pied piper" molecule in blood cells, called LIAR, which they claim can allow growth signals into red blood cells - and if turned off, might slow certain cancers. The scientists from Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, have also identified the function of a known cellular enzyme, Lyn, as a switch that "turns on" blood cell development.
"LIAR is like a key, which opens a pathway into the nucleus of a blood cell for a number of other molecules, allowing them to flow in - and these molecules are what signal the cell to develop and divide. "From here, if we could control Liar, the hope is that we could use it to switch off the growth of abnormal, or cancerous, cells. Because Liar is present in every blood cell, this knowledge could help treat a huge range of conditions and diseases, but where it has most potential is in cancers of the prostate, breast, colon and blood where activity of the enzyme Lyn is heightened," team leader Evan Ingley said.

Such research puts hope in the minds of people suffering from some of these cancers, since even if the research takes some time to come to actual results, there is always the hope, and hope can be a big factor as well.

Hormone Replacement Therapy reduces risk of colon cancer

2009-04-25T21:48:00.001-07:00

Hormone Replacement Therapy was a preferred solution for relieving some of the pressures of menopause in women such as hot flashes and insomnia, until a study came out in 2002 that revealed that HRT can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer. These findings complicated the solution of doing the therapy, and led to a dramatic reduction in its use. Now a new study complicates this even further, since it claims that statistical studies show that women taking the therapy (which involves the use of estrogen) can reduce their risk of colon cancer (link to article):

The studies presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research further complicate the debate about HRT, used to relieve the effects of menopause
including hot flashes and insomnia. "Women who did use these drugs had a 28 percent lower incidence rate than women who did not use these drugs," Limsui said in a statement. "But we still don't know how estrogen compounds work in cancer prevention, which is intriguing."
Women who used hormone-based contraceptive pills, for instance, did not have any different risk of colon cancer. "Based on our findings, we need to continue exploring the cancer pathways that might be affected by these hormones," Limsui said. A second study presented at the same meeting also showed HRT might protect against colon cancer, which is diagnosed in 54,000 US women a year and which kills 25,000 -- making it the third-leading cancer killer of women behind lung cancer and breast cancer.

This is a very interesting piece of research, and would need much more analysis to validate, since it would complicate the issues around HRT.

Research: Strangely, fruits and vegetables increases chances of colon cancer in smokers

2009-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

A diet heavy in fruits and vegetables has always been recommended. Fruits and vegetables, if increased as a proportion of overall diet, is always helpful. Consumption of fruits and vegetables replaces other unhealthy items in the overall diet such as fried items or junk food. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is also useful in the fight against cancer. However, surprisingly, there is one category where an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables actually increases the risk of colon cancer, among smokers (link to article):

A high intake of fruit and vegetables appeared to reduce the risk among non-smokers but seemed to have the reverse effect on smokers, findings by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) showed. “People who eat 600 grammes or more vegetables and fruit a day appear to have a 20 to 25% lower chance of developing colon cancer than people who eat 220 grammes or less,” said the statement.
“For smokers, the consumption of vegetables and fruit appears, on the contrary, to increase the chances of colon cancer. Protection against colon cancer through the consumption of vegetables and fruit therefore appears to depend on smoking habits.” Colon cancer is the second-most common form of the disease in the Netherlands, after breast cancer, with 11,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

This was a surprising piece of information, and the conclusions from such a study is not reduce the consumption of fruits or vegetables, but to stop smoking.

Cancer research: How to predict lung cancer in smokers

2009-04-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

It is a known fact that smoking increases the chance of getting lung cancer, but this is a probability; the exact relation between a person's smoking and getting lung cancer is not known. A person who smokes often and heavily is more likely to get lung cancer (known fact), but the probability of getting lung cancer for a person who smokes 2 packs per day vs. a person who smokes 1 pack a day is not known. There is current research ongoing about how to actually identify the chance of a specific person (smoker) developing lung cancer. This article (link) talks about the research ongoing about whether a specific chemical in the urine of a smoker is a good predictor of whether a person is likely to develop lung cancer:

"A history of smoking has always been thought of as a predictor of lung cancer, but it is actually not very accurate. Smoking absolutely increases your risk, but why it does so in some people but not others is a big question," said Jian-Min Yuan, Ph.D., M.D., associate professor of public health at the University of Minnesota. NNAL has been shown to induce lung cancer in laboratory animals, but the effect in humans had not yet been examined.
Patients with a mid-range level of NNAL had a 43 percent increased risk of lung cancer, as compared to those with the lowest levels. On the other hand, those at the highest level had a more than two-fold increased risk of lung cancer after taking into account the effect of number of cigarettes per day, number of years of smoking, and urinary levels of cotinine on lung cancer risk. Besides, the researchers found that those with the highest levels of nicotine and NNAL had an 8.5-fold increase in the risk of lung cancer compared with smokers who had the lowest levels after accounting for smoking history.

Such research is very important, since it will help in determining lung cancer at an early stage among smokers, and maybe help in reducing the number of casualties and cancer afflicted people. Detecting cancers early is an important step in being able to successfully treat this disease.

Cancer: Body fitness plays an important factor

2009-04-25T06:00:00.001-07:00

With recent research, there is a hunt for evaluating the genetic basis for a lot of cancers, and increasingly, researchers are finding that hereditary factors do play a role in the risk factors for cancer - as an example, women with a history of breast cancer in their family have an enhanced risk of developing breast cancer, and need to sign up for periodic scans and evaluations to determine that they are free of breast cancer. However, as this reasearch has developed, it has lead to a somewhat greater thought that eventually genetics is one of the most eminent reasons for developing cancer. To rebut this, experts are stating that in fact, genetics is much less important as a risk factor for causing cancer as compared to some other factors such as lack of exercise and body weight (link to article):

Dr Rachel Thompson, science programme manager for the World cancer Research Fund (WCRF) dispelled the myth insisting lack of exercise and being overweight - causes three times as many cases of cancer as genetics. According to her, 39 per cent of the most common cancers, including breast and bowel, could be prevented through a good diet, exercising and keeping weight under control. "It’s important to dispel the myth that cancer is just down to genes," the Telegraph quoted Thompson as saying.
"It could possibly be even more than this, if only five per cent of cancers are as a result of our genes, then an unhealthy diet and lifestyle could cause eight times more cancer cases. "If people do have a family history, then this is important information for them personally, but overall this inherited genetic predisposition is uncommon. "Specific genes for breast and bowel cancer have been identified, but these are rare and account for a very small percentage of cancer cases, whereas more than a third of the most common cancers could be prevented by following a healthy diet, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight," she added.

This is a pretty clear statement; we all know that exercise and weight reduction are important factors to achieve a better health and reduce illnesses such as blood pressure, heart ailments and diabetes; one should also consider that the probability of cancer prevention is another benefit.

Research: Using a herbal extract to fight pancreatic cancer

2009-04-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

Pancreatic cancer is a dangerous form of cancer (details: Malignancy of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile cannot pass into the digestive system, the skin and whites of the eyes may become yellow (jaundiced), and the urine darker as a result of accumulated bile pigment called bilirubin).
Cancer of the pancreas has markedly increased in incidence over the decades and now ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US. Despite the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer, its causation is poorly understood. Smoking is known to be a major risk factor. Cigarette smokers develop cancer of the pancreas two to three times more often than do nonsmokers. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer. Cancer of the pancreas is rarely curable. The overall survival rate is less than 4%.
Hence, research that delves into how to find cures for pancreatic cancers is very imporatant; and finding of naturally occurring or laboratory created compounds that could help in the cure is very important. Here is some information about a promising herb that could help in stopping the development of pancreatic cancer (link to article):

Thymoquinone, the major constituent of the oil extract from a middle-eastern herbal seed called Nigella sativa, reduced the release of inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells, according to Hwyda Arafat, associate professor of surgery, Jefferson Medical College (JMC).
Nigella sativa seeds and oil are used in traditional medicine in the Middle East and in other parts of Asia, for treating some immunity and inflammatory disorders, Arafat said. Previous studies have also shown it to have anti-cancer effects on prostate and colon cancers, said a Jefferson release.

Any development in the fight against pancreatic cancer is very useful, and if this herb does turn out to be an important tool in the effort, then this development would be a watershed. Giving hopes to the family of those who are suffering from pancreatic cancer is also equally important.

Research: Burnt meat and link with pancreatic cancer

2009-04-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

Eating well done meat, done on a barbecue or a grill or deep friend, is an essential part of the eating habits of many cultures, and can be very tasty. The whole experience of sitting with friends and family and enjoying food off a barbecue or a grill is important to the image of an American suburban family, and well embellished through movies and popular culture. However, research has emerged that links the dangerous pancreatic form of cancer to the practise of almost burning food while cooking it (baking or forming it in a stew does not have the same reaction). Link to article:

According to Kristin Anderson, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, the finding is linked to consumption of well and very well done meats cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing. Cooking in this way can form carcinogens, which do not form when meat is baked or stewed. Over the course of nine years, researchers identified 208 cases of pancreatic cancer. Preferences for high temperature cooked meat were generally linked with an increased risk; subjects who preferred very well done steak were almost 60 percent as likely to get pancreatic cancer as compared to those who ate steak less well done or did not eat steak.
"However, those who enjoy either fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished; cook meat sufficiently to kill bacteria without excess charring. In addition, the precursors of cancer-causing compounds can be reduced by microwaving the meat for a few minutes and pouring off the juices before cooking it on the grill,” the expert added.

As like other research, the research does not conclusively link these methods of cooking to getting pancreatic cancer, however, there is no harm in slightly modifying the cooking habits in order to decrease the risk.

Study: Walnuts reduce the risk of cancer

2009-04-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

Walnuts are supposed to be among the safer nuts to eat. They are suppose to contain Omega-3 fatty acids, supposed to be good for cholestoral, and for the heart. This is of course in comparison to the other type of nuts that are generally more sought after, such as salted peanuts, salted almonds, pistachios, and a few others. Well, here is a study that links the consumption of walnuts to a reduced risk of contracting breast cancer. Keep in mind that the study was done on laboratory animals, and not on humans, in general, walnuts are better as a quick snack rather than eating fatty or fried stuff (and if the cancer stuff works out to be true, what is the harm?). Link to article:

"We know that a healthy diet overall prevents all manner of chronic diseases,” the expert added. To reach the conclusion, researchers studied mice that were fed a diet that they estimated was the human equivalent of two ounces of walnuts per day. A separate group of mice were fed a control diet. Standard testing showed that walnut consumption significantly decreased breast tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumor and tumor size.
Molecular analysis showed that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids
contributed to the decline in tumor incidence, but other parts of the walnut contributed as well.

To have absolutely proof, one would need to wait for more research in this area; however for women who would like to take the chance on reducing their risk levels for breast cancer, there is nothing wrong in making a small amount of walnuts as a part of a regular diet.

Personalized treatment for cancer: Molecular Profiling

2009-04-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Cancer treatment has 3 typical weapons - surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Typically, the doctors look at the cancer patient, and determine which of them (or a combination of them) will prove effective for the patient. However, there is a certain level of commonness to such a treatment, with the treatment in many cases being a blunt weapon. There seemed to be a lot of scope to improve the way in which this treatment could be made more specific. A new study seems to be geared around that, trying a way to do molecular profiling of patients, such that more specific treaments for cancer-afflicted individuals can be found (link to article):

The study shows that molecular profiling of patients can identify specific treatments for individuals, helping keep their cancer in check for significantly longer periods, and in some cases even shrinking tumours. During the research, the team recruited 66 patients at nine centres across the United States, including Scottsdale Heathcare.
All of the patients had previously experienced growth of their tumours while undergoing as many as two to six prior cancer treatments, including conventional chemotherapy. However, after molecular profiling identified precise targets, new treatments were administered that resulted in patients experiencing significant periods of time when there was no progression of their cancer.

Getting personalized medical treatment for cancer is at a study related level, but now that molecular profiling and the consequent focused medical treatment seems to be working at improving the time period when the patient is cancer free, one can expect such treatment to starting getting available for general use (for patients who can afford more expensive treatment initially, but becoming cheaper over a period of time).

Article: Eating fish can help against prostate cancer

2009-03-25T23:48:00.000-07:00

It has been known for many years now that fish is the healthiest form of meat, and forms an integral part of any healthy diet. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in several species of fish, more prominently in wild-grown salmon and herring is supposed to be very good for a person (including for the heart). Another research has linked eating fish to the prevention of prostate cancer, by reducing the cancer-causing effects of the COX-2 gene (link to article):

Eating oily fish just once a week can help fight prostate cancer, new research suggests. According to the study, a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as herring, salmon and mackerel could prevent development of the deadly disease. "Previous research has shown protection against prostate cancer, but this is one of the first studies to show protection against advanced prostate cancer and interaction with COX-2," said John S Witte, PhD, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco.
Researchers divided omega-3 fatty acid intake into four groups based on quartiles of intake. Men who consumed the highest amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids had a 63% reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer compared to men with the lowest amount of long chain omega-3 fatty acids. "The COX-2 increased risk of disease was essentially reversed by increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake by a half a gram per day," said Witte.

For people who eat meat, it is worthwhile to try to move towards a diet more focused on white meat, and fish (especially salmon, herring, and mackerel). It does not take much, and eating fish has other health benefits as well.

Article: Red meat raises risk of cancer

2009-03-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

In terms of health and nutrition, red meat (meat from cows, goats, pigs) has always been seen as less healthy than the meat from poultry and fish. Seafood is supposed to be the healthiest form of meat, and red meat as the least. Here is more confirmation, with a study that links certain types of cooking of red meat (such as barbeque) and higher fat content, with both factors contributing to an increased rate of cancer (link to article):

Red meat lovers have been warned of being at higher risk of cancer or heart attack, while those who consume white meat do not have the same effect, a study has said. According to The Age, the study revealed that Barbeque red meat can cause the most cancer causing 'carcinogens'. Eating white meat - poultry or fish - did not have the same effect and was associated with a slightly decreased risk.
Cancer Council Australia chief executive Ian Olver said that while the study could not be said to show that red meat caused cancer, the apparent link warranted further research. "Such population studies demonstrate these relationships between red meat and cancer deaths but are not able to prove that one causes the other," he said adding "With red meat, for example, the method of cooking is important.

This is a preliminary research, and will require more research. However, the study is a good indicator that eating habits could be modified and people consider more usage of white meats.

Study: Mushrooms cut risk of breast cancer

2009-03-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

There are people who absolutely love mushrooms, and there are others who cannot stand them. Well, as a per a Chinese study, whether you love them or hate them, women would be better off eating mushrooms in order to reduce the risk of breast cancer. In order to reduce the chance of getting breast cancer even more, consuming green tree also helps considerably. As per the study, the risk was reduced by as much as 90%, which is a significant amount (link to article):

Scientists found that women consuming at least a third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms every day were 64 per cent less likely to develop a tumour. Dried mushrooms had a slightly less protective effect, reducing the risk by around half. To reach the conclusion, experts at the University of Western Australia in Perth reviewed the eating habits of more than 2,000 women in China, half of whom had suffered breast cancer. “Higher intake of mushrooms decreased cancer risk in both pre- and post-menopausal Chinese women,” The Daily Express quoted researchers, as saying.
Evidence points that mushrooms act in a similar way to breast cancer drugs called aromatase inhibitors which block the body’s production of the cancer-feeding hormone oestrogen. Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager, said: “Both green tea and mushrooms have previously been reported to lower cancer risk. While this study adds to the evidence, more research is needed to confirm these observations and find out if they are relevant to UK women.

Like most other studies that do number based crunching, more research is needed to validate this conclusion, but there is no harm if women do increase their consumption of mushrooms.

Research: Vegetarian diet could help protect against cancer

2009-03-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

All you vegetarians, rejoice. There has been the concept in some traditional medicine (such as homeopathy and ayurveda) that a non-vegetarian diet introduces toxins in the body, and that only a vegetarian is the healthy one. One does not know about the toxins part, but this research seems to indicate that a vegetarian diet is atleast more healthy in terms of reducing the risk of contracting cancer (link to article):

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers, who analysed 52,700 men and women, found that those who did not eat meat had significantly fewer cancers overall than those who did. However, surprisingly, scientists also found a higher rate of colorectal cancer - a disease linked with eating red meat - among the vegetarians.
During follow-up there were fewer cancers than would be expected in the general population - probably because they were a healthier than average group of people. But there was a significantly lower incidence of all cancers among the fish-eaters and vegetarians compared with the meat eaters. For colorectal cancer, however that trend was reversed with vegetarians having a significantly higher incidence of the condition than the other groups.

As usual, with a lot of research, nothing conclusive can be established right away, although some trends can be found that would be need to be embellished with more studies.
- People who have a vegetarian or a diet with fish tend to have a lower chance of contracting most cancers
- Vegetarians seemed to have a higher chance of contracting colorectal cancers, which was a surprising outcome of the study

Can you believe this - Potato chips can beat certain cancers

2009-02-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

For any health conscious person, potato chips are something to be severly avoided. They are labelled as junk food, and have a major part to play in the creation of the lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity (and are part of the lifestyle of colas, chips and pizzas that lead to a much higher intake of fat). However, it seems that potato chips can also play a positive role in cancer treatment (link)

The mouth-watering chips have long been labelled as a “junk food”. Yet, experts have claimed that gorging on a deepfried potato diet can help people in beating certain cancers. According to them, chips are rich in vitamin C, which tackles dangerous free radicals associated with cancer growth, and those suffering with the disease can even shrink the size of their tumours by eating wafers, the Daily Star reported.
“Chips give vitamin C, which is an important nutrient believed to help protect against certain types of cancer. People who eat food rich in vitamin C are much less likely to suffer from cancer of the oesophagus, cancer of the stomach and breast cancer.

This is part of ongoing research, and one would expect that if you eat other foods rich in Vitamin C, you would get the same effect. This is something that more research should be able to validate.

Breast cancer patients removing their healthy breasts

2009-01-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

In a new trend, a study has found that women who developed breast cancer in one breast are having their second breasts removed under the risk that they would also develop a cancer in their second breasts. So, even though the second breast may not be having any cancerous tumour, the patients are asking their physicians to do a mastectomy on the other breast. This is a recent trend, and there is no specific evidence found that would support such a removal from a medical point of view (link to article):

Although their tumors are confined to only one breast, more women are asking doctors to remove their healthy, unaffected breast as well to reduce their risk of finding another tumor later.
Though tumors don't tend to spread from one breast to the other, women with cancer in one breast do have a higher risk of developing another, unrelated tumor in the opposite breast, says Kelly Hunt of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, author of a study released today in Cancer, which tracked women from 2000 to 2007 Those additional tumors may be too small to detect when a woman's first cancer is diagnosed, making a preventive mastectomy a "rational" choice for some women, she says.

With this kind of research, however, it is hard to come up with a conclusive decision that will guide women who are already breast cancer patients from taking such hard decisions.

Article: How the Myc gene controls growth of cancer

2009-01-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

One of the most important areas in cancer research is learning the process by which healthy cells turn cancerous, and which are the factors that aid in cancer promotion. Their research, carried out on mice, on a gene called Myc that has long been categorized as a gene that actually is a negative factor in the growth of cancer (and which has been under extensive study) generates the conclusion that Myc, in addition to its effect on the initial steps of cell changing, also acts directly on the final stages of protein production. As a result, existing drugs that act on increasing protein production can have an incredibly beneficial effect on cancer growth:

However, the current study has for the first time shown that the altered Myc gene, called an oncogene, can also act directly on the final stage of protein production. "Control of protein production rapidly affects cell behavior, and in a robust manner," Nature magazine quoted Ruggero, assistant professor of urology at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-senior author on the paper with Barna, as saying.
"A cancer causing gene, such as Myc, regulates many distinct cellular processes, and that can make it very difficult to tease apart which ones are the most important for the cancer to progress," says Barna, a faculty fellow in the UCSF biochemistry and biophysics department. "The key to our studies was the ability to generate novel genetic tools to halt Myc's action on protein production. This demonstrates how essential this process is for cancer formation," Barna adds.

This research gives a new lead on how to try to slow down the growth of cancer in its tracks, something that will be very useful (and given the high number of cancer afflicted people and the number of deaths worldwide from cancer, a great boon to society).

Melanoma leads to a heightened risk of cancer

2009-01-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer, and is a pretty serious affliction. Research by Queen's University Belfast shows that patients suffering from melanoma suffer double trouble, since they also suffer from an elevated risk of developing other cancers. The risk for people who had other forms of skin cancers was not so elevated (link to article):

Patients with non-melanoma skin cancer were up to 57 per cent more likely to develop another type of cancer than people in the general population, the study found. They were almost twice as likely to go on to develop melanoma and had an increased risk of smoking-related cancers, reports the BBC. However, the risk of subsequent cancers was even higher in the melanoma group - more than double that of the general population.
He said: "Sun exposure is an important risk factor for all types of skin cancers so patients who have had one type of skin cancer may be more likely to develop other types as well. "Alternatively a new skin cancer may be more likely to be detected in patients who are monitored following their first diagnosis of skin cancer.

Such research only highlights the need to be more vigilant, even more so when the person is being treated for a cancer. This area needs to be studied more, but patients suffering from melanoma should make sure that they remain under proper medical treatment.

The British cancer free baby

2009-01-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

For ages, doubters and doomsday experts have been warning about the need for controls and ethical balances on scientific research; one of the items they have been warning about is the concept of 'designer babies' where a person can specifically decide what are the properties they want in their babies. This is balanced with the thought that, if science can determine and eliminate the cause of cancer right at the stage of conception, then why not take such action in the interest of sparing these children much suffering later in life. In this current case, science helped in the birth of a child who was screened as an embryo to ensure that she did not carry a specific gene (link to story):

The first child in Britain known to have been screened as an embryo to ensure she did not carry a cancer gene was born Friday, a spokesman for University College London told CNN. Her embryo was screened in a lab days after conception to check for the BRCA-1 gene, linked to breast and ovarian cancer. People with the gene are known to have a 50-80 percent chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer in their lifetimes.
"This is not a cure for breast cancer," said Josephine Quintavalle, co-founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, which describes itself as group that focuses on ethical dilemmas related to reproduction. "This is simply a mechanism for eliminating the birth of anybody (prone to) the disease," she said. "It is basically a search-and-kill mechanism." She opposes the procedure because embryos found to carry disease-causing genes often are discarded. She says that is essentially murder. "They will be destroyed," she said. "They will never be allowed to live."

For some time now, scientists have been testing babies for genes that carry genes known to cause cancers. The difference was that in this case, the complication was that the embryos were screened for a gene that does not always cause cancer (it increases the probability that the person will have cancer, but there are people who have lived with this gene and not developed cancer). This is the first time that this happened in Britain.

Article: Vaccine against breast cancer soon ?

2009-01-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

It has recently been announced that there is a vaccine under test that will help in the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer is a major health problem, causing a huge number of afflictions (in fact, in the US, it is estimated that upto 12% of all women will eventually develop breast cancer), and hence such a vaccine (that prevents breast cancer from coming back in many patients) will be a major new element of the fight against breast cancer:

UAMS scientists expect to start clinical trials as early as this spring on a new vaccine they hope will help prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. The immunotherapy is designed to trick the body into doing something it wouldn't naturally do - produce antibodies that fight breast cancer cells.
Women participating in the study will receive five doses of the vaccine at the cancer institute's medical oncology clinic. They will be immunized once a week for the first three weeks and again during the seventh and 19th weeks. The first phase of the clinical trial will last four to six months. It will involve women with metastatic cancer, or cancer that is actively spreading, and women who have relapsed after going into remission. UAMS scientists will use the first phase to monitor any side effects of the vaccine, Hutchins said.

Even though the vaccine apparently works only on women who have fought against breat cancer earlier, and prevents the breast cancer from coming back, it will still be a major part of the fight against this highly dangerous form of cancer.

Article: Obesity increases the risk of ovarian cancer

2009-01-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here's another reason for reduction of obesity in women; obesity increases significantly the risk of ovarian cancer (upto 80% more). The primary reason for this is the effect that obesity has on the hormone oestrogen, the production of which increases. This in turn simulates a higher growth of ovarian cells, which eventually plays a role in the development of ovarian cancer:

Now, researchers have found that women who are obese raise their risk of ovarian cancer by up to 80 per cent -- the link has been found even in those who have never used hormone replacement therapy for symptoms of the menopause. And, according to them, the findings suggest obesity may enhance the risk of ovarian cancer risk through hormonal effects, the British media reported.
"The observed relations between obesity and ovarian cancer risk have relevance for public health programmes aimed at reducing obesity in the population," Dr Michael Leitzmann of the US National Cancer Institute, who led the study, said. In their study involving 95,000 women, the researchers found among women aged 50 to 71 being overweight increased the risk of the disease by almost 80 per cent.

This finding should led impetus to the public programs that promote the reduction of obesity in the general population, and increased study of this area will help in the promotion of that message.

Article: Eat Broccoli for cutting the risk of breast cancer

2009-01-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Ever since the senior President Bush (George W's father) disclosed that he was not fond of broccoli, the green vegetable has found a greater place in the spotlight. It has always been deemed to be healthy, and finds a place in many healthy recipes; and now this research has indicated that there are compounds found in broccoli that can actually kill breast cancer cells:

The leafy vegetable along with other cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, cauliflower and cabbage, contains chemicals that prevent a number of different cancers. However, now experts have discovered that the compound in broccoli can actually kill breast cancer cells. University of California researchers have revealed for the first time how the healing power of these vegetables works in the cells, reports the Daily Express .
“These vegetables contain compounds called isothiocyanates which we believe to be responsible for the cancer-preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities in these vegetables. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of the isothiocyanates. “Our paper focuses on the anti-cancer activity of one of these compounds, called sulforaphane, or SFN. It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumours in animals. It inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death.”

Of course, like any other research, these findings need to be further validated. However, at the same time, given the overall benefits of green vegetables such as broccoli, it is better to make them part of the overall diet regime (whether you like the taste or not).

Article: Research identifies protein that enhances lung cancer

2009-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Lung cancer is a huge killer the world over, attacking especially people who either smoke too much, or indulge in tobacco. Lung cancer remains on the list of cancer types that undergo a large amount of research (due to the large number of affected people), and it is this research that claims to have found the protein in the body that actually enhances the growth of lung cancer; this is done through creating a higher amount of inflammatory cells that assist in the spread of lung cancer:

“His team used a straightforward biochemical approach to identify proteins produced by metastatic cancer cells, which are responsible for generation of an inflammatory microenvironment that supports the growth of metastases.” He further added, “The team focused on macrophages, white blood cells that are key players in the immune response to foreign invaders as well as in cancer growth and progression, and screened for factors produced by metastatic cancer cells in mice that could stimulate the activity of this inflammatory cell type.”
The researchers said, “Biochemical purification of proteins secreted by LLC cells resulted in identification of an extra cellular matrix protein called versican as the major macrophage activator and metastasis enhancing factor.”

Like a lot of studies, these were conducted on mice, but should help in the gaining of some detail regarding the interaction between the protein, increase in inflammation and the spread of lung cancer.

Article: Fresh blood helps the body fight cancer

2009-01-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Modern blood banks work on the principle of storing blood, sometimes for as long as 40 days, before it becomes unusable. However, there has always been stories about how some surgeons prefer to use younger blood (blood that has been stored for less than 9 days); and now, one research seems to be backing that story. The research, conducted by researchers at Tel-Aviv University, indicates that using fresher blood helps in the fight against cancer (as opposed to using much older blood):

Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers, led by Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu from its department of neuroimmunology research unit, discovered that a transfusion of "young" blood - blood which has been stored for less than nine days - increased the odds of survival in animals challenged with two types of cancer.
Using an animal model, the researchers conducted tests on rats with leukaemia and breast cancer. The odds of surviving the cancer, they found, were only compromised if the transfusion blood had been stored for nine days or more. "I don't think this study will or should change the practices of surgeons in hospitals, but it is definitely something that needs to be investigated further in human clinical studies," said Ben-Eliyahu.

This research would need to be studied further, and one cancer area that could be impacted is the cancers of the prostate or colon, where there is a lot of bleeding. Further research in this area could be useful for treatments in these areas.

Research: Processed foods and cancer

2009-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Processed foods have always been looked upon as being inferior to natural foods. Processed foods have a number of additives added to them, with speculation being that the effects of many of these additives is not fully clear, and the analysis has certainly not been done for long term effects. So, here is research tat indicates how a common type of additives known as phosphates causes lung cancer tumors grow faster during tests carried out on mice. The research also indicates that these additives also simulate the growth of these tumors:

A diet that is high in phosphates “significantly increased the lung surface tumor lesions as well as the size”, Cho’s team wrote in their study. Cho said the research suggests that cutting back on inorganic phosphates “may be critical for lung cancer treatment as well as prevention”. Phosphates are critical to human nutrition and can be used in compounds that enrich calcium and iron content and prevent food from drying out. But Cho said it is possible that some people get too much.
The bred mice do not develop cancer in the same way as humans do and the researchers stressed their study does not show that the food additives contribute to cancer in people. Instead, it points to questions for human cancer researchers to study. Lung cancer is by far the most common cancer killer around the world, killing 1.2 million people a year.

The research does not have a direct implication on humans, since the cancer was bred in the mice and developed in a different way from how humans do so; but overall, the research points to an area that must be studied in more detail.

Obesity and cancer

2008-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Obesity was always touted as a problem that is a precipitating factor in illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and so on. The linkage with cancer is not something that is clearly defined; however, this study by the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada) defines a relationship between the body composition of cancer patients and their survival rates. In addition, other factors such as reaction to chemotherapy was also decided by their body composition:

As part of their study, the researchers, led by oncology professor Vickie Baracos, viewed computed tomography images of 250 obese cancer patients, a university release said Monday. Their findings showed that patients with a condition called sarcopenic obesity - a depletion of lean muscle mass, paired with being severely overweight - lived an average of 10 months less than their counterparts who were obese, but had more lean muscle mass.
"In many cases, people with sarcopenic obesity have as little or sometimes less muscle mass than thin people who look as of they were made of skin and bones," the release quoted study leader Vickie Baracos as saying. The findings of the study showed that future prognosis for cancer patients will have to take their body composition into consideration, she said. Factors like lean muscle mass could play a part in how these patients reacted to chemotherapy, and drug dosing could potentially be improved, Baracos said.

What this also means is that future cancer treatments should also account for the patients body composition, and also incorporate treatment geared towards the reduction of obesity.

Having a colonoscopy is essential

2008-12-18T10:56:00.001-08:00

Recent research brought forth the findings that a colonoscopy is not as effective as it was originally thought in the prevention of colorectal cancer. However, this should not subtract from the fact that a colonoscopy is still fairly effective (60%) at finding polyps, and actually enables the doctor to remove them before they become malignant. The main problem with colonoscopy is that more eligible people (those age 50 and older, assuming average risk) are not taking the test, with less than 50% having the test:

Unlike a mammogram or a PSA test, a colonoscopy can even be thought of as a form of prevention, since it enables the doctor to get rid of polyps before they become malignant. Even critics of many forms of cancer screening say it has its place.
The lesson from the new research is not that a colonoscopy isn't worth the yuck factor or the expense but that you should make sure yours is as well performed as possible. "You should have a colonoscopy done by a person who does a lot of them and does them well," says David Weinberg, a gastroenterologist who chairs the department of medicine at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

A colonoscopy is messy, after all, anything to do with bowels and rectal movement is messy, and yet it is critical for the detection of colorectal cancer. What can only help in this regard is if people follow the procedures to make sure that the test is as effective as it can be (making sure that they take the required laxatives, and other such treatment that will make the test easier and more effective).

Reduction of cancer risk: male circumcision

2008-12-18T10:54:00.001-08:00

Male circumcision is less controversial than female circumcision, and is actively practiced as a matter of custom in many faiths and religions. Circumcision has always been touted to have health benefits, and maybe this research will continue along this trend. Latest research indicates that male circumcision may help reduce the risk of AIDS transmission, as well as the spread of cervical cancer:

Three studies published on Wednesday add to evidence that circumcision can protect men from the deadly AIDS virus and the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The reports in the Journal of Infectious Diseases are likely to add to the debate over whether men — and newborn boys — should be circumcised to protect their health and perhaps the health of their future sexual partners. Dr. Bertran Auvert of the University of Versailles in France and colleagues in South Africa tested more than 1,200 men visiting a clinic in South Africa. They found under 15% of the circumcised men and 22% of the uncircumcised men were infected with the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which is the main cause of cervical cancer and genital warts.

Concern about more sex leads to reduction in cancer vaccine treatment

2008-12-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is an area where the clash of modern science with the worries of parents is causing problems in terms of health. The spread of cancers such as cervical cancers and genital warts is primarily through sexual contact (something that is obviously quite common in the younger generation), and the way to reduce the chances of contracting these problems is through the administration of anti-human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. The contradiction is exhibited through this survey of 326 adults, where the adults knew about the decreased chance of getting the infection if the vaccine is used:

Yale University researchers - Sanjay Basu, a Ph.D candidate and Alison Galvani, assistant professor in the division of epidemiology of microbial diseases - studied how concerns about adolescent promiscuity and everyday economics lead many parents and guardians not to have their children treated.
But the same group of 326 adults also thought adolescent sexual activity would nearly double among those receiving the vaccine. Concern about increased promiscuity was the single biggest factor in the decision not to vaccinate, according to the study. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the HPV vaccination be administered to girls aged between 11 and 12 years (and catch-up vaccinations to girls between 13 and 26).

The study found that only around 25% of the targetted recipients of the vaccine actually received all the 3 doses needed; this would be the primary reason that there were still 11,000 women detected with cervical cancer. The other main reason for this vaccine not being widely used was economic, with some amout of out-of-pocket expenses required for the doses.

Cancer rates fallen for the first time in the United States

2008-11-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

In good news for medical authorities in the United States, a new report has concluded that the rate of both new cancer diagnosis and deaths from cancer have declined (and this is the first time that this has happened ever since these statistics have been reported since 1988). For the past some time, maybe due to better medical reasons, overall cancer mortality has been decreasing, but this is the first time that the rate of incidence of new cancer cases has decreased. Even though this shows that the overall effects at cancer prevention are working, there are many indicators that this is not uniform across the country.
A lot (30%) of cancer deaths can be related to cancer brought on by smoking, and the decrease of smoking-related cancers happened in those states that discouraged smoking through anti-smoking (making it difficult to smoke in public places, or with additional taxes on cigarettes; states that did not go ahead with such policies did not see a fall in lung cancer cases or mortality from such cases (or actually saw increases). The article presents some good information in this regard; here are some excerpts from the article:

The annual report, published online Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed this simultaneous drop in overall cancer incidence and mortality for the first time since reporting began in 1998, the study authors said. The incidence and mortality fell for three most common cancers among men -- lung, colorectal and prostate -- and for the two most common cancers among women -- breast and colorectal. Overall, incidence rates for all cancers dropped 0.8 percent per year from 1999 to 2005 for men and women combined, the report said.
- Prostate, lung and colorectal cancer decreased in men, the report said
- Breast and colorectal cancer decreased in women, report finds
- Some death rates are increasing for individual types of cancer
- Lung cancer incidence and mortality increased in 18 states

Such reports present a lot of empirical proof about the connection between smoking and lung cancer. The report talks about the major cancers that affect Americans.

Vitamin B3 aids in the fight against skin cancer

2008-11-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Exposure to excessive sunlight is seen as making a person more susceptible to getting skin cancer. So people use sunblock or other such protection methods to prevent a higher exposure to the sun (and to UV rays). However, research seems to indicate that getting Vitamin B3 is a good solution to try to reduce the chance of getting skin cancer:

Vitamin B3 found in meat, nuts, grains and cereals is more effective in preventing skin cancer caused by harmful ultraviolet rays than the sunscreens, according to a new research.
"Our research has found that Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3), found in meat, nuts, grains and cereals if taken in tablet form or added to sunscreen, can prevent the immuno-suppressive effects of UV by energising cells so they maintain their immunity," said researcher Diona Damian, Associate Professor from Sydney University.

Given that skin cancer is a much more common problem faced with people in tropical environments, any measure that could help reduce the incidence of getting skin cancer is very welcome.

Article: Exercise cuts the chance of having breast cancer

2008-11-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

Not just simple exercise, but regular vigorous exercise; even if it relates to doing some household work that involves a lot of exercise such as scrubbing floors or chopping firewood, all of these have a beneficial effect in reducing the chance of incurring breast cancer. This is the result of a large study carried out over a period of 11 years on more than 30,000 people. This includes doing vigorous exercise such as heavy yard work, digging, chopping wood, and regular forms of exercise such as running, fast jogging, aerobics, cycling through the hills, and so on:

Vigorous exercise - from running, to chopping firewood or scrubbing floors - can reduce the risk of breast cancer by almost a third, a new study has found. The study of more than thirty thousand postmenopausal American women, reported in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research, has revealed that a sedentary lifestyle can be a risk factor for the disease - even in women who are not overweight.
Interestingly, the authors found that non-vigorous activity, such as light housework (vacuuming, washing clothes, painting, general gardening) and light sports or exercise (walking, hiking, light jogging, recreational tennis, bowling) was not protective. Furthermore, vigorous activity was only protective in lean women and not those who were overweight or obese.

These observations were based on the research carried out on the basis of the study, and these are empirical observations based on the patterns observed. What the study suggests is very clear - vigorous exercise is helpful to protect against breast cancer, but it should be vigorous exercise.

Research: Using scorpion venom for treating malignant brain cancer

2008-10-26T10:54:00.002-07:00

In some new research revealed this month, October 2008, a scorpion venom is proving to be the new fighting tool against different varieties of cancer, including malignant brain cancer. The previous post was about using the venom from scorpions to paint cancer tissues separately from healthy cells. This post is about a further refinement, where the venom of a specific scorpion binds to cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected:

It may sound like the ultimate poison, but radioactive scorpion venom is being tested as a treatment for malignant brain cancer. The sting of the Middle Eastern scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus unleashes a cocktail of neurotoxins containing a peptide that is non-toxic to humans but binds to tumour cells. In tests, the peptide has invaded tumours in breast, skin, brain and lung tissue while leaving healthy cells untouched.
To determine if the peptide could deliver lethal doses of radioactivity to cancer cells, researchers have now attached radioactive iodine isotopes to it. In a trial last year, the researchers injected this agent directly into the tumours of people suffering from inoperable brain cancer. All the patients have now died, but those receiving a higher dose lived for three months longer, on average.

This research holds out some great promise, although with any cutting edge research, it is possible that either the research leads to a major improvement in the treatment, or it does not pan out to mean anything great.

Article: Scorpion venom can help fight against cancer

2008-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

For doctors treating cancer, or involved in cancer research, the ultimate quest is about being to identify the cancer afflicted areas of the body and treat it separately from the normal areas of the body. A lot of the side effects of cancer treatments is because chemotherapy or radiotherapy also affect sections of the body that are normal. There are a lot of efforts to try to differentiate, and in one research, an exotic variety of cancer may play a role:

Researchers have developed a “paint” using the toxin which they say can detect microscopic levels of the disease. By coating tumours with the glowing substance, surgeons will be able to distinguish cancer from healthy tissue. The paint marks out tumours with at least 500 times more sensitivity than a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which only works if more than one million cancer cells are present.
The team behind it claim that, in tests, medics were able to spot just a few hundred malignant cells – making them easier to eradicate. The substance used is chlorotoxin, a chemical found in the poison from scorpion stings, which attaches itself to cancer cells. Painting a suspect area makes it easier for surgeons to remove every bit of cancer without damaging surrounding healthy tissue. This is especially important in the brain, where 80 per cent of recurring malignant tumours appear at the edges of the surgical site.

Seems a bit exotic, but it is very logical. If any chemical can isolate cancer cells, then it will be a godsend for cancer treatment, and maybe help in reducing the pain of side effects.

Chemotherapy and side effects

2008-10-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Drugs being introduced into the body to fight cancer cells can be very effective; however, there is a cost to pay. We still have not reached that level of medical technology where the drugs can be directed to only attack cancer cells, and not healthy ones. We have to take some damage to normal cells along with the cancerous cells as the cost to pay for the treatment of cancer.
Chemotherapy works by destroying cancer cells; unfortunately, it cannot tell the difference between a cancer cell and some healthy cells. So chemotherapy eliminates not only the fast-growing cancer cells but also other fast-growing cells in your body, including, hair and blood cells. The side effects of chemotherapy come about because cancer cells aren't the only rapidly dividing cells in your body. The cells in your blood, mouth, intestinal tract, nose, nails, vagina, and hair are also undergoing constant, rapid division. This means that the chemotherapy is going to affect them, too.
A chemotherapy-induced low white blood cell count, caused by healthy cells lost during chemotherapy, is an expected side effect of your treatment. Therefore, you can plan ahead so it is less likely to disrupt your treatment schedule. A low white blood cell count typically occurs after the administration of certain types of chemotherapy and may continue for several days.
An undesirable consequence of chemotherapy affecting your body—not related to your cancer—is referred to as a complication of treatment, or a side effect. Some common side effects of chemotherapy are:
- Low white blood cell count: Chemo lowers your white blood cell count, which can lower how well you are able to fight infections. Since white bloods cells fight infection, you may have to make an effort to stay away from crowds and potential infection causing places while taking treatment.
- Low red blood cell count & fatigue: Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. During chemo treatment, the bone marrow may not be able to make enough red blood cells. Not having enough red blood cells is called anemia. It can make you feel short of breath, weak, and tired (fatigued).
- Low platelet count: Platelets are tiny fragments that form blood clots to plug up bleeding from cuts or bruises. If your bone marrow cannot make enough platelets, you may bleed too much, even from small cuts. If your platelet count is low, you will need to be very careful to avoid cuts, bruises, and other injuries.
- Nausea: Nausea is a sick feeling in your stomach that makes you feel like you have to vomit. Mild nausea can cause loss of appetite.
- Vomiting: stomach upset may trigger a strong urge to vomit, or forcefully eliminate what is in the stomach.
- Hair loss: Cells get affected by the drugs
- Affect sexuality: Sometimes sexual desire is low or even gone for some time, but it comes back when treatment ends. Some drugs given during chemo treatment may affect a woman's hormones, causing hot flashes and dryness of the vagina.

What to do when preparing for chemotherapy ?
- Ask your doctor about possible side effects, and what can be done to reduce the impact. There are drugs that can be taken for stomach issues, there are drugs that can reduce the impact of chemotherapy on bone marrow, transfusions of blood marrow also helps. You should ask about things to avoid doing chemotherapy, including how to change your life patterns to avoid risk to infection
- Find out about the impact chemotherapy will have on your life. How long will it last, how often do you need to be in hospital, who adminsters the drugs to you at home, when are you likely to be irritable; all these are important items to be prepared for while undergoing chemotherapy

More details about chemotherapy

2008-08-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

The use of chemical substances and drugs as medication dates back to the ancient Indian system of medicine called Ayurveda which uses many metals besides herbs for treatment of a large number of ailments. More recently, Persian physician, Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes), in the 10th century, introduced the use of chemicals such as vitriol, copper, mercuric and arsenic salts, sal ammoniac, gold scoria, chalk, clay, coral, pearl, tar, bitumen and alcohol for medical purposes.
Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer. In popular usage, it will usually refer to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a standardized treatment regimen.
Broadly, most chemotherapeutic drugs work by impairing mitosis (cell division), effectively targeting fast-dividing cells. As these drugs cause damage to cells they are termed cytotoxic. Some drugs cause cells to undergo apoptosis (so-called "programmed cell death"). If you did not understand this, then here is an easier explanation. Chemotherapy is effective against cancer cells because the drugs love to interfere with rapidly dividing cells. Chemotherapy drugs can stop cancer cells dividing and reproducing themselves. As the drugs are carried in the blood, they can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body. They are also taken up by some healthy cells. Healthy cells can repair the damage caused by chemotherapy, but cancer cells cannot and so they eventually die.
More than half of all people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy. For millions of people, chemotherapy helps treat their cancer effectively, enabling them to enjoy full, productive lives. To do this, they need to get onto a chemotherapy regimen (a treatment plan and schedule) that usually includes drugs to fight cancer plus drugs to help support completion of the cancer treatment at the full dose on schedule. Such a regimen is much more effective if it is followed as per the desired schedule.
Most chemo drugs are administered through one of the following methods:
1. You might simply swallow a pill. If your chemo is a pill or liquid, you can often take it at home, but you need to follow your doctor's directions carefully. This is the easiest mechanism to take chemotheraphy.
2. Chemo can be given like a flu shot. The shots may be given in your doctor's office, a hospital, a clinic, or at home.
3. Most often, chemo is given right into your veins through a needle or tiny plastic tube (called a catheter). This is called an IV (intravenous) injection.
The side effects of chemotherapy come about because cancer cells aren't the only rapidly dividing cells in your body. The cells in your blood, mouth, intestinal tract, nose, nails, vagina, and hair are also undergoing constant, rapid division. This means that the chemotherapy is going to affect them, too. However, this is far better in recent years than it used to be previously.

Terms typically used in discussions about cancer

2008-08-12T03:20:00.001-07:00

As you may believe, the medical fraternity has many scientific terms that are relevant to the science of cancer. If you are affected / somebody you know if affected, then it is important that you know the meaning of the common terms used. So, here is a list of the terms that are used:

* Screening: a test done on healthy people to detect tumors before they become apparent. A mammogram is a screening test used for breast cancer (as an example).
* Diagnosis: The confirmation of the cancerous nature of a lump. This requires some amount of time and effort, basically involving a biopsy or removal of the tumor by surgery, followed by examination by a pathologist.
* Surgical excision: The term used for the removal of a tumor by a surgeon.
* Surgical margins: The evaluation by a pathologist of the edges of the tissue removed by the surgeon to determine if the tumor was removed completely ("negative margins") or if tumor was left behind ("positive margins"). This can be quite critical to determine when the cancer has been fully surgically treated.
* Grade: A number (usually on a scale of 3) established by a pathologist to describe the degree of resemblance of the tumor to the surrounding benign tissue.
* Stage: A number (usually on a scale of 4) established by the oncologist to describe the degree of invasion of the body by the tumor. As you can imagine, this should be a low number for the cancer to have a much better chance of treatment.
* Recurrence: New tumors that appear at the site of the original tumor after surgery.
* Metastasis: New tumors that appear far from the original tumor.
* Transformation: The concept that a low-grade tumor transforms to a high-grade tumor over time.
* Chemotherapy: Treatment of the cancer with drugs, typically something that causes many side effects.
* Radiation therapy: Treatment of the cancer tissue with doses of radiation.
* Adjuvant therapy: Treatment, either chemotherapy or radiation therapy, given after surgery to kill the remaining cancer cells.
* Prognosis: The probability of cure after the therapy. It is usually expressed as a probability of survival five years after diagnosis. Alternatively, it can be expressed as the number of years when 50% of the patients are still alive. Both numbers are derived from statistics accumulated with hundreds of similar patients to give a Kaplan-Meier curve.
* Oncology: The branch of medicine that deals with tumors, including study of their development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
* Biopsy: The removal and examination of a sample of tissue from a living body for diagnostic purposes. A biopsy describes the procedure that is used to obtain a very small piece of the target tissue.

Some common treatments for cancer

2008-08-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

A few decades back, getting cancer was like a death sentence. Just the words of a doctor that a patient had cancer, and the outcome was not in doubt. It was a dreaded killer, many times with the patient having to undergo suffering. However, in the last few decades, this is not automatically so. Even now, the survival rate from a cancer depends on the type of cancer, and to a great extent, depends on when the cancer has been caught. Once a cancer has been caught, and if it has been caught early enough, there are many treatments possible (some valid, some that are like taking treatment from a quack). In this article, we will focus on treatments that you get on the basis of medical science, not based on prayer, or some mumbo-jumbo.

There are 3 common treatments for cancer, all of them with their own benefits / problems. The treatment you have could be a combination of one or more, and depends on the type of cancer and stage.

1. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy means the use of drugs to treat the cancer. This can be single dosages, or a combination of drugs, and can be taken through injection, or in the form of oral (a pill). The drugs enter your bloodstream and are able to reach all parts of your body.

2. Radiotherapy: Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy, X-ray therapy, or irradiation) is the use of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. This treatment may provide a cure for cancer, control the disease, or help relieve its symptoms.

3. Surgery: Surgery is used to diagnose cancer, determine its stage, and to treat cancer. Surgery can be very successful in treating some kinds of cancer, but it isn't an option for all people, and is not an option when the cancer has spread, or there is danger to vital organs. Surgery is not like the others in terms of being a systematic treatment, it is a one time (or maybe a few) treatment.

Besides these, there are others:

# Hormonal therapy: Hormone treatments use the sex hormones produced by our bodies, or drugs that block them, to treat cancer. Doctors might use hormone therapy for people with cancers that are ‘hormone sensitive’ such as Prostate Cancer of Breast Cancer. This therapy is not useful for many types of cancers.

# Biological therapy: Biological therapy use natural materials, or something developed from a natural body substance to interfere with the way cells interact and signal to each other. These can cause the body to attack cancer cells, or counter-effect the side effects produced by other treatments such as chemotherapy.

Resources to learn more about cancer

2008-07-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you are afflicted with cancer, or have a relative or friend who has got cancer; or you are interested in reading more on this area, then you will want access to sites that are treasure troves of information on cancer. The better sites typically have a huge amount of information laid out in a manner that can be well understood, where you can read simple definitions, as well as read more scientific explanations, and so on. So, here are these sites:
Cancer Research UK (link)
Guide to Internet Resources for Cancer (link)
American Cancer Society (link)
Oncolink (link)
Cancer411.org (link)
@Cancer.com (link)
Association of Cancer Online Resources (link)
Association of European Cancer Leagues (link)

Risk factors for cancer

2008-07-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most important knowledge items for cancer is to know what factord increase the risk of cancer. After all, if you have a higher risk of cancer due to genetic reasons, or are doing something that increases the risk of cancer, then it is of the utmost importance to learn more about this area, and go in for regular screenings. Detecting cancers early can drastically improve the chances of survival and of beating the cancer. Often a doctor can find early cancer during a physical exam or with routine tests, even if a person has no symptoms. Some of the factors that increase the risk of cancer vary for different cancers, and some are common.
These factors are:
Tobacco use: Use of tobacco, whether through chewing or through the burning of it in cigarettes and cigars contributes heavily to the risk of developing cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, bladder, kidney, cervix esophagus, and pancreas. The act of smoking itself can significantly increase the risk of developing cancer.
Sunlight / UV rays, etc: Strong exposure to sunlight, such as excessive tanning, or exposure to UV rays in areas that have reduced ozone protection can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.
A diet low in fruits and vegetables or poor oral hygiene, trauma due to ill-fitting dentures or jagged teeth, use of mouthwashes with high alcohol content can all lead to a higher chance of developing cancer of the mouth.
Liver cancer: Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus, cirrhosis of the liver (chronic liver injury, usually due to alcohol abuse) all contribute to an enhanced risk of developing cancer of the liver.
Breast cancer: Hereditary factors contribute significantly to breast cancer. Other factors are menstruation at an early age, late menopause, never bearing children, first child born after age 30.
Environmental factors can increase the risk of cancer. Exposure to nuclear radiation or to such cancer-causing materials such as asbestos can significantly increase the risk of getting cancer.
Unsafe Sex: Practicing unsafe sex can increase your risk of developing a virus called HPV. HPV is a group of over 100 viruses, medically known as human papillioma virus. HPV increases your risk factor for cervical, anal, vulvar and vaginal cancer.

It is recommended that if you are affected by some of these risk factors, then you should ensure that you get screened regularly for cancer. As said earlier in the article, if you detect your cancer earlier, it is much easier to treat and cure.

Main categories of cancer (groups)

2008-07-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

The main categories of cancer include:

* Carcinoma - Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover the internal organs. There are 4 major types of epithelium in the body (Glandular, squamous, transitional, and pseudostratified). Some types are only found in a few select organs such as the lung (pseudostratified) or urinary bladder (transitional). Carcinomas can arise from any of these epithelial types.
* Sarcoma - Cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissues. Another way of stating this is: A sarcoma is a cancer derived from the soft tissues of the body (soft tissue includes bone and cartilage).
* Leukemia - Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.
* Lymphoma and myeloma - Cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. These sites most commonly include the lymph nodes and spleen. However, lymhomas may arise from any organ and body site.
* Central nervous system cancers - Cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

There are times when cancer cells display such a distorted and grotesque growth, that a recognizable growth pattern such as a carcinoma or sarcoma cannot be given and it is hard to classify the cancer category appropriately. In these cases, the pathologist may diagnose the tumor as a poorly differentiated or undifferentiated malignancy and not be able to do a proper categorisation. In some of these cases, additional studies and special stains or immunohistochemistry may aid in the final diagnosis.

Types of cancers

2008-07-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Cancers can be of 2 types - benign and malignant. The difference is with regard to whether the cancer can spread or is localized and not spreadable. This difference can make a significant difference to the future of the person concerned, and in many cases, can mean a life or death difference.

- Benign refers to a tumor which does not have the potential to spread beyond the organ it arises.
- Malignant refers to a tumor which has the ability to spread or metastasize beyond the organ from which it arises.

The cells of benign tumors reproduce in a fairly orderly way, they are encapsulated, do not invade normal tissue, do not spread to other parts of the body and are rarely fatal unless they exert pressure on other organs (i.e. brain tumors).
Malignant Tumors are very different from the cells of the surrounding tissue. They invade and destroy tissue around them. Their growth is more rapid than the tissue around them and bits of the tumor, called metastases, can break off from the primary growth and spread to other parts of the body forming other tumors.

Benign tumours

* Usually grow quite slowly
* Do not spread to other parts of the body
* Usually have a covering that is made up of normal cells

Benign tumours are made up of cells that are quite similar to normal cells. Benign tumors will only cause a problem if they

* Grow very large
* Become uncomfortable
* Exert pressure on other body organs
* Take up space inside the skull
* Release hormones that affect how the body functions or cause other similar changes

Malignant tumours are made up of cancer cells. Characteristics of cancer cells are that they:

* Usually grow faster than benign tumours
* Spread through and destroy surrounding tissues
* Spread to other parts of the body

It is the ability to spread that makes a cancer dangerous. If a cancer is not treated, it can threaten the organs near to where it started growing. It can also damage other parts of the body by spreading. This property is what makes a malignant cancer so dangerous.

Some common symptoms of cancer

2008-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

How to find out whether what you are seeing could be symptoms of cancer ? Cancer can exhibit itself in different ways, and getting medical advise is the most safe and recommended way. However, there is a way to suspect when you feel there is something that could be going wrong. There are a set of 7 common symptoms called 'The Seven Danger Signals of Cancer':
1. Change in bowel or bladder movements
2. A sore that does not heal
3. Unusual bleeding or discharge
4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere
5. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
6. Obvious change in wart or mole
7. Nagging cough or hoarseness

Spread of cancer?

2008-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Something that damages a cell and makes it more likely to be cancerous is called a 'carcinogen'. There are carcinogens in cigarette smoke for example. Mutation means a gene has been damaged or lost. A mutation may mean that too much protein is made. Or that a protein is not made at all. It can take a long time before enough mutations happen for a cell to become cancerous. This is why many cancers are more common in older people. There has been more time to be exposed to carcinogens. And more time for accidents when cells reproduce.
Cancer usually forms as a tumor, but some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, cancer cells grow in the blood and blood-forming organs, and circulate through other tissues. Cancer cells can travel to other parts of the body and begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, happens when the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body Even when cancer has spread to a different part of the body it is still named for the place in the body where it started. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the liver is metastatic breast cancer, not liver cancer. Prostate cancer that has spread to the bone is called metastatic prostate cancer, not bone cancer.

Spread of the cancer may occur in one of several ways.
First method of spread is called direct spread. As the primary cancer increases in size it will invade into and destroy the normal tissue surrounding it, growing in size all around it.
Second type of spread is lymphatic spread. Tiny clumps of cells can break away from the primary cancer and enter the nearby lymph vessels. (Lymph vessels are very fine channels that run in networks throughout the body, draining lymph fluid from the organs and tissues to clusters of tiny glands, or lymph nodes) The cancer cells may then settle in the lymph nodes and grow there, causing the glands to become swollen.
Third method of spreading is when there is spread via the blood stream. Once again tiny clumps of cells break off from the primary cancer but instead of the lymph vessels, they enter the surrounding blood vessels and are carried to other parts of the body, often quite distant from the primary cancer. The clumps of cancerous cells finally lodge in other organs and begin to grow there.
Fourthly there is spread within the body cavities. For example, within the abdomen the organs are bathed in fluid and cancer cells may break away from the primary growth and float through the fluid to settle on other organs or tissues.

When a cancer spreads to the lymph glands, through the blood stream or across body cavities the new cancers which are formed are called secondary cancers. Secondary cancers continue to resemble the primary cancer and do not take on the characteristics of the cells in their new location. So if cells break away from a primary cancer in the breast and spread through the blood stream to lodge in the lungs the resulting tumour is a secondary breast cancer in the lung, which is completely different from a primary cancer beginning in the lung.

How does cancer develop ?

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Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.
Proteins are the building blocks that make up a cell. Some proteins act as 'on/off' switches that help to control how a cell behaves. For example, a hormone signal acts on a protein in or on the cell. The protein then sends a signal down a chain of switches. The final signal tells the cell to reproduce by dividing into two. Genes are coded messages inside a cell that tell it how to behave. The genes are codes that tell the cell how to make many different proteins. One gene 'codes' for one protein. Mutations can happen by chance when a cell is reproducing. It is not easy for a normal cell to turn into a cancer cell. There have to be about half a dozen different mutations before this happens. Cells often self destruct if they carry a mutation. Or they might be recognised by the immune system as abnormal and killed. This means most pre-cancerous cells die before they can cause disease. Only a few turn into a cancer.
However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor. Most of the time when DNA becomes damaged, either the cell dies or is able to repair the DNA. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. Many times though, a person’s DNA gets damaged by things in the environment, like,chemicals, viruses, tobacco smoke or too much sunlight. This causes changes to the normal cell behaviour, for example, a signalling protein may be permanently switched on. Other proteins, whose job is to control and limit cell division, may be permanently switched off.
Because cancer cells keep growing and dividing, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to grow and make new abnormal cells. Cancer usually forms as a tumor (a lump or mass.) Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs, and circulate through other tissues where they grow. Cancer cells often travel through the bloodstream or through the lymph system to other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This spreading process is called metastasis.

What is cancer ? An explanation

2008-06-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Cancer is a term that most people have heard of. Earlier it used to be seen as a death sentence, but less so now. Cancer now is treatable, but there are many caveats to that statement. Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 different types of conditions in which cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious illness and even death. Cancer can affect just about every organ in the human body. The pattern of growth of cancer cells often resembles a twisted and distorted version of the tissue that is arising. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump called a tumour to form. If not treated, the tumour can cause problems by invading normal tissues nearby or by causing pressure on other body structures.
A more technical description of what causes cancer (but hopefully in a form that is easily understandable):
Cells in different parts of the body may look and work differently but most reproduce themselves in the same way. Cells are constantly becoming old and dying, and new cells are produced to replace them. Normally, cells divide in an orderly and controlled manner. If for some reason the process gets out of control, the cells carry on dividing, developing into a lump which is called a tumour. Cells have a centre called a nucleus. Inside the nucleus are the genes. Genes are really bits of code. The information they carry can be switched on or off. The genes control the cell. They decide when it will reproduce, what it does and even when it will die.
Normally the genes make sure that cells grow and reproduce in an orderly and controlled way. If the system goes wrong for any reason, the usual result is that the cell dies. Rarely, the system goes wrong in a way that allows a cell to keep on dividing until a lump called a 'tumour' is formed. In cancer, the cells do not obey these ‘rules’ of cell division. They do not destroy themselves if they are abnormal, they do not stick together or become mature, they do not obey signals from neighboring cells and they keep on reproducing.