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ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2007) - Researchers from the Universities of Warwick, Edinburgh, Dundee and the Czech Republic's Institute of Biophysics have discovered a new light-activated platinum-based compound that is up to 80 times more powerful than other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs and which can use "light activation" to kill cancer cells in much more targeted way than similar treatment

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs act as a powerful combination to halt the growth of prostate cancer cells, say US scientists. Writing in Cancer Research, a team from Stanford University says it discovered that the amount of both activated vitamin D, or calcitriol, and NSAIDs could be reduced by half to one-tenth the dosage to thwart prostate cancer cell growth in cell lines and primary tissue culture

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi - this family of cruciferous vegetables is naturally rich in indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound that is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most powerful cancer-fighting compounds that we know of.

University of Illinois researcher Elizabeth Jeffery has learned how to maximize the cancer-fighting power of broccoli. It involves heating broccoli just enough to eliminate a sulfur-grabbing protein, but not enough to stop the plant from releasing an important cancer-fighting compound called sulforaphane. The discovery of this sulfur-grabbing protein in the Jeffery lab makes it possible to maximize the amount of the anticarcinogen sulforaphane in broccoli.

One way tumors fly under the radar of the immune system is by using IDO, an enzyme used by fetuses to help avoid rejection, to recruit powerful regulatory T cells that turn down the immune response, researchers say.

Ever seen the commercial for the Power Juicer done by the man known as "The Juice man"?

Know Cancer is dedicated to connecting, educating and empowering all people affected by the many forms of cancer. Through the power of knowledge and collective wisdom we will help people to prevent, endure and survive cancer. Our current focus is KnowCancer.com, an online community that provides social and professional support to patients and their loved ones. The website contains 3 main sections: Education: a comprehensive library of cancer related content Community: a cancer social network, blog, forum and an "ask the expert" section Resources: a nationwide directory of cancer related businesses and organizations

What if we didn't try to cure cancer, but simply kept tumors from growing too big? That's what radiologist Robert Gatenby of the Moffitt Cancer Center proposes this week in the journal Nature. Gatenby argues that high doses of powerful chemotherapies wreak havoc on a patient's immune system and foster the rapid regrowth of chemoresistant cancers that doctors have no hope of fighting.  So instead of curing cancer, he suggests doctors aim to stabilize the tumor at a tolerable size. In practice, this would mean that doctors identify a target size for an individual tumor that gives the patient the best quality of life.  Then, they will regularly monitor the tumor's growth with medical imaging equipment like a PET/CT scanner (see photo), and regulate doses of anticancer drugs to maintain it at a precise volume.

Re-engineering a protein that helps prevent tumours spreading and growing has created a potentially powerful therapy for people with many different types of cancer. In a study published in the first issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Canadian researchers modified the tumour inhibiting protein, von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), and demonstrated that it could suppress tumour growth in mice.

MedWire News: Among patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer, there is no link between circulating steroid hormone levels and Gleason score, conclude US investigators.

Scientists in Japan recently studied some of the glyconutrients from spinach and found they inhibited destruction of DNA, cancer cell growth, and tumor growth. They used the nutrients to suppress the growth of colon adenocarcinoma in mice. After a two week period of ingesting the nutrients, a 56.1% decrease in solid tumor volume occurred without any side effects. And the nutrients reduced the ability of tumors to supply themselves with blood which they need to fuel their growth. Markers of cell proliferation were drastically reduced. (Lipids, August, 2008)