We're supposed to avoid stress but here's a case where stress may save your life. South Dakota State University scientists are investigating whether "stressing" cancer cells can make radiation and chemotherapy more effective.Professor Xiang...
Professor Xiangming Guan of the Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences explains that when cancer cells are tired out, they are easier to kill using free radicals, the basic mechanism behind radiation and some chemotherapy drugs.
In case you've forgotten, free radicals are molecules. They pose a threat to cancer cells because these radicals steal electrons to regain their own stability.
%26quot;We have identified a compound which can effectively block this enzyme and create stress in cancer,%26quot; said Guan. %26quot;We have also demonstrated that the stressed cancer was more sensitive to radiation treatment in several different human cancer cells such as ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer.%26quot;
Current results show that the compound can also make cancer more sensitive to the widely used anticancer drug, doxorubicin. Doxorubicin is used for cancer of the bladder, breast, head and neck, leukemia (some types), liver, lung, lymphomas, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, ovary, pancreas, prostate, sarcomas, stomach, testis (germ cell), thyroid and uterus.
Sounds like good news for lots of people and bad news for cancer.
http://www.sdstate.edu
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2/02/2009
Are your cancer cells stressed?
High-Carb Consumption Linked to Esophageal Cancer
What a strange week. Just as I'm getting excited about my book being featured in TIME magazine and the word is spreading more about the dangers of sugars and refined carbs, a compelling study from Milan comes out, linking culprit-carb overl... What a strange week. Just as I'm getting excited about my book being featured in TIME magazine and the word is spreading more about the dangers of sugars and refined carbs, a compelling study from Milan comes out, linking culprit-carb overload (i.e., lots of bread) with almost doubling the risk of kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma). Then, faster than you can say %26quot;refined carbohydrates%26quot; -- (OK, I'm exaggerating of course) -- still more research emerges from scientists at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, who found that quickie carbs are linked with a cascade of factors leading to esophageal cancer. Lead researcher Vijay S. Khiani, M.D. -- who reported his findings at a meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology -- discovered, as MedPageToday.com puts it, %26quot;an association between the rising incidence of esophageal cancer in the U.S. and the increase in U.S. per-capita carbohydrate consumption over the past three decades.%26quot; Interestingly, Dr. Khiani blames carbs in a much more roundabout way than many other researchers, whose studies I reported about in my book SUGAR SHOCK! Indeed, he makes a point to say that his findings shouldn't be construed as proving a %26quot;casual link.%26quot; Even so, he Dr. Khiani contends that a high-carb diet could lead to obesity, which, in turn, as MedPageToday.com reports, %26quot;is known to predispose individuals to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This, in turn, has been linked to a greater likelihood for developing Barrett's esophagus, a precursor to lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma.%26quot; Dr. Khiani was quick to point out that his findings don't support kicking those carbs totally, and he even expressed wariness that some folks may use the research to motivate them to embark upon an Atkins or other low-carb diet. %26quot;Further research still needs to be done to determine whether there is a direct causal relationship.%26quot; Trust me: There's loads of research linking sweets and refined carbs with all kinds of cancer. (In fact, I just spent five years of my life trying to pull together information about some of the most compelling findings connecting those quickie carbs with diseases and conditions galore.)
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Bone cancer early symptoms
Who else knows your environment is the primary cause of cancer?Reading Barbara’s cancer story about her father having bone cancer and liver cancer at the same time, I googled to find bone cancer early symptoms. Because when you detect can... Reading Barbara’s cancer story about her father having bone cancer and liver cancer at the same time, I googled to find bone cancer early symptoms. Because when you detect cancer at an early stage, chances of having a successful treatment do exist. Sadly, primary bone cancer is relatively uncommon in comparison with secondary or metastatic bone cancer. And just like father’s metastatic liver cancer had an unknown primary, it seems that in a lot of cases the primary cancer is not yet recognized at the time when the early metastatic cancer in the bone becomes Cancer that begins is the bone is called a primary bone cancer. But when you or your loved one has cancer, you will hear a lot of terms and it feels that "everybody has his own idea what kind of cancer you are dealing with". With primary bone cancer, the word sarcoma will often be heard. Sarcoma is a malignant tumor (which is another way of saying a cancerous tumor or bad tumor) arising in the bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue or muscle. Most people will now criticize my idea that we have cancer due to living in an unhealthy environment, breathing in unhealthy air and eating food filled with pesticide residues. Why criticize? Because children and young people are more likely to have bone cancer than adults. So my theory that an accumulation of bad residues over the years will cause cancer in older people holds, but how does it explain cancer in younger people? For this you have to go back to the best pesticide ever DDT: it killed everything and was "oh so practical". What DDT also did was killing the embryo in the eggs of bald eagles after the Second World War: %26hellip;Along with the passage of the Endangered Species Act, the US ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle in the contiguous US%26hellip; So as long as adults have to bear living in a sick environment, %26hellip;as long asadults have to bear living in a sick environment, Barbara left her cancer story in a comment at love your parents you only have 1 pair of them. I am so sorry for your loss. I just learned last night that I am facing the same with my father. His cancer spread to his bones and his liver. I am trying to learn what he will face in this last year or so of his life and none of it looks good. I know this will be the most difficult thing I have ever faced, but I pray that I can stay strong for him and my mother. They just celebrated their 54th anniversary and have had many honeymoons. He says he is okay with the end of his life, but I don’t think I am. Oh well, I guess I don’t have any choice in this. Our father seemed to be a bit younger than Barbara’s father when he got diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer. Father kept a stiff upper lip saying that he did live a good life, but the tears in his eyes didn’t really say the same. You do need to be strong for your mother, because she will be the one loosing her partner for more than 54 years. Loosing a father is bad, but cannot be compared with loosing a partner of 54 years, so try to keep that in perspective. Mom could really become angry to people coming with a story like: oh, when my husband had a terrible flu I also thought he was going to die and felt so afraid blablabla%26hellip; Of course you feel afraid, but with a flu you have hope for a better outcome, with terminal cancer you have no other options%26hellip; If you have more news about bone cancer early symptoms, or you have a cancer story to share: please leave a comment here! Technorati Tags: bone cancer early symptoms, Cancer, cancer story, metastatic bone cancer, metastatic cancer, Metastatic Liver CancerWho else knows your environment is the primary cause of cancer?
painful and people go see their doctor.Primary bone cancer
adults will bear sick children.
adults will bear sick children%26hellip;Barbara’s liver cancer story
Metastatic liver cancer story
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Treating Bone Complications in Multiple Myeloma
ANNOUNCER: Multiple myeloma is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow. When it spreads and attacks the bone itself, it can cause extensive complications for those living with this disease. But doctors have several treatments available ... SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer. It involves one of the white blood cells called plasma cell. When the cancer cells, the plasma cells grow rapidly inside the bone marrow, they can destroy the bone architecture internally. Another way I would look upon this like termite growing inside wood. The cancer cells start growing inside, they eat the bone and cause the bone to get weak. Then even the day-to-day activity, the stress on the bone can cause fracture of the bone. ANNOUNCER: Though other cancers can spread to the bone, the damage caused by multiple myeloma can be worse because it involves all the bones, where blood is being formed. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: In this particular cancer, the bone is eaten by the osteoclasts but there is no new bone formation or repair mechanism, because the repair mechanism is suppressed. Whereas in solid tumors such as breast cancer or lung cancer when they go to the bone and start growing there, they will cause bone destruction, but the body will normally try to wall off those cancer cells by producing new bone around them. ANNOUNCER: When the disease begins to damage the bone, the first symptom is usually pain. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The patient could have a cough or sneeze and can feel a sharp pain on the side of the chest due to a rib fracture. Or they could be lifting some weight and suddenly they have a severe back pain because of a compression fracture of the vertebra or the spine in the back. ANNOUNCER: Managing pain is an important first step in treating multiple myeloma. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The pain relief should be approached in two ways. One is to give immediate pain relief, episodic and you can do that by using codeine-morphine type in short acting form but if the patient has a constant back pain, unable to lie down, unable to sleep, unable to rest, then you want to make sure the patient gets 24 hour pain relief by using long acting pain medication. ANNOUNCER: Other treatment options include: chemotherapy to treat the underlying cancer cells. Radiation therapy is sometimes used for a localized area where there is bone destruction and pain. But drugs known as bisphosphonates, are the mainstay of therapy to treat and prevent, further bone complications. JAMES BERENSON, MD: Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs that shut down the cell that drives bone loss. That is called the osteoclast. So when that cell becomes inactive, the pac man if you will, that gobble up bone are no longer available to do that. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: These medications are given monthly intravenously. And when the patient takes this medication regularly over a period of two years or longer, these drugs actually get deposited in the bone. But more important is it improves the quality of life of the patient, because with time over a period of administration, the bones get stronger, so they do not have additional bone pain and compression fracture. JAMES BERENSON, MD: The main bisphosphonates used to treat myeloma patients in the U.S. are either pamidronate also known as Aredia, or now Zometa or zoledronic acid. Aredia or pamidronate is given every 3 to 4 weeks over several hours. Recent studies with Zometa or zoledronic acid show that this can be safely administered in over simply 15 minutes. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: The advantage for this particular drug is the infusion time is reduced, especially when the patient's cancer is in remission and the patient's quality of life has improved and they are going about their day-to-day life. They don't have to come and spend a lot of time in a cancer center. ANNOUNCER: As with many medications, there are some side effects with bisphosphonate therapy. JAMES BERENSON, MD: The major side effects associated with bisphosphonates are in about %26frac14; of patients, following the first or second infusion only. They can have a flu-like symptom the next day. This only lasts a few hours and will go away with subsequent dosing. SUNDAR JAGANNATH, MD: Then when you use these drugs over a period of time, we have to pay attention to the kidney function. Occasionally these drugs can damage the kidney and this can be easily recognized by periodically checking the amount of protein that is leaked by the kidney. ANNOUNCER: For myeloma patients with severe bone complications, or imminent fractures, there are surgical options available. JAMES BERENSON, MD: Importantly there are new surgical techniques that have been developed that have greatly increased the quality of life in patients with myeloma. Specifically the use of kyphoplasty, vertibroplasty as well as other surgical techniques, to prevent either fractures of the long bones or to treat them, have made a huge difference in the quality as well as the quantity of life of patients with myeloma. ANNOUNCER: These treatments-medical and surgical, in addition to radiation therapy, offer hope that patients with multiple myeloma can be spared the debilitating effects of bone complications and so maintain a good quality of life, while fighting their disease.
ANNOUNCER: Multiple myeloma is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow. When it spreads and attacks the bone itself, it can cause extensive complications for those living with this disease. But doctors have several treatments available to help reduce and prevent these complications.
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Apigenin in vegetables improves chemotherapy effect against cancer cells
UCR.edu - The leading cause of death in all cancer patients continues to be the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy, a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells.
Now a NIH-sponsored study by UC Riverside biochemists...
UCR.edu - The leading cause of death in all cancer patients continues to be the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy, a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells.
Now a NIH-sponsored study by UC Riverside biochemists that focuses on cancer cells reports that ingesting apigenin %26ndash; a naturally occurring dietary [...]
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Chemotherapy Options for Metastatic Breast Cancer
ANNOUNCER: Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer must deal with a serious disease, but they have many therapeutic options available to them.HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are not designed to eradicat... HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are not designed to eradicate the tumor once and for all. We don't have that ability right now. On the other hand, the good news is that there are many drugs and many treatments that can actually help keep the tumor under control for a very long time. And increasingly, women with advanced breast cancer have both multiple treatment options, are benefitting from newer therapies, and are living longer and better with their disease. We are increasingly treating the tumor based on the biology of the disease. So we always test all breast cancers to determine whether or not they are sensitive to certain kinds of drugs. KIMBERLY BLACKWELL, MD: In tumors that are estrogen receptor positive or in very simple terms need the female hormone estrogen to grow, we will almost a 100 perecent of the time recommend some sort of tablet form of antihormonal therapy. ANNOUNCER: Chemotherapy also has an important role in helping to control advanced cancer. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: What almost all chemotherapy drugs share in common is that they target the DNA machinery of the cell, or they target the so-called microtubules, the small structural elements within the cancer cell that help maintain the normal shape and function of the cell. ANNOUNCER: There are many different classes of chemotherapy drugs. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: These include anthracyclines, drugs like doxorubicin and epirubicin; taxanes, that's paclitaxel and docetaxel and derivatives of paclitaxel; vinca alkaloids, drugs like vinorelbine; alkylator-type chemotherapy drugs, cyclophosphamide and carboplatin; drugs that are so-called antimetabolites, drugs like capecitabine or 5-FU or gemcitabine. ANNOUNCER: Combinations of the drugs are sometimes given to patients. Hair loss, nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions, low blood counts, mouth sores and neuropathy, a tingling in the hands and feet are common chemotherapy side effects. Anti-nausea medicines and medicines to help regulate blood counts have improved the patient experience. ERIC WINER, MD: Most of our large studies have demonstrated that giving single agents one after the other gives you ultimately as good a result as giving combinations and giving single-agent chemotherapy tends to be associated with fewer side effects. ANNOUNCER: Doctors are finding newer and safer ways to give old chemotherapy drugs. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Consider a drug like paclitaxel, which had been a mainstay of breast cancer therapy in the 1990s. It turned out that by using the exact same drug, but using a lower dose on a more frequent schedule—that is to say, giving it weekly instead of every three weeks—we actually could help patients do better, that it was better to control the tumor, better to achieving a response and better tolerated by giving weekly chemotherapy. Another example related to paclitaxel is there's a new derivative of paclitaxel called Abraxane, where they have reformulated the paclitaxel into a little albumin shell. When you do that, the drug dissolves better in water and patients don't get allergic reactions. Another example of that has been the drug capecitabine. Capecitabine is an orally available form of chemotherapy, but it's a very old chemotherapy called 5-FU. It turned out, then, when we used to give squirts of 5-FU in the clinic it wasn't all that effective. By developing it into a pill form, you more or less mimic a continuous exposure to the drug, and it turns out that capecitabine, which is marketed as Xeloda, is actually a very effective way of controlling breast cancer. ANNOUNCER: Patients will be tested for the HER2/neu gene protein to determine if they are eligiable for targeted therapy. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Tumors that are HER2-positive are candidates for treatment with a new anti-HER2 drug called trastuzumab. ERIC WINER, MD: This is an antibody therapy, an antibody that is targeted to the HER2/neu protein. ANNOUNCER: Trastuzumab, also known as Herceptin is usually added to chemotherapy. In clinical trials this approach has shown impressive results. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: Adding trastuzumab doubled the response rate to chemotherapy alone, substantially improved the length of time before the tumor got worse and contributed to much improved overall survival for women with HER2-positive breast cancer. ANNOUNCER: Patients whose breast cancer has spread to the bone may be treated with bone strengthening drugs called bisphosphonates. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: It alleviates some of the pain, it helps prevent fractures and it prevents the excessive absorption of bone which can give rise to something called hypercalcemia, when there's so much calcium that's leached out of the bone into the bloodstream it's actually bad for the patient. ANNOUNCER: Many new therapies are being tested in clinical trials. HAROLD BURSTEIN, MD: There's an explosion right now in the way of biotechnology drug development, so there are tremendous numbers of drugs that are flooding onto the market for clinical trials in breast cancer. ERIC WINER, MD: For women with advanced breast cancer, clinical trials are often considered both to try to compare existing therapies that we have, and more importantly, to try to push the envelope a bit and to try to look at new therapies. KIMBERLY BLACKWELL, MD: I think all women with metastatic breast cancer should talk to their physician about clinical trials. Clinical trials will give her an option of receiving some of the newer and, in some cases, more effective treatments earlier than waiting to get them outside clinical trial, once they've been approved. The drugs that are being developed work better than the drugs we had ten years ago. So we want to be able to access those early in your fight against metastatic breast cancer and clinical trials enable you to do that.
ANNOUNCER: Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer must deal with a serious disease, but they have many therapeutic options available to them.
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Undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary
As far as I remember, " undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary" was father’s diagnosis.I only got alarmed after the 5th word when it said: cancer. When I then saw father’s liver looking like a raisin bre... As far as I remember, " undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastatic liver cancer unknown primary" was father’s diagnosis. I only got alarmed after the 5th word when it said: cancer. When I then saw father’s liver looking like a raisin bread over-generously filled with raisons%26hellip; Unfortunately in father’s case, these raisins were malignant tumors, so surgery nor any other kind of more advance tumor treatments became an option. Then the doctors were fast enough to explain that metastatic was another term for mentioning that there was a second cancer somewhere in father’s body that caused his liver cancer. And if a miracle could treat the cancers inside father’s liver, we still needed to cure the primary cancer. 16 months have passed by now, and "cancer" is still part of my thinking process each and every day. I recently thought the universe was trying to tell me to gather more cancer stories, so I started a few days ago the following blogs about: But still my mind kept on twisting and turning until today I read about metastatic stomach cancer: "a stomach cancer that spreads to the liver, will still look like a stomach cancer." Now that sounds as logical as it comes, doesn’t it? That’s were I remember telling my father that the oncologist tried to explain him why they were looking for the type of cancer father was having. So I told father: imagine your cancer is a meatball, then they are trying to find out whether it’s a pork meatball or a chicken meatball%26hellip; For all the info we were overwhelmed with, only now I get the message: if they would have know what kind of cancer father had in his liver, then they would have known where his primary cancer was%26hellip; In other words: in stead of unknown primary, they would have been able to be more precise. And that explains why they were calling the cancer "Undifferentiated". If they would have called it " dunno where it comes from", they could have saved me 16 months of trying to put the puzzle back together%26hellip; I can hear you saying: but they told you it was an unknown primary! Agreed, but then they should have said : Keep it short and simple as life becomes way too difficult already the first time you hear the word cancer! And no: I don’t need a "better next time" : once is enough and actually once too many if most likely cancer is just a consequence of living in a polluted world %26hellip; Technorati Tags: bladder cancer, CANCER STORIES, cancer story, Liver Cancer, Metastatic Liver Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer16 months after father passed away from metastatic liver cancer%26hellip;
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Esophageal cancer and your job
Does your job increase your risk of cancer?Spanish researchers have been looking to see if there is an association between certain professions and certain cancers.They have found that there are professions linked to a higher risk of develop...
Spanish researchers have been looking to see if there is an association between certain professions and certain cancers. They have found that there are professions linked to a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.
The primary risks for esophageal cancer are tobacco and alcohol use but of course there are always people diagnosed who don't have any known risk factors. These researchers have found that occupations in the hotel and restaurant trade, stone cutters, wood-working, carpenters or animal handlers.
So if you work in one of these fields is this a doctor's note to quit your job? Not quite. But you should certainly use whatever safety and health precautions that are available. The first symptoms of esophageal cancer are painful and/or difficulty swallowing so if you experience this, talk to your doctor.
This is a link to the release of a summary of the study. The actual study is in Spanish.
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FCM and Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Lab
Today was our last day of real FCM.We discussed the ethics of disconnecting the patient from last week's PBL case from life support.Basically we got into issues of informed consent, and what you do in a situation where the patient is unable...
The stem cell seminar consisted of several cases. We were divided into small groups, and each group went through the cases individually. It was a pretty good seminar, and somehow the reading didn't seem so onerous even though it included a chapter out of the histo book. Maybe this is a sign that I should become a hematologist. There was some reading out of the path book we'll be using next year also, and I have to say that I actually like that path book, even if it IS over 1400 pages. Well, what's another 1400 pages? I can read it all, no problem!
I was supposed to have clinic this afternoon, but I'm going next week instead. So, that's it for me today. I need to go home and work on my portfolio anyway.
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Esophageal cancer and your job
Does your job increase your risk of cancer?Spanish researchers have been looking to see if there is an association between certain professions and certain cancers.They have found that there are professions linked to a higher risk of develop...
Spanish researchers have been looking to see if there is an association between certain professions and certain cancers. They have found that there are professions linked to a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.
The primary risks for esophageal cancer are tobacco and alcohol use but of course there are always people diagnosed who don't have any known risk factors. These researchers have found that occupations in the hotel and restaurant trade, stone cutters, wood-working, carpenters or animal handlers.
So if you work in one of these fields is this a doctor's note to quit your job? Not quite. But you should certainly use whatever safety and health precautions that are available. The first symptoms of esophageal cancer are painful and/or difficulty swallowing so if you experience this, talk to your doctor.
This is a link to the release of a summary of the study. The actual study is in Spanish.
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