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Dr. Susan Hardwicke
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Selenium for prevention of breast cancer
Years ago, prophylactic Tamoxifen was touted for women at high risk for breast cancer." With the side effects and increased risk of endometrial cancer now well known, those calls have all but disappeared in the media." Cancer survivors are continuously concerned about the possibiliy that cancer will recur, or that a second cancer will appear.
The search for chemopreventive effects from natural substances has been ongoing for decades." Recently, attention has been directed at the trace mineral selenium as one natural substance with promise." The FDA recently had to admit that selenium had proven to have beneficial effects for some cancers, but required any mention of these benefits had to be accompanied by a statement that the studies were inconclusive." Sounds a bit like double-talk or government-speak, doesn't it?
The Institute for Cancer Prevention (ICP) in Valhalla, NY conducted a cursory review of selenium research and concluded that the dose and form of selenium were the critical factors in the agents likely to have success in breast cancer prevention." "Form" refers to a wide variety of ways in which this trace mineral is found naturally, as well as made in the laboratory.
Plants grown in selenium-rich soil make a variety of naturally occurring compounds. The ICP study showed that the compound Se-Methylselenocysteine performs better at cancer prevention that the selenomethionine." Sources for this form of selenium" include Astragalus," selenium-enriched garlic, onions, broccoli florets and sprouts, and wild leeks.
ICP believes that synthetic compounds can be made which will perform better than naturally-occurring compounds, with both improved efficacy and minimal side effects." They found that 1,4-phenylenebis (methylene) selenocyanate (p-XSC) and the metabolite glutathione conjugate (p-XSeSG) were promising agents in preventing breast cancer in rats because they inhibited the initiation phase of cancer.
Women at greatest risk for breast cancer:
- Have a family history of breast cancer, particularly mother" or grandmother.
- Are near the age of menopause.
Suggestions based on the above information:
- Consider supplementation with Astragalus
- Eat more onions, leeks, and brocoli sprouts
- Eat additional natural sources of selenium (brazil nuts have a high concentration)
- Regularly search literature for news on the preventive selenium compounds for breast cancer prevention.
Sources for this article include:
2. Whanger PD (2002). Selenocompounds in Plants and Animals and their Biological Significance. JACNu, Vol. 21, No. 3, 223-232
Maintenance Chemotherapy for Cancer Survivors?
At first blush, the news sounds at worst neutral: more life-saving chemotherapy can be administered to increase longevity. " But, for cancer survivors who have experienced chemotherapy, it means that their remaining years are characterized by increased debilitation and low quality of life.
At the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology," doctors filled a huge auditorium for a debate on whether it is time to adopt maintenance therapy for lung cancer, the nation’s leading cause of cancer death. Other cancers for which maintenance therapy is being used or tried include ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.(New York Times, July 21, 2009; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21canc.html?ref=science)
The question by experts is whether it will prolong life. But to cancer survivors the questions need to address economics and quality of life, as well as tumor resistance. Additional costs could mount to the tens of thousands per patient." The liver could be taxed to the point of failure, and then there are many debilitating side effects such as chemo brain, immune suppression, and kidney damage.
In the New York Times article:
- Dr. Lawrence H. Einhorn, a professor at Indiana University, said much of the push for maintenance therapy was coming from pharmaceutical companies, which want their drugs "to be used as early as possible and as long as possible."
- And executives of these companies acknowledge that the therapy would mean bigger sales. "This is clearly a game-changing opportunity," Brian P. Gill, vice president for corporate communications at Celgene, which is testing its drug Revlimid for maintenance treatment of multiple myeloma, told investors at a conference in March.
It would help cancer survivors to learn more about investor presentations by pharmaceutical companies and then compare those with oncologists' recommendations." " It's bad enough to have cancer and" chemotherapy:" it is worse to be vulnerable because of it," and not be informed that you are" actually in a non-official clinical trial.
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Breast cancer CAN be prevented
Breast Cancer Awareness Month was filled with races, walks, benefits, sales, and heart-wrenching stories." This 2007 article should have been a handout everywhere." As the conclusions state, a serum level of Vitamin D to 52 ng/ml can be readily obtained via exposure to sunlight or supplementations and the scientists point out that this would decrease the incidence of breast cancer by 50%.
Thanks to Mike Adams for sending this in.
Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: Pooled analysis
Cedric F. Garlanda, , , Edward D. Gorhama, Sharif B. Mohra, William B. Grantb, Edward L. Giovannuccic, Martin Lipkind, Harold Newmarke, f, Michael F. Holickg and Frank C. Garlanda
aUniversity of California, San Diego, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, 0631C, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
bSunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC), San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
cHarvard School of Public Health, Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
dStrang Cancer Prevention Center, New York, NY 10021, USA
eSusan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
fThe Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
gVitamin D Laboratory, Section of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Abstract
Background
Inadequate photosynthesis or oral intake of Vitamin D are associated with high incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in ecological and observational studies, but the dose–response relationship in individuals has not been adequately studied.
Methods
A literature search for all studies that reported risk by of breast cancer by quantiles of 25(OH)D identified two studies with 1760 individuals. Data were pooled to assess the dose–response association between serum 25(OH)D and risk of breast cancer.
Results
The medians of the pooled quintiles of serum 25(OH)D were 6, 18, 29, 37 and 48 ng/ml. Pooled odds ratios for breast cancer from lowest to highest quintile, were 1.00, 0.90, 0.70, 0.70 and 0.50 (p trend < 0.001). According to the pooled analysis, individuals with serum 25(OH)D of approximately 52 ng/ml had 50% lower risk of breast cancer than those with serum <13 ng/ml. This serum level corresponds to intake of 4000 IU/day. This exceeds the National Academy of Sciences upper limit of 2000 IU/day. A 25(OH)D level of 52 ng/ml could be maintained by intake of 2000 IU/day and, when appropriate, about 12 min/day in the sun, equivalent to oral intake of 3000 IU of Vitamin D3.
Conclusions
Intake of 2000 IU/day of Vitamin D3, and, when possible, very moderate exposure to sunlight, could raise serum 25(OH)D to 52 ng/ml, a level associated with reduction by 50% in incidence of breast cancer, according to observational studies.
Keywords: Breast cancer; 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Dose–response gradient; Incidence; Epidemiology; Serum; Pooled analysis; Diet
The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Volume 103, Issues 3-5, March 2007, Pages 708-711
13th Workshop on Vitamin D (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, April 2006)
From:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8X-4N8DJW6-9&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1082445120&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=263286143143b2046ec853d2462ef992
Selenium may help prevent breast cancer
Years ago, prophylactic Tamoxifen was touted for women at high risk for breast cancer." With the side effects and increased risk of endometrial cancer now well known, those calls have all but disappeared in the media.
It does make sense, however, to seek natural or healthy ways to prevent breast cancer." Recently, attention has been directed at the trace mineral selenium as one natural substance with promise." The FDA recently had to admit that selenium had proven to have beneficial effects for some cancers, but required any mention of these benefits had to be accompanied by a statement that the studies were inconclusive." Sounds a bit like double-talk or government-speak, doesn't it?
The Institute for Cancer Prevention (ICP) in Valhalla, NY conducted a cursory review of selenium research and concluded that the dose and form of selenium were the critical factors in the agents likely to have success in breast cancer prevention." "Form" refers to a wide variety of ways in which this trace mineral is found naturally, as well as made in the laboratory.
Plants grown in selenium-rich soil make a variety of naturally occurring compounds. The ICP study showed that the compound Se-Methylselenocysteine performs better at cancer prevention that the selenomethionine." Sources for this form of selenium" include Astragalus," selenium-enriched garlic, onions, broccoli florets and sprouts, and wild leeks.
ICP believes that synthetic compounds can be made which will perform better than naturally-occurring compounds, with both improved efficacy and minimal side effects." They found that 1,4-phenylenebis (methylene) selenocyanate (p-XSC) and the metabolite glutathione conjugate (p-XSeSG) were promising agents in preventing breast cancer in rats because they inhibited the initiation phase of cancer.
Women at greatest risk for breast cancer:
- Have a family history of breast cancer, particularly mother" or grandmother.
- Are near the age of menopause.
Suggestions based on the above information:
- Consider supplementation with Astragalus
- Eat more onions, leeks, and brocoli sprouts
- Eat additional natural sources of selenium (brazil nuts have a high concentration)
- Regularly search literature for news on the preventive selenium compounds for breast cancer prevention.
Sources for this article include:
2. Whanger PD (2002). Selenocompounds in Plants and Animals and their Biological Significance. JACNu, Vol. 21, No. 3, 223-232
Conflict of Interest in Cancer Research Estimated 29%
From Association of Online Cancer Resources (acor.org) U-M researchers suggest increasing public funding of research to decrease potential bias from industry ties ANN ARBOR, Mich.  Nearly one-third of cancer research published in high-impact journals disclosed a conflict of interest, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The most frequent type of conflict was industry funding of the study, which was seen in 17 percent of papers. Twelve percent of papers had a study author who was an industry employee. Randomized trials with reported conflicts of interest were more likely to have positive findings.
"Given the frequency we observed for conflicts of interest and the fact that conflicts were associated with study outcomes, I would suggest that merely disclosing conflicts is probably not enough. It's becoming increasingly clear that we need to look more at how we can disentangle cancer research from industry ties," says study author Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil., assistant professor of radiation oncology at the U-M Medical School.
The researchers looked at 1,534 cancer research studies published in prominent journals. Results of this current study appear online in the journal" Cancer.
"A serious concern is individuals with conflicts of interest will either consciously or unconsciously be biased in their analyses. As researchers, we have an obligation to treat the data objectively and in an unbiased fashion. There may be some relationships that compromise a researcher's ability to do that," Jagsi says.
For example, she says, researchers might design industry-funded studies in a way that's more likely to produce favorable results. They might also be more likely to publish positive outcomes than negative outcomes."
"In light of these findings, we as a society may wish to rethink how we want our research efforts to be funded and directed. It has been very hard to secure research funding, especially in recent years, so it's been only natural for researchers to turn to industry. If we wish to minimize the potential for bias, we need to increase other sources of support. Medical research is ultimately a common endeavor that benefits all of society, so it seems only appropriate that we should be funding it through general revenues rather than expecting the market to provide," Jagsi says.
Read more . . .
Just How Does Cancer Get Into the Brain? New Information!
Cancer's one-way ticket to the brain" from" New Scientist.com "HOW do" cancer cells get into the brain? A 'ticket' made of three genes seems to grant them access in mice." For many years scientists, as well as" developers of cancer drugs and oncologists, believed that a membrane call the blood brain barrier protected the brain from disease and toxins." The data that approximately 10 per cent of cancer patients have cancer that metastasizes or spread" from its original site to the brain. Joan Massagué and a team of researchers at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York city injected human breast cancer cells into the arteries of mice. "Three key genes were expressed in those cells that infiltrated the brain: one that helped cancer cells 'stick' to blood vessels in the brain, another that is known to make capillaries leaky, and a third that makes cancer cells mobile.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Destroy Cancer Cells
More good news about Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, docosahexanoic (DHA)." It not only can help your brain recover from chemotherapy by supporting the communications between cells." New evidence suggests that DHA can protect against cancer. Mansoura University in Eqypt was the site of a study that demonstrated two types of benefits of docosahexanoic acid (DHA, an Omeg-3 fatty acid) for rats with solid tumors. The acid, naturally occurring in cold water fish oil and to a lesser extent in certain vegetable oils, was shown to reduce the size of tumors and facilitate the effect of cisplatin chemotherapy, and limited cisplatin's harmful effects. These experiments lend support for at least some of the benefits attributed to Omega-3 acids. Professor A. M. El-Mowafy, who led the research team of Mansoura University, said, "DHA elicited prominent chemopreventive effects on its own, and appreciably augmented those of cisplatin as well. Furthermore, this study is the first to reveal that DHA can obliterate lethal cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and renal tissue injury." Cisplatin chemotherapy generally causes kidney damage. The puzzle for the scientists was how DHA interacts with cisplatin and, conceivably, other chemotherapy drugs. They found that DHA acts by reducing leukocytosis, systemic inlfammation, and oxidative stress, all of which have been associated with tumor growth. DHA is a substance needed by the brain's neuronal cells" and is a major factor in effective cellular communications. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401200441.htm, retrieved may 19, 2009. Journal reference:
Chemotherapy Destroys Brain Stem Cells: Long-term damage
"A commonly used chemotherapy drug causes healthy brain cells to die off long after treatment has ended and may be one of the underlying biological causes of the cognitive side effects -- or "chemo brain" -- that many cancer patients experience." Implications:
Chemotherapy's Damage To The Brain Detailed is the title of an article in ScienceDaily.
More information about the study
Mark Noble and a research team from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Harvard Medical School uncovered evidence that is difficult to dispute:the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is" associated with a" "progressing collapse" of populations of stem cells and their progeny in the central nervous system (CNS).
The findings about the destruction of stem cells has high importance:" since stem cells have the capability to evolve into a wide range of cells and to regenerate," the destruction of these cells in the brain can have long-lasting, and potentially permanent, consequences.
"This study is the first model of a delayed degeneration syndrome that involves a global disruption of the myelin-forming cells that are essential for normal neuronal function," said Mark Noble, Ph.D., who serves as director of the University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute and was senior author of the study. "Because of our growing knowledge of stem cells and their biology, we can now begin to understand and define the molecular mechanisms behind the cognitive difficulties that linger and worsen in a significant number of cancer patients."
More information
University of Rochester Medical Center (2008, April 22). Chemotherapy's Damage To The Brain Detailed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
Abstract of the Journal article documenting the study and the researchers' conclusions
J Biol. 2008;7(4):12. Epub 2008 Apr 22.Click here to read Click here to read Links
Systemic 5-fluorouracil treatment causes a syndrome of delayed myelin destruction in the central nervous system.
Han R, Yang YM, Dietrich J, Luebke A, Mayer-Pröschel M, Noble M.
Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. ruolan_han@urmc.rochester.eduBACKGROUND : Cancer treatment with a variety of chemotherapeutic agents often is associated with delayed adverse neurological consequences. Despite their clinical importance, almost nothing is known about the basis for such effects. It is not even known whether the occurrence of delayed adverse effects requires exposure to multiple chemotherapeutic agents, the presence of both chemotherapeutic agents and the body's own response to cancer, prolonged damage to the blood-brain barrier, inflammation or other such changes. Nor are there any animal models that could enable the study of this important problem.
RESULTS : We found that clinically relevant concentrations of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; a widely used chemotherapeutic agent) were toxic for both central nervous system (CNS) progenitor cells and non-dividing oligodendrocytes in vitro and in vivo. Short-term systemic administration of 5-FU caused both acute CNS damage and a syndrome of progressively worsening delayed damage to myelinated tracts of the CNS associated with altered transcriptional regulation in oligodendrocytes and extensive myelin pathology.
Functional analysis also provided the first demonstration of delayed effects of chemotherapy on the latency of impulse conduction in the auditory system, offering the possibility of non-invasive analysis of myelin damage associated with cancer treatment.
CONCLUSIONS : Our studies demonstrate that systemic treatment with a single chemotherapeutic agent, 5-FU, is sufficient to cause a syndrome of delayed CNS damage and provide the first animal model of delayed damage to white-matter tracts of individuals treated with systemic chemotherapy. Unlike that caused by local irradiation, the degeneration caused by 5-FU treatment did not correlate with either chronic inflammation or extensive vascular damage and appears to represent a new class of delayed degenerative damage in the CNS.
Strengthen, Rebuild, and Enhance Your Memory with Exercise
Columbia-Led Study Finds Exercise Benefits Area of Brain Involved in Aging It has long been theorized that people who exercise do better on memory tests. This idea was further solidified through the recent work at the Columbia University Medical Center. A new study found that exercise specifically strengthens" a region of the brain known as the dentate gyrus, the site perhaps most related to memory function, stability, and growth. This finding was made possible through the use of the first-ever observation of neurogenesis, the growth of neurons, within a living brain. This method, first developed at Columbia University, centers on using MRI imaging which finally allows for significantly increased observations of neurogenesis in human studies. The next step will now be to identify which exercise programs are most beneficial to improving brain neuron growth and health and thus boosted memory function. This study confirms the believe that exercising regularly and living a fitness minded lifestyle can help individuals stay healthy not only physically but also mentally. As Scott A. Small, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center and the study’s lead author. "I, like many physicians, already encourage my patients to get active and this adds yet another reason to the long list of reasons why exercise is good for overall health."
GROW NEW BRAIN CELLS: Exercise today!
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Today is a day you should exercise. It can help your brain.
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Have you ever noticed how focused runners and cyclists are when they are out on the road? There's a reason. Most weren't born focused. These amateurs and professionals became more focused and sharp as they developed their physical capabilities. You can do the same thing. You just have to start.
Your brain and body are wonderful, dynamic "works" of art. While genes can certainly influence the direction of your health, you were built with a capacity to heal, adapt, and grow.
It may help motivate you to get started or do more, if you knew how much exercise benefits your brain--especially if you have had "chemo brain."
Neurogenesis, for example, is one of the brain's "safety nets." You may have chemo brain (or have had it), as I did. But it isn't a death sentence for your mental skills. Neurogenesis is the brain's ability to grow new cells. These begin as stem cells (a bit like "blank slates" or highly adaptive cells) which can evolve into a variety of forms to support your daily functioning. Research has shown that exercise, even to advanced age, stimulates the grow of these cells.
Neuroplasticity is the characteristic of rearranging cells more efficiently, or rewiring the pathways, to meet the daily demands of life.
Exercise can improve mood by activating the release of endorphons. If all this science detracts from the experience for you, just ignore and work your body. Your brain will respond.
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