Lung Cancer May Be Inversely Associated with Consumption of Flavonoids
- NEW -
July 1, 2008 - In a population-based, case-control study involving 558 lung cancer cases and 837 controls, dietary consumption of certain flavonoids was found to be inversely associated with lung cancer among smokers, but not among nonsmokers.

Treatment Can Make Cancer Stronger
- NEW -
July 1, 2008 - What doesn't kill cancer cells makes them stronger, Duke researchers have observed. Doctors use radiation and chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells. About half of patients are cured - that is, all of their tumor cells die.

Not All Colon Cancer Patients Need Chemotherapy: Study
May 16, 2008 - Colon cancer patients with a specific subset of the disease don't need to receive chemotherapy. In fact, not only does chemotherapy not benefit this group of patients, it may actually harm them, a new study found.

Link between Periodontal Disease and Cancer
May 12, 2008 - In a prospective study involving data collected from 48,375 men (between 40-75 years at baseline) who were followed up with for an average of 17.7 years, during which time 5,720 incident cases of cancer were identified, having a history of periodontal disease was found to be associated with an increased risk of total cancer (HR=1.14), lung cancer (HR=1.36), kidney cancer (HR=1.49), pancreatic cancer (HR=1.54), and hematological cancers (1.30). In addition, compared to subjects with 25-32 teeth at baseline, those with 0-16 teeth at baseline were found to have an increased risk of lung cancer (HR=1.70). Among never-smokers, having a history of periodontal disease was associated with significant increases in total cancers (HR=1.21) and hematological cancers (HR=1.35), but not lung cancer (HR=0.96). These results suggest that, "….periodontal disease might be a marker of a susceptible immune system or might directly affect cancer risk."

Treanda Treats Rare Cancer
March 20, 2008 - The Cephalon drug Treanda (bendamustine hydrochloride) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a rare cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

Vitamin C May Be A Cure For Cancer
December 3, 2007 - Researchers have determined that Vitamin C and other antioxidants can slow the growth of certain types of cancerous tumors, but not in the way many scientists had thought. Vitamin C is found in juice, fruits and vegetables. A vitamin is needed for the growth and repair of the body's tissues.

FDA Panel Votes Against Cancer Drug
December 5, 2007 - A federal advisory committee voted Wednesday that Genentech’s drug Avastin should not be approved as a treatment for breast cancer. The drug is already on the market as a treatment for lung and colon cancer.

Persistent Risk of Other Cancers Seen With Radiation-Treated Cervical Cancer
October 31, 2007 - Women who undergo radiotherapy for cervical cancer are at increased risk for developing malignancies in nearby sites decades later, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for November 7.

Prostate Cancer Treatment May Increase Diabetes Risk
October 31, 2007 - New research suggests that androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer can adversely affect glucose metabolism. Therefore, routine surveillance of glycemic control may be warranted, especially in obese men -- whether or not they have established diabetes. The findings, reported in BJU International for November, also suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help protect against the development of diabetes in this patient population.

Riboflavin boosts folate's colorectal cancer protection – study
October 29, 2007 - Riboflavin supplements could boost the protective effects of folate against colorectal cancer in people with colon polyps, suggests a new study from the UK and Ireland. Simultaneous supplementation of the two B-vitamins increased the response to low-dose folate in the double-blind randomized placebo-controlled intervention study (the FAB2 Study) involving 98 healthy people and 106 patients with colorectal polyps.

More Dollars Don't Boost Lung Cancer Survival
October 23, 2007 - Although it can cost more than $1 million to give a lung cancer patient an added year of life, overall survival from the disease hasn't increased significantly, a new study finds. On average, life expectancy for Americans with lung cancer increased by less than one month between 1983 and 1997. At the same time, medical costs increased by more than $20,000 per patient, researchers reported in the Oct. 22 online edition of Cancer.

Green tea may halve prostate cancer risk
October 12, 2007 - Drinking five cups of green tea a day may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 48 per cent, reports a new study from Japan. Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from Japan's National Cancer Center report that the benefits of the beverage may be limited to advanced prostate cancer, with no effects observed on localized cancer.

Taxol doesn't treat common breast cancer
October 10, 2007 - The widely used chemotherapy drug Taxol does not work for the most common form of breast cancer and helps far fewer patients than has been believed, surprising new research suggests. If further study bears this out, more than 20,000 women each year in the United States alone might be spared the side effects of this drug or similar ones without significantly raising the risk their cancer will return. That would be roughly half of all breast cancer patients who get chemo now.

Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Linked to Heart Risks
October 9, 2007 - Prostate cancer patients receiving androgen-deprivation therapy, a common form of hormone treatment proven to slow tumor growth and prolong life, may face a nearly threefold higher risk of dying from heart disease, a new study suggests.

Chemotherapy boosts heart disease risk
October 8, 2007 - Breast cancer survivors may face increased risk of heart disease - and doctors are debating if it's time to largely abandon a chemotherapy mainstay that is one reason for the problem. Drugs called anthracyclines are a breast chemo staple despite a well-known risk: They weaken some women's hearts. What's new is research suggesting the drugs work no better than safer alternatives for most women.

Tocotrienol may protect against DNA damage, says study
September 24, 2007 - Tocotrienols, the less studied form of vitamin E, may reduce DNA damage, considered an important trigger in cancer development, by about 50 per cent, new research suggests.

Osteoporosis Drug Evista Approved to Cut Risk of Breast Cancer
September 14, 2007 - The Eli Lilly drug Evista (raloxifene) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer among postmenopausal at high risk for the disease and among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

How Vitamin C Stops Cancer
September 10, 2007 - Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate Linus Pauling famously and controversially suggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that in mice at least, vitamin C - and potentially other antioxidants - can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors.

Cancer patients offered free drug
September 4, 2007 - A number of cancer patients denied a new drug by the NHS may get free treatment as part of a clinical trial taking place in Manchester. The company, Oxford BioMedica, is funding the supply of the drug, at Christie hospital in Manchester. The drug Sutent can in some cases prolong the lives of patients with kidney cancer. In return patients must agree to be involved in a trial of the firm's drug TroVax to see how it works with Sutent.

RA Drugs Linked to Slight Skin Cancer Risk
August 29, 2007 - People taking rheumatoid arthritis drugs such as etanercept (Enbrel) or infliximab (Remicade) may be at a slightly increased risk for skin cancer, researchers report.
However, the risk is probably not significant enough to outweigh the benefits of these drugs, the researchers said.

Endometrial Cancer in Woman on Tamoxifen Requires No Unusual Treatment
August 24, 2007 - Healthy subjects who received daily caffeine-free green tea extract capsules had an increased production of detoxification enzymes, which may provide some cancer-fighting benefits, study findings show. Concentrated green tea extract could be beneficial to those who are deficient in the detoxification enzyme and shouldn't be harmful for those who have adequate detoxification enzyme," lead investigator told Reuters Health.

NSAIDs May Protect Against Bladder Cancer, Phenacetin Raises Risk
August 24, 2007 - Regular use of NSAIDs, especially aspirin, may decrease the risk of bladder cancer, particularly more advanced, high grade tumors containing alterations in the tumor suppressor protein TP53, results of a study suggest. The findings also provide further evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer among users of phenacetin-containing analgesics, particularly long-term users.

Green tea may cut oral cancer risk - study
August 22, 2007 - Drinking five or more cups of green tea a day may reduce a woman's risk of mouth cancer, but men may not experience similar benefits, suggests a new study from Japan. The study, published in the Annals of Epidemiology, followed almost 50,000 men and women and found that increasing consumption of the beverage among women decreased the risk of developing oral cancer, a disease with a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast, skin, or cervical cancer, with a mortality rate of about 50 per cent due to late detection.

Antioxidant Supplements May Raise Women's Skin Cancer Risk
August 20, 2007 - Taking antioxidant supplements won't protect against skin cancer and may actually boost the risk, at least in women, according to a new French study. "Taking into consideration our results, we are particularly concerned by the use of long-term supplementation, notably in sun-seekers and people wanting to look tanned." said researcher Dr. Serge Hercberg, professor of nutrition at the Medical University of Paris.

Green tea extract may boost cancer-fighting enzymes
August 20, 2007 - Healthy subjects who received daily caffeine-free green tea extract capsules had an increased production of detoxification enzymes, which may provide some cancer-fighting benefits, study findings show. Concentrated green tea extract could be beneficial to those who are deficient in the detoxification enzyme and shouldn't be harmful for those who have adequate detoxification enzyme," lead investigator told Reuters Health.

Left-Sided Breast Cancer Radiation Boosts Coronary Risk
August 9, 2007 - Early-stage breast cancer patients treated with left-sided radiation as a component of breast conservation have an increased risk of late, radiation-associated coronary damage, according to researchers.

Green tea may stop colon cancer in its tracks - study
August 9, 2007 - Green tea may stop the growth of colon tumors in their infancy, suggests a new study using mice, but merely drinking green tea offers no benefits against larger tumors. If the study, published in the journal Carcinogenesis, can be translated to humans, then this could have implications for the beverage and its extracts as a preventative against colon cancer.

Study Finds Association Between Low Cholesterol Levels And Cancer
June 24, 2007 - Millions of Americans take statins to lower their cholesterol, but how low should you go? Many scientific studies support the benefits of lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and achieving low LDL cholesterol levels is one of the most important steps in preventing heart disease. New research, however, provides evidence for an association between low LDL levels and cancer risk.

Low B6 intake linked to colorectal cancer study
June 29, 2007 - Low intake of vitamin B6 may increase a man's risk of colorectal cancer by 31 per cent, suggests a study from Japan. The study, published in this month's Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the intake of range of B-vitamins among 81,184 subjects taking part in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

Green tea drinking may halve the colorectal cancer risk
June 7, 2007 - Regularly drinking antioxidant-rich green tea may halve the risk of colon and rectal cancer, suggests a new study based in China. The results add to an ever-growing body of science linking consumption to a wide range of health benefits, including lower risk of certain cancers, increased weight loss, improved heart health, and protection against Alzheimer's.

Excess Cancers Seen in Hyperthyroid Patients Treated With Radioactive Iodine
June 4, 2007 - Patients treated with radioactive iodine for hyperthyroidism have an increased risk of cancer -- especially stomach, kidney, and breast cancer -- according to results of a study published in the May 15th issue of Cancer.

Medication errors common in U.S. kids with cancer
May 25, 2007 - Children with cancer often get the wrong dose of chemotherapy or are given the drug at the wrong time, and many require treatment because of the errors, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

HPV Vaccine Protects Against Vulvar and Vaginal Cancers.
May 18, 2007 - Results suggest that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Gardasil; Merck and Co, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) can protect against vulval and vaginal cancer, although the incidence is rare, but increasing. This data has come soon after other recently published studies confirming the efficacy of the vaccine in protecting against cervical cancer and also showing efficacy in protecting against anogential disease.

Evidence Mounting Against HRT, Now Linked to Ovarian Cancer.
April 19, 2007 - The Million Women Study, a United Kingdom-based trial of postmenopausal women, has found that those on hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) were on average 20% more likely to develop and die from ovarian cancer than women who never received therapy. Researchers reporting today online in the Lancet say that since 1991, HRT has resulted in some 1300 additional ovarian cancers and 1000 additional deaths from the malignancy in the United Kingdom alone.

Multiple cancer medications pose patient risk
April 18, 2007 - Many cancer patients are at risk for potentially dangerous drug interactions because of the number of different medications they take for multiple conditions, say Canadian researchers, who caution that steps must be taken to avoid these dicey combinations. In a study appearing today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto found that almost 30 per cent of 405 cancer patients studied were taking drugs that put them at risk for at least one adverse drug interaction.

Celecoxib No Help Against Barrett's Esophagus Progression
April 9, 2007 - In patients with Barrett's esophagus, celecoxib treatment is not associated with a reduced risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, researchers report in the April 4th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Fat intake may cut vitamin C benefits for the stomach
April 3, 2007 - Vitamin C may reduce the formation of potentially carcinogenic nitrogen-containing compounds in the stomach, offering protection from stomach cancer, researchers have reported. The study revealed that vitamin C inhibited conversion of nitrates to potentially carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds by approximately 99.7 per cent, thereby offering potential protection from stomach cancer-causing compounds.

New Zealand research shows vitamin C could help beat cancer
March 16, 2007 - New Zealand researchers claimed Friday that vitamin C was vital for good health and could even help beat cancer by making chemotherapy treatment more effective. "I have found that vitamin C is absolutely fundamental in controlling many cell activities, cell death and the growth of cancer cells in tumors," she said. "Without it our cells don't work properly.”

Green Tea May Fight Lung Cancer
March 12, 2007 - Green tea may fight lung cancer and could inspire the creation of new lung cancer drugs, scientists report. The researchers included Qing-Yi Lu, PhD, of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). But it may be too soon to count on a cup of green tea to curb lung cancer. So far, the scientists have only tested green tea extract against human lung cancer cells in test tubes, not people.

FDA OKs trial on vitamin C for cancer
January 11, 2007 - Adding more credibility to its research into alternative methods for oncologic medical care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America said it has won federal approval to begin a clinical trial studying the potential of intravenous vitamin C as a cancer treatment. While winning U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin clinical trials is a regular occurrence for traditional cancer researchers, Zion-based Cancer Treatment Centers is not known for conducting federally approved research--making the FDA-approved vitamin C trial a bit of a coup for the firm.

Selenium reduces prostate cancer risk in men taking extra vitamin E
February 6, 2007 - A new study is suggesting that for certain groups of men a high dietary intake of selenium may reduce their risk of prostate cancer. This study has found that the benefit applied only to those men who reported a high vitamin E intake and those who were taking multivitamins.

The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy to 5-year Survival in Adult Malignancies
February 2, 2007 - The debate on the funding and availability of cytotoxic drugs raises questions about the contribution of curative or adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to survival in adult cancer patients.

The authors of this major paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology did a literature search for randomized clinical trials reporting a 5-year survival benefit attributable solely to cytotoxic chemotherapy in adult cancers. The total number of newly diagnosed cancer patients for 22 major adult cancers was determined from cancer registry data in Australia and in the USA.

Results of the analysis state that: “The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.”

Molecular Link between Inflammation and Cancer Discovered
January 24, 2007 - Team led by biochemists at the University of California, San Diego has found what could be a long-elusive mechanism through which inflammation can promote cancer. The findings may provide a new approach for developing cancer therapies.

A study of glutathione status in the blood and tissues of patients with breast cancer
November-December, 2006 - Specific Glutathione ratios may be important biochemical parameter in detecting breast cancer malignancy.

More Evidence for Tea’s Anticancer Potential
December 21, 2006 - Teas, both green and black, have potent anti-cancer effects against a wide range of tumors, says a new study led by the US Department of Agriculture. This study adds to an ever-growing body of science behind the compounds.

High Intake of Vitamin C May Reduce Stomach Cancer Risk
December 16, 2006 - Stomach cancer hit nearly 8 in 100,000 Americans in 2003. Men are more susceptible than women, and the risk is higher in blacks than in whites. Stomach cancer is often diagnosed in the late stage in which the prognosis is very poor. Those who are concerned about cancer risk may consider increasing their intake of vitamin C and decreasing intake of meat, particularly red meat and processed meat, a new study suggests.

Chemo Temporarily Shrinks Brain Areas: Study
November 27, 2006 - Chemotherapy causes a short-term, but apparently reversible, shrinkage of key brain areas, new research shows. These changes could explain the impairment of thinking, memory, and focus that many cancer patients complain of after chemotherapy treatment

Exposure To Sunlight May Decrease Ovarian Cancer Risk
November 17, 2006 - New York, NY (AHN) - A new study by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, has tied latitude differences to ovarian cancer risk. The study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that exposure to the sun, and more precisely, vitamin D production in the body, may help prevent this disease. The recent research furthers the evidence for the previous studies, which have linked vitamin D intake and vitamin D levels in the blood to cancer risk.

Oral Contraceptives Increase Risk For Breast Cancer In Some Women, Meta-analysis Finds
October 31, 2006 - A meta-analysis published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings indicts oral contraceptives as putting pre-menopausal women at significantly increased risk for breast cancer, especially women who use them prior to having a child.

Order of chemotherapy, radiation has no effect on breast cancer survival
October 30, 2006 - For women who have had surgery for early breast cancer, it may not matter whether they receive follow-up chemotherapy before, after or during radiation therapy. However, the studies suggest that certain toxic side effects common in chemotherapy and radiation patients, may be up to 44 percent more likely when the two therapies are delivered at the same time.

Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer May Increase Disease Risk
September 18, 2006 - Study findings published in the Sept. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that hormone therapy for prostate cancer can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease in men. These therapies can also decrease quality of life, decrease bone mass, and are associated with an increased risk of fractures.

Prostate Cancer Screening May Not Be Needed in Older Men
May 3, 2006 - Even though prostate cancer can eventually be fatal, it often progresses so slowly that many men -- particularly those over 75 -- are more likely to die from some other disease. Aggressive treatments, such as radical prostatectomy or radiation, while eradicating the cancer, can have negative effects on quality of life, including urinary incontinence and impotence.

As a result, aggressive therapy’s side effects may not be worthwhile for elderly patients, researchers say. There’s no evidence of a significant survival benefit from treatment, Hoffman adds. “But we are going to cause complications that are going to affect quality of life,” he says.

Sun, Vitamin D Help Lung Cancer Survival
April 18, 2005 - According to a Harvard study, plenty of sunshine and vitamin D may help people with early stage lung cancer survive longer after surgery.