Source: Wired

Wired Magazine has been running a number of cancer-related articles lately and they have recently published a new one, “Top 5 Viable New Cancer Treatments,” in their blog which briefly describes a number of promising cancer treatments that are under investigation.

Wired’s Top 5 Viable New Cancer Treatments

1. Gene Knockdown

   Even though all forms of cancer exhibit their own individual growth patterns, at its most basic level cancer is defined as the uncontrolled division and replication of cells. Traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, attack cancer by attacking all rapidly dividing cells, but the problem is that the body produces many other cell types that are characterized by rapid division, and chemotherapy destroys them as well. This is the biological reason for most of side effects that are commonly associated with chemotherapy.

   Because of these side effects, new therapies are being developed that target the specific genes and proteins involved with the development of tumors. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a biopharm company based in Cambridge, MA, is currently developing a drug (known as ALN-VSP01) that uses siRNA to disrupt cell division and angiogenesis in tumor cells.

2. Viruses

   Because viruses are adept at infiltrating cells and propagating throughout the body they are often agents of considerable harm to humans. However, viruses are not necessarily harmful. Research into the therapeutic use of viruses for the treatment of cancer, as well as other disorders, is one of the most cutting-edge aspects of contemporary medical research. Jennerex Biotherapeutics, a company based in San Francisco, is currently engineering the vaccinia virus to specifically attack multiple types of tumor cells.

3. Small Molecules

   As we said in the “Gene Knockdown” section above, chemotherapy works by indiscriminately killing all rapidly dividing cells, both healthy and malignant. Gene therapies are only one of the ways in which medical science is looking to combat this “kitchen-sink” approach to treatment; another way is the targeting of enzymes and other small molecules involved in the biological production of tumor cells.Johnson and Johnson is investigating a drug called Tipifarnib, which targets an enzyme, farnesyl transferase, previously been implicated in the development of cancer.

4. Vaccines

   Vaccines are also being investigated as agents in the treatment of cancer. This research is proceeding along two major paths:

   1. Developing a vaccine for the actual tumor cells themselves, so the immune system learns how to fight off and remove the malignancy on its own, and
   2. The use of vaccines to prevent the contractoin of viruses than can cause the genetic damage that can lead to cancer.

   The article notes that a number of treatment candidates for the former methodology are currently in Phase III trails, while the most common example of the latter methodology is the drug Gardisil, which prevents women from contracting certain strains of the human papillomavirus, which has been proven to cause cervical cancer.

5. Epigenetic Drugs

   One of the most common findings in the molecular research regarding cancer genesis is the de-activation of what are called tumor suppressor genes (TSRs). TSRs help regulate the normally well-controlled processes of cell division and replication by stopping the growth of malignant tumors. When these genes become deactivated, one of the main bulwarks against cancer is silenced and the body becomes a greater risk for its growth. Epigenetic drugs target these inactive TSRs and attempt to turn them back on. A number of drugs are in use and others are in late development.

Conclusion

The therapies mentioned here are mostly in the experimental stages. Even though much more research will be needed before they become approved for cancer treatments, each of the therapies covered by this Wired article has shown great promise in laboratory studies. It is still too early to say what ,if any, effect these therapies will have on patients with mesothelioma or on the standard mesotheloima treatments, but one can be sure any new advance in cancer therapy is a cause of interest for patients with pleural mesothelioma or peritoneal mesothelioma.

Labels: cancer, mesothelioma

Source: Wired News

Kanzius RF therapy, an experimental cancer treatment currently under investigation by researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, is getting closer to human trials. The therapy works by attaching nanoparticles to tumor cells and then broadcasting radio frequency (RF) waves at the body which heat up the particles, effectively “cooking” the tumor cells and killing them in the process. What makes this therapy so promising is that the laboratory studies completed thus far have shown it is 100% effective at killing cancer cells without causing any side effects at all.

The therapy was invented by inventor and retired radio and TV engineer John Kanzius, who was diagnosed with leukemia and then underwent chemotherapy in 2003 and 2004. Mr. Kanzius and his RF therapy were recently featured on the television news magazine 60 Minutes.

Nanoparticles are microscopic particles whose length is measured in nanometers, a unit of length equivalent to one billionth of a meter. Due to their tiny size, nanoparticles are among the most active areas in all of contemporary science and medical research. For the Kanzius therapy under discussion there, gold is usually used as the binding nanoparticle because it is FDA-approved for use in humans and is generally well-tolerated by the body. The gold nanoparticles are coated with cancer-seeking molecules and then injected into the patient, where they can freely move through the patient’s system until they bind with the cancer cells they are targeting. The major difficulty with the therapy has been the development of cancer-specific targeting molecules. The researchers at MD Anderson have targeted a molecule known as C225 as the focus of the binding agent. While it is present in many cancer cells, it is also found in some normal cells, so care is needed in the application of the therapy.

Even still, the therapy is moving closer to human trials. Mr. Kanzius is working on a new form of his RF generator machine. This new version will be the size of a CT-scanner and will allow testing of larger subjects—such a design will facilitate the beginning of human trials. While questions regarding the treatment’s efficacy and safety will not be answered for a few more years, many of the researchers who are aware of the project are looking to the beginnings of human trials with great anticipation. A truly effective cancer therapy without significant side effects would be a true revolution in medicine.

Labels: cancer

Source: BBC News

Reseachers from the Harvard Medical School have recently identifed the enzyme, known as pyruvate kinase, that allows cancer cells to consume the large amounts of glucose that are necessary for their growth and continued propagation. Pyruvate kinase comes in two distinct forms, but only one of the forms—the PKM2 form—enables the consumption of glucose at the rate necessary to sustain tumor growth. When reserachers learned how to knock out PKM2 production and force the enzyme into its other form, they discovered they could stop the growth of the cancerous cells. When they tested this therapy in mice, they found that tumorgenesis was significantly inhibited.

Reserachers have known that tumors consume large amounts of glucose since the pioneering work of Otto Warburn, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist, discovered this over seventy years ago, but until this discovery they have not been able to develop therapies based on the knowledge. PET Scans, one of the major imaging modalities used in cancer diagnostics, are used to identify body-wide tumor growth by using radioactive tracers to examine areas of accelarated glucose consumption. PET has been a hugely successful diagnostic technology and is one of the prime examples of how science has previously incorporated the knowledge of glucose consumption into medicine.

With this discovery, doctors are now hopeful that new treatments can be developed that will literally starve the cancer of glucose and, therefore, stop tumor growth altogther. While the researchers note that all the forms of cancer they looked at during their review exhibitd this enzyme, whatever treatments are created with it will almost certainly have to take into consideration the particular metabolic activity of the individual cancers. More research is certainly needed to confirm these findings, but it appears that the discovery of pyruvate kinase represents a real advancement in our knowledge of the bio-chemical processes that underlie cancerous growth.

Labels: cancer, mesothelioma

Pemetrexed Plus Cisplatin Neoadjuvant Therapy Followed By Surgery and Radiation in Mesothelioma

Phase II trial of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Pemetrexed plus Cisplatin followed by Surgery and Radiotherapy in patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma stage I-III. The event-free survival is the primary endpoint for this study. This is a multicenter study and 53 Patients will be enrolled by June 2008...

Date First Received: September 12, 2005

Last Updated: February 11, 2008

Verified by: Eli Lilly and Company, February 2008

Clinical Trial Phase: Phase 2 | Start Date: June 2005

Overall Status: Recruiting

Estimated Enrollment: 53

Brief Summary

Official Title: “Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant ALIMTA Plus Cisplatin Followed by Surgery and Radiation in the Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma”

Condition Keyword(s):

• Mesothelioma

Intervention(s):

• Drug: pemetrexed
• Drug: cisplatin

Phase II trial of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Pemetrexed plus Cisplatin followed by Surgery and Radiotherapy in patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma stage I-III.

The event-free survival is the primary endpoint for this study. This is a multicenter study and 53 Patients will be enrolled by June 2008.

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Treatment, Non-Randomized, Open Label, Uncontrolled, Single Group Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study

Outcome Measures for this Clinical Trial

Primary:

• Event-free survival baseline to objective progression, start of new therapy or death from any cause

Secondary:

• 1- and 2- year disease free survival baseline to post surgery
• To determine complete pathological response rate surgical complete response post chemotherapy, surgery and radiation
• Pharmacology toxicity every cycle
• Time to objective tumor response baseline to response of tumor
• Time to progressive disease baseline to measured progressive disease
• Overall survival baseline to date of death from any cause

Criteria for Participation in this Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

• Histological proven diagnosis of stages I to III mesothelioma of the pleura.
• Adequate organ function including the following: adequate bone marrow reserve, hepatic, renal, pulmonary and cardiac functions.
• No prior systemic chemotherapy
• No previous surgical resection of mesothelioma, with the exception of previous chemical pleurodesis.
• No previous radiation therapy.

Exclusion Criteria

• Have received treatment within the last 30 days with a drug that has not received regulatory approval for any indication at the time of study entry.
• Serious concomitant systemic disorders
• Second active primary malignancy
• Inability to interrupt aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents for a 5-day period
• Inability or unwillingness to take folic acid, vitamin B12 supplementation, or dexamethasone

Clinical Trials Locations, Contact Details, and Sponsors

Lead Sponsor: Eli Lilly and Company

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Mestre/Venezia 30170 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Milano 20141 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Padova 35100 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Rome 00128 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Napoli 80131 Italy

Overall Clinical Trial Officials and Contacts

Call 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559) or 1-317-615-4559 Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM Eastern time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST) Study Chair Eli Lilly and Company

Overall Contact: They may be multiple sites in this clinical trial 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559) or 1-317-615-4559

Additional Information

Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on April 15, 2008

Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00192010

Study ID Number: 8848

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00192010

Health Authority: Italy: Ministry of Health

Lilly Clinical Trial Registry

Clinical Trials Authorship and Review

Clinical Trials content is provided directly by the U.S. National Institutes of Health via ClinicalTrials.gov and is not reviewed separately by ClinicalTrialsFeeds.org. Every page of specific clinical trials information contains a unique identifier which can be used to find further details directly from the National Institutes of Health.

Labels: asbestos, cancer, ClinicalTrial, LungCancer, mesothelioma

Source: Las Vegas Sun

The Las Vegas Sun is running an article on the pioneering cancer research of Dr. Nam Hoang Dang, chief of hematological malignancies at the Nevada Cancer Institute. Dr. Dang has developed a compound that he believes can cure certain forms of cancer, including kidney cancer, mesothelioma and T-cell lymphoma. The FDA has recently given its approval to Dr. Dang to start a Phase I clinical trial of the drug, which he began work on twenty-four years ago.

When Dr. Dang was studying for his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard University, he discovered a molecule, known as CD26, that plays an essential role in the formation of multiple types of cancer. He then began work on developing a CD26 antibody to attack those cancer cells. He claims that lab- and animal- studies have confirmed the anti-cancer benefit to his drug and now the FDA has given its approval to start the first round of human trials. Dr. Dang believes that targeted therapies, like his drug and ones similar to it, represent a real advance in cancer treatment over traditional options, such as chemotherapy, because they target specific weak points in a cancer cell and then exploit those weak points to stop the growth of the cancer.

It takes many years for a drug to reach the market, so even if the phase I tests are successful for Dr. Dang, it will be quite sometime before actual patients are given his compound. However, his work still represents a major breakthrough in our understanding of the physiological aspects of carcinogenesis and all involved are hopeful that his research will lead to real improvements in the lives of mesothelioma patients, as well as other cancer patients, all over the world.

Labels: cancer, mesothelioma

Source: Yahoo! News

After the initial shock of a cancer diagnosis, one of the most difficult things for patients to do is to learn how to sift through the vast amount of data that is available about cancer treatment. Advice and support from friends and survivors can be a great benefit to patients, but the advice received may not be the best information that is available for that person and his or her personal situation. Because of this, some hospitals and cancer centers have setup a “cancer coaches” program where trained volunteers agree to work with newly diagnosed patients to help them get the right information for their diagnosis.

The key to a successful cancer coaching session is for the coach to really listen to and advocate for the patient at hand. The coaches receive training on the latest research and are expected to help the patient navigate the complex world of cancer treatment. They are there to ask questions and to give good advice about the latest options.

The three most important things a coach can provide a patient are:

1. Support
2. Resources
3. Objectivity

The third element is especially important for many patients, especially elderly or other older individuals who may be more susceptible to outside influence.

Many of these coaches are themselves cancer survivors, so their advocacy for the patient will also have a personal element to it. They can augment support groups and as long as they stay objective with the advice given, can provide a great resource to help new patients through this complex world.

Labels: cancer, mesothelioma

Source: CD200: A Putative Therapeutic Target in Cancer

One of the most exciting developments in cancer research is the increasing knowledge we have of the biological and biochemical processes involved in tumor development. Scientists are still years away from fully mapping the structural components of tumors, but they have successfully identified a number of proteins that are overexpressed in a variety of malignancies. CD200 is one such protein. Previous studies have shown CD200 expression as a prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma (MM) and now, researchers from France writing in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications have published their findings on CD200 expression in a number of other cancers. They conclude that CD200 is a viable therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Introduction to the Study

CD200 is a transmembrane protein whose expression has been shown to have immunosuppressive effects on the body. Some of these previously identified effects include inhibition of macrophages, which are important immune-system cells that digest pathogens and other foreign bodies, as well as induction of regulatory T-cells that suppress immune system activation and the inhibition of tumor-specific T-cell immunity. CD200’s tolerigenic effect, i.e., its ability to restrict an immune system’s response to a foreign body, has also been demonstrated in mouse models. In those cases, CD200’s immunosuppressive effects were a benefit to therapy, as they led to an increased survival rate after tissue transplant. CD200 has been implicated in a number of other pathologies and malignancies as well.

To look at CD200 expression in other forms of cancer, the authors examined a number of public sources, including the Oncomine Cancer Microarray database (http://www.oncomine.org), the Amazonia database (http://amazonia.montp.inserm.fr/) and the Integrated Tumor Transcriptome Array and Clinical Data Analysis database (http://bioinfo-out.curie.fr/ittaca/).

The researchers analyzed the data in two ways:

1. Expression of CD200 in malignant tissues from a variety of cancers; and
2. In cases were expression correlated with the cancer, they looked at the relationship between expression and tumor progression/stage.

Conclusion

Regarding the overall correlation of CD200 and cancer, they found significant overexpression of CD200 in the following areas: renal carcinomas compared to normal kidneys; head and neck carcinomas compared to normal head and neck tissues; testicular cancer compared with normal testicular tissue; pleural mesothelioma compared to normal pleural tissue; and colon carcinoma compared with normal colon tissue. The authors also found a high correlation between CD200 and advanced-stage disease, especially with bladder cancer, advanced-stage lung cancer and chronic myelogenous leukemia. They postulate that CD200’s immunosuppressive effects are responsible for this latter development, as the cancer can develop or remain in the body without triggering an immune system response. More research is certainly needed on this topic, but the authors definitely conclude that CD200 is overexpressed in a number of cancers and is often associated with a bad prognosis.

Labels: cancer, mesothelioma

Source: New York Times

The New York Times is running an article on one of the most cutting-edge—and most expensive—cancer treatments: proton beam therapy. Hospitals are using particle accelerators, which are machines that accelerate subatomic particles to speeds nearly that of the speed of light, to shoot protons directly into tumors. Proponents of this therapy, such as Dr. Jerry D. Slater, the head of radiation medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California, feel it’s much more accurate than traditional radiation therapy using X-rays. Dr. Slater says that “every X-ray beam I use puts most of the dose where I don’t want it,” while proton therapy more directly targets the actual tumor. In 1990, Dr. Slater’s hospital, Loma Linda University Medical Center, was the first hospital to install a particle accelerator and has since treated over 13,000 patients. There are currently five other hospitals around the country using proton beam therapy and more than a dozen others have announced plans to build their own particular accelerators.

The technology, however, is not without controversy.

Installing a particle accelerator is an exceptionally expensive proposition. A large accelerator can weigh over 200 tons, demand 18 feet of reinforced walls to house it and cost over $100 million. While most doctors accept the theoretical model the techniques are based on, many doctors are still concerned with the great costs associated with its use. Studies have yet to definitely establish that it is any more effective than other treatments and the concern is that patients who could be treated equally well with traditional—and less expensive—technology will be directed towards proton beam therapy simply because hospitals needs to recoup the costs of their investment. For example, many centers are using proton beam therapy to treat localized prostate cancer where Medicaid will $50,000 for the therapy, which is double what would be paid for traditional x-ray therapy with similar efficacy.

The great hope for the technology revolves around its ability to more effectively target a tumor, as well as induce less significant side effects due to its greater accuracy. Until more and better data becomes available, the controversy will likely continue unabated, just as construction of more facilities will continue as well. If, however, the therapy does prove to be more effective and exhibit less side effects, patients and their families will have one more modality in their fight against cancer.

Labels: cancer

Source: New York Times

The New York Times has published an article on one of the most contentious issues in current cancer research: are there specific stem cells that cause cancer, and if so, can treatments be developed that target these stem cells?

The basic hypothesis says there are certain types of cells that are responsible for the growth of tumors. These stem cells, which are different from and should not be confused with embryonic stem cells, renew their own malignant behavior, while also creating the conditions necessary for the development of a tumor’s actual mass. Only a small number of them would be necessary to start a cancerous event—or to sustain a growth—and they would answer the question raised by treatments that destroy most of a tumor but which don’t actually kill all of the cancer: if 99% of the tumor is destroyed, why does the cancer keep coming back? The idea, then, would be to develop treatments that target the stem cells instead of the whole tumor, as killing the stem cells would necessarily kill the tumor as well. Chemotherapy and radiation are actually quite good at shrinking and killing tumors, but they can’t always stop the cancer. If the stem cell hypothesis is true and effective treatments could be developed because of it, many doctors agree that it would constitute a revolution in cancer care.

However, the issue is as contentious as it is because not all doctors agree with the cancerous stem cell hypothesis. Those who don’t agree with it describe the belief that others have of it as bordering on the religious. They feel the science just isn’t in yet and are skeptical of the claims being made that research into cancerous stem cells will be a panacea for all forms of cancer research.

Thus, it is too early to tell if the stem cell hypothesis will be an actual revolution or just another well-intentioned idea that is swept into history, but results should start coming in soon. The National Cancer Institute has setup a $5.4 million research fund to look into cancerous stem cells and three major cancer centers—The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston—are embarking on a preliminary study to test the hypothesis. Once the initial results from this study are in, doctors and scientists will have an opportunity to asses its results and critique its methods and, hopefully, the question will be on a firmer ground for analysis. All involved agree that as far as we’ve come in cancer research, there is still much that can be done to ease the burdens of and improve the treatments for those with cancer.

Labels: cancer

Source: Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal’s health section is running an article on cancer patients and their families who are developing personalized drug combinations as a means of fighting their cancers. The article profiles the struggles of Neil Hutchinson, a forty-five year-old defense contractor, to save the life of his seven year-old son Sam, who suffers from neuroblastoma—a form of cancer that affects the sympathetic nervous system. Neil has taken an especially active part in Sam’s treatment and actually selected the individual drugs that make up Sam’s 44-pills-a-day drug cocktail. After reading stacks of books on neuroblastoma and hundreds of journal articles on its etiology and treatment responses, he developed Sam’s treatment regimen in consultation with his son’s oncologists and other doctors. While many medical professionals are uncomfortable with patients taking such an active roll in developing treatments, the Internet has allowed people to share anecdotes and other stories about effective treatments and, grudgingly anyway, the doctors will often acknowledge that it is precisely the personalized nature of the treatments that have allowed them to be effective for people.

Neil’s research into Sam’s condition has been the major factor in Sam’s cancer going into remission.

The idea behind drug cocktails for cancer is that instead of trying to develop a single agent that can stop cancer, its best to take a multi-focal approach and use a number of precisely-targeted agents to stop all of the various avenues in which cancer can grow. This treatment strategy should increase effectiveness and decrease side effects and it remains one of the most promising aspects of current cancer research. What has medical professionals most concerned about patients such as Neil and Sam are the devastating consequences that can happen when non-professionals spearhead a treatment regimen. They worry that in patients’ sincere attempt to get better they will actually be hurting themselves. Doctors also worry that if more people start their own treatments then enrollment in clinical trials will be reduced—which could have devastating consequences for the growth of medicine. If doctors and scientists can’t study enough people in a controlled setting, they fear the amazing treatment successes of recent years may not be replicated in the future.

Along with the Hutchinsons, the article discusses a number of other people who have also developed their own treatment regimens. While all acknowledge the controversy surrounding these developments, nearly everyone also agrees that in the battle against cancer, the most important thing to do is to fight the disease as creatively as possible.

Labels: cancer

Labels: cancer

Source: Yahoo News

Dutch researchers have completed the first study looking at the emergence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children with a parent who has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. The study enrolled children between the ages of 11 and 18 and tracked them throughout the course of their parent's illness. They found that nearly all showed some of the symptoms associated with PTSD and these manifested as "recurring nightmares, an inability to stop thinking about the disease as well as conscious efforts to avoid hearing or knowing anything about their parent's condition." After learning of the condition, almost 29 percent of the children experienced symptoms serious enough to justify psychological help.

Other results from the study concluded that girls were more likely to experience symptoms of PTSD than boys were and, while symptoms subsided after a year for most children, some of those had their symptoms recur. Also, the PTSD-like symptoms were more likely to be felt in children whose parents had cancer as opposed to children whose parents had another chronic illness-most likely because they feared that the cancer was more likely to cause the parent's death.

Labels: cancer

Source: CNN.com

The CNN.com Health section details a listing of healthy food types that should be an important part of everyone's diet. Eating well is an essential element of a healthy lifestyle and the foods listed are excellent sources of general nutrition.

1. Calcium. Calcium is a key element for healthy bones and many other body functions. While many people get calcium form milk and other dairy products, there are a variety of other food types that can one use to get calcium. These include:
   
   
   
   • Cornmeal
   
   
   • Wheat flour
   
   
   • Collards
   
   
   • Rhubarb
   
   
   • Sardines
   
   
   • Spinach
   
   
   • Soybeans
   
   
   • among others
   
   


2. Vitamin C. Vitamin is an excellent addition to any diet. It helps one's body repair itself when damaged or depressed and also provides preventative maintenance by helping the body fight diseases and possibly cancer. Sources of Vitamin C include:
   
   
   
   • Oranges/orange juice
   
   
   • Peppers (sweet and chili)
   
   
   • Grapefruit juice
   
   
   • Papayas
   
   
   • Strawberries
   
   
   • among others
   
   


3. Fiber. Fiber is an important element for the digestive system, as well as other internal organs, such as the heart. Sources of fiber include:
   
   
   
   • Barley
   
   
   • Bulgur
   
   
   • Beans
   
   
   • Peas
   
   
   • Wheat flour, whole-grain
   
   
   • Oat bran
   
   
   • among others
   
   
   
   
4. Anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are a type of chemical found in certain foods that research shows may help protect the body from a variety of serious ailments, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's. Sources of anti-oxidants include:
   
   
   
   • Beans
   
   
   • Blueberries
   
   
   • Cranberries
   
   
   • Artichokes
   
   
   • Blackberries
   
   
   • Prunes
   
   
   • among others
   
   
   
   
5. Folic acid.
Folic acid is found in certain foods and helps promote efficient mitosis (cell division) and red cell development. There is evidence that it can reduce the development of certain types of cancers. Sources of folic acid include:



• Turkey/chicken giblets


• Lentils


• Cowpeas/Black eyed peas


• Orange Juice


• Beans (specifically kidney, pinto, navy)


• among others




6. Iron. Iron is essential to the proper flow of oxygen in the blood. Iron deficiencies can lead to anemia, which leaves people weak and tired. Sources of iron include:
   
   
   
   • Mollusks, clams
   
   
   • Turkey or chicken giblets
   
   
   • Enriched whole wheat flour
   
   
   • Enriched rice
   
   
   • Soybeans
   
   
   • among others
   
   
   
   
   

Labels: cancer, general

Source: Wall Street Journal

In a supplement published in the medical journal Chest, the American College of Chest Physicians offered the first comprehensive analysis on the use of alternative and complementary medicine in the treatment of lung cancer. The researchers examined over 100 published studies regarding alternative or complementary medicine in an attempt to quantify the benefits and to identify the problems regarding these modalities. Federal studies have shown that more than half of all Americans have used some type of alternative therapy in their lives and that number increases when cancer is involved. Historically, most doctors have not had the knowledge of these treatments to discuss them with their patients, so the publication of these guidelines represents a genuine advancement in the knowledge of cancer treatment.

The report showed that herbal supplements are, at best, generally not very effective and, at worst, possibly a real problem as some of them will interfere with chemotherapy, radiation or other standard cancer treatments. A notable exception to this warning is the use of vitamin B12 and folic-acid supplements for people being treated with the chemotherapy drug pemetrexed, which is marketed as Alimta^® and is the standard chemo drug for people with malignant mesothelioma. The report indicates that the published research on supplements isn't especially deep, so it does not say that all supplements should be stopped—it merely indicates that supplements need to be evaluated for potential side effects and interactions with other agents.

The report treats acupuncture and other "mind-body" modalities more favorably than supplements and recommends many of them for particular conditions. Acupuncture is recommended for pain relief and to control the nausea and vomiting that is associated with chemotherapy. However, patients who are prone to excessive bleeding should be cautious about the use of acupuncture and should only be treated by a professional with experience in treating cancer patients. Meditation is recommended to reduce stress, while yoga and other relaxation techniques may help improve sleep. Massage is recommended for general pain and anxiety, as is hypnosis, but like acupuncture, those with a tendency to bleed should avoid deep-tissue massage.

The publication of these new guidelines for alternative and complementary medicine is an important advancement in our knowledge of cancer treatment. It is hoped that patients will be well-served with this new knowledge.

Labels: cancer, LungCancer, mesothelioma

Source: New York Times.Com

The New York Times has an article on the uneven nature of care given to cancer patients across the country. The article details the struggles of Karen Pasqualetto to find the best treatment for the cancer she was diagnosed with at 35. Mrs. Pasqualetto had just given birth to a daughter when her cancer was discovered. The diagnosis was colon cancer, metastatic to the liver. The advanced nature of the disease was surprising for one as young as 35, as colon cancer tends to affect those who are 50 and above. After her diagnosis, Mrs. Pasqualetto entered a maze of uncertain therapies and conflicting treatment regimens. She would discuss her case with one doctor who would recommend a certain treatment regimen and then she would speak with a different doctor who advised a different course. She was given six months to live by one doctor while another told her he would do everything he could for her to live much longer.

Mrs. Pasqualetto's experience is, sadly, the norm for many cancer patients across the United States. While the U.S. certainly possesses the greatest treatment options in the world, many people are not actually given these treatments. Besides the well-publicized conflicts that many patients have with insurance companies, a lesser-known — but equally problematic — issue is that even where treatment guidelines exist, many patients do not receive the care that is recommended. One set of guidelines may recommend adjuvant chemotherapy and a course of surgery, while a patient may only receive chemotherapy or only receive the surgery.

Another problem a patient may run into is not discussing his or her options with another set of doctors. Too often patients begin a treatment regimen with a family physician. While comfort with one's doctor is an important part of any treatment program, one's family doctor will not have the experience with the disease that a specialist would have, so the family doctor may not be aware of the latest research and other cutting-edge treatments.

Cancer treatment is a maze that one is thrown into without a roadmap to follow. Karen Pasqualetto is alive today because of her dedication and her drive to help find the best treatment for her condition. She sought out second and third opinions and has done everything she can to help herself with her treatments. Even though she wasn't given a map, she's made the best possible journey she could have made and her dedication is itself a roadmap of sorts for others in similar shoes.

Labels: cancer

Source: University of Virginia

Researchers from the University of Virginia (UVA) have developed an algorithm that is designed to predict the best possible treatments for a particular tumor-type for individual patients. Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D., a UVA oncologist and cancer biologist, and Jae Lee, Ph.D., a computational biologist and bioinformatics statistician, have devised an algorithm that compares information on a tumor's molecular characteristics with information on which chemotherapy agents are most effective in treating those characteristics. The researchers found that their "coexpression extrapolation (COXEN) system" can accurately predict chemosensitivity for certain cancers. The researchers used 60 human cancer cell lines from the National Cancer Institute (NCI-60) to develop the algorithm.

Dr. Theodorescu said, "Even though this NCI cell set wasn't an exhaustive encyclopedia of cancer cells, we found we could use the available data to draw conclusions about other cell types we were exploring. The algorithm is a Rosetta stone for translating from the NCI-studied drugs to any other cell line or human tumor....We believe we have found an effective way to personalize cancer therapy."

Dr. Lee is developing a web-based COXEN system (http://www.coxen.org) so researchers and treating physicians can leverage his and Dr.Theodorescu's research in their own work.

Labels: cancer

Source: New York Times

Research into the cognitive functions of people who've undergone high-dose chemotherapy has shown that a small number of survivors show some long-term neurological effects from the treatment. The phenomena, now known as "chemo brain", had been anecdotally noted by a number of patients but oncologists were historically dismissive of claims regarding long-term neurological effects of the chemo. However, recent research on this subject estimates that as many as fifteen percent of patients, many of them women, do show symptoms of chemo brain. The cognitive effects are rarely life-threatening, but they do impact the daily lives of these survivors and often take the form of short-term memory loss, proneness to confusion and an inability, or at least a slower ability, to choose among a set of dichotomous options.

The majority of patients who've undergone chemotherapy do show limited, short-term signs of neurological impairment, such as memory loss and poor concentration, but most get over these effects and return to one hundred percent cognitive ability within a few months. It is not yet understood why survivors with chemo brain do not regain full neurological ability and the answer to this question is still years away. However, the identification of chemo brain as a real condition has been an important development in the lives of all survivors, as it has provided some legitimacy to the effects that each struggles with in the wake of their chemotherapy.

Labels: cancer, general