July 10, 2006, 6:44 AM CT

Exercise Reduces Recurrence Of Colon Cancer

Patients with stage III colon cancer who walked at an average pace six days a week or had equivalent exercise had a 51% reduced risk of having their cancer return compared to those who were less active.

As part of a study comparing two chemotherapy regimens, patients were enrolled in an evaluation of their exercise levels after therapy. Scientists compared exercise using a standardized unit called a MET or metabolic equivalent task. One MET equaled the energy expended during an hour of sitting quietly Walking at an average pace for an hour equaled 3 METS, running expended 12 METS, while swimming, bicycling, and tennis each resulted in 7 METS per hour.

To be sure that illness from cancer or chemotherapy was not effecting exercise levels, patients were questioned about their exercise activities 6 months after finishing chemotherapy for their cancer and only those who were cancer-free were included in the study.

Patients whose exercise reached 18 METS in a week had an 85% chance of being alive and cancer-free three years after the study questionnaire, those with less than 18 METS had a 75% chance of similar survival. 18 METS was equivalent to walking a mile at an average pace 6 days a week.

Both men and women benefited from exercise as did people younger and older than 60. There was no significant difference in benefits based on body mass index, number of lymph nodes, therapy received, or overall health at the beginning of therapy. Furthermore, exercise benefits after cancer diagnosis and therapy were independent of exercise habits before cancer. Additional exercise above the 18 METS improved disease-free survival even more, but after about 27 METS a week improvement reached a plateau.........

Posted by: Sue      Permalink         Source

July 5, 2006, 8:19 AM CT

Chornobyl Radiation Increases Thyroid Cancer Risk

Exposure to radioactive iodine increases the risk of thyroid cancer in children and adolescents, a study of thyroid cancer prevalence after the Chornobyl accident shows. The study is reported in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In 1986, an accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant exposed large numbers of people in Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation to radioactive material high in isotopes of iodine and cesium. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to certain types of radiation increases the incidence of thyroid cancer in children and teens. However, few studies have examined the effects of exposure to radioactive iodines, and only three studies have examined cancer risk from the Chornobyl-related exposures.

Geoffrey R. Howe, Ph.D., of Columbia University in New York, and his colleagues screened 13,127 people for thyroid cancer who at the time of the Chornobyl accident were under 18 and lived in highly contaminated areas of Ukraine. The scientists estimated each participant's individual radiation dose using thyroid radioactivity measurements made shortly after the accident and interview data obtained during screening.

The scientists found 45 cases of thyroid cancer in the screened group in comparison with the 11.2 cases expected without the accident. Subjects had a tendency toward lower risk of thyroid cancer with increasing age at the time of the exposure. The authors suggest that exposure to radioactive fallout from the Chornobyl accident increased thyroid cancer in those exposed as children and adolescents.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

July 4, 2006, 10:03 AM CT

fruit Experiments lead to cancer knowledge

Experimental work aimed at improving the quality of fruit has led to the discovery by Hebrew University of Jerusalem agricultural scientists of a promising new avenue of drug therapy for halting the growth and spread of cancer cells in animals and humans.

Their approach has been shown to inhibit the cancerous cells without affecting normal cells and without the severe side effects of traditional therapys such as radiation and chemotherapy. The strategy involves isolating the cancerous tumor from its nutritional and oxygen supplies, thereby halting its growth and stopping metastases (spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body).

The work on the project was carried out at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in Rehovot by Prof. Oded Shoseyov, Dr. Levava Roiz, Dr. Patricia Smirnoff and Dr. Betty Schwartz. Their discoveries were published recently in the journal Cancer of the American Cancer Society.

The approach of the Hebrew University scientists is based on the actions of actibind, a protein that is produced by the black mold Aspergillus niger and that is a well-known microorganism used in bio and food technology. In plants, actibind binds actin, a major component of the intracellular structure in plants, interfering with the plants' pollen tubes and halting cell growth.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

July 3, 2006, 9:33 AM CT

Tips To Reduce Your Cancer Risk While Grilling

Summer is officially here and it's time to fire up the grill. But there's something you should know about some of your summertime favorites. All that barbecuing could be cooking up chemicals that may increase your risk of cancer. As per the American Institute for Cancer Research, these chemicals may be linked to breast, stomach, prostate, and colon cancer.

But Dana-Farber Cancer Institute nutritionist Stephanie Vangsness, RD, LDN, CNSD, says that doesn't mean you have to give up those summertime favorites like burgers, steaks, and ribs. "It's really about being careful and making wise choices."

There are two risk factors to keep in mind. The high heat of grilling reacts with proteins in red meat, poultry, and fish to create heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Studies have linked these chemicals to cancer.

Another form of cancer-causing agents, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are found in the smoke. They form when fat and juices from meat products drip on to the heat source. As the smoke rises, it can stick to the surface of the meat.

What can you do to lower your risk? Here are some tips to make sure your summer grilling is safe.

Prep the meat.

Choose lean cuts of meat instead of high-fat varieties, such as ribs and sausage. Trim all excess fat and remove the skin.........

Posted by: JoAnn      Permalink         Source

July 3, 2006, 9:25 AM CT

Milk Thistle Against Lung Cancer

A derivative of milk thistle has shown a significant ability to reduce lung tumour growth in mice say scientists.

"We have been studying milk thistle components, silymarin and silibinin, to examine their efficacy and mechanisms against different cancers for over a decade," noted lead investigator Dr Rana Singh.

In the current tests, mice were given silibinin as part of their diet.

Those that had received the supplement developed on average two tumours per animal, while an untreated control group developed an average of 27.

The scientists also noted that silibinin seemed able to reduce the number of blood vessels supplying nutrients to the tumours.

"We expect soon after that clinical trials with silibinin in lung cancer patients will be planned," added Dr Singh.

Patient trials of the effects of silibinin on prostate cancer are currently underway.

The study noted that the derivative used was created artificially and bore no resemblance to milk thistle dietary supplements.

The research was conducted by the University of Colorado and reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.........

Posted by: Scott      Permalink         Source

July 1, 2006, 9:52 AM CT

Prostatic Radiation Does Not Increase Rectal Cancer Risk

Men who receive radiation treatment for prostate cancer are not at any appreciable increased risk of developing rectal cancer compared to those not given radiation treatment, as per a new study reported in the July 1, 2006, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

This year, 235,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The main ways of dealing with the disease are radiation treatment, surgery and watchful waiting - each of which has its benefits and disadvantages. Scientists have hypothesized that one disadvantage of using radiation to kill the cancer cells in the prostate is that it might also make men more likely to develop cancer in the nearby rectum.

In this study, doctors in Canada evaluated the records of 237,773 men who had prostate cancer. Of them, 33,841 received radiation treatment, 167,607 had their prostate removed surgically and 36,335 received neither therapy. On an initial simple evaluation, doctors found that rectal cancer developed in 243 men who received radiation (0.7 percent), 578 men treated with surgery (0.3 percent), and 227 of the men given neither therapy (0.8 percent). Once doctors had adjusted for the age differences between all the men in the irradiated and non-irradiated groups, they could not find any significant increased risk of rectal cancer in the irradiated men compared to those not given radiation treatment.........

Posted by: Mark      Permalink         Source

June 29, 2006, 11:57 PM CT

Biological Clock And Cancer

What’s the connection between the biological clock and cancer? Looks like researchers from the Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have the answer. They have discovered that DNA damage resets the cellular circadian clock, suggesting links among circadian timing, the cycle of cell division, and the propensity for cancer.

Their work, reported June 29 in Science Express, the advance electronic publication of Science, implies a protective dimension for the biological clock in addition to its pacemaker functions that play such a sweeping role in the rhythms and activities of life.

"The notion that the clock regulates DNA-damage input and that mutation can affect the clock as well as the cell cycle is novel," says Jay Dunlap, professor and chair of genetics at DMS. "It suggests a fundamental connection among circadian timing, cell cycle progress, and potentially the origins of some cancers".

Dunlap is a co-author of the paper with DMS colleagues, Jennifer Loros, professor of biochemistry, graduate student Christopher L. Baker, and former students Antonio M. Pregueiro and Qiuyun Liu.

The team of Loros and Dunlap were among to first to delineate the intricate web of clockwork genes, proteins and feedback loops that drive circadian rhythms, working chiefly in the classic genetic model organism Neurospora, the common bread mold.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 28, 2006, 0:16 AM CT

Radioactive Scorpion Venom For Fighting Cancer

Health physicists are establishing safe procedures for a promising experimental brain-cancer treatment which uses a radioactive version of a protein found in scorpion venom. For a number of, this will conjure images of Spiderman's nemesis, the Scorpion. The purpose of this work is not science fiction, but rather to help to develop a promising new treatment for brain cancer. The venom of the yellow Israeli scorpion preferentially attaches to the cells of a type of essentially incurable brain cancers known as gliomas.

Responding to this urgent problem, researchers at the Transmolecular Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts created a radioactive version of this scorpion venom. Called TM-601, it contains an artificial version of the venom protein, attached to a radioactive substance called iodine-131 (I-131). When it enters the bloodstream, the compound attaches to the glioma cells, then the I-131 releases radiation that kills the cell.

This compound has enabled an experimental therapy for high-grade gliomas, found in 17,000 people in the US every year and commonly causing death in the first year of diagnosis. Patients would simply be injected with the compound in an outpatient procedure, without needing chemotherapy or traditional radiotherapy. The first, early human trials of the venom treatment showed promising signs for treating the tumor and prolonging survival rates for patients.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 27, 2006, 7:23 PM CT

Bald Is A Look You Can Live With

Turning Heads is a collection of powerful photographs of beautiful, bald women. They are bald because they have cancer. They are beautiful because they have been buffed by stylists and captured by some of the best photographers in the world -- four Pulitzer Prize winners among them. And they are powerful because they no longer hide their cancer -- or hide behind it.

Many women diagnosed with cancer fear losing their hair more than losing their lives. This fear can prevent them from getting proper treatment. When they do get treatment, hair loss adds insult to injury and can lead to seriously lowered self-esteem.

The standard reaction is to cover up with a wig or scarf, or stop going out -- to let cancer disrupt your routine and define your identity. "Women shouldn't be ashamed of the way they look. They shouldn't want to hide," says editor Jackson Hunsicker, who spent five years assembling these inspiring images. "They should be seen for who they are -- brides, teachers, mothers, lawyers.... The fact that they don't have any hair only means that they are on their way to coming back stronger. Turning Heads shows everyone that bald is a look you can live with."

Turning Heads contains pictures of women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. It features some of the best fashion and news photographers in the world -- including four Pulitzer Prize winners. Many women diagnosed with cancer fear losing their hair more than losing their lives. This fear can prevent them from getting proper treatment.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 26, 2006, 10:52 PM CT

Treatment Information Fails To Address Fears

Men with prostate cancer make emotionally driven therapy decisions influenced by anecdote and misconception rather than consideration of clinical trial evidence, as per a new study. Reported in the August 1, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study reveals that fear and uncertainty drove initial therapy decisions seeking rapid results, and that there was little interest in seeking second opinions. Furthermore, patient decisions were influenced by misconceptions about disease management options, and men often erroneously applied the anecdotal experiences of others with prostate cancer to their own circumstances, even when the severity of their own disease and available therapy options were significantly different.

While there are several therapy options for men with localized prostate cancer, clinical trials have failed to demonstrate one optimal treatment. Each therapy option has benefits and its own unique and significant adverse side effects. Radical prostatectomy, for example, has only minimal survival benefits compared to even observation, but is associated with complications, such as impotence and urinary incontinence. With no clear-cut medical guidance, patients must assume a greater role in deciding on therapy in the face of disquieting statistics and risk-benefit information.........

Posted by: Mark      Permalink         Source