Tag Archives: cancer

New cancer tools allow patients to reconsider chemo

After decades of using one-size-fits-all therapies to combat cancer, doctors are using new tools to help decide when their patients can skip chemotherapy or other harsh treatments. An approach to oncology that has been in place for decades is beginning to yield to an arsenal of long-term clinical studies, genetic tests and novel drugs that target cancer cells and their infrastructure. “What is happening is a combination of new technology and more-targeted cancer drugs,” said Dr Sandra Swain, medical director of the Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center and president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). “We've tried the approach of big, nonspecific treatments ... We have found that throwing chemo at patients has not (necessarily) cured them.” Traditional chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with the entire body's system of cell replication, causing harsh side effects like fatigue and hair loss. Since the completion of the human genome project in 2003, scientists have made progress in unlocking the genetic basis of a range of diseases, including cancer. That has paved the way for genetic testing as well as drugs that block specific pathways that cancer cells use to grow and reproduce. Such targeted cancer drugs, which sometimes preclude the need for chemotherapy, are being sold by companies ranging from Pfizer Inc, the world's largest drugmaker, to Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc, which early this year launched its first drug, to treat leukemia. At the same time, large-scale studies that look at whether some types of patients are better off with less treatment are giving doctors more confidence to hold off on using traditional cancer drugs. Laurie Levin, now 64, was successfully treated in her 20s for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but faced a dilemma after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 since the earlier radiation and chemotherapy had already raised her risk of developing heart problems or leukemia. A $4,000 genetic test showed that her breast cancer was unlikely to return, providing the confidence to undergo a lumpectomy and avoid chemotherapy. “It was like someone handed me my life back when I got those results,” she said. Use of the Oncotype DX test, which analyzes genes involved in tumor recurrence, has cut the use of chemotherapy in U.S. breast cancer patients by 20 percent over the past eight years, according to its maker, Genomic Health Inc. The company recently launched a similar test designed to measure whether men with prostate cancer need to undergo surgery or radiation. Tests and studies can clarify treatment, but costs remain on the upswing because the newest drugs are very expensive, with monthly price tags often in the thousands of dollars. By 2016 annual global sales of cancer drugs will nearly triple, to $88 billion from a decade earlier, according to IMS Health. 'RIGHT-SIZING TREATMENT' The “less is more” approach to cancer will be one highlight of ASCO's annual meeting in Chicago that begins at the end of this month. On Wednesday, ASCO released thousands of abstracts on new clinical trials of cancer treatments. One large, long-term study found that most men diagnosed with early-stage seminoma, a common type of testicular cancer, did fine with no treatment following surgery to remove the tumors. Cure rates for the disease have always been quite high. Several European countries, including Denmark where the study was conducted, monitor seminoma patients for any relapse before further treatment. In the United States, about half of early-stage patients are still given radiation or chemotherapy, according to ASCO. “Opting for surveillance spares patients, most of whom are young men, from the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and radiation without diminishing their chances for a long and healthy life,” said ASCO's incoming president, Dr Clifford Hudis, in a statement. Physicians say it is difficult to quantify in statistics, but there is growing recognition that less is more in terms of potentially toxic cancer treatments. The approach is especially important for young patients who will have many years ahead of them after beating an initial bout of cancer. “We are right-sizing treatment,” said Dr. James Mohler, chair of the department of urology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He pointed to recent national guidelines calling for “active surveillance” of older men diagnosed with slower-growing prostate cancer. A study presented earlier this year at an ASCO meeting in Florida found similar survival rates for men with high-risk prostate cancer who received radiation and either 18 or 36 months of hormone therapy. The findings suggest the therapy, which causes significant side effects, could be given for less than the current standard of 24 to 36 months. Another recent study out of the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina, found that survival odds for women with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-preserving surgery such as lumpectomy were as good as, or even better than, the odds for women who had mastectomies. “We are going to see reevaluations of very successful therapies to determine whether or not we can achieve the same results using less treatment,” said Dr Armand Keating, director of the hematology division at the University of Toronto and president of the American Society of Hematology. The first-ever study showing that a type of leukemia could be cured without using chemotherapy was released in December. The Italian-German study found that a combination of a derivative of vitamin A, known as ATRA, and arsenic trioxide, a newer drug, worked as well as ATRA and chemotherapy in patients newly diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). “APL used to be one of the most dreaded strains of cancer, but with ATRA and chemo the results are very gratifying,” Keating said. “Now we have two agents that are not chemo agents ... That to me is a milestone. I can't see any reason why this wouldn't become the standard of care.” A recent trial conducted in France found that omitting standard chemotherapy, which has been linked to heart damage, from the initial treatment of a type of childhood leukemia did not reduce survival outcomes. “The nice thing is you have omitted a potentially toxic agent that contributes to morbidity and maybe mortality down the road,” Keating said. The priciest therapies are designed to take advantage of genetic mutations associated with cancer cells, some of them found only in a small percentage of patients. A new drug for melanoma, BRAF inhibitor Zelboraf from Roche Holding AG, is designed to work by targeting a specific genetic mutation found in about half of all melanomas. Patients are first tested to see if they have it. Pfizer's lung-cancer drug Xalkori, which targets a mutation in the ALK gene, works in about 4 percent of lung cancer patients. It also has been effective as a treatment for a rare but aggressive type of childhood lymphoma. “We've been really trying for years to be more precise about who needs treatment ... Now we are more able to achieve it,” said Swain.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/16/new-cancer-tools-allow-patients-to-reconsider-chemo/

Skin cancer may be linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

The study involved 1,102 people with an average age of 79 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. The participants were followed for an average of 3.7 years. At the start of the study, 109 people reported that they had skin cancer in the past. During the study, 32 people developed skin cancer and 126 people developed dementia, including 100 with Alzheimer’s dementia. …

First prospective trial shows molecular profiling timely for tailoring therapy

CUSTOM is the first completed prospective clinical trial that used genetic analysis alone to assign cancer treatment for patients with one of three different cancers. "We expected it would take five years to enroll 600 patients into CUSTOM. But in less than two years, 668 patients were recruited," says the study’s lead investigator, Giuseppe Giaccone, MD, PhD, associate director for clinical research at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This was a surprise to all of us, especially since patients with advanced cancer who already had biopsies needed to undergo an additional biopsy for the study. …

Angelina Jolie’s surgery: What you need to know about breast reconstruction

As more women are learning about the heroic steps that Angelina Jolie took when she decided to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy, I’ve received many questions regarding the surgical techniques used in these reconstructions and how they have improved. We spoke to leading reconstructive surgeon Dr. Richard Winters, vice chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about the latest techniques. Once a woman decides to have this surgery, what are her options? …

Fresh, healthy ways to spin your summer cocktails

Nothing could be better than a sweet summer drink sipped under a shaded patio or chilling under a beach umbrella. But who wants to worry about those extra calories – that could be up to 500 in fact – when you order a frosty drink from the beach bar. Most calories from summer cocktails come from the mixers, but you can have one that’s just as delicious and ready at the touch of a blender button if you make it yourself.  Here are fun and more flavorful ways to mix up summer cocktails that are under 100 calories each. Now, I’ll toast to that! Make It Berry Good, Nix the Mixer Ditch the sugary bottled mixers that don’t contain real fruit, and use whole fresh or frozen fruits to blend a drink with real flavor and antioxidant power to boot.  Pair them with a shot of these aromatic spirits (around 46 calories an ounce), which  will boost flavor just as well as those sweet mixers – making you the star at your next party. St. Germain, an elegant liquor brewed from elderberries, mixed with fresh blended superfruits like blueberries can make an antioxidant cocktail to swoon over.  Ideal for summer brunches, engagement parties, or a drink to impress the ladies with.  Just blend 1/2 cup blueberries with 1 ounce of St. Germain liquor. Campari is a bitter that hails from Italy, made with a mix of herbs and bitter citrus.  Ideally it is blended with fresh or frozen dark cherries for a blended drink that’s rich in anthocyanins (noted to reduce inflammation). Just blend up 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cherries, 2 ice cubes and 1 ounce of campari the night before and store in individual baggies in your freezer.  To take them on the go, simply toss into a beach bag. Aperol (from Padua, Italy) is an aperitif that has a sweet tart taste of rhubarb and bitter orange, ideal to make a low-cal spritzer or when mixed with fresh, lycopene-rich watermelon juice in this 96 calorie cocktail that tastes like a Jolly Rancher.  Chill in plastic sports bottles in the fridge, then stock your cooler. Lillet, a French aperitif made from wine and citrus peels or herbs (and also contains quinine), is a great pairing with citrus-flavored cocktails. Grapefruit is my pick, one of the few fruit juices that is low in calories, at only 46 calories per 1/2 cup.  Important: Before you sip grapefruit, check with you doc first if you’re on prescription meds. If grapefruit is a go for you, blend 1/2 cup with 4 ice cubes and 1 ounce of Lillet.Jennifer is a trained chef, certified health coach, and healthy cooking celebrity whose mission is to show families that healthy cooking can be fresh, fun and flavorful. She is the author of several best-selling books.& Visit her website at skinnychef.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/16/fresh-healthy-ways-to-spin-your-summer-cocktails/

In medical breakthrough, scientists convert human skin cells into embryonic stem cells

In a major medical breakthrough, researchers at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have for the first time ever successfully converted human skin cells into embryonic stem cells – via a technique called nuclear transfer. The research has major implications for the future of medical treatments, as many believe embryonic stem cells are the key to treating damaged cells lost through injury or illness.  According to various medical researchers, stem cell therapy has the potential to treat anything from heart disease and spinal cord injuries to major neurological diseases, like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Through a common laboratory method known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), ONPRC scientists, along with researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, essentially swapped the genetic codes of an unfertilized egg and a human skin cell to create their new embryonic stem cells.  The researchers were able to fine-tune this method through a series of studies in macaque monkeys, and this study marks the first successful use of the SCNT technique to create embryonic stem cells in humans after many failed attempts from other research laboratories around the world. The SCNT process involved scooping out the nucleus of a donated egg cell, leaving nothing by the egg’s cytoplasm – an essential ingredient.  The researchers replaced the egg’s nucleus with the nucleus of a skin cell, which contains an individual’s genetic code.  The combination of the egg’s cytoplasm and the skin cell’s nucleus eventually grows and develops into the embryonic stem cell. “The idea is that the egg cytoplasm has some factors – we don’t know their nature yet – but it has the ability to reset the cell’s identity,” lead author Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a senior scientist at ONPRC, told FoxNews.com.  “It basically erases all this memory, and now we can derive them and make them into stem cells.” Embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial pursuit since its conception.  Derived from unused embryos, which have been fertilized in vitro, these types of cells are pluripotent – meaning they have the capacity to develop into a variety of different cell types within the human body. However, the utilization of embryonic stem cells has been met with ethical concerns, as many believe a fertilized egg should be granted the status of a human being.  Because the fertilized human embryo is ultimately destroyed in the development of embryonic stem cells, many activist groups and politicians have spoken out against the use of such medical techniques. Fortunately, the SCNT method bypasses these ethical dilemmas, as the donated eggs are never actually fertilized.  Instead, the researchers ‘trick’ the egg cell into thinking it has been fertilized by a sperm.  During the nuclear transfer process, Mitalipov and his team prompt the cell to remain in a state known as “metaphase” – a stage of cell division in which the cell’s chromosomes align in the middle of the cell just before the cell divides.  This keeps the process from stalling and encourages the cell to ultimately develop into a stem cell. Once reprogrammed, these stem cells can be cultivated into any kind of living cell – including nerve cells, heart cells, brain cells and many more. Mitalipov also noted that once an individual has this process done, he or she will have a lifelong “bank” of embryonic stem cells doctors can utilize whenever the patient is injured or sick. “You only need to do it once per patient,” Mitalipov said.  “Once established, the stem cells are like a permanent source of stem cells – they have an unlimited capacity to keep growing…  We only need to do it once, but one colony multiples to make hundreds of colonies.  We can freeze them and continue to grow more and more.” The researchers addressed the possibility that the SCNT method may be considered therapeutic cloning, but they said it is highly unlikely this method would be able to produce human clones.  In all the years of utilizing SCNT with monkey cells, no monkey clones have ever successfully produced, so it is highly unlikely that human clones can be produced through this method – especially since human cells are much more fragile than monkey cells. Instead, Mitalipov hopes people focus on the main goal of the research, which is to foster hundreds of different studies utilizing this new process of developing embryonic stem cells. “We still have a lot more work to do, to learn how to transplant them,” Mitalipov said. “But the first step is already done, and it looks pretty clean.  Probably, people could start banking these cells now; and hopefully, in the near future we will have some treatments coming in the clinic.” The research was published online in the journal Cell.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/15/in-medical-breakthrough-scientists-convert-human-skin-cells-into-embryonic-stem/

The best pregnancy foods

When a woman is pregnant, we’re often quick to laugh off her cravings for even the unhealthiest foods. However, pregnancy is a time to indulge in nutritionally dense sources of delicious food - and avoid unhealthy foods, as often as possible. Processed foods offer little nutrition and may contain chemicals. Check labels and avoid products containing the following items: MSG, chemical additives, trans-fats, artificial dyes and anything in a plastic container that may contain BPA. Instead, look for organic and fresh foods whenever possible. When choosing proteins, look for options that come from animals that have not been given hormones or antibiotics. Foods rich in probiotics, healthy fats and folate are also all important components of a pregnancy diet. Probiotics are the building blocks for digestive health. Consuming probiotic-rich foods during pregnancy could help strengthen the immune systems of both the mother and baby. Probiotics can be easily incorporated into your diet through fermented foods such as kefir, organic plain yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and pickled vegetables. Healthy fats are vital to the baby’s brain, organ and tissue development, so embrace them. Butter from pastured cows and coconut oil both contain lauric acid, which has antiviral, antibacterial and immune supporting functions. Egg yolks contain choline which may enhance a baby’s brain development. Organic, full-fat dairy, avocado, nuts and healthy sources of meat all provide additional healthy fats. Wild-caught salmon, herring and sardines all contain healthy fats such as omega-3 and DHA. Wild, grass-fed animals like beef, wild boar, and longhorn are also great sources of omega-3’s. Folate is also critically important for the development of a healthy fetus. Dr. Luis Espaillat-Rijo, a voluntary assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami and clinical fellow at the Cleveland Clinic of Florida, stated that if he had to choose just one thing to recommend to pregnant women, it would be folate. Espaillat-Rijo explained that there is a direct link between folate supplementation and a decrease in incidence of neural tube defects. Folate also reduces the likelihood of anemia in the mother and can prevent early miscarriage and premature delivery. High quality, organic liver from a pastured animal is a great food to include in your diet once a week – it contains three times the amount of folate as a serving of raw spinach. Sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens and beans are also great sources of folate and make a wonderful addition to a pregnancy diet. This isn’t to say you can’t give in to your cravings. However, try to make your indulgences as healthy as possible.  If you’re craving a cheeseburger, choose grass-fed ground beef and organic cheese on a whole grain or sprouted bun. If all you want is a milkshake, seek out ice-cream made from hormone-free milk and top it with organic dark chocolate. Make the best choices you can, as often as you can. If you’re eating well the majority of the time, there’s no need to feel guilty about the occasional slip.Jacqueline Banks is a certified holistic health counselor and busy mother. & Her focus is on helping other busy moms in all stages of motherhood keep themselves and their little ones healthy and happy. & She uses natural and organic solutions to solve individual health problems and promote clean living. Check out her website at www.jbholistic.com.& & source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/14/best-pregnancy-foods/

Hysterectomy not tied to heart risk factors, study shows

Despite evidence suggesting that women whose uterus has been removed may be more likely to experience heart troubles, a new study finds that the usual signs of heart disease risk are not more severe in middle-aged women after hysterectomy. After following more than 3,000 women for about 11 years, researchers found that heart risk factors like cholesterol, markers of inflammation and blood pressure were not significantly worse in women in the years following an elective hysterectomy, compared to women who did not have the procedure. “I think it's encouraging to women and clinicians that this is not something they have to worry about if they're considering hysterectomy (in) midlife,” said Karen Matthews, the study's lead author from the University of Pittsburgh. Hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus, is the second most common surgery among U.S. women, after cesarean-section deliveries. Often the procedure is used to remove or prevent cancer, especially among younger women. But many women may elect to have the surgery for other reasons, including to treat painful benign growths in the uterine wall known as fibroids or to staunch heavy bleeding. Hysterectomies can involve removal of the uterus only, or the ovaries as well. Ovary removal in particular has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk because it takes away the main source of estrogen in a woman's body and plunges her abruptly into menopause. Even the gradual decline of estrogen following natural menopause has been linked to women's increased heart risks, so researchers have investigated whether hysterectomy raises those risks. But studies of the connection have produced mixed results. For the new study, Matthews and her colleagues used data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, which followed a large, multiethnic group for more than a decade to understand the experience of American women during and after menopause. The 1,952 women included in the study were between 42 and 52 years old and not yet in menopause when tracking began. They were followed from 1996 through 2008, receiving annual checkups that recorded information about their health, surgeries and whether or not they had started menopause. Specifically, the researchers looked at physical measurements that are markers for heart and cardiovascular disease. They included various components of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood clotting factors and molecules that are signals of inflammation. Overall, the researchers report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that none of those measurements in the 183 women who chose to have their uterus removed - with or without their ovaries - were significantly worse, compared to the 1,769 women who went through menopause naturally. Matthews said their findings apply to women who are finished having children, in their forties and are considering a hysterectomy to help with excessive bleeding or other factors that cause a quality of life problem. She said they couldn't make a conclusion for women who need to have their uterus and ovaries removed because of cancer. “Our study really couldn't examine that question because we had too few women who had gynecological cancers, and the equation changes when you have gynecological cancer,” said Matthews. But Dr. JoAnn Manson, who has researched women's health after hysterectomy but was not involved in the new study, suggested the results don't mean that women who have hysterectomies are in the clear, because past studies only saw a difference in heart risks after 10 to 15 years. Manson, who is chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told Reuters Health that the abrupt transition to menopause after a hysterectomy may only reverberate years later because “atherosclerosis takes a while to develop… That seems to take up to 10 and 15 years for clear differences to emerge.” For that reason, “This isn't totally surprising that there wasn't a difference in risk factors during the follow up period,” Manson said. Matthews said that's one potential explanation for why their results differ from previous studies, but she said there could be other reasons, including that modern women are somehow different from women included in past research. “It may be that it's emerging much later, but I would be surprised,” Matthews said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/15/hysterectomy-not-tied-to-heart-risk-factors-study-shows/

Ultra-low salt intake may not boost health, U.S. panel says

Americans at high risk for heart problems who have been told for years to sharply cut salt from their diet may not actually benefit from ultra-low sodium diets and could even face some harm, an independent panel of health experts said on Tuesday. The influential Institute of Medicine, in a report to U.S. health officials, reviewed the latest data on the link between salt intake and health. While blacks, diabetics and others more likely to have heart problems are urged to slash their salt intake, the IOM review showed there was limited evidence such a diet helped, and that too little salt might increase the risk of heart trouble. “The evidence on both the benefit and harm is not strong enough to indicate that these subgroups should be treated differently from the general U.S. population,” the panel wrote. That suggests higher-risk populations may not need such a drastic reduction of salt in their diets and that other steps to curb heart disease risk may be needed. Americans are still consuming far too much salt, the IOM experts said. On average, U.S. adults eat about 1.5 teaspoons of salt over the course of the day, or about 3,400 milligrams. Federal guidelines recommend that healthy people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams daily. But the latest data calls into question whether individuals with higher risk factors for heart disease or stroke should limit their daily intake to 1,500 milligrams, as the government recommends. Brian Strom, the panel's chairman and a public health professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the newest studies back the known benefits of “reducing sodium from very high intake levels to moderate levels.” “But they also suggest that lowering sodium intake too much may actually increase a person's risk of some health problems,” he said, including heart ailments. Still, the studies are limited and in some cases flawed, so more research is needed, the IOM panel told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which requested the report. Health advocates including the American Heart Association were quick to dismiss the findings, saying the recent studies reviewed by IOM focused on sick patients and not the majority of Americans, most of whom eat too much salt. “The bottom line for consumers is still: cut back on sodium,” said the Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI) Bonnie Liebman. 'IT'S PRETTY TOUGH' The problem is not just food loaded with salt. It's also that Americans eat a lot of food that contains lower amounts of salt, such as bread and pasta, without realizing their sodium content. Health officials have called for Americans to take various steps to cut back, such as asking for no-salt dishes in restaurants and eating more naturally low-salt foods like fruits and vegetables. Health advocates said the IOM's review was beside the point given the high levels of sodium that still plague U.S. foods. It's almost impossible to ingest just 1,500 milligrams a day, said Liebman, director of nutrition for CSPI. “Virtually any meal at any restaurant would give you at least half-a-day's worth of sodium, maybe a whole day's worth, maybe more,” Liebman said. “You'd have to make everything from scratch. ... It's pretty tough.” Consumer groups and some lawmakers have for years called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to set federal salt levels for food, a recommendation that the IOM backed in 2010. In New York City, health officials have been working with restaurants and food companies to voluntarily remove salt from everyday foods. A trio of studies published on Monday found that smaller restaurants still load their food with salt even as national chains and food manufacturers have cut back.  The FDA, in a statement, said it was reviewing the IOM's report, calling it consistent with its “efforts to work toward achievable and reasonable voluntary reductions in the sodium content of the U.S. food supply.” IOM was not asked to review current federal salt intake guidelines, which were issued in 2010. U.S. health officials are expected to revise the guidelines on salt and other nutrients in 2015.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/15/ultra-low-salt-intake-may-not-boost-health-us-panel-says/