Sunny Health

Nov 26, 2008 - Vitamins are widely acknowledged to be beneficial to our well-being. Vitamin C, for example, has long been credited with strengthening immune systems, and staving off diseases like Scurvy. Vitamin D also has benefits in the area of cancer as well, according to a recent report in the Nov 17 Journal of Cell Biology.

The report is a result of a study on Vitamin D's effect on colon cancer cells, and results show that Vitamin D disrupts colon cancer cell actions by preventing from dividing, and prompting them to differentiate into epithelial cells that do not spread.

The study is the first to show that vitamin D's genomic and nongenomic effects integrate to regulate cell physiology.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117091614.htm

W.

Love handles - those flabs of fat that protrude from the sides of our abdomen - are generally perceived to be unattractive, a fact which has prompted many to try working them off.

Apart from the aesthetic benefit, there could be a health benefit in getting rid of these love handles as well.

According to results of a major European study, a thick waist almost doubles the risk of premature death

The research found that excess fat stored around the middle of the body is a major health risk even when someone is not considered overweight by statistical BMI standards.

There's more - every five centimetre increase in waist size may increase the risk of death by about 17 percent in men and 13 percent in women.

This should be an added encouragement for us to reduce that waistline!

W.

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081113/tts-us-health-heart-972e412.html

One very hot topic that crops up frequently amongst both cigarette-smokers and non-smokers is this: why is it that some smokers can puff away and still remain disease-free whilst others do not? The usual explanation is that we are all different - we have different DNA, and have immune systems of varying strengths and so on. It is this explanation that sounds the most logical, but it looks like some Canadian scientists weren't satisfied with it and decided to do some research on it. Here's what they have to say:


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Why Only Some Former Smokers Develop Lung Cancer

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2008) — Canadian researchers are trying to answer why some smokers develop lung cancer while others remain disease free, despite similar lifestyle changes.

Results were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people die from lung cancer than any other cancer type. In fact, according to 2004 data, more people died from lung cancer than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer, even after quitting for long periods of time. "More than 50 percent of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients are former smokers," said Emily A. Vucic, a graduate student at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, B.C. "Understanding why some former smokers develop lung cancer is clearly important to the development of early detection, prevention and treatment strategies."

The researchers studied how DNA methylation contributes to lung cancer development in former smokers. Methylation is an important event regulating gene expression during normal development. As we age and in cancer, proper patterns of DNA methylation become deregulated throwing off the tight control of gene activity that normally exists.

Using an endoscope, Vucic and colleagues collected bronchial epithelial cells, which are cells that line the lungs, from 16 former smokers. The participants quit smoking more than 10 years ago. Eight participants had surgical removal of non-small cell lung cancer; eight were disease free.

Their results showed differences in methylation levels in lung epithelial cells between former smokers with and without lung cancer.

"Alteration to DNA methylation might potentially explain why some former smokers sustain additional genetic damage resulting in lung cancer," Vucic said. "As methylation is a reversible DNA modification, this knowledge could prompt the development and application of chemopreventive agents and unique therapeutic strategies that target DNA methylation in these patients."

Exposure to cigarette smoke is a major culprit in disease development. "In addition to DNA sequence mutations, cigarette smoke also causes widespread errors in DNA marks, such as DNA methylation, used to regulate gene function and genome stability," Vucic said.

Cigarette smoke exposure has been shown to activate genes that promote cancer and deactivate genes that stop tumor growth, she said. "Studies examining tumors at all levels of DNA disruption will identify events involved in lung cancer development in former smokers."

The researchers are pursuing additional studies to confirm their initial results, Vucic said.

Source: ScienceDaily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117103644.htm

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W.

Most of us don't like to be stressed, and it affects most of us in a negative way. Apparently, this applies to cancer cells as well, and it is something that we can use to deal with them. Read on to find out more:


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Over-stressing Already Taxed Cancer Cells May Kill Them

ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2008) — Cancer cells are already stressed by the fast pace they require to grow and spread and scientists believe a little more stress just may kill them.

"Think about an assembly line in a factory that is working five times faster than normal," said Dr. Kapil Bhalla, director of the Medical College of Georgia Cancer Center. "There is a lot of stress but you need workers to keep going. Some of them fall out, some get bent out of shape."

His research team believes they can disrupt the over-stressed assembly line of mantle cell lymphoma and possibly similar cancers such as pancreatic, liver and breast, by taking away support needed for rapid protein turnover and by clogging up the mechanism for eliminating poorly made ones.

Mantle cell lymphoma, an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system that mostly occurs in middle age, responds initially to chemotherapy and antibiotics, but often returns, said Dr. Bhalla. Patients have a median survival of three to four years. This cancer affects b lymphocytes, immune cells which make antibodies to fight infection. Ironically, in the process of rearranging genes to make antibodies to a specific invader, mistakes happen, and a would-be protector becomes cancer.

MCG researchers found that to keep their fast pace, these now-malignant cells need increased activity of heat shock protein 90. "Cancer cells require hsp90 for keeping their proteins in active conformation to do their job. That is what cancer is addicted to," said Dr. Bhalla, Cecil F. Whitaker, Jr., M.D./Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Cancer and Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar. Hsp90 is one of the more common molecular chaperones, which help proteins get made, moved, folded and function. Its levels and activity are upregulated in response to stress.

They also found that the usually busy endoplasmic reticulum of these cells, which is supposed to be making normal antibodies, is stressed by making hyperactive, cancer-associated proteins. Stepped-up protein production also means more misfolded proteins that the proteasome must deal with. "It's all stressed-out machinery," Dr. Bhalla said.

To help push cancer cells over the edge, the researchers are inhibiting hsp90, so the cells lose the molecular chaperone function required to maintain their fast pace. This also puts more stress on the endoplasmic reticulum. Independently hsp90 inhibitors are known to selectively kill cancer cells. But researchers also are clogging up the proteasome, the machinery for chopping up misfolded proteins, recycling some products and eliminating what's left. Much like a sink won't work with a clogged garbage disposal, mantle cell lymphoma cells will start backing up. When a cell detects excessive misfolded proteins, it first has a protective response, but if the problem persists, it commits suicide.

With support from a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, the researchers are using hsp90 and proteasome inhibitors to study protective versus lethal endoplasmic reticulum stress as a way to get rid of mantel cell lymphoma cells. The laboratory studies are being done in human mantle cell lymphoma cells as well as an animal model the researchers developed.

The drugs they are using already are in early clinical trials for a variety of cancers but have not yet been packaged together, Dr. Bhalla said. "We kill cancer cells and a lot of them with this strategy." Still, at least one more inhibitor may get added to the mix. After the rather brutal attack at the cancer's molecular underpinnings, the immune system comes in to essentially mop the floor, but researchers have found cancer cells can still get a pass from an enzyme called IDO. A team of MCG researchers led by Dr. David Munn is exploring IDO's therapeutic potential in cancer. Fetuses use IDO to avoid rejection by the mother's immune system and tumors appear to use it as well. Dr. Bhalla suspects an IDO inhibitor, already under study for lung cancer and other tumors, likely will get a shot at mantle cell lymphoma as well.

Source: ScienceDaily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110112105.htm

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What can I say? In the fight against cancer, we need as many weapons as we can get in our arsenal, and this one could prove to be an effective one.


W.

Scientists are always looking for new ways to screen for cancer as early as possible. It looks like they have experienced some success in this area - or at least for colon cancer for a start. Check it out:

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Simple Blood Test For Colon Cancer: New Early-warning Test Detects Polyps Before Cancer Sets In


ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2008) — People are often reluctant to undergo a routine but painful colonoscopy ― but the consequences can be fatal. According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the third most common cancer found in American men and women and kills about 50,000 Americans every year.

“85% of those who develop colon cancer have no symptoms or family history,” says Prof. Nadir Arber, a professor of medicine and gastroenterology, at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. “Generally speaking, it’s much harder to get these people to comply with taking the test.”

To convince more people to undergo the potentially life-saving colonoscopy, Prof. Arber has developed a simple early-warning test that can detect colon cancer in the blood. Using biomarkers, it is the first test on the market that can detect cells of colon polyps the precursors to colon cancer in the blood, with a very high degree of sensitivity and accuracy.

This painless, non-invasive and inexpensive test could very well be a breakthrough of the decade.

“If we can identify those who are prone to cancer through a less invasive test, we can convince them to do the colonoscopy,” leading to earlier detection and treatment, says Prof. Arber, who heads the Integrated Cancer Prevention Center at the Tel Aviv Souraski Medical Center.

Now being prepared for the market by Bio Mark Ltd., a subsidiary of Micromedic Technologies Ltd., Prof. Arber’s “CD24” test could begin to save thousands of Americans’ lives by as early as 2010. With the test, doctors can catch polyp growth in the colon in 80% of patients.

The American Cancer Society suggests that all Americans over the age of 50 receive periodic colonoscopies. With Prof. Arber’s test, doctors will be able to screen patients for colon cancer quickly and easily as part of a routine blood test. While not 100% accurate, it will provide a convincing argument for patients to undergo the colonoscopy, and then polyp removal, if necessary.

The novel invention is based on testing CD24, the oncogene for colorectal cancer. It utilizes the fact that polyps in the colon emit biomarkers, which can be detected in the blood at very low levels. Recent studies show that the test can correctly identify adenomas, the polyps that convert to colon cancer, at a success rate of more than 80%.

Some patients forego colonoscopy not just out of fear or distaste, but due to its high cost. Here, too, the breakthrough is significant. While traditional colonoscopies cost about about $1,500 per test, Prof. Arber’s procedure is expected to cost much less ― $50 to $100 per test.

Prof. Arber recommends a number of preventative steps against colon cancer, especially by those at risk. “There are some lifestyle choices people can make to prevent malignancies,” he says. “Eating well, exercise, and avoiding smoking and drinking are very important.”

ScienceDaily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120144240.htm

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Granted, these results only affect colon cancer patients, but for cancer research in general, its a step in the right direction.

W.

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the World, and is in fact the most common in the United States, as stated by its National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov). Like all cancers, it is dangerous and can lead to death. Fortunately, like all cancers as well, there is ongoing research on this disease. In fact, it seems to be going quite well, as can be seen by this article:


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New Drug For Skin Cancer Approaching Commercialization

ScienceDaily (Nov. 20, 2008) — A drug that is activated by light can be a quick, simple, and cheap treatment for tens of thousands of patients with skin cancer in Sweden alone. Researcher Leif Eriksson’s team at Örebro University in Sweden has now received about SEK 4 million from government research financiers, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova, to further develop and commercialize the method.

The new drug that the Örebro researchers have developed is based on the use of photo-dynamic therapy in cancer treatment. In short, this is a drug that after reorganization in the cell is activated by light, which in turn leads to chemical reactions that effectively kills cancer cells.

With this method, a majority of the some 30,000 new cases of skin cancer discovered each year in Sweden alone could be treated quickly, simply, and cost effectively. This is also true for pre-stages of skin cancer, so-called actinic keratosis.

“It’s extremely gratifying that two of the most important research financiers in Sweden so actively support our research,” says Leif Eriksson, professor of biophysical and theoretical chemistry at Örebro University.

Leif Eriksson’s drug research has grown out of the Örebro Life Science Center (OLSC), an interdisciplinary, internationally acclaimed research node at Örebro University. Research on new forms of treatment for skin tumors is also being conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor Lennart Löfgren at the Center for Head and Neck Oncology at Örebro University Hospital.

“Our drug, and the new treatment concept we are developing together with researchers in Belfast, has tremendous potential. In the coming year we will also see further patents as a direct result of the collaboration with other research teams within the OLSC, including treatments for atherosclerosis and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatism,” says Leif Eriksson.

The development of new drugs is being carried out with the aid of advanced computer modeling – a method that has proven to be highly successful.

“We provide the expertise in the theoretical description of new drugs. In our research we aim to describe at a detailed level what they should look like, what properties they should have to match the right targets in the body, what happens if we alter the molecules in different ways, etc. We then put this together through collaboration with experimental or clinically active research teams within OLSC and at the hospital, which makes the research exciting and dynamic,” says Leif Eriksson.

ScienceDaily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120104007.htm

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News about such research results will definitely provide an uplifting effect on everyone's mood, as it has mine!

W.

One of the most inconvenient issues that prostate cancer patients face is urinary incontinence. However, there is hope on the horizon for them, as results from a research by the University of California show:

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Artificial sphincter restores urinary continence in prostate cancer patients

21 Nov 2008, NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who have undergone radical prostatectomy, prostate cancer radiation therapy, or other treatment resulting in significant urine leakage experience a high level of "social continence" with an artificial urinary sphincter, a team at the University of California, San Francisco report in the October issue of Urology.

The researchers, led by Dr. Jack W. McAninch, implanted the artificial urinary sphincter in 30 men with urinary incontinence, 26 of whom had been treated for prostate cancer. Of those 26 patients, 18 had the sphincter placed via a standard approach and 8 artificial sphincters were placed with a transcorporeal approach.

The investigators note that the devices have been in use since 1972; the newer transcorporeal approach was developed to allow placement in patients with urethral atrophy and previous urethral cuff erosion.

Two years of follow-up have now "shown that transcorporeal placement is an effective salvage or primary incontinence treatment for high-risk patients after prostate adenocarcinoma therapy," the authors write.

"Patients operate the sphincter themselves," Dr. McAninch told Reuters Health. "There is a cuff that goes around the urethra and there is a pump placed in the patient's scrotum, which he can use to deflate the cuff, empty his bladder and then reinflate to close the urethra."

"From using 8 to 9 pads a day beforehand, patients were able to get down to only 1 or 2 pads a day. So, the patients were 'socially continent.'"

"The sphincter is far from perfect," he acknowledged. "Only 69% of patients were socially continent" with standard placement of the sphincter, he said, while 81% of patients who had the sphincter placed transcorporeally achieved social continence.

"Infection is a risk, as it always is with a foreign body," Dr. McAninch said. "If infection sets in, you almost (always) have to remove the sphincter and start over...and erosion of the urethra can occur, but it is rare."

"Results are not perfect by any means at 69%, but prostate cancer patients are the largest population presenting with incontinence and the numbers are increasing," he said.

Source: Reuters Health

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W.

The old adage, 'We are what we eat' will take on a new meaning after you read this post. Cancer scientists have found that including canola oil in your dietary intake during pregnancy may help prevent breast cancer in your children:

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Canola Oil May Affect Breast Cancer Risk

Nov. 18, 2008 -- Early research in mice suggests that the type of oil a woman consumes during pregnancy might influence her daughter's breast cancer risk years later, and that pregnant women may be better off choosing canola oil over most other vegetable oils.

Canola oil has more omega-3 fatty acids and less omega-6 than other widely used cooking oils.

"We showed that canola oil in the maternal diet during pregnancy and nursing reduced the risk for breast cancer in babies for up to five months after birth," researcher W. Elaine Hardman, PhD, of Marshall University School of Medicine, tells WebMD.

"Corn oil has 50% omega-6 and almost no omega-3, while canola oil has 20% omega-6 and 10% omega-3," Hardman says. "Flaxseed oil is 50% omega-3, but you wouldn't want to cook with it. It tastes pretty bad. Canola is about the best cooking oil out there in terms of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio."

In the newly reported study, the mothers of mice genetically engineered to develop breast cancer were fed diets that contained either 10% canola oil or 10% corn oil for several weeks prior to breeding up until the time their offspring were weaned.

Following weaning, the offspring were fed the corn-oil rich diet.

Throughout the study, the female mice born to the mothers fed corn oil had more breast tumors and bulkier tumors than the mice born to mothers who followed the canola-oil diet. They also had tumors in more mammary glands.

This was particularly significant because on a regular diet the genetically engineered mice could be expected to develop breast cancer by 6 months of age, Hardman says.

But mice aren't people, and the findings fall far short of proving that women can protect their unborn daughters from breast cancer or increase their daughters' risk by choosing a particular cooking oil, American Cancer Society nutritional epidemiologist Margie McCullough, ScD, tells WebMD.

"This finding is intriguing, but many important questions remain," she says.

There is increasing evidence that exposures in the womb may affect risk for a wide range of diseases later in life, but this has not been proven.

And since cancers usually occur in humans late in life, a study examining the impact of gestational and early-life nutritional exposure on cancer could take 50 or 60 years, McCullough says.

But Hardman says studies targeting gene expression in humans may help researchers learn more about the impact of pre-birth exposures on cancer risk much more quickly.

Her study identified 40 separate genetic changes in the mammary glands of the canola-fed mice, some of which have been identified with suppressing tumor growth.

She adds that there are many other good reasons that people should try to maximize the amount of omega-3 in their diets and reduce omega-6.

Studies suggest that both long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, found primarily in fatty fish, and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids, like those in canola oil, help protect against cardiovascular disease.

"Switching from corn to canola oil might have benefits in terms of reducing cancer risk, and it certainly couldn't hurt," Hardman says.

Source: Web MD Health News; http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20081117/canola-oil-may-affect-breast-cancer-risk

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Talk about insurance for our children. Switching to canola oil is one 'policy' that doesn't cost much but has a chance for you to reap much potential gains!

W.

The future of cancer drug development looks pretty upbeat, going by news that some English scientists have found a new way to create man-made molecules, which is quite a feat considering that molecules are really miniscule things. This unlocks a whole array of possibilities, including creating new types of cancer drugs. Read on to find out more:


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Scientists Reshape Future Of Drug Discovery With Next Generation Man-Made Molecules

ScienceDaily (Nov. 20, 2008) — A team from the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds has developed a new approach which allows the creation of molecules with an extraordinarily wide range of molecular frameworks and, hence, shapes. The new molecules are likely to have a wide range of biological functions, which means they could be valuable starting points for the discovery of new drugs.

Says lead researcher Professor Adam Nelson of the University's School of Chemistry: "Nature has created hundreds of thousands of molecules that have different frameworks and biological purposes, but in the global pursuit of new drugs, chemists from around the world are racing to create new molecules with functions not seen in nature."

Of the 30 million or so synthetic molecules made throughout the history of organic chemistry, many are based on an extremely small number of core frameworks, with the main differences being the groups attached at the periphery. "Making collections of similar molecules is great for optimising a biological property," says Professor Nelson, "but to put it simply, if researchers need a cube-shaped molecule to target a particular protein, they may well find that they can only choose from libraries stocked with millions of sphere-shaped ones."

Co-researcher Dr Stuart Warriner added: "Making molecules is a bit like making something using lego bricks. Up until now we've only really become good at making, say, the equivalent of a lego car or train. There might be 30 million synthetic molecules registered, but there's probably several million of these that are the equivalent of lego cars – they may have different wheels and wing mirrors, but their fundamental shape is essentially the same. We've not really scratched the surface of the possible structures that could be made. This lack of variety in the core shape of molecules may well limit the range of proteins that medicinal chemists can target."

Explains Professor Nelson: "We take simple building blocks, a bit like the amino acids that make up peptides, and we assemble them in different sequences using three simple reactions to link them together in a chain. The key difference is that we then add the catalyst which initiates a 'scaffold reprogramming reaction', which ripples down the chemical chain and restitches the molecule together in a completely different way each time.

"It's a bit like a molecular square dance, where atoms in the molecule swap partners - and the exciting thing is that we can change the building blocks again and again in different combinations as a really powerful way to vary the core frameworks that result. The potential of this process is enormous," he says.

Work has already begun across campus to screen the molecules, which are already yielding "promising" results. The team are considering patenting molecules with novel biological functions.

Source: Science Daily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119084239.htm

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Let's hope that their work will yield fruitful results, and practical applications, thereby giving us newer and better medicines and drugs.

W.

My previous post looked at research aimed at trying to make cancer cells eat themselves. Well now it looks like another team of cancer scientists are trying a different approach - starving the cancer cells. Well, in the world of research, there's no stopping innovation. Anyway, here's how they plan to starve cancer cells:


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Two New Compounds Show Promise For Destroying Breast Cancer Tumors

19 Nov 2008: Two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise for destroying breast cancer tumors.

Associate Professor James Turkson's compounds disrupt the formation and spread of breast cancer tumors in tests on mice. The compounds, S3I-201 and S3I-M2001, break up a cancer-causing protein called STAT3, and researchers have observed no negative side effects so far.

"The compounds are very promising," Turkson said. "They've worked very well in mice, and now we're looking for partners to help us take these compounds to the next level of trials."

Turkson is passionate about his research and has a very personal reason for wanting to find a cure for cancer. During his first year of college, his 52-year-old mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer and died. He dedicated his life to finding a cure.

The two compounds developed in his lab hold promise in part because they efficiently disrupt the abnormally active STAT3 protein, he said.

"We all have the STAT3 protein in our bodies, and under normal circumstances it causes no harm. But in breast cancer patients, the protein is abnormally active. It never shuts off."

When that happens, the protein goes into overdrive and is bent on supporting the proliferation of breast cancer cells. The protein even creates a network of blood vessels to feed the cancer cells, support their growth and eventually promote the spread of the cancer into the blood, bones and organs.

"Our compounds go after STAT3, stripping away its power," Turkson said.

Both compounds disrupt the bonding process that one STAT3 molecule goes through to connect with another in the body. If the STAT3 can't bond to stay abnormally active, cancer cells can't develop. The network of blood vessels that formed to feed the cancer cells also shuts off.

Left without their source of food, the existing cancer cells die off. The body's immune system, which until now has been tricked by the abnormally active STAT3 into thinking the tumor cells are harmless, also recognizes that something is wrong. The immune system re-activates, recognizes any remaining cancer cells as harmful and destroys them.

While Turkson continues to look for partners to further his research, he's already working on a similar compound for pancreatic cancer.

In that case, the compound would enhance the potency of another drug and use the body's immune system to make the effect more powerful.

Source: Medical News Today; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/130051.php

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With all these new, innovative and seemingly effective treatments being tested.. the horizon is looking brighter for all cancer patients!

W.

In their fight against cancer, Scientists have had to come up with all sorts of innovative solutions. This apparently includes trying to make them eat themselves:


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Protein forces ovarian cancer cells to eat themselves

19 Nov 2008: US scientists have discovered that a protein called PEA-15 halts the growth of ovarian cancer by forcing cancerous cells to digest themselves until they die - a process called autophagy or self-cannibalisation.

The cell surrounds parts of its cytoplasm - the jelly-like substance filling the cell - with membranes and then digests the contents, leaving a cavity behind. When the cytoplasm becomes riddled with these cavities, the cell dies.

Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre analysed tumour samples from 395 women with ovarian cancer and found that the more PEA-15 protein in the tumour, the longer the patient tended to survive.

Women whose tumours contained large quantities of the protein had a average survival time of 50.2 months, compared with just 33.5 months for those with low levels of the protein.

The team also found that, in samples lacking PEA-15, the number of cancer cells was higher by 115 per cent, showing that the cells were not being destroyed by autophagy.

Senior author Dr Naoto Ueno, associate professor of breast medical oncology, commented: "These findings provide a foundation for developing a PEA-15 targeted approach for ovarian cancer and for clarifying whether this protein is a novel biomarker that can predict patient outcomes."

The study, which is published in the journal Cancer Research, revealed that PEA-15 works in two different ways depending on where it is located within the cell.

Firstly, PEA-15 blocks a protein called extracellular signalling related kinase (ERK), which fuels cancer growth from within the cell's nucleus. PEA-15 acts by binding to ERK in the nucleus and moving it into the cytoplasm where it cannot fuel cancer growth.

Secondly, it causes autophagy when located in the cell's cytoplasm.

Dr Ueno said: "These two very different actions by PEA-15 are based on the location of the protein."

The scientist concluded that the protein offers a "new dimension" for potentially targeting ERK.

Source: Cancer Research UL; http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/newsarchive/2008/november/18883207

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Talk about innovation. This is one of the most creative, yet effective solutions I have ever heard so far. Kudos to those doctors! Hopefully, their research may yield some promising treatment to prevent the spread of ALL cancer cells!

W.

According to a report by Reuters on a research study done by the Korea University College of Medicine, gastric cancer seems to have more of an effect on older men and younger women:


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Gender and age impact stomach cancer prognosis

Last Updated: 13:08:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health); Nov. 18, 2008 - Older men and younger women fare worse with stomach, or "gastric" cancer than patients in other gender and age groups, research shows.

Dr. Sung-Soo Park, from Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, and co-researchers hypothesized that the difference in disease outcomes is related to sex hormones and suggest that further studies be performed to confirm this.

Their findings, reported in the Archives of Surgery this month, are based on a study of nearly 1,300 patients with gastric cancer who were seen at Korea University Medical Center from 1993 to 2000. The subjects included 175 (13.5 percent) aged 40 years or younger and 1124 (86.5 percent) older than 40.

Tumor characteristics differed significantly between the two age groups and yet in the overall analysis, the prognosis of younger and older patients was comparable.

The differences in survival did not emerge until the researchers divided the subjects by both age and gender.

Younger men had the best 10-year survival at 62.5 percent, while older men had the worst at 44.6 percent. Older and younger women had intermediate survival rates at 56.2 percent and 51.9 percent, respectively.

The present findings suggest "strongly" that both age and gender must be taken into account when predicting survival from gastric cancer, the investigators conclude.

Source: Reuters Health; http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html

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We are all different, and thus we are affected in different ways by cancer. Do take extra precautions if you're a member of these age groups. Prevention, as they always say, is better than cure.

W.

As medicines go, side-effects are usually a common occurence. Of course, what matters more is the severity of these side-effects.


Well, researchers at New York's Stony Brook University may have found some potentially serious side-effects of the cancer drug Avastin:


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Cancer Drug Avastin Raises Blood Clot Risk

Nov. 18, 2008: The life-extending cancer drug Avastin raises the risk of dangerous blood clots by 33%, an analysis of clinical-trial data shows.

Nearly 12% of patients taking Avastin get blood clots, with 6.3% developing clots serious enough to require treatment. However, few of these clots are fatal, find Shobha Rani Nalluri, MD; Shenhong Wu, MD, PhD; and colleagues at New York's Stony Brook University.

It's not a risk that would deter most patients with life-threatening cancers from appropriate use of Avastin. But doctors and patients should be made aware of the risk -- possibly with a black-box label, Nalluri and colleagues suggest.

A black-box warning is the highest-level warning mandated by the FDA. Avastin, manufactured by Genentech, already carries black-box warnings about increased risks of intestinal perforations, wound-healing complications, and hemorrhage.

Blood clots -- deep venous thromboembolisms (DVTs) or clots in the heart -- are one of the major causes of death in cancer patients. That's probably why a smaller 2007 study was unable to link Avastin to increased blood clot risk, Nalluri and colleagues suggest. That study reassured doctors after a 2004 FDA-Genentech warning about reports of blood clots in patients on Avastin.

The researchers analyzed data on nearly 8,000 cancer patients from 15 clinical trials of Avastin. They found that high and low doses of Avastin increase blood clot risk equally.

They also found that Avastin's blood clot risk varied according to type of cancer:

* 19.1% of colorectal cancer patients treated with Avastin had blood clots.
* 14.9% of non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with Avastin had blood clots.
* 7.3% of breast cancer patients treated with Avastin had blood clots.
* 3% of kidney cancer patients treated with Avastin had blood clots.

Avastin is a man-made antibody that targets VEGF, a molecule essential for the growth of new blood vessels. It starves tumor cells by preventing them from forming new blood supplies. But blocking VEGF also increases clotting risk.

Thalidomide and its sister drug lenalidomide (Revlimid) also block blood vessel growth in cancer patients. Both drugs' labels already carry warnings that they increase blood clot risk. It's likely that new anti-VEGF drugs now in development will carry this risk, too.

Patients taking Avastin should be aware of the symptoms of blood clots -- and should be aware that even dangerous blood clots don't always cause symptoms.


Source: WebMD Health News; http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20081118/cancer-drug-avastin-raises-blood-clot-risk?src=RSS_PUBLIC

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If you know patients who are on Avastin, please do ask them to take extra care and seek medical consultation if they're unsure of what to do.

W.

In real-life engagements, we usually try to learn what our opponents' strategies are, and sometimes we can try to use it against them. Turns out that cancer scientists are doing that as well:


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Information from brain tumour sacs may help to guide treatment

19 Nov, 2008: Tiny membrane-covered sacs which are released from brain tumour cells may provide information which could be used to guide treatment, US scientists have said.

Cells from an aggressive form of brain tumour called glioblastoma release tiny sacs called exosomes.

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) set out to analyse the contents of these exosomes which they isolated from blood samples taken from patients with

glioblastoma.

They found that the sacs contained genetic material called RNA, which tells a cell to make certain proteins. These may be involved in cell proliferation and movement, the growth

of new blood vessels, and immune response.

Publishing their findings in the journal Nature Cell Biology, the researchers suggest that the RNA contained in the tiny sacs might be changing the environment around cancer

cells, encouraging tumour growth.

Lead author Dr Johan Skog, from the MGH Neuroscience Centre, commented: "Glioblastomas release exosomes in sufficient quantities to pass the blood-brain barrier.

"We were able to isolate them, analyse the RNA transcripts and show how they might be used as biomarkers to guide targeted therapy and monitor treatment response."

The expert added: "Exosomes also may someday be used to deliver therapeutic molecules to the site of a tumour."

The researchers also revealed that, when glioblastoma exosomes were grown with normal cells, tumour RNA was able to move into the normal cells and start making proteins.

Dr Skog noted that the results may have broad implications for personalised medicine as the effects of some anti-cancer drugs are known to depend on a tumour's genetic profile.

He said: "Detecting mutational profiles through a non-invasive blood test could allow us to monitor how a tumour's genetic makeup changes in response to therapy, which may

necessitate changes in treatment strategy."

Source: Cancer Research UK; http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/newsarchive/2008/november/18883218

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Well, this is good news indeed because it brings us one step closer to finding more effective treatments for cancer!


W.

Many of us, including myself, wonder if there is a 'all-in-one' solution to perfect health. Well, I found a something - a list of 10 tips that can can help us lower the risk of developing cancer. Its not the ultimate solution, but I dare say its pretty close.

These tips are provided by Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritional advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research and Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, an epidemiology professor who leads the nutrition department of the Harvard School of Public Health.

They are based upon the 'Top-10 lifestyle tips' list originally rl She reviewed the recommendations before they were issued last year, and she joined Willett in talking to ADA members.

Without further ado, the top 10 list:

1.
Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight: Don't just look at the scale; check your waist measurement as a crude measurement of your abdominal fat. Men's waists should be no larger than 37 inches and women's waists should be 31.5 inches or less.

2.
Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day: You can break that into 10- to 15-minute blocks; more activity may be better.

3.
Avoid sugary drinks and limit consumption of energy-dense foods. These foods don't really directly cause cancer, but may provide excessive calories. Instead, increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

4.
Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes such as beans: Go for a variety of colors (like deep greens of spinach, deep blues of blueberries, whites of onions and garlic, and so on).

5.
If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women per day: Watch your portion size; drinks are often poured liberally. The pros and cons of moderate drinking is something that women may particularly need to consider, weighing the heart benefits and increased breast cancer risk from drinking.

6.
Limit red meats (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats: Limit red meats to 18 ounces per week. Use chicken, seafood, or legumes in place of red meat.

7.
Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with sodium: Don't go over 2,400 milligrams per day, and use herbs and spices instead. Processed foods account for most sodium intake nowadays -- not salt you add when cooking or eating.

8.
Don't use supplements to protect against cancer: Supplements may have other health benefits apart from cancer prevention, but there isn't evidence that they protect against cancer, except for vitamin D.

9.
It's best for mothers to breastfeed babies exclusively for up to six months and then add other foods and liquids.

10.
After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. Survivors include people undergoing cancer treatment, as well as people who have finished their cancer treatment.

Source: WebMD Health News
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W.

Many smokers find it difficult to give up their cigarettes, yet on the other hand they fear that their their health is at risk. Well, according to some American researchers, some reprieve may be offered as long as they eat their veggies or more specifically, Broccoli:


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Broccoli helps prevent cancer in smokers - study

Last Updated: 2008-11-18

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Broccoli and similar vegetables appear to offer special protection from cancer for smokers, researchers reported on Tuesday.

They found that former smokers and, especially, people still smoking heavily got special benefits from eating the vegetables.

"The most significant effect was in heavy smokers," Li Tang of Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. People who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day were considered heavy smokers.

Broccoli and other so-called cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts have been known to lower the risk of cancer in general, perhaps through compounds called isothiocyanates.

Tang and colleagues studied 948 cancer patients and 1,743 people being screened for cancer who turned out not to have it. All answered detailed questionnaires about habits, including their diet and smoking history.

People who ate cruciferous vegetables, especially raw, were between 20 percent and 55 percent less likely to have cancer than those who did not or only rarely ate these foods, Tang told a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The reduction in risk depended on the type of vegetable consumed and the duration and intensity of smoking.

"A significant effect was only observed among the former smokers and current smokers. We didn't see a significant association among never-smokers," Tang said.

"These findings are not strong enough to make a public health recommendation yet," she added.

And, she cautioned: "If you smoke long enough, nothing can help."

Smoking raises the risk of many types of cancer, including lung cancer, head and neck cancer and bladder cancer.

Source: Reuters; http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html

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If you see the broccoli basket empty at the supermarket soon, you'll know why eh?

W.

Cancer migration is one of the worst things that can happen, and scientists have been tearing out hairs for years trying to figure out how to prevent this occurence. All that lost hair seems to have amounted to something major.. Check it out:


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Clue To Stopping Breast-cancer Metastasis Discovered

ScienceDaily (Nov. 18, 2008) — If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine takes a step in that direction.

Carol Otey, Ph.D. and UNC colleagues reduced the ability of breast cancer cells to migrate by knocking down the expression of a protein called palladin.

They also found higher levels of palladin in four invasive breast cancer cell lines compared to four non-invasive cell lines.

"This study shows that palladin may play an important role in the metastasis of breast cancer cells as they move out of the tumor and into the blood vessels and lymphatics to spread throughout the body," said Otey, associate professor of cell and molecular physiology.

Most women would never die from breast cancer if the cancer cells couldn't metastasize to the brain and bone marrow, Otey said. "To really make breast cancer a treatable disease, we have to be able to find a way to prevent or reduce the amount of metastasis."

Otey has been investigating palladin's role in cell movement since she discovered and named it in 2000.

Next she will examine a variety of samples of human tumors from a UNC tumor bank, to find out if the tumors from patients who had worse outcomes and more aggressive cancers contain higher levels of palladin.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health

Source: Science Daily; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117153230.htm

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Hopefully, the road ahead of this milestone will lead us to an effective solution!

W.

This program is specially developed to help women cope with temporary side effects like hair loss from head, eyebrows and lashes and changes in skin and pigmentation during chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

There is no reason why one cannot continue to look good even during treatment. In fact, when you take care of your physical appearance, you will realize that you feel much better and that alone can give you an extra boost to carry on.

In this 3-hour workshop, participants are given personalized expert advice.

Topics covered include skincare, managing hair loss, selection and care of wigs and creative use of accessories like scarves, hats.

This programme is supported by Estee Lauder, under the coordinator of SCS.

More information can be found here:

http://www.nccs.com.sg/pat/09_04.htm

Let's face it, all of us are going to get old one day - no amount of beauty products will change that. Instead, what we can (and should) do is to see how best we can prepare ourselves for its challenges, especially in the area of health. Cancer, as well, is a big problem.

Well, to save you the trouble of trying to figure out how to prepare for all of these issues, the good folks at National Cancer Centre has put together a discussion forum focused on aging. Here are the details:

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Public Forum: Healthy & Graceful Aging

Date:

29 November 2009 (Saturday)


Time:

1.30pm - Registration
2pm - 4.15pm - Forum


Venue:

Lecture Hall, Level 4
National Cancer Centre Singapore
11 Hospital Drive
Singapore 169610


Speaker(s):

Dr Donald Poon
Consultant, Dept of Medical Oncology, NCCS

Dr Wong Chek Hooi
Consultant, Geriatric Medicine Unit, SGH


Highlights:

1. Aging and related health issues
2. Successful Aging and Personality
3. Cancers in the Elderly. Why is it special?
4. Diagnosis, Treatment and Care.

Forum will be conducted in English


Please contact NCCS via the Cancer Helpline if you wish to attend, or require more details, at 6225 5655

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W.

I always believe in finishing my medicine, or at least that which is prescribed by my doctor. After all, he or she wouldn't be prescribing it if I didn't need it, would they?

This especially applies to those who are afflicted with very serious conditions, such as cancer, a fact highlighted by this article:

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Breast cancer patients are risking their lives by failing to take the tamoxifen they are prescribed, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer on 18 Nov 2008.

Half of the women failed to finish a five year course of the drug and one in five regularly forget to take a tablet.

Experts already know that taking tamoxifen for five years increases survival chances and the new research reveals that women who miss at least one tablet every five days have a 10 per cent greater risk of dying.

The researchers - based at the University of Dundee and funded by the Medical Research Council and Breast Cancer Research (Scotland) - used the prescription records of more than 2000 women to see how many did not complete the standard treatment of a tamoxifen tablet every day and linked this to other health records to see if they were more likely to die.

The results show that 10 per cent of women followed for one year stopped taking tamoxifen, 19 per cent of the women followed for at least two years had stopped, 32 per cent of the women followed for three and a half years had stopped and a total of 51 per cent of women followed for five or more years had stopped taking the drug.

The study also showed that younger women were more likely to stop taking the medication early but there was no difference in the rich or poorer groups of women.

Source: Cancer Research UK; http://www.cancerresearchuk.org

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Worrying news indeed, and an apt reminder to all of us that we should follow our doctors instructions per se

W.

We all know that exercise helps to keep us healthy. It has been linked to all sorts of things - prevention of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, staving off depression, losing weight (most important benefit for most people), and many many more.

Well, to add to that list, here's one more: There is evidence that exercise can also lower our risk against cancer:


--------------------------------------------------

Regular physical activity can significantly lower a woman's risk of developing cancer, but skimping on sleep can eliminate those gains, a new study has found.

In a long-term study of nearly 6,000 US women, researchers found that those who exercised the most had a 25 percent lower chance of developing cancer than those who were the least active.

But among younger, physically active women, those who slept less than seven hours a night had a 47 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than those who regularly got a good night's rest.

"Greater participation in physical activity has consistently been associated with reduced risk of cancer incidence at several sites, including breast and colon cancers," James McClain, a cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute and lead author of the study, said Monday.

"Short duration sleep appears to have opposing effects of physical activity on several key hormonal and metabolic parameters, which is why we looked at how it affected the exercise/cancer risk relationship."

It is not yet known exactly why exercise reduces cancer risks but researchers believe it could be due to the lower body weight, improved immune function and hormone levels associated with regular physical activity.

Insufficient sleep has been linked to high risks of developing a number of conditions including heart disease, obesity and diabetes but, again, researchers have not determined exactly how sleep prevents disease.

The study was presented at a conference in Washington sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research.

Source: Channelnewsasia; http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/390399/1/.html)

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More encouragement to get us off our butts and onto the streets more often, ya?

W.

Most people won't care for gastric pain. Well, maybe they will after they know this:

Gastric pain is one of the symptoms of Gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is also known as a 'silent' disease as diagnosis is usually made too late. I'm guessing part of the reason is because, like I said, most people don't think Gastric pain is a major issue.

The thing is, how do we tell if it is or not?

That's why the Singapore Cancer Society has arranged for a series of Gastric Cancer Public Forums, to help the public stay educated about this disease.

Fortunately for you, I've got all the info right here (and in both english and mandarin too):


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Gastric Cancer Awareness Month 2008
胃癌保健意识月2008

Public Forum 公众讲座

Gastric pain is such a common symptom that many of us would choose to ignore that dull ache, burning sensation or a sharp stabbing pain in the stomach. But should this pain be ignored? How do we know if these symptoms are not linked to Gastric Cancer?

Gastric cancer may be difficult to detect and it is one of the leading causes of death in Singapore, ranking as the 5th and 7th most common cancer among men and women respectively.

What causes gastric cancer? What are the symptoms and risks? How would you know if you have gastric cancer?

Come find out more about this silent killer at these public forums:

我们通常会忽略胃里所感到的酸疼与刺痛。我们是否该对胃痛置之不理？我们又怎么知道这些征兆会与胃癌有任何关联？

胃癌既有可能很难被诊断。在新加坡，胃癌是男性排名第五，女性排名第七的主要癌症。

胃癌是怎么造成的？它又有什么征兆和危险性？您又怎么知道您患了胃癌？

一齐来参与讲座，并了解更多有关这无声杀手的资讯。


8 November, Saturday 星期六11月8日

Venue 地点: Singapore Management University (SMU)
Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
School of Accountancy, Level 2
新加坡管理大学
义安公司礼堂
会计学府二楼

Address 地址: 60 Stamford Road (map/地图)
60史丹福路

Time 时间:
English 英语讲座: 1.00 - 2.00 pm (Registration starts from 12 noon 中午12点开始登记入场)
Mandarin 华语讲座: 2.30 - 3.30 pm (Registration starts from 1.30 pm 中午1点半开始登记入场)


15 November, Saturday 星期六11月15日

Venue 地点: Toa Payoh West Community Club 大巴窑西民众俱乐部
Multi-Purpose Hall 礼堂, Ground Floor一楼

Address 地址: 200 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh

Time 时间:
English 英语讲座: 1.00 - 2.00 pm (Registration starts from 12 noon 中午12点开始登记入场)
Mandarin 华语讲座: 2.30 - 3.30 pm (Registration starts from 1.30 pm 中午1点半开始登记入场)

Fees 每个讲座收费: $5 per person/session

Participants are required to make payment from Mon-Fri at the Singapore Cancer Society HQ or its Boon Keng Clinic. 有兴趣参与者需到新加坡防癌协会总部或文庆路诊疗所付款。

***Confirmation of Seat Only Upon Receipt of Payment***
***我们将以付款收据来确认您的席位。***

* Singapore Cancer Society 新加坡防癌协会: 15 Enggor Street #04-01 Realty Centre (Time 时间: 9 am - 5 pm)
* Boon Keng Clinic 文庆路诊疗所: Blk 22 Boon Keng Road #01-11 (Time 时间: 9 am - 1 pm, 2 pm - 5 pm)


For enquiries, please contact us at 6421 5804/827/802 (Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm) or email us at education@singaporecancersociety.org.sg

询问热线 6421 5804/827/802 (星期一至五，上午9点到下午５点) 或电邮education@singaporecancersociety.org.sg

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Do give them your support. The Singapore Cancer Society is trying its utmost to help Singaporeans in their fight against cancer. It doesn't take much effort to listen.

W.

Just trawling the net, and found this article on the American Association of Cancer Research site.

The article pretty much adds to the 'hands-off' reputation of Saturated Fat. There you go, one more reason to stop putting that stuff into your mouth:

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November 13, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - Findings published in the journal Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, identify dietary intake of saturated fats as a possible risk factor for cancer of the small intestine, advancing the understanding of cancer development in this and other areas of the digestive tract.

While relatively rare, rates of cancer of the small intestine have been increasing since the 1970s. Individuals with this cancer are at increased risk of developing a second primary malignancy, particularly colorectal cancer.

Diets high in red and processed meats are associated with cancer of the large intestine. However, this is the first prospective study to examine meat and fat intake in relation to cancer of the small intestine.

Cross and other researchers from the National Cancer Institute used food frequency questionnaires to track food intake in a half million men and women enrolled in the NIH -AARP Diet and Health study over an eight-year period. Through state cancer registries and national death indexes researchers noted the development of 60 adenocarcinomas and 80 carcinoid tumors of the small intestine.

While findings showed no clear connection between red and processed meat and these tumors, they suggested a noticeably elevated risk for carcinoid tumors in the small intestine in association with saturated fat intake.

Source: American Association for Cancer Research; http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/news.aspx?d=1185

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W.

I'm just an average person, just like everyone else. I started this site for one simple reason: to empower those who want to keep themselves abreast of the latest knowledge and news about cancer efforts around the world.

Cancer is a very real disease, and it affects millions each year. By keeping ourselves updated on the latest trends and research, we will be better able to fight this menace.

W.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is the general name for a collection of more than 100 diseases which involve abnormal cell growth.

Fundamental

Our human body is made up of tiny organisms called cells.
These are the body's basic building blocks,
and are used in just about everything, from blood to organs.

Cells have an amazing ability to create new cells just by growing and dividing. Normally, this process only happens when replacements are needed for worn-out or dying cells, and to repair injuries.

Sometimes, these processes may go awry. New cells may be formed when not needed. Conversely, old cells which may need to be replaced do not allow themselves to be.

This happens because genetic material inside the cell, known as DNA, may become damaged or altered (a process known as mutation) and this changing the way the cell functions.

Consequence

Where new cells are not needed, or when old cells are not replaced as they should, they may sometimes combine together to form a tissue mass called a tumor.

Two types of tumors exist:

Tumors that just sit around doing nothing are called benign tumors. These tumors do not affect other cells and don't spread to other parts of the body.

On the other hand, tumors that are malignant are extremely dangerous. These are also known as cancerous tumors. They may attack surrounding tissues and may also spread to other parts of the body (a process called metastasis)

Sunny Health is currently under development.

We'll be up and running soon, so keep us in your hotlinks!

About Cancer

Cancer is one of the most prevalent causes of death in the World. About 200 different types of cancer exist, and they can occur in any area of the body.

Cancer is abnormal cell growth

Generally, cancer happens when the normal cells in our body grow in an uncontrolled way. Our body is made up of billions of different types of cells. It is constantly removing old or damaged cells and replacing them with new ones. We have special genes that make sure the new cells develop and behave the way they should.

If these genes are damaged, our cells can multiply fast and grow abnormally. This abnormal cell growth may turn into a cancer. If cancer cells replace too many healthy cells, the affected organ can no longer work properly.

Where cancers start
Cancers can start in any part of the body. They have different names depending on where they start. For example:

• Carcinomas – start in the cells that line the skin and body cavities.
• Sarcomas – grow within supportive tissues of the body: either in the body's 'soft tissues' (such as muscle, nerves, fat and blood vessels) or in the bone.
• Leukaemia – is one type of cancer that develops in the blood.
• Myeloma – develops in the plasma cells.
• Lymphoma – begins in the cells of the lymphatic system.

Tumours explained
A tumour is a lump or growth of abnormal cells. It can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A benign tumour is made up of cells that are similar to normal cells. They do not cause problems unless they grow very large and begin to press on other organs in the body. Malignant tumours are made up of cancer cells and they usually grow much faster than a benign tumour. If left untreated, they can destroy and spread to other parts of the body.

How cancers spread
A cancer begins to spread when part of the original tumour (primary tumour) breaks away from where it started and travels to nearby tissue or another part of the body. The cancer cells then start to grow there. A malignant tumour that spreads its cells into nearby tissues is known as an invasive cancer. When a cancer spreads from one part of the body to another, it is known as a secondary cancer or ‘metastasis’.

For a cancer to grow bigger than a pinhead and spread, it has to grow its own blood supply. Without this, the cells at the edge of the tumour will die from lack of oxygen.

Cancer cells produce substances that allow them to move through the body much more easily than normal cells. A cancer can spread in three main ways:

• Locally, in and near the tissue around the primary cancer
• Through the lymphatic system
• Through the blood circulation.

Cancers are ‘staged’
Staging means working out how far the cancer has spread. Knowing the stage of a cancer helps medical professionals decide on the best treatment. There are various ways to stage cancer, but most systems look for a number of key factors including:

• The size of the cancer
• If the cancer has invaded nearby tissues, and by how much
• If the cancer has spread to nearby lymph vessels, and by how much
• If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Risk factors
The exact cause of most cancers is unknown and there is no one cause for any type of cancer. However, we do know that some ‘risk factors’ can increase your chance of developing cancer. This may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Some risk factors include:

• Age – most types of cancer become more common as we get older.
• Genetic make-up – some people are born with a genetic mutation that already puts them at risk of developing a cancer.
• Family history – a changed gene is passed on from parent to child.
• Lifestyle choices – such as diet, smoking, high alcohol intake and lack of physical activity.
• Environmental causes – such as exposure to too much natural radiation from the sun or radon gas.
• Exposure to harmful chemicals in the workplace – such as some dyes, rubber, gas and asbestos (now banned in Australia).
• Man-made radiation.
• Viruses – these can help to cause some cancers but you cannot catch them like an infection.
• Your immune system – people who have problems with their immune system are more likely to get some forms of cancer.

Screening can help detect some cancers early
A person with cancer may not show any symptoms until the disease is advanced. Screening a section of the population for a cancer is done if:

• The disease can be recognised at an early stage
• There is an effective low-risk and low-cost screening test
• Early treatment is likely to give a better outcome.

Three national population-screening programs operate in Victoria:

• BreastScreen Victoria
• National Cervical Screening Program
• National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

Treatment
There are three main types of standard treatment used in cancer care:

• Surgery – the cancer is surgically removed. This is often the first line of treatment if the cancer has not spread. Cancers of the blood system (such as leukaemia) cannot be treated with surgery.
• Chemotherapy – the use of cancer-killing drugs. Chemotherapy can be helpful in controlling cancers that have spread, because the whole body is treated.
• Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) – small, precise doses of radiation target and destroy cancer cells. Cancers that have not spread can often be treated effectively with radiation therapy.

You may be given one of these treatments alone or a combination of all three. There are other treatments, such as hormone therapy and immunotherapy (biological) therapy, which may be given for certain types of cancer.

Sometimes a cancer is diagnosed when it is very advanced. This may mean that standard treatment is not going to cure the cancer. There is usually treatment that can help relieve symptoms such as pain. This is called ‘palliative treatment’.

Remission means the cancer is controlled
Cancer that responds to treatment either stops growing or starts to shrink. This means that the signs and symptoms of cancer disappear. Doctors call this ‘remission’. A remission can last anywhere from months to years.

About cancer statistics
It is important to remember that statistics are very general and they are only used as a general guide. The three most common groups of statistics used to talk about cancer are:

• Incidence – the number of people who develop a certain type of cancer each year.
• Survival – refers to how long you may survive a cancer depending on the type of cancer, your age, the stage of the cancer and the treatment you had. They are usually written as ‘5’ and ‘10’ year survival rates.
• Mortality – this is the number of people who have died from a particular type of cancer in a year.

Incidence and mortality rates can vary between different groups of people. Some of these variations include:

• Socioeconomic differences – lung cancer and stomach cancer are more common in lower socioeconomic groups, while breast and prostate cancer and melanoma are more common in higher socioeconomic groups.
• Geographic differences – the male death rate from lung cancer is 25 per cent higher in rural compared with metropolitan areas of Victoria.
• Birthplace differences – people born overseas have lower death rates from some cancers and higher death rates from others depending on the country of origin. This is probably due to differences in lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• National Cancer Centre Singapore, www.nccs.com.sg
• Singapore Cancer Society, www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg
  

Things to remember

• Cancer is a disease of the body’s cells and is caused by changes to some genes that control how cells behave.
• There are around 200 different types of cancer and most areas of the body can be affected.
• Cancers differ in their cause, early symptoms and signs, treatment and outcome.
• The earlier a cancer is found the easier it is to treat.

New research indicates that giving patients a continuous low dose of an immune system booster, a method known as metronomic dosing, as part of a therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine strategy is safe and produces similar immune responses and fewer side effects than the more common dosing method, which is not well tolerated by many patients. This study, led by researchers at that National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the August 15, 2008, issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

The vaccine used in this study is designed to stimulate an immune response against prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate that is often found at elevated levels in the blood of men who have prostate cancer and some non-cancerous prostate conditions. In the study, researchers examined the side effects and immune responses of patients treated with a three-pronged approach: the vaccine, radiation therapy, and an alternative dosing regimen of an immune system booster, interleukin-2 (IL-2). The patients all had localized prostate cancer, had not undergone surgery to remove the prostate, and were candidates for radiation therapy as their primary form of treatment.

"Developing an alternative method of administering vaccine therapy that is well tolerated by most patients and produces similar immune responses to standard methods may help further the development of vaccine therapies for prostate cancer," said James L. Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., of NCI's Center for Cancer Research.

Therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to treat cancer by stimulating the immune system to attack tumor cells without harming normal cells. Several proteins, including PSA, are overexpressed, or produced in excess amounts, by cancer cells and have shown potential to serve as triggers in initiating immune responses. These findings have led to the development of cancer vaccines that target these proteins. The proteins are also known as tumor-associated antigens. To heighten the body's natural defenses, immune system boosters, such as IL-2, are often given with the vaccines. IL-2 administration, however, is frequently associated with substantial side effects, including fatigue and high blood sugar.

In a previous study involving the same prostate cancer vaccine, IL-2 was given to 19 patients daily for five days during each 28-day vaccine treatment cycle, and a large majority of the patients had to have the dose of IL-2 reduced or discontinued, primarily because of fatigue.

In this new study, the researchers sought to decrease the side effects associated with IL-2. To do this, the team treated 18 patients with the vaccine and radiation therapy, but with lower doses of IL-2 given over a longer period of time. The patients received the same total amount of IL-2 as in the previous study, but it was administered in smaller daily doses for 14 days of each 28-day treatment cycle.

With metronomic dosing, less than a quarter of the patients had side effects that required their dose of IL-2 to be reduced.

The research team also found that metronomic dosing of IL-2 produced effects on immune cell populations and immune responses that were similar to those observed previously with the standard dosing method. Five of eight evaluated patients had at least a three-fold increase in immune cells that were directed against PSA. The researchers also noted that, similar to the standard dosing method, metronomic dosing of IL-2 induced immune responses against other prostate cancer antigens in some patients.

"Based on safety and feasibility, metronomic dosing appears to be superior to standard dosing and administration," said Gulley. "More research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this dosing method in treating prostate cancer."

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Lechleider RJ, Arlen PM, Tsang K, Steinberg SM, Yokokawa J, Cereda V, Camphausen K, Schlom J, Dahut WL, and Gulley JL. Safety and immunologic response of a viral vaccine to PSA in combination with radiation therapy when metronomic-dose IL-2 is used as an adjuvant. Clinical Cancer Research. August 15, 2008.

Gulley JL, Arlen PM, Bastian A, Morin S, Marte J, Beetham P, Tsang K, Yokokawa J, Hodge JW, Menard C, Camphausen K, Coleman CN, Sullivan F, Steinberg SM, Schlom J, and Dahut W. Combining a recombinant cancer vaccine with standard definitive radiotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer. Clinical Cancer Research. 2005;11:3353-62.

For more information on Dr. Gulley's research, please go to http://ccr.cancer.gov/staff/staff.asp?profileid=5686.

For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov, or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

Extracted from http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/MetronomicIL-2Gulley

Gastric pain is such a common symptom that many of us would choose to ignore it. But should this pain be ignored? How do we know if these symptoms are not linked to Gastric Cancer?

Gastric cancer may be difficult to detect and it is one of the leading causes of death in Singapore, ranking as the 5th and 7th most common cancer among men and women respectively.

What causes gastric cancer? What are the symptoms and risks? How would you know if you have gastric cancer?

Come find out more about this silent killer at these public forums:

15 November, Saturday

Venue: Toa Payoh West Community Club Multi-Purpose Hall 礼堂, Ground Floor

Address: 200 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh

Time:
English: 1.00 - 2.00 pm (Registration starts from 12 noon )
Mandarin: 2.30 - 3.30 pm (Registration starts from 1.30 pm )

Fees: $5 per person/session

Participants are required to make payment from Mon-Fri at the Singapore Cancer Society HQ or its Boon Keng Clinic.

For enquiries, please contact the Singapore Cancer Society at 6421 5804/827/802 (Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm) or education@singaporecancersociety.org.sg

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