Mainstream medical treatment of cancer revolves around surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, used either alone or in combination (Isobe T et al 2005; Ostoros G et al 2005). Chemotherapy and radiation therapy cannot discriminate between cancer cells and healthy cells; thus, they damage both types of cells and cause serious and often debilitating side effects, frequently forcing patients to abandon treatment (Ettinger DS 2005; Giraud P et al 2004; Munden RF et al 2005). Therefore, it is not surprising that many cancer patients now opt to complement conventional treatments with alternative therapies that may not only temper the adverse side effects of conventional cancer therapy, but also improve its effectiveness via independent anti-cancer effects.
Vitamin D and the epidemiology of prostate cancer.
Schwartz GG.
Semin Dial. 2005 Jul-Aug;18(4):276-89. Review.
PMID: 16076349
DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-139X.2005.18403.x
Support ellagic acid therapy in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) on standard chemotherapy using vinorelbine and estramustine phosphate.
Falsaperla M, Morgia G, Tartarone A, Ardito R, Romano G.
Eur Urol. 2005 Apr;47(4):449-54; discussion 454-5. Epub 2005 Jan 19.
PMID: 15774240
doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2004.12.001
Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues.
Chen Q, Espey MG, Krishna MC, Mitchell JB, Corpe CP, Buettner GR, Shacter E, Levine M.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 20;102(38):13604-9. Epub 2005 Sep 12.
PMID: 16157892
A pilot clinical study of continuous intravenous ascorbate in terminal cancer patients.
Riordan HD, Casciari JJ, González MJ, Riordan NH, Miranda-Massari JR, Taylor P, Jackson JA.
P R Health Sci J. 2005 Dec;24(4):269-76.
PMID: 16570523
Grant WB, Holick MF.
Benefits and requirements of vitamin D for optimal health: a review.
Altern Med Rev. 2005 Jun;10(2):94-111. Review.
PMID: 15989379 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
In vitro antiproliferative, apoptotic and antioxidant activities of punicalagin, ellagic acid and a total pomegranate tannin extract are enhanced in combination with other polyphenols as found in pomegranate juice.
Seeram NP, Adams LS, Henning SM, Niu Y, Zhang Y, Nair MG, Heber D.
J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Jun;16(6):360-7.
PMID: 15936648
ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2005) - STANFORD, Calif. - The growth of prostate cancer cells can be halted by combining a form of vitamin D, available only by prescription, with low doses of an over-the-counter painkiller, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. The combination reduced prostate cancer cell growth in a laboratory dish by up to 70 percent, according to the findings, published in the Sept. 1 issue of Cancer Research.
Effects of perioperative cimetidine administration on peripheral blood lymphocytes and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with gastrointestinal cancer: results of a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Li Y, Yang GL, Yuan HY, Bai DJ, Wang K, Lin CR, Hu MB, Feng MH.
Hepatogastroenterology. 2005 Mar-Apr;52(62):504-8.
PMID: 15816467
H. Weiler
A platelet cloak for tumor cells
Blood, January 1, 2005; 105(1): 5 - 6.
Palumbo and colleagues show that platelets and fibrinogen protect metastatic tumor cells from elimination by NK cells, confirming a striking mechanistic link between activation of the blood coagulation system and the spread of tumor metastases
Cannabinoids and cancer: causation, remediation, and palliation.
Hall W, Christie M, Currow D.
Lancet Oncol. 2005 Jan;6(1):35-42. Review.
PMID: 15629274
doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(04)01711-5
Antitumor activity of human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T cells against virally infected squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Albers A, Abe K, Hunt J, Wang J, Lopez-Albaitero A, Schaefer C, Gooding W, Whiteside TL, Ferrone S, DeLeo A, Ferris RL.
Cancer Res. 2005 Dec 1;65(23):11146-55.
PMID: 16322265
Vitamin D is associated with improved survival in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Zhou W, Suk R, Liu G, Park S, Neuberg DS, Wain JC, Lynch TJ, Giovannucci E, Christiani DC.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005 Oct;14(10):2303-9.
PMID: 16214909
In conclusion, the joint effects of surgery season and recent vitamin D intake seem to be associated with the survival of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Researchers investigating the role of cannabis in cancer therapy reveal it has the potential to destroy leukaemia cells, in a paper published in the March 2006 edition of Letters in Drug Design & Discovery. Led by Dr Wai Man Liu, at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, the team has followed up on their findings of 2005 which showed that the main active ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has the potential to be used effectively against some forms of cancer. Dr Liu has since moved to the Institute of Cancer in Sutton where he continues his work into investigating the potential therapeutic benefit of new anti-cancer agents.
Nutrient intake and immune function of elderly subjects.
Wardwell L, Chapman-Novakofski K, Herrel S, Woods J.
J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Dec;108(12):2005-12.
PMID: 19027403
doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.09.003
Age, stress, and poor nutrition can sap our immune system of its effectiveness. Influenza provides one example. During young adulthood, when the body can mount a robust immune response to this common virus, influenza is rarely fatal. Among the elderly, however, the virus is associated with significant rates of death and hospitalization (Nichol KL 2005).
The impact of aging on the immune system is profound. As people age, a number of critical immune system components are reduced or slowed, including cellular response, response to vaccines, and antibody production. At the same time, susceptibilities to infection and cancer are increased. Some of this increased susceptibility to disease is linked to chronic inflammation, which is associated with many disorders of aging (Ershler WB et al 2000; Hamerman D 1999; Taaffe DR et al 2000).
Nutritional intervention with omega-3 Fatty acids in a case of\nmalignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lungs.
Pardini RS, Wilson D, Schiff S, Bajo SA, Pierce R.
Nutr Cancer. 2005;52(2):121-9.
PMID: 16201843
Nutritional intervention with omega-3 Fatty acids in a case of
malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lungs.
Pardini RS, Wilson D, Schiff S, Bajo SA, Pierce R.
Nutr Cancer. 2005;52(2):121-9.
PMID: 16201843