Articles On Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer

2008-09-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Head and Neck Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of head and neck cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Gastric Cancer

2008-09-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Gastric Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of gastric cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Esophageal Cancer

2008-09-28T12:24:00.001-07:00

Esophageal Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of esophageal cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Esophageal Cancer

2008-09-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Esophageal Cancer Information Center

Colon Cancer

2008-09-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Colon Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of colon cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Brain Cancer

2008-09-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Brain Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of brain cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Cervical Cancer

2008-09-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Cervical Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of cervical cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Bone Cancer

2008-09-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Bone Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of bone cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Bladder Cancer

2008-09-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bladder Cancer Information Center

A new or recurrent diagnosis of bladder cancer often results in fear and confusion for patients and their family members. Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential. Cancer screening, genetic testing and prevention are equally relevant to all individuals, especially those related to someone diagnosed with cancer.

Biological Therapy

2008-09-26T04:19:00.000-07:00

Biological Therapy

There is no longer a “one-size-fits-all” approach to cancer treatment. Even among patients with the same type of cancer, the behavior of the cancer and its response to treatment can vary widely. By exploring the reasons for this variation, researchers have begun to pave the way for more personalized cancer treatment. It is becoming increasingly clear that specific characteristics of cancer cells and cancer patients can have a profound impact on prognosis and treatment outcome. Although factoring these characteristics into treatment decisions makes cancer care more complex, it also offers the promise of improved outcomes.
The idea of matching a particular treatment to a particular patient is not a new one. It has long been recognized, for example, that hormonal therapy for breast cancer is most likely to be effective when the breast cancer contains receptors for estrogen and/or progesterone. Testing for these receptors is part of the standard clinical work-up of breast cancer. What is new, however, is the pace at which researchers are identifying new tumor markers, new tests, and new and more targeted drugs that individualize cancer treatment. Tests now exist that can assess the likelihood of cancer recurrence, the likelihood of response to particular drugs, and the presence of specific cancer targets that can be attacked by new anti-cancer drugs that directly target individual cancer cells.

Targeted Therapy

2008-09-26T04:18:00.000-07:00

Targeted Therapy

A targeted therapy is one that is designed to treat only the cancer cells and minimize damage to normal, healthy cells. Cancer treatments that “target” cancer cells may offer the advantage of reduced treatment-related side effects and improved outcomes.

Conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, cannot distinguish between cancer cells and healthy cells. Consequently, healthy cells are commonly damaged in the process of treating the cancer, which results in side effects. Chemotherapy damages rapidly dividing cells, a hallmark trait of cancer cells. In the process, healthy cells that are also rapidly dividing, such as blood cells and the cells lining the mouth and GI tract are also damaged. Radiation therapy kills some healthy cells that are in the path of the radiation or near the cancer being treated. Newer radiation therapy techniques can reduce, but not eliminate this damage. Treatment-related damage to healthy cells leads to complications of treatment, or side effects. These side effects may be severe, reducing a patient's quality of life, compromising their ability to receive their full, prescribed treatment, and sometimes, limiting their chance for an optimal outcome from treatment.

Hormonal Therapy

2008-09-26T04:17:00.001-07:00

Hormonal Therapy

Hormones are naturally occurring substances in the body that stimulate the growth of hormone sensitive tissues, such as the breast or prostate gland. When cancer arises in breast or prostate tissue, its growth and spread may be caused by the body’s own hormones. Therefore, drugs that block hormone production or change the way hormones work, and/or removal of organs that secrete hormones, such as the ovaries or testicles, are ways of fighting cancer. Hormone therapy, similar to chemotherapy, is a systemic treatment in that it may affect cancer cells throughout the body.

Radiation Therapy

2008-09-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses high-energy rays to damage or kill cancer cells by preventing them from growing and dividing. Similar to surgery, radiation therapy is a local treatment used to eliminate or eradicate visible tumors. Radiation therapy is not typically useful in eradicating cancer cells that have already spread to other parts of the body. Radiation therapy may be externally or internally delivered. External radiation delivers high-energy rays directly to the tumor site from a machine outside the body. Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, involves the implantation of a small amount of radioactive material in or near the cancer. Radiation may be used to cure or control cancer, or to ease some of the symptoms caused by cancer. Sometimes radiation is used with other types of cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and surgery, and sometimes it is used alone.

Chemotherapy

2008-09-26T04:14:00.001-07:00

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is any treatment involving the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Cancer chemotherapy may consist of single drugs or combinations of drugs, and can be administered through a vein, injected into a body cavity, or delivered orally in the form of a pill. Chemotherapy is different from surgery or radiation therapy in that the cancer-fighting drugs circulate in the blood to parts of the body where the cancer may have spread and can kill or eliminate cancers cells at sites great distances from the original cancer. As a result, chemotherapy is considered a systemic treatment.
More than half of all people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy. For millions of people who have cancers that respond well to chemotherapy, this approach helps treat their cancer effectively, enabling them to enjoy full, productive lives. Furthermore, many side effects once associated with chemotherapy are now easily prevented or controlled, allowing many people to work, travel, and participate in many of their other normal activities while receiving chemotherapy.

Surgery

2008-09-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

Surgery

Surgery is used to diagnose cancer, determine its stage, and to treat cancer. One common type of surgery that may be used to help with diagnosing cancer is a biopsy. A biopsy involves taking a tissue sample from the suspected cancer for examination by a specialist in a laboratory. A biopsy is often performed in the physician’s office or in an outpatient surgery center. A positive biopsy indicates the presence of cancer; a negative biopsy may indicate that no cancer is present in the sample.
When surgery is used for treatment, the cancer and some tissue adjacent to the cancer are typically removed. In addition to providing local treatment of the cancer, information gained during surgery is useful in predicting the likelihood of cancer recurrence and whether other treatment modalities will be necessary.

Cancer Treatment and Prevention

2008-09-26T04:07:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Cancer Treatment

Choice of cancer treatment is influenced by several factors, including the specific characteristics of your cancer; your overall condition; and whether the goal of treatment is to cure your cancer, keep your cancer from spreading, or to relieve the symptoms caused by cancer. Depending on these factors, you may receive one or more of the following:
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
Hormonal therapy
Targeted therapy
Biological therapy

One or more treatment modalities may be used to provide you with the most effective treatment. Increasingly, it is common to use several treatment modalities together (concurrently) or in sequence with the goal of preventing recurrence. This is referred to as multi-modality treatment of the cancer.

Causes Of liver Cancer

2008-09-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

What Causes Liver Cancer?

A risk factor is anything that affects a person's chance of getting a disease. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, such as smoking, can be controlled. Others, like a person's age or family history, can't be changed. But having a risk factor, or even many, does not mean that a person will develop cancer.

Risk Factors

Scientists have found many risk factors that make a person more likely to get hepatocellular liver cancer.

Gender

Men are more likely to get liver cancer than are women. This could be because of the behaviors listed below, such as smoking and alcohol abuse.

Certain Types of Liver Disease

On-going (chronic) infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a very important liver cancer risk factor. These infections are common in many parts of the world. In this country, hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver cancer, while in other countries, hepatitis B is more common. These viruses are spread from person to person through sharing dirty needles (such as in drug use), unprotected sex, or childbirth. They can also be passed on through blood transfusions. This is rare in the United States because blood products are now tested for these viruses. People with hepatitis A infection do not have an increased risk of liver cancer.
There are also some inherited liver diseases that increase the risk of liver cancer.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis (suh-row-sis) is a disease in which liver cells are damaged and replaced with scar tissue. This can often lead to cancer. In this country, the major causes of liver cirrhosis are alcohol abuse and hepatitis B and C. Another cause is a disease that results in too much iron in the liver.

Diabetes

can increase the risk of liver cancer. This is more common in diabetics who have other risk factors such as heavy drinking or viral hepatitis.

Obesity

Obesity might increase the risk of getting liver cancer.

Aflatoxins

These cancer-causing substances are made by a fungus that can contaminate peanuts, wheat, soybeans, groundnuts, corn, and rice. Long-term exposure to aflatoxins can increase the risk of liver cancer. In the United States and Europe, these foods are tested for aflatoxins.

Vinyl Chloride and Thorium Dioxide (Thorotrast)

These chemicals are risk factors for several types of liver cancer. They have become much less important since Thorotrast is no longer used and exposure to vinyl chloride is strictly controlled.

Anabolic Steroids

These male hormones are used by some athletes to increase their strength. Long-term use of these can slightly increase the risk of liver cancer.

Arsenic

In some parts of the world, drinking water contaminated with arsenic increases the risk of liver cancer. This is a concern in some areas of the United States.

Less Certain Risk Factors for Liver Cancer

Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills may slightly increase the risk of liver cancer. Most of the studies linking birth control pills and cancer involve types of pills that are no longer used. Birth control pills are now made in a different way, and it is not known if they increase liver cancer risk.

Tobacco

Some studies have found a link between smoking and liver cancer, but the extent of this is not known.

Causes of stomach cancer

2008-09-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

The exact causes of cancer of the stomach are still unknown, although research is being done to try to find the cause. Over the past 30 years the number of people who develop stomach cancer has fallen, especially in Western countries. Although the reason for this is unknown, it is thought to be related to changes in our diet, particularly the use of refrigeration, which has meant that people eat more fresh food and less smoked and pickled food.
Cancer of the stomach is more common in men, particularly in their 60s and 70s. Factors that can increase the risk of stomach cancer include:

pernicious anaemia, which affects the lining of the stomach and results in a lack of vitamin B12.

atrophic gastritis – a stomach disorder

helicobacter pylori (H pylori) – an infection that affects the stomach

a hereditary condition in which people have small growths (polyps) in their stomach

Barrett's oesophagus – a condition where abnormal cells develop in the lining of the lower end of the gullet or the place where the gullett joins the stomach (the gasto-oesophageal junction). It is not a cancer, but over a long period of time a small number of people with this condition may develop cancer of the gullet or stomach

For Details Visit www.cancerbackup.org.uk

Stomach Cancer

2008-09-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

Types of stomach cancer

Around 9200 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the UK each year. There are several different types of stomach cancer, some of which are very rare.
The most common types of stomach cancer start in the glandular cells of the stomach lining and are known as adenocarcinomas.
Other types of cancer that can affect the stomach are soft tissue sarcomas. These are rare cancers that usually start from the cells of the muscle layer of the stomach. The most common type of sarcoma to affect the stomach is a leiomyosarcoma.
Another type of sarcoma is a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). These cancers start in the tissues that support the organs of the digestive system. GISTs behave differently from other types of sarcoma and are treated very differently.
Another rare type of tumour that can affect the stomach is a lymphoma. Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system. The main type to affect the stomach is a MALT lymphoma (also known as a MALToma).
The stomach can also be affected by a type of tumour known as a carcinoid tumour.

Liver cancer

2008-09-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

What Is Liver Cancer?

The liver is the largest organ inside the body. It lies under the right ribs, just below the right lung. If you were to poke your fingers up under your right ribs, you would almost be touching your liver.
The liver is shaped like a pyramid and is divided into right and left lobes. Unlike most other organs, the liver gets blood from 2 sources. The hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen. The portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestines to the liver.

The liver has many vital functions:

It breaks down and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine.
It makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury.
It secretes bile into the intestine to help absorb nutrients.
It plays an important part in removing toxic wastes from the body.

Because the liver is made up of several different types of cells, many types of tumors can form in the liver. Some of these are cancerous and some are not cancerous. The medical word for tumors that are not cancer is benign (be-nine). These tumors have different causes and are treated different ways. The outlook for your health or recovery depends on what type of tumor you have.

for details visit www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_What_is_liver_cancer_25.asp

Basis of Lung Cancer

2008-09-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Genetic Basis of Lung Cancer

All cells in the body contain the genetic material called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Every time a mature cell divides into two daughter cells, it replicates its DNA exactly. The daughter cells are clones of the original cell, identical in every way. It is in this way that our bodies continually replenish themselves. Old cells die off and the next generation takes their place.
A cancer begins with an error, or mutation, in a cell's DNA. DNA mutations can be caused by the normal aging process or through environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke or breathing in asbestos.

Researchers have found that it takes a series of genetic changes to create a lung cancer cell. Before becoming fully cancerous, cells can be precancerous, which means they have some irregularities (mutations) but still function as lung cells. However, precancerous changes may signify progression toward cancer. When a cell with a genetic mutation divides, it passes along its abnormal genes to the two daughter cells, which then divide into four cells with errors in their DNA and so on. Once a cell has a genetic mutation, it may develop more. With each new mutation, the cell becomes more irregular and may not be as effective in carrying out their function in lung tissue. At a later stage of disease, some cells can migrate away from the main tumor and start growing in other parts of the body. These sites are called metastases.
Primary versus Secondary Lung Cancer

Primary lung cancer starts in the lungs. The cancer cells are abnormal lung cells. Sometimes, people will have cancer from another part of their body travel, or metastasize, to their lungs. This is called secondary lung cancer, because the lungs are secondary compared to the original, primary, location of the cancer. Secondary lung cancer is not lung cancer, but rather the type of cancer from its original site, such as breast cancer. Secondary lung cancer will be treated differently than primary lung cancer, because it is a different disease. This web site focuses on primary lung cancer.

Lung Cancer

2008-09-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue. As they grow, the abnormal cells can form tumors and impede the function of the lung, which is to provide oxygen to the body via the blood.
There are different types of lung cancer and each type is treated differently.

The Anti-Cancer Diet

2008-09-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Ben Kim http://www.drbenkim.com/
In response to an article on ways to prevent cancer that I wrote a few weeks ago, several subscribers sent in letters asking for a specific anti-cancer diet, one that can be followed after receiving chemotherapy.

I recommend the following guidelines to people who visit our clinic looking to get stronger and healthier after a bout with chemotherapy:

Set up a support system among family and friends that ensures that you have access to freshly pressed vegetable juices every day
All juices should contain at least 50 percent green vegetables by volume, the best choices being dark green, leafy vegetables like romaine lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens

If your life circumstances are such that you cannot arrange to have daily access to fresh vegetable juices, take 3 heaping tablespoons of a high quality green food product every day, mixed with water
Until you crave animal products, stick to eating fresh vegetables, their juices, and fruits only
Eat fruits and vegetables that are naturally rich in antioxidants
Take 1 teaspoon of a high quality cod liver oil per 40-50 pounds of body weight on a daily basis
Eat only when you are hungry and chew well when you do.

typical day would look something like the following:

Breakfast

Blueberries, mango, apple, avocado, celery sticks, and romaine lettuce

Mid-morning snack

Glass of freshly pressed vegetable juice - 8 leaves of romaine lettuce, handful of parsley, 2 ribs of celery, 2 carrots

Lunch

Large vegetable salad made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, carrots, avocado, and raw walnuts
Dressing, if desired: freshly pressed juice of 1/2 an orange

Mid-afternoon snack

Glass of freshly pressed vegetable juice - 4 large leaves of Swiss chard, 4 leaves of romaine lettuce, small piece of raw red beet, 3 ribs of celery.

Dinner

Large plate of steamed vegetables - Chinese cabbage, broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes1 whole avocado on the side

Evening snack

Any ripe fruit in season or a handful of raw walnuts and organic raisins

Carcinogen

2008-09-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

In pathology, a carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer.

Carcinogens are also often, but not necessarily, mutagens or teratogens. Carcinogens may cause cancer by altering cellular metabolism or damaging DNA directly in cells, which interferes with normal biological processes.
Aflatoxin B1, which is produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus growing on stored grains, nuts and peanut butter, is an example of a potent, naturally-occurring microbial carcinogen. Cooking protein-rich food at high temperatures, such as broiling or barbecuing meats, can lead to the formation of many potent carcinogens that are comparable to those found in cigarrette smoke (i.e., benzo[a]pyrene).Pre-cooking meats in a microwave oven for 2-3 minutes before broiling can help minimize the formation of these carcinogens..
For more information about the topic Carcinogen, read the full article at http://www.wikipedia.org/

Colorectal cancer

2008-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix.It is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of death among cancers in the Western world.
Many colorectal cancers are thought to arise from adenomatous polyps in the colon.
These mushroom-like growths are usually benign, but some may develop into cancer over time.
The majority of the time, the diagnosis of localized colon cancer is through colonoscopy..
For more information about the topic Colorectal cancer, read the full article at http://www.wikipedia.org/

Metastasis

2008-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes abbreviated mets, is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. Only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize. Metastatic disease is a synonym of metastasis.

Cancer cells can "break away", "leak", or "spill" from a primary tumor, enter lymphatic and blood vessels, circulate through the bloodstream, and settle down to grow within normal tissues elsewhere in the body. Metastasis is one of three hallmarks of malignancy (contrast benign tumors).Most tumors and other neoplasms can metastasize, although in varying degrees.

When tumor cells metastasize, the new tumor is called a secondary or metastatic tumor, and its cells are like those in the original tumor. This means, for example, that, if breast cancer metastasizes to the lung, the secondary tumor is made up of abnormal breast cells, not of abnormal lung cells. The tumor in the lung is then called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.

Treatments for Colorectal Cancer

2008-09-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Avastin

Avastin is the first FDA-approved treatment for colorectal cancer that is thought to work by preventing the formation of new blood vessels needed by malignant tumors to grow. In a clinical trial of more than 800 people with colorectal cancer, roughly half of them received Avastin intravenously as a combination treatment with the "Salz regimen," also known as IFL, which is a standard chemotherapy for colon cancer. The other half received only IFL. IFL treatment includes irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin.

Overall, those given Avastin in combination with IFL survived about five months longer. Also, the average time before tumors started regrowing or new tumors appeared was four months longer than in those receiving IFL alone.

Serious but uncommon side effects of Avastin include a condition marked by the formation of holes in the colon called gastrointestinal perforation. The condition generally requires surgery and sometimes leads to abdominal infections.

Two distinct patterns of bleeding have been seen in people treated with Avastin. Minor hemorrhages, particularly nosebleeds, have been commonly seen. More serious bleeding from the lungs has also occurred in people with lung cancer who received the drug. Avastin is not approved as a treatment for lung cancer.

Other severe and life-threatening side effects that occurred in more people receiving Avastin alone, compared with those receiving chemotherapy alone, include abdominal pain, high blood pressure, tiredness, blood clots, fainting, diarrhea, constipation, and a decreased number of white blood cells. Headache, appetite loss, mouth sores, hemorrhoidal bleeding, and shortness of breath also occurred more commonly in people receiving Avastin plus chemotherapy when compared to those receiving chemotherapy alone.

Avastin is manufactured by Genentech Inc. of South San Francisco, Calif.

Erbitux

The FDA approved Erbitux as a combination treatment to be given intravenously with irinotecan, another drug approved to treat colorectal cancer. Erbitux can also be used alone for people who cannot tolerate irinotecan.

Erbitux was approved under the FDA's accelerated approval program, which allows the agency to approve products for cancer and other serious or life-threatening diseases based on early evidence of effectiveness. Though treatment with Erbitux has not been shown to extend people's lives, it was shown to shrink tumors in some people and delay tumor growth, especially when used as a combination treatment.

Erbitux was studied in a controlled trial with 329 people and also in combination with irinotecan in 138 people. It was further evaluated as a single agent in a clinical trial with 57 people, and safety data from an additional 111 patients treated only with Erbitux were also evaluated.

The manufacturer of Erbitux, ImClone Systems Inc. of Branchburg, N.J., submitted its original request for approval in several sections between June and October 2001. The FDA determined at that time that the application could not be reviewed because about half of the patients studied had not failed treatment with irinotecan--a condition of the study. Also, important information about the safety and effectiveness of Erbitux in a portion of the remaining patients was missing.
In a new request for approval in August 2003, ImClone submitted results of a well-run trial that included 329 patients, as well as revisions to the original results from the earlier studies.

Two studies involving about 2,000 people are currently underway to assess the ability of Erbitux to stop the progression of colorectal cancer and to extend the amount of time patients survive with the disease.

Erbitux can cause serious side effects, usually during the administration of the first treatment. Side effects may include difficulty breathing and low blood pressure. Other more common side effects of Erbitux include acne-like rash, dry skin, tiredness or weakness, fever, constipation, and abdominal pain.

Erbitux is distributed and marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. of Princeton, N.J.

Mesothelioma focus

2008-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Cancer Articles ( Mesothelioma focus)

Mesothelioma asbestos cancer, or any cancer needs to have the facts revealed. With a series of articles, both factual and inspirational, this blog attempts to provide help to all sufferers. For mesothelioma sufferers in particular, the site at http://www.mesothelioma-updates.com/ provides daily updated information and news to help all sufferers.

Cancer Gene Therapy

2008-09-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Cancer Gene Therapy is the essential gene therapy resource for cancer researchers and clinicians, keeping readers up to date with the latest developments in gene therapy for cancer. It publishes original laboratory and clinical research papers, case reports and review articles on topics including RNAi approaches, drug resistance, hematopoietic gene transfer, homologous recombination, ribozyme technology, antisense technology, tumor immunotherapy and tumor suppressors,translational research, cancer therapy, gene delivery systems (viral and non-viral), anti-gene therapy (antisense, siRNA & ribozymes), apoptosis; mechanisms and therapies , vaccine development, immunology and immunotherapy, DNA synthesis and repair.

Know About breast Cancer

2008-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

What You Need to Know About Bre@st Cancer to Improve Your Odds October is National Bre@st Cancer Awareness Month, so I'm focusingthis issue on some of the things that we know about bre@st cancer.

Are You At Risk?

Specific factors that can put you at risk for bre@st cancer include:
1. Having a close relative who has had bre@st cancer
2. Having your first child in your thirties, or later
3. Not having children
4. Early menstrual cycles (before age twelve)
5. Being African American
6. Diet, as discussed below
7. Antibiotic use - a new study found that antibiotic users hada 50% higher risk of bre@st cancer and the higher the use, thehigher the risk. Researchers believe that the antibioticuse was due to chronic inflammation, which was linked to cancerand heart disease.

Diet and weight are starting to appear as major risk factors forbre@st cancer. Here are some of the facts that we know aboutthe correlation of diet and weight with bre@st cancer.

* Obese women, in other words, those with a Body Mass Index of30 or more (calculate your BMI at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/),face two-to-four times the risk of bre@st cancer (and endometrialcancer). The fat found around the abdomen, in apple-shaped women,seems to be more reactive, leading to faster cell growth,including growth of cancerous cells.

* Research by the American Cancer Society shows that postmenopausalwomen who had gained 21-30 pounds over their weight at age 18were at a 40% greater risk of getting bre@st cancer than thosewho had only gained 5 pounds or less. It's thought that bre@stcancer risk increases due to the excess fat tissue increasingthe body's estrogen levels.

* A study of women in Mexico who consumed high-carbohydrate diets(especially high in corn products) found that they were twice aslikely to get bre@st cancer. Researchers theorize that thecarbohydrates raise blood sugar and provide an environmentfavorable for replication of cancer cells. Women in the study whoconsumed more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, all of whichcontain insoluble fiber, had far less bre@st cancer risk, leadingto speculation that diets higher in insoluble fiber put women atless risk of bre@st cancer. American women typically consume dietsthat are much lower in carbohydrates than the women studied. What about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)? Is it a risk factor?We don't really know. Until fairly recently, doctors prescribedHRT for protection against heart disease, colon cancer, andosteoporosis, especially if you had a family history of those.The downside was an increased risk of bre@st cancer. However,the US Women's Health Initiative studies found no protective effectfor the heart from HRT, and in the estrogen-only study there wasno bre@st cancer risk increase. However, scientists in Scandinaviacalled off their HRT study among women who had alreadyexperienced bre@st cancer due to the high risk of bre@st cancerrecurrence among study participants. We just don't know, butfor now, HRT may be OK for short-term symptom relief, butis not a long-term strategy. Getting Checked Out Talk with your doctor about whether you have a family historyof bre@st cancer. If you have had one, or more, female relative(s)with bre@st cancer, you need to be on a more frequent andaggressive screening program and you may even want to considergenetic testing for you and other family members. How frequently to do mammograms is a subject of some debate,but here are some facts that may help.

* For women over age fifty, having a mammogram annually saveslives due to a 30% reduction in death rates from bre@st cancer.For women in their forties, the reduction is 16%-18%.

* The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Instituterecommend starting to have mammograms at age 40, and to havethem every one–two years thereafter.

* Mammograms aren't as accurate for pre-menopausal women becausetheir bre@st tissue is denser, resulting in a higher rate of falsepositives. For example, 97% of women in their forties who underwentsurgical biopsies resulting from the findings on their mammogramsdidn't actually have bre@st cancer. This year, October 15 is National Mammography Day, and throughoutthe month many facilities will give free or reduced-price mammograms. Managing Your Risk What are some things that you can do to manage your risk ofbre@st cancer?

* Get moderate levels of exercise (30-60 minutes per day), whichhas been shown to reduce bre@st cancer in post-menopausal women,and is good for all of us. (It reduces your risk of heart diseaseand stroke, too.)

* Control your weight and manage your diet. Focus on fruits,vegetables, and whole grains, to get insoluble fiber, and maintaina diet lower in fats and carbohydrates. A couple of specificfood examples include: - Flavones, found in some fruits and vegetables, such as celery,lettuce, peppers, spinach, chili pepper, lemon, and parsley,protect against bre@st cancer; for each 0.5 gram per day consumed,bre@st cancer risk decreases by 13%. - Lignins, found in ground flaxseed (a whole grain containing healthyOmega-3 fatty acids), appear to reduce the incidence of bre@stcancer.

* If you're on a statin drug (Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, Pravachol,or others) for controlling your cholesterol, that appears to alsoreduce the risk of bre@st cancer (and colon cancer) by easinginflammation (as measured by a test called C-Reactive Protein). Bottom line: Diet and exercise can reduce your risk of bre@stcancer. If you're dieting and exercising, but not losing weight,consider whether you're under a lot of stress. Stress can negatethe impact of diet and exercise, so managing that stress may helpyou lose that excess weight, and be the third pillar in yourstrategy to avoid bre@st cancer. Mellanie True Hills (www.mellaniehills.com), the Health& Productivity Revitalizer, works with individuals andorganizations that want to be healthier and more productive.She is the author of 'A Woman's Guide to Saving Her Own Life:The HEART Program for Health & Longevity.' Read the first twochapters online at www.mellaniehills.com/bookawgexcerpt.htm