Cancer News Network

‘Dog Scan’ for Cancer!!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:06:00 +0000

We all know that ‘CAT Scan’ is used in the diagnosis of cancer, but now doctors believe that ‘Dogs’ can actually sense cancer, since they can smell hundreds of chemicals released by the body in sweat, urine and breath, as a result of cancer.

Well, if ‘CATs’ can, why not ‘Dogs’!

Check this news story from ABC News to learn more about this interesting find!

‘Supermouse’ helps in finding a holistic approach to fight cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:13:00 +0000

BBC News: Mice carrying a gene which appears to make them invulnerable to cancer may hold the key to safer and more effective treatments for humans.

The new breed, created with a more active "Par-4" gene, did not develop tumours, and even lived longer, said the journal Cancer Research.

University of Kentucky researchers said a human cancer treatment was possible. Cancer Research UK said that more research would be needed to prove it didn't just work in mice.

Par-4 was originally discovered in the early 1990s working inside human prostate cancers, and is believed to have a role in "programmed cell death", the body's own system for rooting out and destroying damaged or faulty cells.

The Kentucky team used an existing mouse breed known to be more vulnerable to cancers to test whether Par-4 could be used to fight them.

They introduced the gene to mouse eggs, and it was active in both the resulting pups - and their own offspring.

The mice with active Par-4 did not develop cancers, and lived slightly longer than those without the gene.

Read more of this story….

Obesity increases your cancer risk (even if you are a non-smoker)!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:05:00 +0000

Telegraph.co.uk: Obesity has become the main cause of cancer in non-smokers, a global conference will hear next week.

The World Cancer Research Fund has spent five years collecting information about the effect bodyweight, diet and physical activity has on the risk of developing cancer and will present its findings on Thursday.

Smoking is still the single biggest cause of cancers, accounting for one third of the 300,000 cases in the UK each year.

But only one quarter of people smoke and research has found that for non-smokers being overweight or obese is the most important avoidable cause of cancer. In the UK, 12,000 people a year could avoid cancer if they maintained a healthy weight, according to Cancer Research UK.

Obesity is known to cause between nine and 15 per cent of breast cancers – more than defective genes.

A recent study found women who have gone through the menopause and are obese increase their risk of developing breast cancer by a third.

Obesity is known to increase the risk of cancer by raising the level of hormones such as oestrogen, which feeds many breast cancers.

Read more of this story….

Breast Thermography – A new tool for early detection of breast cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:31:00 +0000

Breast Thermography or Digital Infrared Imaging is a technique that is based on the principle that metabolic activity and vascular circulation in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal breast tissue. In an ever-increasing need for nutrients, cancerous tumors increase circulation to their cells by holding open existing blood vessels, opening dormant vessels, and creating new ones. This process frequently results in an increase in regional surface temperatures of the breast. DII uses ultra-sensitive medical infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to detect, analyze, and produce high-resolution diagnostic images of these temperature variations. Because of DII’s extreme sensitivity, these temperature variations may be among the earliest signs of breast cancer and/or a pre-cancerous state of the breast. (Source: http://www.breastthermography.com/breast_thermography_mf.htm)

This technique is FDA approved, non-invasive, non-radioactive and painless and can help in detecting breast cancer much earlier than other established techniques like mammography. This news story from CBS News talks in detail about ‘Breast Thermography’ and the need for women to know more about this new technology.

Treating childhood cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:56:00 +0000

In spite of the developments in treatments and technologies that are enhancing the survival rate of childhood cancer, children with cancer are still at risk for developing various cognitive, sexual and heart problems, later in their lives, because of the cancer itself and the side effects of cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy that they receive. Some studies have shown that cancer treatments can damage brain white matter and disrupt brain activity to a large extent.

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York are now working to reduce this risk, by reducing or increasing the doses of medicine administered on children with cancer, based on a type of protein present in the tumor. By doing so, they are able to minimize the damage caused by cancer therapies on the quality of the life of childhood cancer patients, which enables them to lead a normal life like any other person.

This news story, throws more light on this new approach to treating childhood cancer.

Why do ex-smokers continue to have a higher 'lung' cancer risk than non-smokers?

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:02:00 +0000

BBC News: Even years after quitting, former smokers still have a raised risk of lung cancer - and now scientists believe they know why.

Smoking appears to permanently alter the activity of key genes, even though most cigarette damage is repaired over time.

Canadian researchers, writing in the journal BMC Genomics, looked at lung tissue of 24 people.

UK experts stressed that giving up still delivers massive health benefits. It has been shown that the poisons in cigarette smoke can alter the activity of genes.

If you give up smoking, your risk of lung cancer falls significantly, but former smokers continue to have a slightly higher risk of lung cancer compared with someone who has never smoked.

The latest study from the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver suggests that some of these changes might be permanent.

They studied cell samples from the lungs of eight current smokers, 12 former smokers and four people who had never smoked.

Some gene changes appeared to be relatively short-lived, reversing after they had quit the habit for a year or more.

Read more of this story….

Smoking rates are falling in the U.S! - says Gallup

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:02:00 +0000

The Gallup Organization, which studies human nature and behaviors around the globe, has concluded from its ‘Gallup Smoking Poll’ that smoking rate in the Unites States is at its lowest level, since the 1950’s, and it is great news for a country, which has the highest rate of cancer in the world.

This news story throws more light on this poll (which was conducted across the globe) and its findings.

Skin Cancer – Types & treatment options

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:44:00 +0000

Skin cancer, which is an increasingly common condition, is easily detectable in the early stages, as the tumor (the malignant growth on the skin), is usually clearly visible. Hence, it is essential for us to know about the types of skin cancer and how to detect it early, so that medical help can be sought at the earliest, before the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.

Being the fastest growing type of cancer in the developed world, it is more important for us to be aware of skin cancer, in order to reduce the risk of developing it.

This howstuffworks video talks about the common types of skin cancer and the different treatment options available to patients, to fight this disease.

Gene Therapy – The new frontier in the fight against cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:14:00 +0000

Scientists in the United Kingdom are using gene therapy, as a new approach to treat cancer. They are using genetically modified Human Herpes Virus (of the family Herpesviridae) to infect tumor cells and to destroy them and by doing so they are able to harness the destructive power of this virus (which usually causes infection in humans, marked by painful, watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes or on the genitals) to seek out and destroy cancer.

The genetically modified Herpes Virus not only destroys tumor cells, but also produces biomarkers that help our immune system to identify tumor cells. This new approach has been effective in animals and a handful of cancer patients in clinical trials. Scientists believe that gene therapy could become a radical new approach to fight cancer, in future.

This news video from BBC News throws more light on this ground-breaking research.

Breast self-examination – The best defence against breast cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 14:41:00 +0000

Breast cancer (cancer of breast tissue), is the most common form of cancer in women, affecting one out of eleven women at some stage of their life, in the developed world. It is expected to cause some 41,000 deaths in the United States, this year, and the number has been steadily increasing since 1970’s, due to the changes in our lifestyle. Breast cancer is a potential killer and early detection is vital to increase the chances of survival.

Breast self-examination helps in detecting breast cancer early, when it is more treatable and women should check their breasts regularly for any changes in size, shape, lump, tenderness or nipple discharge and consult a healthcare professional, if they find anything unusual with their breasts.

This video explains how to conduct breast self-examination and how to detect unusual changes in the breasts.

Note: This video could be inappropriate to some viewers (under the age of 13)

New guidelines for early detection of ovarian cancer

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:50:00 +0000

Ovarian cancer, which is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, is difficult to diagnose at its early stages, since most of the common symptoms of this disease are non-specific. However, doctors believe that a new set of guidelines issued recently, will help women to detect ovarian cancer early, when it is still treatable.

This news clip from CBS News, explains how the new guidelines will help women and the medical professionals to identify this disease at its early stages (I/II).

Special diets neither prevent breast cancer relapse nor does it improve survival!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 06:57:00 +0000

Among breast cancer survivors, adopting a low-fat diet high in vegetables, fruit and fibre does not prevent the cancer from returning or prolong survival, according to a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association

Dr John P Pierce and his associates designed the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) trial, based on evidence that plant-derived foods contain anti-cancer chemicals.

Pierce, at the University of California, San Diego, and his team describe the intervention as "a telephone counselling program supplemented with cooking classes and newsletters that promoted daily targets of five vegetable servings plus 16 ounces of vegetable juice; three fruit servings; 30 grams of fibre; and 15 to 20 per cent of" calories from fat.

Subjects in the comparison group received care as usual and were given publications from the National Cancer Institute and the US Department of Health and Human Services, describing the "5-A-Day" dietary guidelines.

Read more of this story….

Dichloroacetates - A Possible Cure for Cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:33:00 +0000

Dichloroacetic acid, abbreviated as DCA, is an analogue of acetic acid and the salts and esters of this chemical compound are called dichloroacetates. Researchers at University of Alberta in Canada, have discovered that dichloroacetates can be used to treat cancer tumors in the lung, breast and the brain, without any side effects. Trials on rats have shown that the dichloroacetates inhibits the growth of tumors and shrinks it by 70%, without causing any side effects.

Currently, the researchers at University of Alberta are planning to conduct clinical trials on cancer patients, using DCA, to establish the effect of this compound on humans. They intend to secure the funds required for this trail from the public and not from the pharmaceutical companies, so that the drug can be available inexpensively to the patients in need, after it passes the clinical trials successfully.

This news clip from ‘Global National’, throws more light on this research,

A new system to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:00:00 +0000

The Newton-Wellesley Hospital at Newton, Massachusetts, has developed a new system to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer and to save their lives. This system identifies women at risk for breast cancer and screens them more frequently for breast cancer, which helps in the early detection of the disease and ultimately saves their lives.

This news story from WCVB - Boston's Channel 5, explains how this system works.

Leukemias and Lymphomas

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:36:00 +0000

Leukemias and lymphomas are cancers which affect the cells which are part of the fluids circulating around the body.

Leukemias affect certain blood cells, particularly the white cells, or "leukocytes" which help fight off infections and disease.

And lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system, a network of vessels which form part of the body's immune system, and carry other infection-fighting cells called "lymphocytes", as well as draining dead cells away from the tissues.

There are several different types of leukemia, classed mainly according to the way the cancer develops, and the variety of white blood cells they affect.

There are two principal kinds of lymphoma - Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's - the latter is more common, and also slightly harder to treat.

Professor Peter Johnson, an expert in lymphomas from the University of Southampton, who carries out work for Cancer Research UK is hopeful that new chemotherapy and radiotherapy techniques will help improve survival rates in lymphoma.

He said: "The sorts of treatment we are investigating in the future centre around on how we can stir the body's immune system into recognising that the lymphoma is there.

Click here to read more about this disease.

Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

Got new ideas for cancer research? You could win a million dollars, if you have one!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:29:00 +0000

Medical researchers teamed up with hedge fund managers on Wednesday to offer a new million-dollar prize for the best new idea for cancer research in the hopes of kick-starting innovative approaches.

They invited cancer experts, scientists and the general public to join an Internet-based club and compete for the Gotham Prize for Cancer Research.

Federal funding of cancer research has been flat, and is in fact lower than in recent years when inflation is taken into account, said Dr. Gary Curhan of Harvard Medical School.

And the system of seeking grants -- money to do research -- is based around pleasing either National Institutes of Health supervisors or gatekeepers at the advocacy organizations that pay for research on specific types of cancer, he said.

Curhan teamed up with hedge fund managers Joel Greenblatt and Robert Goldstein of private investment firm Gotham Capital to set up the prize club, found at http://www.gothamprize.org/

"The goal here is to open up the site to people with ideas," Curhan told reporters in a telephone briefing. "The winners of these prizes are not going to be those who are successful in evaluating the idea. It is going to be the person with the best idea."

Read more of this story….

How cancer metastasis?

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:50:00 +0000

Metastasis is the spread of cancer from its primary location to other places in the body through blood streams and lymphatic vessels. This animated video shows how cancer can metastasis and spread to other areas in the body.

Reoviruses to the rescue of cancer patients!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:50:00 +0000

Reovirus is a family of viruses that affects the gastrointestinal or respiratory system in humans. Reovirus infections are common in humans and in most cases they are mild or sub clinical.

Scientists have now discovered that reoviruses can indeed be very useful to humans, as they have the ability to destroy cancerous tumor cells. This short clip explains how reoviruses can be used to treat cancer in humans.

Too much of alcohol doubles the risk of breast cancer!

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:04:00 +0000

Women, who drink the equivalent of roughly two bottles of wine over a weekend more than double their risk of breast cancer, say Danish researchers.

A study of 17,647 nurses found twice the risk of breast cancer in women who drank 22-27 drinks a week compared with those who drank one to three drinks.

The risk was greatest when drinks were consumed in a short period, reported the European Journal of Public Health. Experts said women should try and limit the amount of alcohol they drank.

Women in the study were aged over 44, and most drank a moderate amount of alcohol. A drink was classed as a bottle of a glass of wine or spirit, which in Denmark is roughly 12g of alcohol. .

More than a quarter of the women drank more than the recommended 14 drinks a week. One in 10 were week-day binge drinkers, having more than four drinks a day and 13% were weekend binge drinkers, defined as more than 10 drinks between Friday and Sunday.

There was a 2% increased risk of breast cancer for each additional drink consumed, but at weekends there was a 4% increased risk with each additional drink.

The researchers said this was because more drinks were likely to be consumed in a weekend drinking session.

Drinking 22-27 drinks over the course of the week was linked to a 130% increased risk. Those who drank excessively on just one day during the week increased their risk by 55%.

Read more of this story….

Quitting is hard, but …..?

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:56:00 +0000

There could be many reasons for not quitting smoking, but there are many more reasons for why we should and this short clip talks about them.

Howto-quitsmoking.com - Celebrity bloopers here

Obesity + Prostate Cancer = Higher risk of death

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:55:00 +0000

HealthDay News: Men who are obese when they're diagnosed with prostate cancer are 2.6 times more likely to die of the disease than normal-weight men, new findings suggest.

The study, by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, included 752 recently diagnosed prostate cancer patients who were followed for about 10 years. Of the men in the study, 50 died of prostate cancer, and 64 died of other causes.

"I was very surprised by the findings. We found the prostate-cancer-specific mortality risk associated with obesity was similar regardless of treatment, disease grade or disease stage at the time of diagnosis," senior author Alan Kristal, associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program in Hutchinson's Public Health Sciences Division, said in a prepared statement.

"If a man is obese at the time of diagnosis, he faces a 2.6-fold greater risk of dying as compared to a normal-weight man with the same diagnostic profile, regardless of whether he has radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, whether or not he gets androgen-deprivation therapy, whether he has low- or high-grade disease, and whether he has localized, regional or distant disease," Kristal said.

Read more of this story….

Stem cell research and cancer

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:12:00 +0000

Cancer stem cells are similar to adult stem cells in their abilities to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types and they persist in tumors as a distinct population, which causes disease relapse and metastasis. They are also capable to give rise to new tumors.

In this video Dr. Mike Magee, a Senior Fellow in the Humanities to the World Medical Association and the host of Health Politics with Dr. Mike Magee, a weekly, Internet-based electronic media program that explores complex issues of health care policy and public health for consumers, policy makers, educators and the news media, talks about cancer stem cells and how stem cell research can eventually find a cure to cancer.

Alcoholic beverages and fermented foods can cause cancer

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Keep The Doctor Away: New links have been confirmed between wine, fermented foods and cancer. But luckily, garlic can reduce your risk, researchers say. New findings dispel the popular notion that eating so-called “natural” foods will protect against cancer.

In fact, the study found that a naturally-occurring carcinogen found in alcoholic beverages and fermented foods like cheese, yoghurt and bread causes DNA modification and mutations, ultimately leading to abnormal cell growth and lung cancer.

Vinyl carbamate is a substance derived from ethyl carbamate (urethane), a by-product of fermentation. It is also present naturally in tobacco.

Now labelled as a potential carcinogen by both the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, urethane was given inadvertently to millions of patients in Japan, between 1950 and 1975, in analgesic and sedative drugs. This is believed to be the largest dose on record of a pure carcinogen administered directly to people.

Read more of this story….

Genetic tests to predict early stages of lung cancer

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:21:00 +0000

Medicalnewstoday.com: US scientists have developed a genetic test to predict early stages of lung cancer by looking for genetic changes in the cells of a smoker's airways. The results of the study are published online in the journal Nature Medicine.

Dr. Avrum Spira from the Pulmonary Center at Boston University, Massachusetts, and fellow researchers took tissue samples from smokers who were tested for lung cancer and compared the genetic structure of those who were given the all clear against those who went on to develop the disease.

Cigarette smoke passes into the lungs via the airways, and creates a "field of injury" as the scientists called it. They had a hunch that this field of injury might give genetic clues for early stage lung cancer.

In effect this is what they found. First, in a preliminary study they identified an 80-gene biomarker that can distinguish smokers with and without lung cancer.They did this by comparing the genes from large-airway cells taken during bronchoscopy examinations of 77 smokers suspected of having lung cancer and comparing them to a commercially available gene profiler, in this case the Affymetrix HG-U133A microarray. This holds the gene pattern for 14,500 well-characterized human genes and is used by scientists to explore human biology and disease.

Read more of this story…

Early warning signs and symptoms of cancer

noreply@blogger.com (A.K.Prahu) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:20:00 +0000

There are many early warning signs to different types of cancer and here is a list of them, which is by no means, a complete list of symptoms. Consult your physician immediately if you experience any unusual symptoms, like the ones listed below,

Bladder and Kidney Cancer: You may see blood in urine, have pain or burning, and increased urination.

Breast Cancer: Lump or thickening of lumps, itching, redness or soreness of the nipples which isn't caused by pregnancy, breast feeding, or menstruation.

Cervical, Endometrial, and Uterine Cancer: Bleeding between menstrual cycles, any unusual discharge, painful menstruation, and heavy periods require consultation with your physician.

Colon Cancer: Rectal bleeding, blood in your stool or changes in bowel habits such as persistent diarrhea and or constipation are warning signs which should be investigated promptly.

Laryngeal Cancer: A persistent cough or a hoarse throat is a possible sign that you may experience.

Leukemia: Paleness, fatigue, weight loss, repeated infections, nosebleeds, bone or joint pain, and easy bruising are possible warning signs of Leukemia which should be investigated.

Lung Cancer: A persistent cough; sputum with blood; heavy chest and or chest pain.

Lymphoma: Enlarged, rubbery lymph nodes, itchy skin, night sweats, unexplained fever and weight loss indicate possible Lymphoma, discuss these symptoms with your physician.

Mouth and Throat Cancer: Any chronic ulcer (sore) of the mouth, tongue or throat which doesn't heal, or white areas in the mouth should be seen by your physician.

Ovarian Cancer: Unfortunately there are often no symptoms until it's in the later stages of development.

Pancreatic Cancer: There usually are no symptoms until it has progressed to the later stages when you may notice jaundiced skin and there may be pain deep in the stomach or back.

Skin Cancer: If you have moles that change color, size, or appearance, or flat sores (lesions that look like moles), a tumor or lump under the skin that resembles a wart or an ulceration that never heals, these are symptoms that should bring you quickly to your physician’s office.

Stomach Cancer: Vomiting blood or experiencing frequent indigestion and pain after eating, weight loss may indicate stomach cancer.

Source: www.womenshealth.about.com