A student with advanced cancer addresses his peers: ‘Be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful’

“Be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful.”

That was the message that Jake Bailey, a senior at Christchurch Boys’ High School in New Zealand, told his peers in a recent speech after he was diagnosed with advanced cancer. In fact, Bailey did not know until the last minute whether or not he’d be allowed out of the hospital to attend the ceremonial event in between intense chemotherapy sessions.

Now the student’s words are reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world after his inspirational speech created a sensation online. Bailey spoke at an awards ceremony at Christchurch Boys’ High School, where he serves as “senior monitor,” or senior class leader.

Seated in a wheelchair, Bailey told his peers that he’d written a speech before learning he’d been diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a cancer that grows rapidly in the lymph system.

“They said you’ve got cancer,” Bailey said. “They said if you don’t get any treatment in the next three weeks you’re going to die. And then they told me I wouldn’t be here tonight to deliver that speech. But luckily that speech isn’t about what is to come. It’s about what an amazing year it’s been.”

Headmaster Nic Hill said that Bailey’s speech has motivated countless notes of appreciation and said that despite the grim diagnosis the student’s prognosis is good.

“Jake Bailey is an inspiration,” Hill wrote on the school’s Web site. “I couldn’t have more respect for Jake as a leader and someone who has inspired people throughout the world. Jake’s many attributes will help him through this battle and we’ll be with him every step of the way.”

Bailey told his classmates that he at first was intimidated by the prospect of serving as senior monitor, responsible for leading his peers. But he told them that he found “moral strength” in their friendship.

“Here’s the thing: none of us get out of life alive,” Bailey told them. “So be gallant, be great, be gracious and and be grateful for the opportunities that you have, the opportunity to learn from the men who have walked before you and those who walk beside you.”

After Bailey’s emotional speech, students in the audience spontaneously honored him with a traditional maori haka dance as a sign of respect for the ailing student. Bailey responded by whispering “Thank you.”

Source from :https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/11/10/a-student-with-advanced-cancer-addresses-his-peers-be-gallant-be-great-be-gracious-and-be-grateful/

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Diet, exercise can increase odds of beating cancer

It may seem to be cliche, but that apple does apparently keep the doctor away, particularly if you are eating that apple while taking a brisk walk.

Diet and exercise before and after a cancer diagnosis can significantly increase your odds of beating the disease, said Michael Anderson, a board-certified radiologist with Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada.

"Diet and exercise is a very important part to cancer treatment for a lot of reasons," he said. "You can recover faster from the side effects of radiation for one, and some recent studies have linked cancer to obesity and poor diet as a reason for the recurrence rate of breast cancer."

Being in good physical and mental shape is better for a patient's overall well-being and their ability to handle treatments.

"We feel it will be better to tolerate the treatment if they exercise," he said. "A lot of women who do yoga will do better with radiation both physically and mentally than those who do something else, such as aerobics or nothing at all."

The U.S. National Cancer Institute, American Institute of Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society each recommend that cancer patients and survivors get a good amount of exercise while maintaining a healthy diet of natural, not processed, foods.

"Exercise helps cope with stress, fatigue and numerous other side effects and symptoms commonly experienced by our patients during and after cancer treatment," said Brian Lawenda, a radiation oncologist with 21st Century Oncology.

Studies have shown that moderate-intensity physical activity, about 150 minutes per week, may improve cancer outcomes and overall health.

"The sooner you start exercising, the better you'll feel, the fewer medications you're likely to need, and the lower your risk will be for complications," he said. "We recommend implementing an exercise routine before treatment gets underway if possible, especially if you have been inactive."

But proceed with care.

"It is important to discuss with your doctor and care team the type of exercise you are considering to ensure it will be safe," Lawenda said. "If you're cleared for full activity, your goal should be at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week or more, which can be broken up throughout the day."

And don't forget to warm up and cool down with at least three to five minutes of gentle stretching.

Diet is also vital to a patient's positive outcome.

"Not getting enough calories or nutrients may increase your risk of treatment-related side effects and reduce your tolerance to your prescribed treatments," Lawenda said.

Going natural with phytonutrients can also improve your success rate while undergoing treatment. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds that are found mainly in plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, herbs, spices and mushrooms.

"Many of these compounds have similar cancer-fighting effects as the drugs used by oncologists to treat cancer and act on various stages of cancer's development," Lawenda said. "These food compounds are thought to halt the development and spread of cancer cells, notably by promoting cancer cells to self-destruct (apoptosis) or by blocking the growth of new blood vessels to feed growing tumors (angiogenesis)."

Eating a wide variety of foods containing the compounds can be more protective than eating a lot of just one food type.

"For instance, although broccoli contains several compounds thought to have anti-cancer actions, eating it every day of the year isn't likely to offer as much protection as, say, eating broccoli one day, peppers the next, tomatoes and onions the day after that," he said.

Different plant foods also reinforce the other's effects.

"The antioxidant lycopene in tomato skins is absorbed better when the tomatoes have been cooked with olive oil and garlic than when eaten on their own," he said. "This is called 'nutrient synergy' and is an important concept to remember when preparing meals."

While he recommends 2 to 3 cups of fruit and 3 to 5 cups of vegetables every day, he does understand it can be a bit difficult for most people. In that case, Lawenda says cancer patients and survivors should consume fewer simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, breads, rice, pastas and baked goods.

"These foods often have a high glycemic load, so they tend to cause a rapid spike in your blood sugar after consuming them," he said. "This can lead to inflammation, oxidation, overconsumption of empty calories, weight gain, insulin resistance and fatty liver disease. All of these have been associated with an increased risk of cancer development, recurrence and death."

Inflammatory foods that contain higher amounts of omega-6 fats and trans fats should also be avoided.

"Omega-6 rich foods are often found in commercially raised meats and poultry, dairy and fast foods, particularly, fried foods," he said. "Trans fats are typically found in processed foods, such as margarine and baked goods."

These unhealthful fats promote oxidation, the production of damaging free radicals and inflammation, a killer.

"The best way to avoid these is to look at the food labels and pick foods that contain zero trans fats," he said.

Instead, try to eat proteins that are from animals that contain higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, such as small, cold-water fish like mackerel, sardines, anchovies and wild salmon and grass-fed or pasture-raised meat and poultry.

"Many plants also contain a decent amount of protein, such as legumes, corn, kale, mushrooms, artichokes, broccoli," he said.

And, of course, try to go as green and organic as possible.

"Since organic foods are often more costly, I'd rather my patients consume adequate amounts of commercially grown fruits and vegetables if money is an issue, rather than skimp on these important foods," he said. "Making sure you consume a diet that supports you during and after cancer treatment is essential."
Source from : http://www.reviewjournal.com/life/health/breast-cancer-awareness/diet-exercise-can-increase-odds-beating-cancer

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This Tomato Could Help Battle Cancer, Diabetes, and Alzheimer's

Genetically modified foods have racked up a bad reputation among organic food proponents and conventional grocery shoppers alike. It's become such a hot topic that supermarket chains such as Whole Foods are agreeing to label GMO foods and giant manufacturers like General Mills are boasting their products like Cheerios as non-GMO. But researchers and scientists have developed a genetically modified tomato that could help fight diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

According to the Mirror, a new group of supercharged GM tomatoes are packed with natural chemicals that battles illness. One variety contains more than 50 times the antioxidant resveratrol as a bottle of wine while another has the same amount of genistein—a soybean compound that could prevent breast cancer—as 5.5 pounds of tofu.

Scientists are bolstering the fruit with medicinal properties by way of the protein AtMYB12, which is typically found in the weed thale cress.​ By adding this protein to tomatoes, its levels of ​phenylpropanoids, a family of organic compounds that increases a range of plant chemicals​, completely spike. ​From there, genes that encode specific enzymes are added to ramp up production of resveratrol and/or genistein.

Researchers believe that these tomatoes are a much more cost- and time-effective method of producing valuable plant chemicals than artificially creating them or tediously extracting them from where they naturally occur, like in grapes and soybeans. In the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communication, ​co-author Dr. Yang Zhang writes, "Medicinal plants with high value are often difficult to grow and manage, and need very long cultivation times to produce the desired compounds. Our research provides a fantastic platform to quickly produce these valuable medicinal compounds in tomatoes."

Source from : http://www.delish.com/food-news/a44558/gmo-tomato-fights-cancer-diabetes-alzheimers/

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How scorpions became an unlikely ally in the fight against cancer

           Jim Olson is a paediatric oncologist whose research is being talked about around the world thanks to some innovative thinking – and scorpions. Based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, he leads a team whose biggest success is “tumour paint”, a drug that attaches to cancer cells, lighting them up so it is easier for surgeons to operate successfully.

The paint was developed from chlorotoxin found in scorpion venom and is currently being tested in clinical trials. So excited was Olson, 52, by this discovery that he had the knot of bonds at the centre of the chlorotoxin molecule tattooed on his upper arm. Decorating his office are framed photographs of his patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, who are clearly the motivation for his work: he is driven by a desire to tell more parents their children will survive.

His quiet, unassuming manner belies the passion and energy with which Olson approaches life – both at work and in his leisure time when he cooks, cycles and kayaks (his team won a national title in 2012) with gusto.

He remains close to many of the families he meets and is a tireless campaigner, successfully using social media and crowdfunding to publicise and raise money for his research.

Your biggest success is “tumour paint”, which makes cancer cells easier to spot during brain surgery and is now in five human clinical trials. How was this developed?
We had a patient who had brain tumour surgery in 2004, which left much of her tumour behind because the surgeon thought it was normal brain and didn’t want to paralyse her. When we realised how much was left behind and the problem for the surgeon not being able to easily distinguish cancer from normal brain, we committed to developing a technology that would light up the cancer. We focused on the scorpion toxin chlorotoxin, because what was thought to be the target of that molecule was present on brain tumour cells but not on brain cells. I figured that if there was ever a creature that could get a molecule into the brain, it would be the scorpion because they need to paralyse their prey. So we grew a human tumour on the back of a mouse; we connected the toxin (from the deathstalker scorpion) to a fluorescent tag and injected it into the mouse, and a couple of hours later the cancer was brightly glowing. It was a very exciting day.

As well as lighting them up, can this scorpion molecule also deliver chemotherapy drugs to tumours?
This wouldn’t be the right molecule to do that because a fair amount of it also goes to the liver and the spleen. If we put a toxin on it, it would also wipe out those normal organs. Through our current research we’ve identified a different molecule from a different organism – a grasshopper – that goes to cancer but much less to the liver and spleen. That’s the foundation for our future work.


Does tumour paint work for other cancers?
 
In prior work, the tumour paint molecule, known as BLZ-100, lit up a variety of cancers in dogs. Now scientists at Blaze Bioscience [the spin-off company co-founded by Olson which is running the ongoing human clinical trials] have reported that in skin cancer patients, the BLZ-100 signal was present in nearly all cases of confirmed cancer and was absent in most cases where the pathologist determined that the skin lesion was not cancer.

What is the difference between tumour paint and fluorescent imaging with 5-ALA that is approved for use in Europe but not the United States?
 
With 5-ALA surgeons can often get a better resection and patients a better outcome than without it. It does have some limitations. When there’s a brain tumour and the blood-brain barrier (which keeps nasty things out of our brain) is disrupted, the 5-ALA will get in there and light up that area. The challenge is that sometimes there are parts of the tumour where the blood-brain barrier is not interrupted, it’s intact, and so those don’t light up with 5-ALA. We set out to find a molecule that crosses the blood-brain barrier so it could light up tumours either way, whether the blood-brain barrier is intact or not, and where the drug actually binds to each cancer cell and goes inside the cancer cell and makes them glow so that surgeons can see cell by cell. We hope it will be much more accurate.

What drives your work?
 
Each week when I go to clinic, I ask myself: “What are we going to do today that I don’t want to be doing in 20 years, and how can my lab play a role in changing that?”

Why did you decide to go into paediatric oncology?
 
I took care of a little girl who passed away. Her parents told me that my words with them made her death as beautiful as her birth and that through the conversations we’d had, they’d learned that a life could be seven years long or 70 years long and what mattered was the beauty of what occurred during that time. I thought I had something to offer when the medicine didn’t go the way you wanted it to.

There are many photographs of children you have cared for in your office. How do you cope with the emotional side of your work?
 
I realised early on that I was going to suffer and be in pain when these kids passed away or weren’t doing well whether I chose to compartmentalise it or not. I decided to go all in and fully love each kid and each family and to become part of that family the day we meet. You can take extraordinary ups and downs when you are part of a family. I stay close to many of them.

Do you have children?
 
I’ve got two daughters, 21 and 17. They are both wonderful writers, activists and feminists. My older daughter is head of the animal rights group at the University of Washington so you’d think there’d be a big clash, but she did a TEDx talk last year and she wove our work together. My team tries to minimise the use of animals and importantly we’re very open to using alternatives when the alternatives are useful and accessible. Her point is that similar investments should be put into finding alternatives to animal testing as to continuing the status quo. We have very good and respectful conversations.

Is it frustrating that it takes so long to bring a new drug to market?
 
Well, it is – take tumour paint as an example. My own mother had a cancer that would definitely have benefited from it and it was too early to use it. It started in the skin on her face and went back into her brain. It ended up spreading extensively and that could have been avoided if it had been understood that they hadn’t got it all and had gone a little bit deeper. She’s doing fine now, two years later. I love my patients in the same way, so every week when we have kids, and we can’t use it yet… These things just take time though. The reality is that if things move forward too fast you can have really serious safety problems. I don’t get frustrated because frustration doesn’t help you move forward.

How do you fund your research?
 
Most innovative ideas are really hard to get approved through peer review [and therefore funded by grants] … so the families stepped up by doing chilli cook-offs, golf tournaments and auctions and they’ve raised over $10m since the late 90s. In 2013 we launched Project Violet. We’re well past $5m with that.

Tell me about Project Violet.
 
We decided to build a platform where we could identify other similar molecules [to the tumour paint molecule] that plants and animals use for protection in nature, and find a way to create hundreds of thousands of variations of these that could be used for screening for human diseases. I realised that to do this we were going to need to build a team of experts. We launched Project Violet so we could use social media and the public domain to co-operatively build these libraries of drug candidates. I launched that in my TEDx talk in June 2013 and since then we’ve been able to support, or partially support, 33 scientists. For a year around that, volunteers from Amazon here in Seattle helped us build our website and our social media presence.

Violet was a little girl who had a type of brain tumour that I’ve not yet had a child survive. She knew she was going to die. She decided to donate her tissue when she died to help other children. Also, some of these molecules we’re working on come from the violet plant.

Any other research successes?
 
One day, I realised I was prescribing medicines with no idea whether the cancer would be resistant to that drug. So, I hired two bioengineers and we created a technology where needles are exerted through the skin into a tumour and as the needles are withdrawn they leave behind tracks of different drugs. You let those drugs be present around the tumour cells a day or so, then take out the tumour and cut across-wise to the needles and see which ones work and which don’t. If a drug doesn’t kill any cancer cells when they are bathed in it, it certainly isn’t going to get any better when you give that drug as an IV or by mouth. I think this is going to revolutionise cancer and drug development.

Source from : http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/nov/01/scorpions-cancer-jim-olson-tumour-paint-deathstalker-brain-tumours

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Mother, daughter battle same type of cancer in West Texas

In this photo taken on Monday, 12, 2015, Kristol Veach, left, and her mother Maria Reyes are accompanied by Veach's daughters Ava and Aubrey as they enjoyed an outing to the The Fountains at Farah, in El Paso, Texas. On June 2, Veach was officially diagnosed with HER2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma — the most common form of breast cancer. The El Paso Times reports it is the exact same type of cancer her mother, Reyes, was diagnosed with six years earlier. (Victor Calzada /The El Paso Times via AP) EL DIARIO OUT; JUAREZ MEXICO OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT IF USE ON LAM OR LAT AND EL DIARIO DE EL PASO OU

                   EL PASO, Texas (AP) - On the very day of her youngest daughter’s preschool graduation, Kristol Veach received a call no woman wants to get.

  It was her oncologist requesting her to come in for a visit.

“I knew why they wanted to see me,” Veach said. “I asked them to give me two hours so I could watch her graduate.”

On June 2, Veach was officially diagnosed with HER2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma - the most common form of breast cancer. The El Paso Times reports (http://bit.ly/1O5VgUP ) it is the exact same type of cancer her mother, Maria Reyes, was diagnosed with six years earlier.

Veach, a neonatal intensive care (NICU) nurse at The Hospitals of Providence Memorial campus, knew she had cancer week’s before having a biopsy done.

“I could see on the sonogram that the area looked completely different,” she said. “I was devastated. I stayed in the car for 20 minutes crying. I called my husband and he said, ‘You don’t know how to read an ultrasound.’ He was right, but I could tell something looked different.”

Veach, 32, was scheduled to have a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) last Wednesday.

“It’s more difficult to see my daughter go through this than when I went through it myself,” Reyes said. “You never want to see your children go through any pain and to see her so sick and swollen, it just kills me. I felt horrible that I could have given it to her.”

In this case, the BRCA gene test - a blood test that uses DNA analysis to identify harmful changes in either one of the two breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 - was negative.

“This is a very unique case,” said Dr. Ines Sanchez, the oncologist for both women. “Usually when we have these cases, it’s because they are positive for BRCA but they were not. (The cancer) was not genetically driven.”

Invasive ductal carcinoma refers to cancer that has broken through the wall of the milk duct and begun to invade the tissues of the breast. Over time, invasive ductal carcinoma can spread to the lymph nodes and to other areas of the body.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 180,000 women in the United States find out they have invasive breast cancer each year. About 80 percent are diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.

HER2-positive breast cancer is breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells.

“It makes up about 20 percent of all cancers,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said despite Veach having a more aggressive treatment plan, she seems to have handled it better than her mother.

“She saw what her mother went through and experienced it with her,” Sanchez said. “She was more up beat going through the chemo. She had dance videos with her co-workers and was more upbeat about it even through she was sicker than her mother.”

Veach, her co-workers and family dance before each of her chemotherapy treatments and post them on YouTube.

“Everybody kind of looks forward to my chemo treatments because they want to see the videos,” Veach said with a huge smile.

“The first one was ‘I Will Survive,’” she said. “It was just me jumping around by myself. The second one was with my coworkers, we did the Nae Nae. The third one was the Hokey Pokey with my daughters. We did a dance compilation with my mom and the last one we did ‘Thriller’ with my brothers.”

Reyes, 58, had a mastectomy on her right breast six years ago. She has been in remission for five years.

“I was working so hard that I forget to take my mammograms,” said Reyes, who is an oncology nurse at The Hospitals of Providence Sierra campus. “If I had been doing my check-ups we could have picked it up earlier. I try to encourage everyone to make sure they get their mammograms, get checked and do their exams.”

The only reason Veach went in to get checked was because of a New Year’s resolution she made with her husband.

“Our New Year’s resolution was we were going to start going to the doctor regularly and eat healthier so I went to my OBGYN to have my annual and he wanted to get a baseline mammogram,” she said. “I never thought it was going to come out positive.”

Just as Veach was there for her mother every step of the way, Reyes has been there for her daughter.

“She has been so strong,” she said. “Everybody has been very supportive of her. I just try to give her encouragement. I know some days she feels horrible but I tell her not to worry, it will get better.”

Veach simply laughs.

“I feel like a big wuss,” she said. “My mom was so awesome. Every time I would go and see her, she was awesome. She was still working like if it was nothing, she was amazing. I feel like I just cave in all the time.”

She did say it was nice to know that she has her mother to lean on through these difficult times.

“Even if she hadn’t gone through the experience I know she would be there for me,” Veach said. “My mom is just that type of person. She is always there for anybody whether it’s me or people that she knows.

Source from : http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/2/mother-daughter-battle-same-type-of-cancer-in-west/?page=all#pagebreak

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New Treatment to Target Mutated Cancer Cells

London:  Oxford researchers have found the 'Achilles heel' of certain cancer cells - mutations in a gene which could be targeted with a new drug to kill cancer cells that are resistant to treatment.

It is well known that mutations drive cancer cell growth and resistance to treatment. However, these mutations can also become a weak point for a tumour.

The researchers from University of Oxford in UK found that was the case for cancer cells with mutations in a key cancer gene called SETD2.

"Mutations in SETD2 are frequently found in kidney cancer and some childhood brain tumours, so we were excited when we discovered that a new drug we were studying specifically killed cancer cells with this mutation," said study author Timothy Humphrey from Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology.

Researchers showed that cancer cells with a mutated SETD2 gene were killed by a drug called AZD1775 that inhibits a protein called WEE1.

The team achieved this by exploiting the concept of 'synthetic lethality', where a combination of two factors kills a cancer cell.

This has the potential to be a less toxic and more effective treatment than more standard approaches because it can specifically target cancer cells.

"When WEE1 was inhibited in cells with a SETD2 mutation, the levels of deoxynucleotides, the components that make DNA, dropped below the critical level needed for replication," said co-author Andy Ryan, from University of Oxford.

"Starved of these building blocks, the cells die. Importantly, normal cells in the body do not have SETD2 mutations, so these effects of WEE1 inhibition are potentially very selective to cancer cells," Mr Ryan said.

The research team have also developed a biomarker test to identify SETD2 mutated tumours, something that can be used immediately in cancer diagnosis.

"This novel and exciting finding provides a new scientific basis for precision targeting of some cancers which are currently very difficult to treat, and we are now taking these findings into clinical trials," said Tim Maughan, Clinical Director of the Cancer Research UK/ Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology.

While there is still work to do before a treatment is available, the hope is that these findings will help to target other cancers with similar weak points and provide a step towards personalised cancer therapy, researchers said. 
Source from : http://www.ndtv.com/health/new-treatment-to-target-mutated-cancer-cells-1239128

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‘I’m cancer-free thanks to early detection’

Sandra Lee Photo: FilmMagic

Far from a gold standard, the new American Cancer Society guidelines for breast-cancer care are a cold standard for women.

Last week, the ACS ended its decades-long advisory for women to receive annual mammograms, beginning at age 40. The age is now pushed back to 45, with the recommendation for women over 55 — those with the highest death rates from breast cancer — to only have screenings every other year.

More than 40,000 women in America will die of breast cancer this year, according to the ACS. Which makes its new, relaxed screening guidelines all the more perplexing — and dangerous.

I’m concerned by this seismic shift in women’s health because I’m one of the ACS’s estimated 294,130 women who received a breast cancer diagnosis this year.

And I’m most worried for the women who’ll be hurt most by this: young women, poor women, women of color, women with limited education and women whose access to health care and the means to pay for it are terribly restricted. The American Cancer Society also reported that women from poor areas have the highest rates of death from breast cancer.

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of death in women under 40, taking 12,000 such lives a year. It has an especially savage impact on minority women, particularly in African-American women whose cancer rates at age 35 are double those of white women, with triple the mortality rate.

Only lung cancer kills more African-American and white women than breast cancer. And for Hispanic women, breast cancer is the No. 1 killer.

You may write off my alarm in the assumption that my double mastectomy gives me a warped view of the threat of breast cancer. But the simple fact remains: Screening, wheth­er high-definition ultrasound or mammogram, saves lives.

Each and every doctor I met with, at the most respected hospitals and cancer treatment centers in New York, said that women being diagnosed in their 20s and 30s is no longer an anomaly, but an epidemic. This was also overwhelmingly clear when women flooded my Facebook and other social-media platforms with stories of early detection that saved their lives, years — even decades — before age 45.

So, how, in good conscience, can anyone be expected to look at a daughter, a niece, a sister or a friend and tell them to take their chances until they are 45? Not me — not my family. These new guidelines will almost surely cost some women their lives.

Poring over the rationale to push back testing five years and cut mammograms in half, I’m reminded of economics classes in college filled with marginal efficiency of capital and marginal productivity of labor theories. But this isn’t theoretical economics. This is the survival of women — women who shouldn’t be penalized because they don’t have the premium health care, or they live in rural areas without state-of-the-art testing facilities or high-definition ultrasound detectors.

How can we seemingly write these women off? The American Cancer Society has also reported that women from poor areas have the highest rates of death from breast cancer. Do we write them off too? Who else?

And the myth prevails for women of all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds that if breast cancer doesn’t hang on your family tree, chances are you don’t need to worry, either. But the American Cancer Society reported just eight weeks ago that 85 percent of breast cancers occur in women like me, with no family history. Why those diagnoses are growing without a hereditary component, no one can answer.

But here’s what I do know: I’m cancer-free — thanks to early detection in a routine annual mammogram, at age 48. Breast-cancer death rates in women have been on the decline since 1989, and the biggest decrease has been in women under 50 — a testament to treatment advances and early detection.

It’s tremendous progress, but it’s not enough — though you wouldn’t know that from listening to the American Cancer Society.

We may never be able to eliminate breast cancer. But we must make every effort to protect women by giving them the information and the medical resources they need for early detection.

Sandra Lee is a philanthropist, author, TV personality and editor-in-chief of Sandra Lee Magazine and sandralee.com.
source from : http://nypost.com/2015/11/01/im-cancer-free-because-of-early-detection/

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Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

 The Mediterranean diet may be able to add "reduces risk of breast cancer" to its long list of health benefits, according to a new study from Spain.

In the study, researchers found that women who were asked to follow a Mediterranean diet that was high in extra-virgin olive oil were 68 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who were advised only to reduce the amount of fat in their diets.

In the study, 4,152 post-menopausal women who had never had breast cancer were asked to follow one of three diets: One was a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil (extra-virgin olive oil accounted for 15 percent of their daily calories), the second was a Mediterranean diet rich in nuts, and the third was a control diet, in which the women were advised to reduce the amount of fat they ate. After about five years, 35 women in the study had developed breast cancer. [6 Foods That May Affect Breast Cancer Risk]

Women in the extra-virgin olive oil group were the least likely to develop breast cancer. The researchers also observed a slight decrease in risk for the women in the nut group, but this was not statistically significant (meaning it could have been due to chance), according to the study published today (Sept. 14) in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The Mediterranean diet contains many components that have been suggested to have anti-tumor effects, Dr. Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Navarra in Spain and co-author of the study, told Live Science in an email. Extra-virgin olive oil in particular is rich in compounds called polyphenols, which have been shown in lab studies to have anti-cancer effects, he said.

Indeed, the study found that the greater the percentage of calories that came from extra-virgin olive oil in the women's diets, the lower their risk of developing breast cancer, Martinez-Gonzalez told Live Science. "For every additional 5 percent of calories from extra-virgin olive oil, the risk was reduced [by] 28 percent," he said.

However, the researchers do not know if the lower risk may have been lowered due to the extra-virgin olive oil on its own, or if it was the effect of oil working in combination with the rest of the diet, he said.

The Mediterranean diet — rich in plants, fish and olive oil, and low in meat and dairy products — has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease and cancer, according to the study. And a 2015 study suggested that the diet may help ward off cognitive decline.

Previous studies have also shown a reduced risk of breast cancer in women who eat a Mediterranean diet, Martinez-Gonzalez said.

A strength of the new study is that unlike those previous studies, in which women were asked to report what foods they ate, women in the new study were randomized to a specific diet, which eliminates certain factors that can influence the results, Dr. Mitchell Katz, a deputy editor of JAMA and the author of an editorial about the study, told Live Science.

The study did have limitations, including the small number of cases of breast cancer, and that all of the participants were white, post-menopausal women who were at risk of heart disease, Katz wrote in his editorial.

The next steps would be to do larger studies in places where the Mediterranean diet is not so commonly eaten, he told Live Science.

Still, he encouraged women to try out the diet: "Although no diet is perfect, a Mediterranean diet [rich in] olive oil is likely good for your health," Katz said.

Martinez-Gonzalez agreed. Women should be encouraged to eat more extra-virgin olive oil, salads with fresh vegetables and have fruit for dessert, he said.

Women's consumption of red meat and processed meat, sweet desserts, soda and fast food should be reduced, he said.

Source from : http://www.livescience.com/52155-mediterranean-diet-breast-cancer.html

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The Good News About Cancer: Simple Prevention And Health Tips That Can Change Your Life

 The only way to beat cancer 100% of the time is by not getting it in the first place.

Therefore, it makes sense to heavily invest your time, money and effort in prevention, and let scientists handle the cure. Statistics surrounding cancer has been heavily misunderstood in the past few decades.

The truth is, cancer is preventable. You just have to change your lifestyle.

The top two causes of cancer are drinking and an unhealthy diet. Preventing cancer can be as simple as cutting down on alcohol and clubbing. Your wallet will thank you later. As for your unhealthy diet, it’s time to curb your fast food cravings with exercise and sleep.

Contrary to popular belief, the chances of catching cancer from past generations are very minimal. People only use that as an excuse over other reasons because it is convenient. Don’t be one of those people.


Source from : http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-good-news-about-cancer-simple-prevention-and-health-tips-that-can-change-your-life.html

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The neatest scientific advance in skin cancer treatment

Hedgehog pathway inhibitors exciting development in treating non-melanoma skin cancer

 In the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, “the fastest-moving area—and the neatest from a science standpoint—is the class of drugs called hedgehog pathway inhibitors.”

That’s the message Scott Dinehart, M.D., delivered in his presentation, “Medical Advances in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer,” yesterday (Thursday, Oct. 1), the opening day of the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas.

Dr. Dinehart, a Little Rock, Ark., dermatologist, says hedgehog pathway inhibitors are approved for certain patients with basal cell carcinoma.

“The average dermatology practitioner will not use these molecules on a daily basis, however, the medications are very useful for a small subset of patients for which other treatments are not optimal,” he says. “Using this class of medications requires knowledge and experience and can be extremely satisfying from both a practitioner and a patient viewpoint.”

According to Dr. Dinehart, some common medications with which dermatologists are already familiar and comfortable are hedgehog pathway inhibitors—the anti-fungal drug itraconazole and imiquimod are examples. What excites him are advances in putting this class of drugs to work.

“There are new ways to use hedgehog pathway inhibitors—continuously, intermittently, shrinking a tumor prior to surgery, in combination—so that the hedgehog pathway is blocked in more than one part of the pathway,” he says.

Dr. Dinehart believes more such advances are in store for these drugs.

“We will continue to see more innovative ways to use hedgehog pathway inhibitors in skin cancer patients,” he says. “Combination or dual therapy with multiple hedgehog pathway inhibitors is something that may increase efficacy and diminish resistance. We will see more research on this in the future.”

Source from : http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/neatest-scientific-advance-skin-cancer-treatment

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More Skin Cancer Lesions, More Risk

The presence of multiple squamous-cell skin cancer lesions significantly increased the likelihood of local recurrence and lymph node metastasis, a retrospective cohort study showed.

As compared with a single lesion, two to nine squamous-cell cancers almost doubled the risk of local recurrence and tripled the likelihood of nodal invasion. The few patients who had 10 or more lesions, most of whom were immuno suppressed, had a fourfold greater risk of local recurrence and nodal metastasis.

Although the absolute risk associated with multiple squamous-cell skin cancers remained modest, the findings emphasize the need for frequent follow-up, Chrysalyne D. Schmults, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues concluded in an article published online in JAMA Dermatology.

"These findings substantiate the importance of close follow-up for dermatologic patients with multiple cutaneous squamous-cell carcinomas (CSCCs), especially those with many tumors, and highlight the necessity for dermatologists to document prior CSCC sites, examine the scar sites of prior CSCCs, and perform lymph node examinations in those patients," the authors concluded. "Larger studies are required to determine which factors affect multiple tumor formation and subsequent outcomes."

The findings reflect a clinical scenario analogous to Russian roulette: "The more 'bullets in the chamber,' the higher the risk for local recurrence and spread to local lymph nodes," said Dominic Ricci, MD, of Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in Round Rock, Texas.

"The surprising thing, however, was that this high risk existed even if the original tumors weren't particularly aggressive," Ricci, who wasn't involved in the study, told MedPage Today in an email.

"Follow-up is extremely important for these patients," he added. "For patients with more than 10 cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas, they should be seen probably every 3 to 4 months by a dermatologist, and their exam should include a check of the lymph nodes in the region of their skin cancers. For patients with two to nine lesions -- depending on over what time period the skin cancers have occurred -- they should probably been seen every 6 months, at least yearly."

Despite the well-documented association between sun exposure and skin cancer, an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 new cases of CSCC arise each year in the United States, second only to basal-cell skin cancer. Although most cases are curable, patients do die of CSCC, with the estimated annual mortality ranging from 4,000 to 8,800 cases. In some parts of the southern and central U.S., deaths attributable to CSCC may exceed the number of deaths caused by other types of cancer, including melanoma.

Large cohort studies have identified factors associated with poor outcome in CSCC: larger tumor diameter, depth of invasion, poor differentiation, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, desmoplasia, immunosuppression, and location on the ear, temple, or lip.

By the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) tumor staging system, the presence of two or more risk factors define high-stage CSCC, conferring an elevated risk of nodal metastases and death. The staging system comprises diameter ≥2 cm, tumor invasion beyond subcutaneous fat, poorly differentiated histologic features, and large-caliber nerve invasion ≥0.1 mm.

A few studies have examined the risk of subsequent CSCC formation in patients with a history of the lesions, the authors continued. However, only a single study has examined the impact of lesion number on subsequent risk and outcomes, and that investigation employed a cutoff of three or more lesions versus fewer than three.

"There are no studies, to our knowledge, that specifically evaluate CSCC outcomes in individuals who form multiple versus single CSCCs," Levine and colleagues noted in their introduction.

To address the risk of multiple versus single CSCC lesions, investigators searched an electronic medical record database to identify patients treated for "dermally invasive (non-in situ) primary CSCC" from Jan. 1, 2000 through Dec. 31, 2009. The query identified 985 patients: 727 who had one CSCC, 239 who had two to nine lesions, and 19 who had 10 or more CSCCs. All but four of the patients with 10+ lesions were immunosuppressed.

The primary outcomes of interest were local recurrence (LR) and nodal metastasis (NM). During a median follow-up of 50 months, patients with two to nine CSCCs had a risk of LR and NM of 1.8 times (95% CI 1.1-4.3) and 3.0 times greater (95% CI 1.4-6.5) than did patients with a single lesion. The small group of patients with 10 or more lesions had a subhazard ratio of 3.8 for LR (95% CI 1.4-10.0) and 4.2 for NM (95% CI 1.4-10.4).

The 10-year cumulative incidence of LR and NM increased with the number of CSCCs:

•    One CSCC - LR 3.0%, NM 2.3%
•  Two to nine - 6.7%, 5.9%
• ≥10 - 36.8%, 26.3% 

  
CSCC-related mortality did not differ among patients with a single lesion (2.2%), two to nine lesions (2.0%), or ≥10 lesions (0%). Local recurrence and nodal metastasis were associated with higher tumor stage, irrespective of the number of lesions. Immunosuppression was significantly associated with high-stage tumors (P=0.04).

Authors of an invited review of the study, published online in JAMA Oncology, said the findings "confirm what is clinically intuitive -- that rates of local recurrence or nodal metastasis rise significantly as the number of CSCCs increases. The study's principal weakness -- acknowledged by the authors -- is that "increasing risk of poor outcomes in patients with multiple tumors may be merely an additive effect, as each additional CSCC is an independent event conferring additional risk," said Simon Yoo, MD, of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, and coauthors.
Source from : http://www.medpagetoday.com/Dermatology/SkinCancer/54032

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New breast cancer guidelines raise concerns

By Ana B. Ibarra
aibarra@mercedsunstar.com

The American Cancer Society earlier this week released new guidelines for women with an “average risk” of breast cancer. Mammograms can be delayed another five years, the guidelines say. But those new recommendations have brought concern to some physicians and specialists.

The new recommendations advise women to begin yearly mammograms at age 45. The recommended age used to be 40.

Women are also advised that fewer mammograms are needed. According to the society’s guidelines, at age 55, women could transition to having mammograms every other year, although those who wish to stick to the yearly routine can do so.

“Since we last wrote a breast cancer-screening guideline, there have been the publication of quite a number of new studies that inform us about the benefits and drawbacks of screening with mammography,” said Dr. Richard C. Wender, the society’s chief cancer control officer, in a statement.

Mammograms, as explained by the American Cancer Society in a news release, sometimes find things that turn out to be harmless but that have to be checked out with additional tests that come with side effects, including pain and anxiety. An expert group weighed the benefits and harm to come up with the new guidelines, according to society officials.

“This guideline makes it so clear that all women by age 45 should begin screening – that’s when the benefits substantially outweigh the harms,” Wender said.

The guidelines also state that breast exams by a provider or self-exams are no longer recommended because research does not indicate any clear benefits.

Dr. Dortha Chu, a breast surgeon in Merced, does not agree with the changes. While she understands the guidelines are only recommendations, she said they also can mislead women and provide a false sense of security.

“I’m concerned that women will read this (the guidelines) and take it as a license to delay medical care even more,” she said.

Clinical exams, for example, are not perfect tests, she said, but they help open the dialogue between doctor and patient. These exams provide an opportunity for patients to be educated about breast changes and for the provider to become familiar with a patient’s medical history.

Self-exams are also important, not because they will directly save lives, but because they help women become familiar with their own breasts, Chu said.

“Ignoring breast exams, that part especially doesn’t sit well with me,” she said. “As medical professionals we should be doing an even better job in teaching patients how to do a self-exam properly.”

Changing mammograms from annual to every other year at age 55 is also tricky, Chu said, noting that close to one-third of her patients are in their 70s. Many of those patients, had stopped their regular mammograms because they believed they were no longer at risk of getting breast cancer, she said.

“But as long as you have breasts, you can get breast cancer,” Chu said.

Reaching a consensus in screening guidelines will always be difficult, the breast surgeon said. The best advice for women, she said, is to keep communicating regularly with their doctor.

However, one thing that will improve detection is new technology.

Last month, Mercy Medical Center in Merced announced the addition of a 3-D mammography system that should be ready for use early next year.

Patients currently have to travel to Modesto or Fresno for a 3-D breast screening.

Chu explained that the more in-depth screening works like a CT scan. The new mammography system can take up to 80 photos during the same exposure needed for the conventional 2-D system to take a couple of photos.

Chu said this system is definitely a step forward.

Source from :  http://www.mercedsunstar.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/article41265423.html

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New technology means improved cervical cancer care for Manitoba women

                  Women in Manitoba are benefiting from technology introduced last fall for cervical cancer screening. This announcement was made by Health Minister Sharon Blady.
“This innovative technology provides more accurate results the first time around, meaning fewer women need to go back for uncomfortable procedures,” said Minister Blady. “Our investments in this state-of-the-art health-care technology are leading to faster turnaround time in the labs, meaning women are getting their results more quickly.”
Diagnostic Services Manitoba (DSM), the organization responsible for Manitoba’s public laboratory and rural diagnostic imaging services, implemented liquid-based cytology technology in October 2014. DSM also began using liquid-based cytology for some non-gynecological cancer screenings in April 2015.
Jim Slater, chief executive officer of DSM, said women may not have noticed the new technology, but it has improved the quality of samples being sent for microscopic examination.
“Before the introduction of liquid-based cytology, we would have had to collect a second sample nearly six per cent of the time,” said Slater. “Now, that number is less than one per cent because the majority of the samples have been collected using liquid-based cytology. That’s clearly better for women.”
More than 132,000 cervical cancer tests are processed in Manitoba every year. The minister noted this means hundreds of women per year may not need to return to their doctors for retesting because of the improvements to reduce problem samples.
“This new testing process reduces the number of visits to family doctors, freeing their time to see other patients,” said Minister Blady. “It also reduces health-care costs, as fewer samples have to be retested.”
About 40 per cent of cervical cancer tests are provided by DSM, with the remainder processed by community lab partners Dynacare and Unicity. The minister noted that in working collaboratively with the CervixCheck program at CancerCare Manitoba, DSM undertakes regular quality assurance reviews to ensure Manitoba women can have confidence in the quality of their care and the accuracy of their test results.
Regular screening can prevent up to 80 per cent of cervical cancers by identifying and treating pre-cancerous changes. The success of the pap test has been well demonstrated in Manitoba by the relatively low number of women who are diagnosed each year, the minister said.
“It’s significant that 60 per cent of women diagnosed with cervical cancer have not had a pap test in five years or more,” said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and chief executive officer, CancerCare Manitoba. “Detecting cancer at an early stage may result in simpler treatment and a better outcome. That is why I urge women of all ages to get screened every three years.”
The minister noted that liquid-based cytology builds on the province’s commitment to shorten the cancer patient journey. The $40-million IN SIXTY initiative strives to expedite cancer testing and treatment for patients when cancer is first suspected to help get patients the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.
source from : http://www.mysteinbach.ca/newsblog/29937.html

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10 Lifestyle Tips for Cancer Prevention

                                  Looking for ways to cut your risk of developing cancer? Here's a list of 10 diet and activity recommendations highlighted this week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

•  Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
•  Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
•  Avoid sugary drinks, and limit consumption of high-calorie foods, especially those low in fiber and rich in fat or added sugar.
• Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes (such as beans).
• Limit consumption of red meats (including beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
•   If you drink alcohol, limit your daily intake to two drinks for men and one drink for women.
•   Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt (sodium).
• Don't use supplements to try to protect against cancer.
•  It's best for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for up to six months and then add other liquids and foods.
•  After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.

         At the ADA meeting, experts provided practical tips for following those recommendations, which were issued last year by the nonprofit American Institute for Cancer Research and its sister organization, the World Cancer Research Fund International.

Why These Cancer Recommendations?

      Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, an epidemiology professor who leads the nutrition department the Harvard School of Public Health, was on the international team of scientists that wrote the recommendations.

At the ADA meeting, Willett said the first recommendation -- to be as lean as possible within the healthy weight range -- is "the most important, by far."

But there is one recommendation that Willett says may be a "mistake" -- the one about not taking supplements. Vitamin D supplements may lower risk of colorectal cancer and perhaps other cancers, notes Willett. He predicts that that recommendation will be a top priority for review. 

How to Follow the Recommendations

          Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, is the nutritional advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research. She reviewed the recommendations before they were issued last year, and she joined Willett in talking to ADA members.

Collins provides these tips for each of the recommendations:

    1.Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight: Don't just look at the scale; check your waist measurement as a crude measurement of your abdominal fat, Collins says. She recommends that men's waists be no larger than 37 inches and women's waists be 31.5 inches or less.
   2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day: You can break that into 10- to 15-minute blocks, and even more activity may be better, notes Collins.
    3.Avoid sugary drinks and limit consumption of energy-dense foods: It's not that those foods directly cause cancer, but they could blow your calorie budget if you often overindulge, notes Collins, who suggests filling up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
   4. Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes such as beans: Go for a variety of colors (like deep greens of spinach, deep blues of blueberries, whites of onions and garlic, and so on). Most Americans, says Collins, are stuck in a rut of eating the same three vegetables over and over.
    5.If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women per day: Watch your portion size; drinks are often poured liberally, notes Collins. Willett adds that the pros and cons of moderate drinking is something that women may particularly need to consider, weighing the heart benefits and increased breast cancer risk from drinking.
    6.Limit red meats (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats: Limit red meats to 18 ounces per week, says Collins, who suggests using chicken, seafood, or legumes in place of red meat. Collins isn't saying to never eat red meat, just do so in moderation.
    7.Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with sodium: Don't go over 2,400 milligrams per day, and use herbs and spices instead, says Collins. She adds that processed foods account for most sodium intake nowadays -- not salt you add when cooking or eating.
    8.Don't use supplements to protect against cancer: It's not that supplements are bad -- they may be "valuable" apart from cancer prevention, but there isn't evidence that they protect against cancer, except for vitamin D, says Collins.
    9.It's best for mothers to breastfeed babies exclusively for up to six months and then add other foods and liquids: Hospitals could encourage this more, Collins says.
    10.After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. Survivors include people undergoing cancer treatment, as well as people who have finished their cancer treatment.

Making Cancer Prevention Simpler

Overwhelmed? Collins boiled the 10 recommendations down to these three:

    Choose mostly plant foods. Limit red meat and avoid processed meat.
    Be physically active every day in any way for 30 minutes or more.
    Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life.

Keep in mind that these tips are about reducing -- but not eliminating -- cancer risk. Many factors, including genes and environmental factors, affect cancer risk; diet and exercise aren't the whole story, but they're within your power to change.

To know more about:

• Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk
•  Top 10 Foods and Drinks for Cancer Prevention
•  Cancer prevention: 7 tips to reduce your risk

Source from :http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20081028/10-lifestyle-tips-for-cancer-prevention

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Top 10 Foods and Drinks for Cancer Prevention

               Cancer is such a staggering epidemic–the sheer number of people affected by the disease is as heartbreaking as it is mystifying. As we are slowly learning more about the causes, we are beginning to learn more about preventive measures.
In terms of the relationship between diet and cancer, this leads us to lists of what not to eat (french fries, sigh), as well as the other side of the coin: What we should eat (artichokes and red wine, yay!).

In the book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth consider the importance of eating specific foods and drinks for cancer protection. Here’s what they suggest:

1. Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale. These score high for containing many anti-cancer substances, such as isothiocyanates.

2. Globe artichoke for very high levels of salvestrols.

3. Dark greens, such as spinach and romaine lettuce, for their fiber, folate and a wide range of cancer-fighting carotenoids. Other dark colored veggies, too, such as beets and red cabbage.

4. Grapes and red wine, especially for the resveratrol.

5. Legumes: beans, peas and lentils, for the saponins, protease inhibitors and more.

6. Berries, particularly blueberries, for the ellagic acid and anthocyanosides


7. Flaxseed, especially if you grind it yourself and consume when fresh, for the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, lignans and other “good fats.”

8. Garlic, onions, scallions, leeks and chives, for many anti-cancer substances including allicin.

9. Green tea, for its anti-cancer catechins, a potent antioxidant.

10. Tomatoes, for the famous flavenoid lycopene.





Read more:
• See the list of Top 10 Foods that Increase Cancer Risk.


source from : www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-foods-and-drinks-for-cancer-prevention.html

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Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk

                 Nearly 1.5 million new cases of cancer were expected to be diagnosed last year–while 559,650 people were expected to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s more than 1,500 people a day–such a startling statistic. In the book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors write that the Number 4 solution is to “Eat a Healthy Diet.” Listed within are the 10 Foods and Drinks to Limit or Eliminate:

1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.

2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.

3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added.

4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.

5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.

7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.

8. Excess alcohol.

9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.

10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.

Now that you know what not to eat, see the Top 10 Foods and Drinks for Cancer Prevention.

Source from : http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-foods-that-increase-cancer-risk.html

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Cancer prevention: 7 tips to reduce your risk

                   You've probably heard conflicting reports about cancer prevention. Sometimes the specific cancer-prevention tip recommended in one study or news report is advised against in another.

In many cases, what is known about cancer prevention is still evolving. However, it's well accepted that your chances of developing cancer are affected by the lifestyle choices you make.

So if you're concerned about cancer prevention, take comfort in the fact that some simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Consider these seven cancer prevention tips.

1. Don't use tobacco

Using any type of tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. Smoking has been linked to various types of cancer — including cancer of the lung, bladder, cervix and kidney. And chewing tobacco has been linked to cancer of the oral cavity and pancreas. Even if you don't use tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke might increase your risk of lung cancer.

Avoiding tobacco — or deciding to stop using it — is one of the most important health decisions you can make. It's also an important part of cancer prevention. If you need help quitting tobacco, ask your doctor about stop-smoking products and other strategies for quitting.

2. Eat a healthy diet

Although making healthy selections at the grocery store and at mealtime can't guarantee cancer prevention, it might help reduce your risk. Consider these guidelines:

    Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables and other foods from plant sources — such as whole grains and beans.
    Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources. High-fat diets tend to be higher in calories and might increase the risk of overweight or obesity — which can, in turn, increase cancer risk.
    If you choose to drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. The risk of various types of cancer — including cancer of the breast, colon, lung, kidney and liver — increases with the amount of alcohol you drink and the length of time you've been drinking regularly.

3. Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active

Maintaining a healthy weight might lower the risk of various types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney.

Physical activity counts, too. In addition to helping you control your weight, physical activity on its own might lower the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.

Adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits. But for substantial health benefits, strive to get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic physical activity. You can also do a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine — and if you can do more, even better.

4. Protect yourself from the sun

Skin cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer — and one of the most preventable. Try these tips:

    Avoid midday sun. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
    Stay in the shade. When you're outdoors, stay in the shade as much as possible. Sunglasses and a broad-rimmed hat help, too.
    Cover exposed areas. Wear tightly woven, loosefitting clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Opt for bright or dark colors, which reflect more ultraviolet radiation than pastels or bleached cotton.
    Don't skimp on sunscreen. Use generous amounts of sunscreen when you're outdoors, and reapply often.
    Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps. These are just as damaging as natural sunlight.

5. Get immunized

Cancer prevention includes protection from certain viral infections. Talk to your doctor about immunization against:

    Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for certain high-risk adults — such as adults who are sexually active but not in a mutually monogamous relationship, people with sexually transmitted infections, intravenous drug users, men who have sex with men, and health care or public safety workers who might be exposed to infected blood or body fluids.
    Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical and other genital cancers as well as squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. The HPV vaccine is available to both men and women age 26 or younger who didn't have the vaccine as adolescents.

6. Avoid risky behaviors

Another effective cancer prevention tactic is to avoid risky behaviors that can lead to infections that, in turn, might increase the risk of cancer. For example:

    Practice safe sex. Limit your number of sexual partners, and use a condom when you have sex. The more sexual partners you have in your lifetime, the more likely you are to contract a sexually transmitted infection — such as HIV or HPV. People who have HIV or AIDS have a higher risk of cancer of the anus, liver and lung. HPV is most often associated with cervical cancer, but it might also increase the risk of cancer of the anus, penis, throat, vulva and vagina.
    Don't share needles. Sharing needles with an infected drug user can lead to HIV, as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C — which can increase the risk of liver cancer. If you're concerned about drug abuse or addiction, seek professional help.

7. Get regular medical care

Regular self-exams and screenings for various types of cancers — such as cancer of the skin, colon, prostate, cervix and breast — can increase your chances of discovering cancer early, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Ask your doctor about the best cancer screening schedule for you.

Take cancer prevention into your own hands, starting today. The rewards will last a lifetime. 

source from :www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816 

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Top 10 Colon Cancer Prevention Tips

                         Colon cancer  is one of the most common, and yet preventable, cancers. To help protect yourself and your loved ones from the disease, follow these ten colon cancer prevention tips.
 

1. Go to a doctor if you have any colon cancer symptoms.

Usually, colon cancer doesn't have any symptoms. However, in the later stages, symptoms may include thin stools, cramping, unexplained weight loss, and bloody stools.

2. If you're 50 or older, schedule a colon cancer screening.

Then actually go to the appointment. More than 90 percent of people diagnosed with colon cancer are 50 or older and the average age of diagnosis is 64. Research indicates that by age 50, one in four people has polyps (colon cancer precursors). Getting screened is an excellent colon cancer prevention method.

3. Eat a balanced diet.

Diets high in fat and cholesterol (especially from animal sources) have been linked to increased colon cancer risk. High-fiber diets, however, have shown a protective effect.

4. Maintain a healthy weight.

All other things equal, obese men seem to be more at risk for colon cancer than obese women. Also, certain body types seem to influence risk more than others. Studies indicate that extra fat in the waist (an apple shape) increases colon cancer risk more than extra fat in the thighs or hips (a pear shape).

5. Maintain an active lifestyle.

Research indicates that exercising can reduce colon cancer risk by as much as 40 percent. Exercise also tends to reduce the incidence of other risk factors for colon cancer, like obesity and diabetes.

6. Consider genetic counseling.

People who carry genetic mutations linked to hereditary colon cancer are the most likely to develop the disease. If someone in your family has FAP or HNPCC, or if you're of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, you should seriously consider adding genetic counseling to your colon cancer prevention plan.

7. Learn your family medical history.

Did you know your family medical history can impact your chances of developing colon cancer? When discussing colon cancer prevention with your doctor, remember to mention if family members have had polyps or colon cancer. Other cancers (such as stomach, liver, and bone) may also be relevant.

8. Talk to a doctor about your personal medical history.

As you may have guessed, discussing your own medical history is extremely important when it comes to colon cancer prevention. Sometimes we feel like doctors aren't interested in what we have to say, so we try to answer their questions as quickly and succinctly as possible. But it's alright - and advisable - to talk about your health history. Of particular concern are polyps, certain cancers, and chronic inflammation of the bowel - all of which can increase the risk of developing colon cancer.

9. Don't smoke.

Yes, it's a risk factor for colon cancer too. Smoking increases your risk for two main reasons. First, inhaled or swallowed tobacco smoke transports carcinogens to the colon. Second, tobacco use appears to increase polyp size.

10. Reduce radiation exposure.

Is radiation really relevant to colon cancer prevention? The short answer is yes. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, colon cancer has been caused by doses of about 1,000 millisieverts. So, what the heck is a millisievert and how do you keep from racking up 1,000 of them? (Learn more about this colon cancer prevention tip.)

If you'd like to share this article with others, feel free to print the Colon Cancer Prevention pamphlet.
source from : http://coloncancer.about.com/od/cancerprevention/a/Colon_Cancer.htm

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10 Warning Signs of Colon Cancer You Shouldn’t Ignore

                                       Medical professionals often refer to colorectal cancer, which includes colon cancer that affects the large intestine and rectal cancer that affects the lower most part of the large intestine.

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 20 people are at a risk of developing colorectal cancer during their lifetime.

The exact cause of colorectal or bowel cancer is not known. However, it is believed to develop when healthy cells become abnormal and start growing in number and accumulate in the lining of the colon, forming polyps. Left untreated, polyps may become cancerous.

     Several factors increase your risk of developing colon and rectal cancer, including aging (above 50 years), some types of bowel diseases, family history, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, a sedentary lifestyle, Type 2 diabetes and regular intake of processed foods or red meats.

African-Americans are at a greater risk of colon cancer than people of other races.

As it can be difficult to treat colon cancer after it spreads to nearby areas, it is important to know what the early symptoms are. This can help you seek early treatment and give you a better chance in recovery.

Here are the top 10 warning signs of colon cancer you shouldn’t ignore.

1. Constipation

Constipation is an important sign of cancer in the colon. A 2011 study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention highlights the link between constipation and colorectal cancer risk.

An earlier 2004 study published in the European Journal of Cancer supported the hypothesis that constipation or laxative use increases the risk of colon cancer.

A tumor present at the far end of the colon can make it very difficult to eliminate waste products, thereby causing constipation.

If you persistently have fewer bowel movements per week, without any prior problem of constipation, consult your doctor to find out the exact cause.

2. Diarrhea

If you suffer from diarrhea for more than a couple of weeks, it may be an early symptom of colon cancer.

When a tumor partially obstructs the bowel, it can cause alternating constipation and diarrhea due to leakage of liquid stool.

You may also experience frequent gas, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Plus, a tumor may irritate or narrow the lining of the intestine.

It is important to consult your doctor when you have diarrhea that lasts more than a few days, as it can lead to dehydration, drain your body of nutrients and signal other serious problems, such as cancer.

3. Blood in Stools

Most often, blood in the stool is due to piles (hemorrhoids), where the veins in the back passage become fragile and cause a little bleeding during a bowel movement. This type of bleeding is generally red.

However, if you notice dark red or black blood in your stool, it can be a sign of cancer, such as bowel, rectal or colon cancer. It can also be due to a stomach ulcer.

Whether bleeding is due to piles, a stomach ulcer or cancer, it’s important to get it checked by a doctor. Proper diagnosis is essential for appropriate treatment.

4. Constant Feeling of a Bowel Movement

If you have a constant feeling of urgently needing to have a bowel movement or to strain but no stool is passed, it is not a good sign. This feeling can occur even after having a bowel movement.

Changes in your pattern of bowel movements can be a sign of colon cancer. It can occur when a tumor blocks the bowel and prevents you from completely emptying your bowels.

If you persistently have the sensation of incomplete evacuation after a bowel movement, discuss the problem with your doctor.

5. Narrow Stools

Thin, narrow stools are also a warning of possible colon cancer. A tumor present in the left side of the colon obstructs the passageway and often leads to narrow stools.

Do not delay discussing any change in your stools with your doctor. Diverticulitis and anal cancer can also cause narrowing of the stools.

6. Tender Abdomen or Abdominal Pain

If your abdomen, especially the lower part, hurts or feels tender when touched, this can be an early indication of tumor growth in the digestive tract, colon or rectum. In fact, abdominal pain is common in people who are later diagnosed with colon cancer.

A tumor can cause a block in the colon, restricting blood flow. This leads to abdominal pain that can be severe. This pain also can indicate that the cancer has begun to spread to other organs.

If abdominal pain or tenderness persists for more than 2 to 3 days, consult your doctor for proper diagnosis.

7. Unexplained Anemia

Anemia refers to a low red blood cell count in the body. The hemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen throughout the body.

Symptoms of anemia, such as pale skin, a fast or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and cold hands and feet, should not be taken lightly.

Unexplained anemia may be due to colon cancer. Typically, cancer in the right-side of the colon causes iron-deficiency anemia. This happens when tumors start bleeding slowly into the digestive tract, causing blood loss over time.

A 2008 study published in the British Journal of Cancer confirms a strong connection between anemia and cancer, with the risk rising as the hemoglobin level falls. This study also confirms iron deficiency as an independent predictor of cancer.

If you have signs of anemia, consult your doctor immediately to get your hemoglobin level checked.

8. Unexplained Weight Loss

If you are above the age of 50 and rapidly losing weight without any known reason, it is a cause for concern. Sudden, unexplained weight loss can indicate a serious health problem, including colon or rectal cancer.

A 2006 study published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England found that unexplained weight loss happens mostly during advanced stages of colorectal cancers.

The growth of a tumor can lead to loss of appetite, as cancer can affect your metabolism, thus causing weight loss.

If you are rapidly losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine, discuss this with your doctor.

9. Weakness and Fatigue

Another early symptom of colon cancer is fatigue, weakness and general malaise. Fatigue and tiredness after doing a laborious task is to be expected, but if you feel tired and weak most of the time, despite resting, do not take it lightly.

Large polyps or tumors in the colon can lead to iron-deficiency anemia that causes lower oxygen levels in the blood. This contributes to fatigue.

Fatigue and weakness can also be related to a number of chronic illnesses and medical disorders, sovisit your doctor to find outthe exact cause.

10. Gas and Bloating

Most people suffer from gas and bloating occasionally, but if the problem occurs along with some of the other symptoms mentioned here, it may be an indication of a tumor growing in the colon.

A tumor causes obstruction in the colon. Depending on the severity of the blockage, gas, solid and liquid may be prevented from passing out of the body. This in turn causes progressive bloating as well as gas.

If you have a lot of discomfort due to gas and bloating, see a doctor to rule out the possibility of cancer.

Tips to reduce your risk of colon cancer:

1.     Include a variety of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains in your diet.
2. Avoid drinking alcohol, or at least drink in moderation.
3. Stop smoking and use of other tobacco products.
4.  Exercise for at least 30 to 40 minutes, 5 times a week.
5. If you are overweight, take steps to lose weight gradually.
6.  Opt for regular screening tests to help prevent colon cancer.

 
source from : http://supertastyrecipes.com/2015/10/22/10-warning-signs-of-colon-cancer-you-shouldnt-ignore-2/

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