July 1, 2008, 8:38 PM CT

Designer diet for prostate cancer

Eating one or more portions of broccoli every week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and the risk of localised cancer becoming more aggressive.

For the first time, a research group at the Institute of Food Research led by Professor Richard Mithen has provided an explanation of how eating broccoli might reduce cancer risk based upon studies in men, as opposed to trying to extrapolate from animal models. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer for males in western countries. The research has provided an insight into why eating broccoli can help men stay healthy.

For the study, published in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE on July 2, men who were at risk of developing prostate cancer ate either 400g of broccoli or 400g of peas per week in addition to their normal diet over 12 months. Tissue samples were taken from their prostate gland before the start of the trial and after 6 and 12 months, and the expression of every gene measured using Affymetrix microarray technology.

It was found that there were more changes in gene expression in men who were on the broccoli-rich diet than on the pea diet, and these changes may be associated with the reduction in the risk of developing cancer, that has been reported in epidemiological studies......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

June 17, 2008, 9:48 PM CT

Pinpointing Prostate Cancer Recurrence

A simple blood test may help doctors better predict whether prostate cancer will recur or spread in patients who have undergone surgery for the disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have found.

As per a research findings reported in the June 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, UT Southwestern researchers identified a panel of seven biomarkers that can predict with 86 percent accuracy which patients with prostate cancer will experience a recurrence and progression of the disease. Biomarkers are proteins circulating in a patient's blood that are specific to a disease.

Current risk assessment methods, which include stage and grade of cancer and the level of prostate-specific antigen, can predict prostate cancer recurrence with about 70 percent accuracy.

"There are several unresolved issues in the clinical and surgical management of prostate cancer, one of them being the identification of men who have insignificant cancers and can be followed, and another being the identification of men most likely to have spread of disease and early or late recurrence," said Dr. Claus Roehrborn, chairman of urology at UT Southwestern and one of the study's authors. "In the future, once we can reliably identify those patients, we may be able to offer additional therapy to counteract that risk and give those men a better chance for a permanent cure. The panel of biomarkers is an important step in this direction"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

June 10, 2008, 10:19 PM CT

'Addicted' cells provide early cancer diagnosis

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research have detected subtle changes that may make the bowel more vulnerable to the development of tumours.

With support from the Food Standards Agency and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council they are investigating whether diet could control these changes and delay or reverse the onset of cancer.

"We looked at changes in 18 genes that play a role in the very earliest stages of colorectal cancer," says Professor Ian Johnson at the Institute of Food Research.

"We detected clear chemical differences in these genes in otherwise normal tissue in cancer patients.

"This represents a new way to identify defects that could eventually lead to cancer".

All cells carry a complete set of instructions for the whole organism in their nuclear DNA, but to define the specialised structure and functions of each particular cell type, genes must be switched on or firmly off, over the course of the cell's life-cycle.

One of the mechanisms controlling the activities of the genes in a cell is the "epigenetic code", a set of chemical tags attached to the DNA molecule, marking individual genes for expression, or for silence. It is well known that the abnormal behaviour of cancer cells is partly due to mistakes in this epigenetic code, some of which switch on genes for growth, whilst others switch off genes that would otherwise cause abnormal cells to destroy themselves......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

May 22, 2008, 10:28 PM CT

Stabilizing cancer-fighting p53

HOUSTON - Efforts to protect the tumor-suppressor p53 could just as easily shelter a mutant version of the protein, causing cancer cells to thrive and spread rather than die, as per research by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center published in the current issue of the journal Genes and Development.

"As we develop therapies to restore the function of p53, we need to make sure we first know what version of this gene is present in a patient's tumor and then decide how to treat it," said senior author Guillermina Lozano, Ph.D., professor and chair of M. D. Anderson's Department of Cancer Genetics.

The research shows that attempting to restore normal expression of p53 protein by blocking another protein that normally degrades p53 can have the perverse effect of protecting mutated p53 and promoting metastasis.

The p53 gene is inactivated in a number of types of cancer. Its normal role is to halt the division of a defective cell and then force the cell to kill itself or deprive the cell of its ability to reproduce. As such, reactivation of p53 is thought to have great therapeutic potential.

Normally, p53 levels are low, but it springs into action in response to DNA damage or activation of cancer-promoting genes, or oncogenes......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

May 22, 2008, 10:14 PM CT

OHSU Discovery May Lead to Early Cancer Detection

OHSU pancreas cancer expert Brett Sheppard, M.D., and his colleagues in the OHSU Oregon Stem Cell Center, have developed antibodies that recognize pancreas cancer; Sheppard is presenting these findings this week during Digestive Disease Week in San Diego.

This week scientists in the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Oregon Stem Cell Center and the OHSU Digestive Health Center are shining a new ray of hope on patients with pancreas cancer. They've developed new reagents, or antibodies, that can recognize this often lethal disease. This important discovery may one day lead to earlier detection and therapy.

The new antibodies recognize a small number of normal pancreas cells, specifically cells involved in the transport of enzymes out of the pancreas, but recognize a number of more cells in pancreas cancer tissue. In addition to recognizing pancreas cancer, these antibodies recognize gastrointestinal cancers.

"The next step is to use these antibodies in a sensitive screening test to determine their full potential in diagnosis of this devastating disease," said Brett Sheppard, M.D., study co-investigator and pancreas cancer surgeon in the OHSU Digestive Health Center.

Sheppard, who also is professor and vice chairman of surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine and member of the OHSU Cancer Institute, will present these findings this week at Digestive Disease Week 2008 (Abstract No. 1838: "Development of Monoclonal Antibodies to Aid in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer")......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

May 18, 2008, 9:42 PM CT

M. D. Anderson nurse addresses lymphedema

A poster session presented today by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the Oncology Nurses Society 33rd Annual Congress, observed that early nursing intervention and implementation of effective strategies can lead to a decrease in the occurence rate of lymphedema, better management of chronic lymphedema and improved quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

The literature review, led by Mattie J. Sennett McDowell, RN, BSN, a research nurse in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at M. D. Anderson, examined 20 years of data about the prevention, management and care of upper extremity lymphedema (ULE), or lymphedema that occurs in the arms, in patients with breast cancer. The goal of the review was to identify a comprehensive list of existing evidenced-based strategies that nurses and hospitals can use in caring for their patients.

"Women are living longer as breast cancer therapys get better, but at the same time, they face more devastating side effects like lymphedema," McDowell said. "So a number of women present with the symptoms, yet it is understudied and not well understood. More can to be done to proactively recognize and address lymphedema in patients with breast cancer."

ULE is an often a distressing and debilitating side effect of breast cancer therapy in which protein-rich fluid in the tissue of the arms accumulates and obstructs the lymph vessels. As per the National Lymphedema Network, approximately 15 to 20 percent of all patients with breast cancer are affected by ULE. Its development can be triggered by breast cancer diagnostic procedures, radiation, surgery or environmental factors. It also can can occur immediately after therapy or a number of years down the road. ULE, which can make simple tasks such as picking up children, getting dressed or exercising painful, has a detrimental impact on the patient's quality of life......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

May 13, 2008, 7:56 PM CT

Chemical Compound Prevents Cancer In Lab

While researching new ways to stop the progression of cancer, scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, have discovered a compound that has shown to prevent cancer in the laboratory.

The compound, which still faces several rounds of clinical trials, successfully stopped normal cells from turning into cancer cells and inhibited the ability of tumors to grow and form blood vessels. If proved to be successful tests continue, scientists eventually hope to create a daily pill that would be taken as a cancer preventive.

"This compound was effective against the 12 types of cancers that it was tested on," said Doris Benbrook, Ph.D., principle investigator and researcher at the OU Cancer Institute. "Even more promising for health care is that it prevents the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells and is therefore now being developed by the National Cancer Institute as a cancer prevention drug".

The synthetic compound, SHetA2, a Flex-Het drug, directly targets abnormalities in cancer cell components without damaging normal cells. The disruption causes cancer cells to die and keeps tumors from forming.

Flex-Hets or flexible heteroarotinoids are synthetic compounds that can change certain parts of a cell and affect its growth. Among the diseases and conditions being studied for therapy with Flex-Hets are polycystic kidney disease, kidney cancer and ovary cancer......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

April 30, 2008, 6:06 PM CT

'Destruct' triggers may be jammed in tumor cells

Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida researchers writing in a recent issue of Developmental Cell.

Researchers studying fruit fly cells discovered that slight changes in the protein scaffolds that support the genes reaper and hid aptly named for their roles in triggering cell death cause the cells to become naturally resistant to X-rays during early development.

It turns out that a piece of DNA that is mandatory for mediating this process of cell death is blocked, said Lei Zhou, Ph.D., an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the UF College of Medicine. When it is blocked, the cells just dont die, even when subjected to heavy doses of radiation. This may be what is happening in some resistant cancer cells. The pro-apoptotic genes cannot be induced to cause cell death.

The study may be the first to link apoptosis, the gene-driven process that leads to the necessary destruction of old, damaged, or infected cells, with epigenetics the study of how gene function changes even when the genes themselves dont change.

Researchers think that defects in cell death regulation may be responsible for tumor formation and the spread of cancer, because the cells escape the safeguards that normally clean up cancerous cells......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

April 22, 2008, 9:05 PM CT

Cells on the Road to Cancer

Using a common virus as a tool for investigating abnormal cell proliferation, a team led by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has succeeded in clarifying an intricate series of biochemical steps that shed light on a way that cancer can begin.

The team's findings are the latest in a long and distinguished line of research at CSHL involving adenovirus, a type of virus that causes the common cold in people, but whose genome contains known oncogenes -- genes whose expression can promote cancer under certain conditions.

"Adenovirus carries many cooperating genes that modulate cell growth in ways we're interested in," said William Tansey, Ph.D., who, along with CSHL professors Scott Lowe, Ph.D., and Gregory Hannon, Ph.D., is one of the team's co-leaders and corresponding author of a paper would be published April 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Other team members include molecular biologists from Stony Brook University in New York.

Using a Tumor Virus to Illuminate Function

The team focused on an adenoviral oncogene called E1A, and a protein that it codes for with the same name. "Both have received a great deal of attention over the years," said Dr. Tansey, "and to understand why, it helps to understand why viruses -- in this case, adenovirus, a DNA tumor virus -- is useful to us. We use them as you would use a flashlight, to illuminate important processes inside the cell that help us understand what goes awry in oncogenesis"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

April 21, 2008, 9:11 PM CT

Obesity, inactivity as common among cancer survivors

EdmontonNew research supported by the Canadian Cancer Society shows that a number of cancer survivors in Canada are overweight and inactive, which could put them at risk for health problems, including their cancer returning.

These findings tell us that we need to look at ways to better support cancer survivors to become more active and to maintain a healthy body weight, says Dr. Kerry Courneya, professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and affiliated scientist with the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation. We know that physical inactivity and obesity are risk factors for developing cancer. These are also risk factors for the recurrence of cancer. Lifestyle is just as important after diagnosis.

"A cancer diagnosis can have a profound effect on people and their families, says Heather Chappell, senior manager of Cancer Control Policy at the Canadian Cancer Society. These important findings will help in developing ways to provide effective support for cancer patients. Even small changes can make a difference for patients, such as including a moderate amount of exercise and healthy eating in their therapy and recovery period, if and when they can.

Dr. Courneya and his research team analyzed data from a 2005 Community Health Survey of more than 114,000 adults. The studythe first of its kind in Canadapublished recently in the journal Cancer, showed that:........ Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source