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Side Effects and Warnings Berberine has been reported to cause nausea, vomiting, hypertension (high blood pressure), respiratory failure and paresthesias (abnormal sensations such as numbness or tingling); however, clinical evidence of such adverse effects is not prominent in the literature. Rare adverse effects including headache, skin irritation, facial flushing, headache, bradycardia (slowed heart rate) have also been reported with the use of berberine. Use cautiously when taking berberine for longer than eight weeks due to theoretical changes in bacterial gut flora. Use cautiously in individuals with diabetes, as both human and animal studies indicate that berberine may decrease blood sugar levels. Also use cautiously in individuals with hypotension (low blood pressure), as berberine may have antihypertensive effects. Patients with cardiovascular disease should also use caution as berberine has been associated with the development of ventricular arrhythmias in subjects with congestive heart failure. Although not well studied in humans, berberine may also theoretically cause delays in small intestinal transit time or increase the risk of bleeding. Berberine may cause abortion, eye or kidney irritation, nephritis (inflamed kidneys), dyspnea (difficulty breathing), flu-like symptoms, giddiness, lethargy, or liver toxicity. Patients with leukopenia (abnormally low white blood cell count) should use cautiously due to the potential for development of leukopenia symptoms. When injected under the skin, berberine may cause hyperpigmentation in the arm. Use berberine cautiously in individuals with high exposure to sunlight or artificial light due to potential for adverse phototoxic reactions. Avoid in newborns due to potential for increase in free bilirubin, jaundice, and development of kernicterus (brain damage caused by severe newborn jaundice). Use berberine cautiously in children due to a lack of safety information. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Berberine is not recomme

Coriolus versicolor is a mushroom of the Basidiomycetes class. It was used initially in Traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic, but recent studies suggest that it has immunostimulant and anti-tumor properties. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), a proprietary product derived from Coriolus, was developed for cancer treatment in Japan. When used as an adjuvant, PSK appears to improve survival rates in patients with gastric (1) (2) and colorectal (3) (4) (5) cancers. Other Coriolus extracts, such as polysaccharide-peptide (PSP) and VPS, are available as dietary supplements. When used in conjunction with chemotherapy, PSP may benefit patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (7). Other clinical studies using Coriolus extract alone or in combination with other botanicals also suggest positive immunomodulatory effects (8) (9). However, studies on breast cancer (10), hepatocellular carcinoma (11), and leukemia (12) produced mixed results. A hot water extract of Coriolus, VPS, was found to enhance development of large intestinal tumors in mice (21). Coriolus extracts are generally well tolerated but minor adverse effects have been reported. Many over-the-counter Coriolus products are not standardized, making it difficult to compare potency between brands. It is also unclear if PSK, PSP and other Coriolus extracts have comparable effects.

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive cancer Center have developed a way to image the spread of a particularly dangerous form of cancer">prostate cancer earlier than conventional imaging in use today,

MedWire News: Intralesional injection of interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-15 enhances the effects of radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFA) in inhibiting tumor development and metastases, animal study results show. RFA, used for the treatment of solid tumors and known for its localized tumor effects, may activate immune responses and thereby reduce the risk for local tumor recurrence or distant metastases through T cell stimulation. However, studies have suggested that additional adjuvant immunotherapy may improve the efficacy of RFA. This preclinical study, reported in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, was conducted to evaluate the effect of addition of the cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 to RFA in models of breast cancer.

Development of HPV vaccines for HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Devaraj K, Gillison ML, Wu TC. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2003;14(5):345-62. Review. PMID: 14530303

Neotropix™ Inc. develops and commercializes systemically deliverable oncolytic viruses for the treatment of solid tumors. Capitalizing on its unique sources of naturally occurring viruses that selectively target tumors, the Company has the knowledge and skills to translate these discoveries into commercial products. Neotropix is committed to making a difference in the lives of cancer patients.

Authors of the study reported that carnitine deficiency is a risk factor and should be viewed as a mechanism in hepatic carcinogenesis, and that long-term L-carnitine supplementation prevents the development of liver cancer. Therefore, carnitine supplementation alone or in combination with other natural chemopreventive compounds could be used to prevent, slow or reverse the occurrence of liver cance

During the course of the study, researchers found that men who reached sexual maturity earlier were more likely to develop prostate cancer.

Two doctors at the Mayo Clinic are exploring innovative methods to develop better therapies for mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer.

A type of drug designed to stunt tumour growth has actually been found to fuel cancer if given at too low a dose. UK scientists were investigating a kind of drug called an anti-angiogenesis, still under development, which hampers the growth of tumour blood vessels.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who get plenty of mushrooms and green tea in their diets may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, new study findings suggest.\n\nThe study, of more than 2,000 Chinese women, found that the more fresh and dried mushrooms the women ate, the lower was their breast cancer risk.

A study has suggested using aspirin could cut the risk of developing a type of stomach cancer by up to a third. The British Journal of Cancer study looked at over 300,000 people.

For the first time, medical groups have issued guidelines that say healthy older men should consider taking a drug that may reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer, even if they're just among the worried well who go in for regular screenings.\n\nThe drug, finasteride, is already used to treat male pattern baldness and to shrink enlarged prostates. The new guidelines suggest that patients who are already taking finasteride for those conditions or who go for regular prostate cancer screening tests should discuss long-term treatment with the drug with their doctors.

A glass of wine each evening is enough to increase your risk of developing cancer, women are being warned.\nConsuming just one drink a day causes an extra 7,000 cancer cases - mostly breast cancer - in UK women each year, Cancer Research UK scientists say

DCA is an organic compound, and a byproduct of TCE (trichloroethylene), a chemical that has been a concern in the development of cancer. In January 2007, researchers at the University of Alberta published a study in the journal Cancer Cell suggesting that DCA showed promise in shrinking tumors in lab rats as well as inhibiting growth of cultured human cancer cells. They hypothesized that DCA may be able to change cancer cells back to normal ones by switching them from the aberrant energy pathways they rely on to those used by normal cells.

A new approach to cancer treatment called immunotherapy could spare patients at least some of the grueling battery of chemotherapy treatments by retraining the body's own defenders--the cells of the immune system--to recognize and destroy tumors. Now researchers at Harvard University have developed a simple way to do this inside the body: a polymer implant attracts and trains immune-system cells to go after cancer. The experimental approach has shown great success in animal studies, increasing the survival rate of mice with a deadly melanoma from 0 to 90 percent. The implant could also be used to treat diseases of the immune system such as arthritis and diabetes, and, potentially, to train other kinds of cells, including stem cells used to repair damage to the body.

"Maté consumption plays a significant and independent role in the development of upper aeodigestive tract cancers," and "Maté drinking should be considered one of the risk factors for cancer of the neck and head."