Cancer

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.

You-Lin Qiao, Sanford M. Dawsey, Farin Kamangar, Jin-Hu Fan, Christian C. Abnet, Xiu-Di Sun, Laura Lee Johnson, Mitchell H. Gail, Zhi-Wei Dong, Binbing Yu, Steven D. Mark, and Philip R. Taylor. Total and Cancer Mortality After Supplementation With Vitamins and Minerals: Follow-up of the Linxian General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2009 March 24; DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djp037

ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2009) - Individuals who took a dietary supplement called "factor D", which included selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, continued to have lower gastric cancer and overall mortality 10 years after supplementation ceased compared with individuals who did not take the supplements, according to long-term follow-up data from the randomized, double-blind General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial in Linxian, China.

Patients with larynx cancer who received a three-drug combination of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) during induction chemotherapy were more likely to retain larynx function than were patients treated with cisplatin and 5-fluoruracil (PF) alone, according to data from a randomized controlled trial in the March 24 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

CancerGuide is a cancer information page written by Steve Dunn, a fellow patient. I strongly believe, and indeed I know from personal experience, that information can save your life. This page is dedicated to helping cancer patients find the best treatment for their disease by finding, and understanding, the best and latest information on their disease. The focus here is on technical information. While this page does offer links to the best cancer information sources on the net, what makes this page special is no holds barred help and information about things on and off the net from someone who's been been where you are now. The information on this page is information with a point of view, not information sanitized by committee!

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.

Once diagnosed with cancer, patients can feel isolated and alone, even from those closest to them. Using the internet as a tool, now they can reach out to anyone, anywhere in the world who wants to share their experience with this devastating disease. They can research, ask questions, post their own story, or they can simply read the stories of those who have been where they are going. From breast cancer to leukemia, these 50 sites cover a variety of subjects.

Cannabinoids inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway in gliomas. Blázquez C, González-Feria L, Alvarez L, Haro A, Casanova ML, Guzmán M. Cancer Res. 2004 Aug 15;64(16):5617-23. PMID: 15313899

Apoptotic effects of dietary and synthetic sphingolipids in androgen-independent (PC-3) prostate cancer cells. Kent KD, Clubbs EA, Harper WJ, Bomser JA. Lipids. 2008 Feb;43(2):143-9. Epub 2008 Jan 10. PMID: 18188632 DOI: 10.1007/s11745-007-3148-

Anti-proliferative and antioxidant properties of rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis. Cheung S, Tai J. Oncol Rep. 2007 Jun;17(6):1525-31. PMID: 17487414

Rosmarinic acid antagonizes activator protein-1-dependent activation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in human cancer and nonmalignant cell lines. Scheckel KA, Degner SC, Romagnolo DF. J Nutr. 2008 Nov;138(11):2098-105. PMID: 18936204

Sphingolipids in food and the emerging importance of sphingolipids to nutrition. Vesper H, Schmelz EM, Nikolova-Karakashian MN, Dillehay DL, Lynch DV, Merrill AH Jr. J Nutr. 1999 Jul;129(7):1239-50. Review. PMID: 10395583

Ursolic acid is a component of many herbs that seems to have a protective effect versus inflammation and its various ramifications

Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene acid, used in cosmetics,[2] that is also capable of inhibiting various types of cancer cells by inhibiting the STAT3 activation pathway[3][4] and human fibrosarcoma cells by reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by acting through the glucocorticoid receptor. Ursolic acid is present in many plants, including apples, basil, bilberries, cranberries, elder flower, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, oregano, thyme, hawthorn, prunes. Apple peels contain high quantity of ursolic acid and related compounds which are responsible for the anti-cancer activity of apple. Ursolic acid can also serve as a starting material for synthesis of more potent bioactive derivatives, such as anti-tumor agents

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

Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents. Guzmán M. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Oct;3(10):745-55. Review. PMID: 14570037 doi:10.1038/nrc1188

Cannabinoids inhibit glioma cell invasion by down-regulating matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression. Blázquez C, Salazar M, Carracedo A, Lorente M, Egia A, González-Feria L, Haro A, Velasco G, Guzmán M. Cancer Res. 2008 Mar 15;68(6):1945-52. PMID: 18339876 doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-5176

Use of cannabinoid receptor agonists in cancer therapy as palliative and curative agents. Pisanti S, Malfitano AM, Grimaldi C, Santoro A, Gazzerro P, Laezza C, Bifulco M. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Feb;23(1):117-31. PMID: 19285265 doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.02.001