Varia

On this page, we collect news and other items of interest related to the subjects on this blog. Just click on a link if you’re interested.

ECCO (European CanCer Organization): results 2009 conference

The ECCO is Europe’s oldest and largest scientific conference on cancer. Here’s a short overview of the 2009 results. 

Surgery no longer the best treatment option for advanced colon cancer

Surgery is no longer the best treatment option for most patients with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs, a new study suggests.

Folic Acid might be losing its sheen

Credited with lowering the rates of some birth defects, the vitamin also has been linked to a higher likelihood of some cancers. 

The Netherlands Cancer Institute

News from the Netherlands Cancer Institute
See also: press releases

Enzyme behind cancer spread found

Scientists say they have identified an enzyme that helps cancer spread around the body.

Cancer metastasis, where the cancer spreads from its original location, is known to be responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths. Institute of Cancer Research scientists have found that an enzyme called LOX is crucial in promoting metastasis, Cancer Cell journal reports. Drugs to block this enzyme’s action could keep cancer at bay, they hope.

The researchers studied breast cancer in mice, but are confident that their findings will apply to humans with other cancer types too.

“ This new discovery provides real hope that we can develop a drug which will fight the spreading of cancer, ”  says lead researcher Dr Janine Erler

LOX (lysyl oxidase) works by sending out signals to prepare a new area of the body for the cancer to set up a camp. Without this preparation process the new environment would be too hostile for the cancer to grow.

Lead researcher Dr Janine Erler described the discovery as “the crucial missing piece in the jigsaw that scientists have been searching for.” She said it was the first time one key enzyme has been identified as responsible for effectively allowing the cancer to spread. “If we can interrupt the body’s ability to prepare new locations for the cancer to spread to, we can effectively prevent cancer metastasis. “Cancer metastasis is very difficult to treat and this new discovery provides real hope that we can develop a drug which will fight the spreading of cancer,” she said.

Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s science information manager, said: “A better understanding of how cancer spreads is crucial to improving the treatment of the disease. This research takes scientists a step closer to understanding this major problem – the next stage will be to find out if the LOX protein can be switched off to stop cancer spreading.” 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7813072.stm

No Link Found Between Personality Traits and Cancer Risk

Previous studies have linked personality traits with cancer risk. In 1996, Eveline Bleiker, Ph.D., of The Netherlands Cancer Institute and colleagues found a weak association between the development of breast cancer and antiemotionality – a lack of emotional behavior or trust in one’s own feelings. No other personality traits were associated with breast cancer risk in this study.

The researchers conducted a follow-up study with the same group of about 9,700 women who had previously completed a survey that assessed personality traits such as anxiety, anger, antiemotionality, optimism, understanding, and emotional expression. In addition to looking at individual personality traits, the researchers examined how interactions between personality traits influenced breast cancer risk.

Of the women who completed the questionnaire, 217 were diagnosed with breast cancer during the 5- to 13-year follow-up. The researchers did not find any personality trait or personality profile that was associated with increased breast cancer risk.

“We could not confirm our previously reported association between antiemotionality and breast cancer. Our finding that no psychological risk profile was associated with the incidence of breast cancer may help oncologists to reassure patients that their personality appears to have played no role in the development of their breast cancer,” the authors write.

The Journal Of The National Cancer Institute
Netherlands Cancer Institute

Contact:
Danielle Cardozo, Netherlands Cancer Institute 

US cancer institute funds trial of complementary therapy

The US National Cancer Institute, through its office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is funding phase III clinical trials of a controversial treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. The treatment protocol, the Gonzalez regimen, involves a program of dietary modification, nutritional supplements, and “detoxification” through coffee enemas. Read more here.

Vitamin supplementation and the risk of cancer

Observational studies suggested that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, both of which are rich with antioxidants, may prevent cancer development. However, findings from randomized trials of the association between antioxidant use and cancer risk have been mostly negative. A series of trials also shows that taking vitamins and minerals has no effect on preventing strokes, heart disease or other ailments. In some cases, they can even cause harm.

• Vitamin supplements fail to reduce cancer risk in women
• Vitamin supplements don’t fight cancer and can even cause harm

 

Complementary medicine: the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Reliable information on complementary medicine is to be had at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the USA, who provide a number of therapies and do a lot of research. They do not use the term “alternative medicine” though, for they make it very clear that no alternative therapy can ever replace standard medicine when it comes to cancer. Therefore they prefer to speak of complementary therapies. They have integrated some of these into their standard therapies. Hence: integrative medicine. Please bear in mind though that complementary therapy can never cure cancer, or any other illness for that matter. The best it can do is enhance your feelings of well-being and give you a sense of control over your situation. Click here for more information.

 

Research into complementary medicine: Professor Edzard Ernst

Edzard Ernst is professor of Complementary Medicine in the UK. Professor Ernst qualified as a physician in Germany in 1978 where he also completed his MD and PhD theses. He has received training in acupuncture, autogenic training, herbalism, homoeopathy, massage therapy and spinal manipulation, so he knows what he is talking about. Ernst has done a lot of research into the efficacy of alternative treatments. You can click on the links below for more information:

• Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPEd
• Research by Edzard Ernst
• Wikipedia on Edzard Ernst

 

DCA

In some circles, DCA is hailed as the new mircacle cure for cancer. Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, a professor at the Department of Medicine of the University of Alberta, is currently doing research into DCA as a treatment for cancer. Professor Michelakis, The Alberta Cancer Board and Capital Health do not condone or advise the use of dichloroacetate (DCA) in human beings for the treatment of cancer since no human beings have gone through clinical trials using DCA to treat cancer. Click here for the official University of Alberta DCA website.

 

Consumer empowerment

Val Jones on Science-Based Medicine says: ‘There is growing support in the consumer-driven healthcare movement for a phenomenon known as “the wisdom of crowds.” The idea is that the collective input of a large number of consumers can be a driving force for change – and is a powerful avenue for the advancement of science. It was further suggested, that websites that enable patients to “conduct their own clinical trials” are the bold new frontier of research.’ Is this true and will these “DIY trials” really further our knowledge?

 

More European Cancer Patients Achieve Normal Life Expectancy

More European cancer patients are defeating their disease and attaining a life expectancy similar to that of the rest of the population, researchers said. Not only do they survive the first 5 years, but their life-expectancy even equals that of people who never had cancer in the first place.

The figures indicate that more and more people are cured of cancer. An analysis of data from the EUROCARE-4 study found that patients are being increasingly “cured” of their disease rather than just surviving for a period of time. However, the results varied markedly by country. Click here for a summary of the study.

 

Carotenoid supplements tied to lung cancer risk

Based on the findings from a new study, it appears that people who take higher than recommended doses of carotenoid supplements hoping to keep from getting sick, may actually be doing themselves harm.

The long-term use of beta-carotene, retinol, and lutein supplements at doses higher than in multivitamins, increases lung cancer risk, especially in smokers and former smokers, according to investigators from the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study.

High-dose beta-carotene supplements increase the lung cancer rates in high-risk individuals, even though carotenoids from dietary sources tend to lower risk, Dr. Jessie A. Satia and co-researchers note in the American Journal of epidemiology. “Whether effects are similar in the general population is unclear.”

Satia’s team analyzed data from 77,126 subjects ages 50 to 76 who filled out questionnaires in 2000-2002 regarding supplement use over the previous decade. The group was predominantly white and generally healthy, the authors note, and while there were few who never smoked among the lung cancer cases, there were fewer current smokers in the overall group than in the general population.

By linking the data to the national cancer registry, Satia, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her colleagues identified 521 cases of lung cancer. They then estimated the risk associated with the individual supplements after considering the possible effects of age, gender and smoking history.

Each supplement raised the risk of non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, with retinol and lutein also having a modest association with lung cancer overall.

When beta-carotene was used for at least 4 years, the overall risk of lung cancer was not significantly increased, but the risk of small-cell lung cancer rose by more than 3-fold.

For lutein, the overall risk increased by 2-fold, while the corresponding risk for non-small-cell lung cancer increased by 2.5-fold.

The researchers speculate that “these nutrients from supplements may be more bioavailable than those from dietary sources” and large amounts of these supplements might interfere with the absorption, transport and or metabolism of micronutrients or other carotenoids that may be protective against lung cancer.

“Too high a dose of an antioxidant vitamin may interfere with generation of reactive oxygen species needed for beneficial processes, such as normal immune response and apoptosis,” Satia’s team adds.

Whatever the reason, they conclude that the “long-term use of individual beta-carotene, retinol, and lutein supplements should not be recommended for lung cancer prevention, particularly among smokers.”

Source: American Journal of epidemiology