Cancer News

Coffee and Sodas Don't Boost Colon Cancer

2010-05-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

You can keep on chugging coffee without worrying about whether your java will increase your risk of colon cancer, according to new research.

The same appears true for soda, while in the study tea was tied to a small increase in risk of the common cancer. However, that finding could have been due to chance, the researchers say.

Colon cancer rates vary as much as 25-fold between countries, and scientists believe lifestyle differences could be involved. Coffee and tea, for example, contain a mixture of substances that may prevent or promote cancer. The question has been, which ones get the last word?

"Cutting down or removing sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet was viewed as a major target for preventing major cancers," noted Dr. Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, who was not involved in the study.

Pooling data from several earlier studies, Harvard researchers followed some 700,000 people for up to 20 years after they had reported their dietary habits.

Fewer than one in a hundred developed colon cancer, and neither coffee nor soft drinks influenced that rate appreciably.

"Drinking coffee, even more than six cups a day, was not associated with risk of colon cancer," said Dr. Xuehong Zhang of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study. The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, square with earlier research for coffee.

Soft drinks have been tied to increases in risk factors for colon cancer, such as obesity and diabetes, but there had been little direct research of the subject. The new findings should be interpreted with caution, Zhang said, because very few people drank high amounts of soft drinks, or more than 18 ounces per day.

Another limitation is that adults usually drink fewer soft drinks than children. "Intake of sweetened beverages may need to be assessed earlier in life," Cynthia A. Thomson and Maria Elena Martinez, of the University of Arizona, noted in an editorial accompanying the findings.

For the heaviest tea drinkers, who drank at least four cups a day, the risk of developing colon cancer rose by 28 percent, on average. However, that link could be due to chance, or factors that the researchers didn't measure --whether or not people put sugar and milk in their tea, or had pastries with it, for example.

"The relationship between tea and colon cancer is unclear for the time being," said Zhang.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online May 7, 2010.

Polymer pill the best method to improve lung cancer diagnosis

2010-04-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

Diagnosis of lung cancer would soon become more effective, thanks to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who claim that a polymer pill is the best method for tumour detection.

The researchers found ways both to increase the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scans and to lessen the amount of time necessary to perceive telltale changes in lung tissue.

For years, radiologists have determined the size of potentially cancerous lung nodules by measuring the largest distance across them as displayed on a computer screen in two dimensions.

A method called RECIST is widely used for this purpose, but some members of the research community have suggested that three-dimensional analysis, or volumetrics, may provide a better way to determine the size of the nodules.

Recently, researchers quantified this improvement-volumetrics could allow physicians to notice volume changes that are up to 10 times smaller than RECIST can, potentially cutting diagnosis time from six months to four weeks-a critical difference in terms of a patient's chance of survival.

CT scans combine a series of X-ray views taken from many different angles to produce cross-sectional images of the body, but there are several approaches to interpreting scan data.

Thus, NIST's Zachary Levine set out to determine which was best by creating a set of reference objects that could mimic potential lung tumours.

His team measured 283 polymer-silicate ellipsoids of precise volume that resemble pills ranging from four to 11 mm in diameter.

"For diagnosis in the earliest stage of cancer, other studies have shown this is the size of nodule you want to be looking at," said Levine.

The team encased the mimics in foam rubber and put them into layered racks of a box akin to one that holds fishing tackle.

Because foam appears transparent to the CT reconstruction, in a scan the denser mimics look very much like tumours.

The team was then able to compare their ellipsoids' known volumes with what the volumetrics and RECIST methods indicated from the scan data.

"We found that volumetrics allows you to notice volume changes that are a factor of 10 smaller than RECIST can with a similar level of confidence. This implies that you could notice life-threatening changes from a follow-up scan performed only weeks after the first, instead of months," said Levine.

Levine has warned that cancers often grow in strange shapes not resembling elliptical pills which can make a diagnosis more difficult, but that the study was a good start toward improving data interpretation.

"Our work only applies to the simplest of cases, but it's still a large class of lung cancers," he said. (ANI)

Five Minute Colon Cancer Test Could Reduce Death Rate From The Disease

2010-04-29T04:50:00.000-07:00

A five minute colon cancer test can greatly reduce the amount of people that end up dying from the disease, say the researchers of a new study.

The researchers from the UK, say that colon cancer is the third most common cancer to be diagnosed world wide, resulting in more than 600,000 people dying annually from the disease.

Like many other types of cancer, the earlier that colon cancer is detected, the better the prognosis is for the patient.

Many potential patients are unwilling to get screened for colon cancer because it is in a part of their body that is not one they like other people poking around in, which is why so many cases are not diagnosed in their early stage.

According to the british researchers, screening people between 55 and 64 years of age would reduce the rate of death from colorectal cancer by as much as 43 percent.

The five minute test involves inserting a small camera into the rectum to examine tissue of the colon to look for abnormal cell growth.

The study can be found in the Lancet medical journal. source: dbtechno.com

Breakthrough in Predicting Invasive Breast Cancer

2010-04-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

Dian Gilmore and Mary D'Innocenzo are two women who faced life-altering decisions after the very earliest stage of breast cancer was detected on their mammograms.

Gilmore, 66, chose a lumpectomy to remove just the tumor.

"I honestly felt that after the surgery had taken place that they had gotten the cancer," Gilmore said.

D'Innocenzo, 38, chose to have a double mastectomy.

"It wasn't supposed to happen to me," D'Innocenzo said.

It was the same diagnosis, but dramatically different choices, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. It's a dilemma facing all women diagnosed with a breast cancer called non-invasive ductal carcinoma (DCIS), because it may not necessarily be deadly.

It makes up about one in five breast cancer cases in this country, striking about 53,000 women last year alone.

In DCIS, the abnormal breast cells are confined to the lining of the milk ducts. They don't cause any serious harm until they break through the lining and become invasive. DCIS is picked up by mammography, but the mammogram can't tell you which cancers will never progress, and which ones will become life threatening.

A new test was announced today by the University of California, San Francisco. It analyzes certain characteristics of biopsied breast tissue -- called biomarkers -- to predict which women with DCIS are more likely to develop invasive cancer over eight years.

"This test is the first one that gives us -- that begins to give us -- that ability," said professor and study author Thea Thlsty.

To see who is most at risk, researchers followed more than 1,100 women with DCIS, treated with a lumpectomy alone. The highest-risk women had about a 20 percent chance. The lowest risk patients had less than a 5 percent chance -- only slightly more than that of an average 60-year-old woman.

"What these markers allow the women and clinician to do, is to stratify risk- to identify that woman who has a high probability of having a future tumor so that she can chose an aggressive treatment," Tlsty said.

This new test could also spare women at lowest risk from an aggressive treatment they don't need.

"It would be wonderful to say to these patients, just a surgical lumpectomy is enough for you. You don't need to do more," said Dr. Freya Schnabel, the director of breast surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center.

This is a promising new test but it's not widely available yet. There still needs to be more research. source: CBS News

Camera screens can slash colon cancer deaths

2010-04-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

Screening 55 to 64-year-olds with an examination of the lower colon and rectum using a small camera can cut death rates from colorectal cancer by 43 percent, according to British scientists.

Health

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide, accounting for more than a million cases and around 600,000 deaths every year.

Beating the disease is strongly linked to how early it is detected, with survival rates of around 90 percent for cancers that are found early and have not spread.

Many developed countries have introduced screening programmes using a fecal occult blood test, which can detect early cases and reduce death rates by around 15 percent.

But Wendy Atkin from Imperial College London and Jane Wardle from University College London said their study showed more lives, and money, could be saved if screening used sigmoidoscopy -- a small, flexible camera that is inserted into the rectum.

"Economic analyses suggest ... a once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screen at age 55 or 60 years would be cost saving, largely because of the avoided costs of treatment," they wrote.

Some of the newest drugs in colon cancer -- such as Roche's Avastin, Vectibix from Amgen, and Erbitux from Merck KGaA -- can cost thousands of euros a month.

Atkin said in a telephone interview her conclusion that sigmoidoscopy screening would save money was based on previous studies showing it was cost effective in preventing the need to treat so many patients with such expensive medicines.

"There's a real problem about the affordability of these drugs," she said. "But one way to make them more available is to reduce the numbers who develop these cancers with screening."

Cancer screening programmes in developed nations have come under close scrutiny in recent months with some European studies suggesting national breast cancer screening programmes do little to reduce death rates and research in the United States showing that prostate cancer screens lead to widespread overdiagnosis.

Commenting on the study, which was published in The Lancet medical journal, David Ransohoff of the University of North Carolina said the findings showed that for this test and this type of cancer, screening appeared to be well worth while.

"The good news is that this size of benefit is large for any cancer screening test, certainly compared with mammography for breast cancer or assay of prostate-specific antigen (PSA tests) for prostate cancer," he wrote.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 170,000 men and women from 1994 to 1999 at 14 health centers across Britain and then followed the patients' progress.

Most colorectal cancers start from adenomas, often symptomless growths that develop in 20 to 30 percent of the population. Two-thirds of colorectal cancers and adenomas are in the rectum and lower colon, which can be detected early by flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Among those who attended screening, rates of colorectal cancer were cut by 33 percent and death rates from the disease were cut by 43 percent, they said. This means one colorectal cancer death is prevented for every 489 people screened. source:reuters

Some scientists link cell phone use to brain cancer

2009-12-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Before cell phones became available, Karen Walker-McClure, 61, remembers her daughter calling her on a pay phone during an emergency.

"There is a huge advantage of children owning cell phones because you have immediate contact if something goes wrong," said Walker-McClure, who is the pastor of Russell Chapel C.M.E. Church.

Nowadays, however, Walker-McClure is not so sure. "My granddaughter has a cell phone, and my daughter and I talk about the risks."

The risk Walker-McClure refers to is the radiation given off by cell phones. However, not everyone agrees on the effect of cell-phone radiation, if any, or the level that might lead to cancerous tumors.

The Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the Federal Communications Commission agree that if radiation from cell phones poses a risk of brain cancer, it is small. The American Cancer Society's Web site says not enough time or research has been devoted to cell phones to reach a conclusion.

But, Lloyd Morgan, chief author of the report "Cell Phones and Brain Tumors — 15 Reasons for Concern," says that if studies funded by the telecommunications industry were removed, the evidence shows that cell phones are causing brain tumors. The study was released in August by International EMF Collaborative, a peer-reviewed journal.

Renee Sharp, director of California offices for the Environmental Working Group, agreed that there is clearly a funding bias, and the industry is more likely to show there is not a link.

"This is definitely a concern of ours, but I would not go as far to say if they were removed there would be definitive answers because brain tumors have a long latency period," Sharp said. The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit environmental organization that specializes in environmental research and advocacy.

On Dec. 3, a study was published by four Scandinavian countries in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It indicated that there does not appear to be a link between cell phones and brain tumors.

That study is less helpful than it appears, Sharp said, because it only looks at people who have used cell phones for 10 years or less.

"I do not blame the researchers because they had to follow the study's protocol," Morgan said. "The protocol is the problem."

Earlier this year, however, a Swedish study found that cancer risk increases after more than 10 years of cell phone use. It found for every 100 hours of cell phone use, the risk of brain cancer increased by 5 percent.

The Cellular Telephone Industry Association represents many types of wireless devices and lobbies the U.S. government, representing the interests of the telecommunications industry. Spokesman John Walls said in an e-mail the association is not a scientific organization, but it follows scientific studies and the views of health organizations.

"The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk," Walls said. "In addition, there is no known mechanism for microwave energy within the limits established by the Federal Communications Commission to cause any adverse health effects."

One potential problem with the research on the possible link between cell phones and cancer is that the studies are retrospective. That means people who have tumors may exaggerate or misremember information about their cell phone usage, according to research published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environment Epidemiology.

In 1993, Congress asked the cell phone industry to study cell phone safety because of a lawsuit filed by David Reynard against a cell phone manufacturer. Reynard’s wife, Susan, died of a brain tumor, and he blamed cell phones for her death.

The $28 million study that resulted is commonly known as the Interphone study. The conclusion was that there is no significant increased risk of brain tumors for exposure to cell-phone radiation.

More than 4 billion people around the world use cell phones. The technology is only about 20 years old, making long-term health risks difficult to assess.

Morgan said he believes cell phone use will lead to a "pandemic" of brain tumors. "If only 10 percent of cell phone users were affected, that would mean 400 million cases," Morgan said. "Hospitals need to plan for long-term pandemics instead of short-term things like the flu. There will not be enough neurosurgeons to save everyone.”

The German government has a Web site that lists cell phone radiation levels, Sharp said.

"The U.S. has been very silent on the matter; they pretty much just say that cell phones are safe," Sharp said.

A few European governments have publicized possible side effects from cell phone use and are considering legislation that would restrict use, especially among children.

San Francisco's mayor recently proposed making the city the first in the country to require radiation labels for cell phones by requiring retailers to put radiation levels next to each phone in a font at least as large as the price.

At Environmental Working Group, everyone uses a headset or holds the phone away from their head, press associate Leeann Brown said.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Working Group wants the U.S. government to update its cell phone exposure limits. The advocacy group believes that cell phone boxes should be labeled with radiation emissions rather than putting the information in manuals.

In September, the Environmental Working Group analyzed the radiation given off by more than 1,000 models of cell phones and published the information on its Web site along with a list of the 10 best and worst phones on the market.

The  phone  with  the lowest  radiation  was  the  Samsung  Impression sold by AT&T. The phone that made the worst impression was the  Motorola  MOTO  VU 204 sold  by  Verizon  Wireless.

"I was grateful that my phone was better ranked," Brown said. "Like many consumers, when I bought it I was just looking for the cheapest phone."

Walker-McClure also uses a hands-free device to talk on her Blackberry.

Vinay Atluri, 34, works at Ultimate Cellular (T-Mobile) in the Columbia Mall. He said costumers frequently ask whether cell phones give off harmful radiation. He's looked at some of the studies and found that he cannot come to a final conclusion because of the polarized debate.

Atluri said he spends about three to four hours a day on his cell phone.

"It scares me to think about the amount of time we are spending on cell phones," Atluri said. "The U.S. government should limit cell phone plans or maybe give a heavy charge for using too much time on your cell phone."

Morgan and the Environmental Working Group want to spread awareness about the possible problems with cell phones, so people can make an informed decision.

“I do not own a cell phone. My son, who is in medical school, uses his phone like an answering machine. He keeps it off until he needs to check his messages or in case of emergencies,” Morgan said.

“We don’t need to get rid of cell phones," Morgan said. "But the way they are being used is ghastly."

"The truth is that the jury is still out," Brown said. "We have looked at over 200 studies and found that there is enough science for users to use caution and to merit the research." source:Columbia Missourian

Radiation Therapy

2009-12-11T23:21:00.000-08:00

Radiation therapy for cancer treatment:

Radiation therapy (also called therapeutic radiology or radiation oncology) uses special kinds of energy waves or particles to fight cancer. Like surgery, radiation therapy is used in several ways depending on the type and location of the cancer. Certain levels of radiation work to destroy cancer cells or prevent cells from growing or reproducing. This treatment may provide a cure for cancer, control the disease, or help relieve its symptoms.

Although each hospital may have specific protocols, radiation therapy usually begins with these procedures:

Simulation process

After a physical examination and a review of your medical history, your treatment team "maps" out the position you will be in for each treatment and the exact location on your body (referred to as treatment field or port) where the radiation will be given (the simulation process). Sometimes, the area on your body that requires treatment will be marked to make sure radiation is given properly. The treatment team may also make molds, headrests, or other devices that help to position you during your treatment. Imaging studies may also be performed during the simulation process to help plan how to direct the radiation during your treatments.

Treatment plan

Once the simulation process is completed, the radiation oncologist will determine your treatment plan, including the type of machine to use, the amount of radiation that is needed, and the number of treatments that will be given.

What are the different types of radiation therapy?

Radiation therapy is given through different methods, depending on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer, and the patient's health. Sometimes, radiation therapy is used in combination with other treatments. The following are some of the different types of radiation therapy with brief explanations of their goals:

External radiation (external beam therapy)

With external radiation (external beam therapy), radiation is administered by a large machine that points the energy waves directly at the tumor. The radiation therapist controls the machine. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells, special shields may be made to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area. Radiation treatments are painless and usually last a few minutes.

Internal radiation (brachytherapy, implant radiation)

With internal radiation (brachytherapy, implant radiation), a high dose of radiation is given inside the body as close to the cancer as possible. The radiation treatment may be swallowed, injected, or implanted directly into the tumor. Some of the radioactive implants are called “seeds” or “capsules”. Internal radiation involves administering a higher dose of radiation in a shorter time span when compared with external radiation. Some internal radiation treatments stay in the body temporarily; other internal treatments stay in the body permanently, although the radioactive substance loses its radiation within a short period of time. In some cases, both internal and external radiation therapies are used.

Surgery

2009-12-11T23:20:00.001-08:00

Why surgery for cancer treatment?

According to the American Cancer Society, surgery is the oldest form of cancer treatment. Surgery is used in cancer treatment for several purposes:

Preventive

To remove tissue that does not yet contain cancer cells, but has the probability of becoming cancerous in the future. This may also be referred to as prophylactic surgery.

Diagnostic

To remove samples of tissue from a suspicious area for testing and evaluation (in a laboratory by a pathologist) to confirm a diagnosis, identify the type of cancer, or determine the stage of the cancer.

Curative

To remove or destroy cancerous tissue, which may include removal of some tissue around the tumor and nearby lymph nodes.

Surgery may also be performed for:

Palliative purposes - To relieve discomfort.

Supportive purposes - To allow for placement of a device that will aid in the delivery of medications.

Restorative or reconstructive purposes - To repair or replace damaged or destroyed areas of the body.

What types of surgery are used in the treatment of cancer?

Examples of types of surgical procedures used to diagnose or destroy cancerous tissue include:

Biopsy - removal of sample of tissue via a hollow needle or scalpel.

Endoscopy - use of a very flexible tube with a lens or camera (and a light on the end), which is connected to a computer screen, allowing the physician to see inside the hollow organs, such as the bladder. Biopsy samples can be taken through the tube.

Laparoscopy - use of a viewing tube with a lens or camera (and a light on the end), which is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen to examine the contents of the abdomen and remove tissue samples.

laparotomy - a surgical procedure that involves an incision from the upper to lower abdomen; often used when making a diagnosis by less invasive tests is difficult.

Laser surgery - use of a powerful beam of light, which can be directed to specific parts of the body without making a large incision, to destroy abnormal cells.

Cryosurgery - use of liquid nitrogen, or a probe that is very cold, to freeze and kill cancer cells.

Electrosurgery - use of high-frequency electrical currents to destroy cancer cells.

Excisional - cutting away cancerous tissue with a scalpel or other instruments to completely remove it and possibly some surrounding tissue. There are many types of excisional surgeries, each named for the particular area of the body in which they are performed or the particular purpose for which they are performed.

Bone Cancer Treatments

2009-12-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

Bone cancer treatment depends on the cancer stage and location, tumor size, the patient's age and general health state, and can include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

Surgery is a very important part of treatment and is used to remove the tumour in the bone. If surgery is not possible then radiotherapy, which is particularly effective in Ewing's sarcoma, may be used instead.

There are two main surgeries performed in bone cancer patients:

1. Treatment type surgery, which includes limb-salvage surgery, amputation, curettage and cryosurgery.

Limb-salvage surgery: This is a complex surgery where the cancer is removed preserving the bone's limb, tendons, nerves and blood vessels. The removed bone is replaced with a bone graft or artificial replacement - endoprosthesis (an internal prosthesis from metal or similar materials).

The side effects of this surgery are infections, and grafts or rods that break or get loose. Few others surgeries are needed in the following 5 years, and eventually, some patients may need bone amputation.

A patient with limb-salvage surgery needs one year to recuperate and has to participate actively in his own rehabilitation in order to make the bone (especially the arm or leg bone) functional again.

Amputation: This is another types of surgery where the tumor is removed with the bone to stop the cancer from spreading. Usually, amputation is chosen when the tumor has spread to the bone's nerves and blood vessels, and the limb cannot be saved. During the surgery, the doctor constructs a cuff from the muscles and skin to protect and cover the amputated bone. The removed bone is than replaced with a prosthesis limb. Amputee patients need to recuperate with special physical therapy.

Curettage: This is a medical procedure where the tumor is "scooped out" from the bone without removing the surrounding bone. Usually, the area is then treated to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

Cryosurgery: This is a type of curettage procedure where the tumor is removed without the bone, and the tumor cavity is treated with liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen freezes the tumor cavity which kills the remaining cancerous cells. The frozen bone is re-stabilized by filling the tumor cavity with cement, bone grafts or rods and screws to prevent a future bone fracture. This procedure decreases the chance for the bone cancer to reoccur.

2. Reconstructive surgery, which includes rotatinoplasty.

Rotatinoplasty is a reconstructive surgery used when amputation was performed on:

1). The mid-thigh leg bone - the lower leg and the foot are rotated and reattached to the thigh bone, and the ankle functions as a knee joint. After the surgery, the patient's leg is extended with a prosthetic device.

2). The upper arm bone - the lower arm is reattached to the amputated bone, and the patient will have a shorter but functional arms.

3). The lower jaw bone - the entire lower half of the jaw bone is removed and later replaced with a bone from other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy is an important treatment for most people with osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma. It is often given before surgery and may shrink large tumours enough to avoid amputation (removal of the limb). More chemotherapy is given after the surgery.

Some of the chemotherapy drugs used in bone cancer treatment are: doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cisplatin (carboplatin), etoposide, ifosfamide, cyclophosphamide.

Chemotherapy has several side effects which include:

Nausea and vomiting
Mouth sores (chemotherapy can cause sore sensations in your mouth and small ulcers can develop).
Hair loss (chemotherapy do not only attach and kill cancerous cells, it also kills healthy cells causing you hair to fall out.)
Bruising and bleeding (after minor injuries)
Anemia
Low resistance to infections
Tiredness

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is another bone cancer treatment, and uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancerous cells. Bone cancer patients receive radiation therapy: 1). in addition to surgery (as a adjuvant treatment - to enhance the results of the surgery by destroying possible cancerous cells that could have been left behind and reducing the risk of cancer relapse), 2). before surgery (as a neoadjuvant treatment - to reduce the size of the tumor) or 3). as a primary treatment (when the cancer spread to other organs and cannot be removed surgically, or to relieve the cancer symptoms).

There are two types of radiation therapy:

1. External-Beam Radiation Therapy is a common form of treatment used in bone cancer patient. It uses an external device called linear accelerator to generate high-energy rays that focuses on the targeted area. External beam radiation can be administrated before or after surgery.

2. Internal Beam Radiation Therapy or Brachytherapy uses small radioactive pellets (needles, seed, wires or catheters) implanted into the affected area. This treatment can be administrated 1) during surgery (when the doctor inserts few catheters in the tumor cavity with radioactive seeds) or 2) after surgery (the catheters are inserted during surgery in the tumor cavity, but the radioactive "seeds" are received a few days after surgery). In both cases, when the treatment is completed, the catheters and radioactive seeds are removed.

Radiation therapy has a number of side effects. These include: skin pain, red skin, itching and burning skin sensations, desquamation (the exterior layer of the skin sheds), atrophy (the skin tissues die), low blood counts, swallowing problems, nausea and vomiting, and hair loss. These side effects depend on the area of the body where the radiation therapy is administrated, the radiation dose, and the number of radiation sessions needed.

Bone Cancer Tests and Diagnosis

2009-12-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

If your doctor suspects you have bone cancer, he or she will take a medical history and perform a physical exam. In addition, the following tests help in diagnosing bone cancer:

The following tests may be used to diagnose a bone cancer:

Bone x-rays - are the simplest way of diagnosing bone cancer and telling whether the cancer has started in the bone (primary bone cancer) or has spread into the bone from a cancer elsewhere in the body (a secondary bone cancer). Sometimes the x-rays give a characteristic picture that helps the doctor to diagnose a particular type of bone cancer. This is often the case for osteosarcoma. More commonly, however, if cancer is present, the x-rays will show either an area of bone that has been destroyed by cancer or an overgrowth of new bone cells around the cancer.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan - This test uses magnetism to build up a detailed picture of areas of your body.

During the test you will be asked to lie very still on a couch inside a long tube for about 30 minutes. It is painless but can be slightly uncomfortable, and some people feel a bit claustrophobic during the scan. It is also noisy, but you will be given ear plugs or headphones.

Some people are given an injection of dye into a vein in the arm, but this does not usually cause any discomfort.

Bone scan - This is a more sensitive test than a simple x-ray and shows up any abnormal areas of bone more clearly.

A small amount of radioactive substance is injected into a vein, usually in your arm. Abnormal bone absorbs more radioactivity than normal bone, so these areas are highlighted and picked up by the scanner as 'hot spots'.

There is generally a wait of approximately 2–3 hours between having the injection and the scan itself, so you may like to take a magazine or book with you to pass the time.

The level of radioactivity used in the scan is very small and does not cause any harm to your body.

Even if an abnormality is detected on the bone scan, it is not always clear whether it is caused by cancer or by another condition such as arthritis. Sometimes a CT or MRI scan may help the doctors to decide whether the changes seen on a bone scan are caused by secondary bone cancer or another condition.

Core needle biopsy - A biopsy is often needed, as x-rays and bone scans cannot always show if a tumour is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). When the cells are looked at under a microscope, the pathologist will be able to tell if the tumour is cancer or not. If the tumour is a cancer, further tests may be done on the sample to try and find out exactly what type of bone cancer it is.

Before the biopsy, a local anaesthetic is injected to numb the area. A special needle is then put into the affected bone to take a sample of cells. Several samples may be taken. If the lump is near the surface of your body and can easily be felt, the doctor will probably just feel it to guide the needle in. If the lump is in a bone deep within the body (such as in the abdomen) or is harder to feel, the doctor will use an ultrasound scan or sometimes a CT scan to see where the needle is going and guide it into the right place. Sometimes, particularly in children, the biopsy is done under a general anaesthetic.

For most people, a needle biopsy will show if the lump is a cancer. Sometimes, not enough cells are collected to get a clear answer, and then an open, or surgical, biopsy will be needed.

Open biopsy - Open biopsy means using a surgical knife (scalpel) to open the area and remove a tissue sample from the lump. If the lump is small enough, the whole of it may be removed. An open biopsy may be done under a local or general anaesthetic. This depends on the position of the lump and how deep it is within the body. If the lump turns out to be benign, you may not need to have any more treatment. If it is cancer, your doctor will talk over the treatment options with you.

In the same way as for a needle biopsy, the sample of cells will be sent to the laboratory so that it can be tested by a pathologist. Often a large number of studies will be done even on a very small sample. It can take from a few days to ten days to get all the results. This can be a very worrying time for you, but it is very important that an accurate diagnosis is made. It may help you to talk about your worries with a partner or close friend, or you may wish to ring our information service or another support organisation for emotional support.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

2009-12-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

Bone cancer symptoms vary depending on the tumor's size and location. The most common symptom is bone pain caused by the tumor's size either because it grows progressively, or because it causes the bone to break. At the beginning, the pain is not constant and can be felt only during night or when the bone is used. As the cancer advances, the pain becomes more constant. The pain becomes more intense when the affected bone is constantly used. For example, if the affected bone is in the leg, the patient will start limping. If the tumor develops in or near the joints, the affected area swells.

Other symptoms of bone cancer may include:

Fatigue
Fever
Weight loss
Anemia

These symptoms are not sure signs of bone cancer. Other, less serious health problems can also cause these symptoms. People with possible symptoms of bone cancer should see a doctor as soon as possible, because only a doctor can diagnose and treat the problem.

What Causes Bone Cancer?

2009-12-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

No one knows the exact causes of bone cancer, and doctors can seldom explain why one person will get bone cancer and another person will not. However, it is clear that this disease is not contagious and no one can "catch" bone cancer from another person. Bone cancer research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the condition. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease. While risk factors do not cause bone cancer, they may act together to increase a person's chances of developing it.

Specific risk factors for bone cancer include:

- Being a child or young adult

- Previous radiation or chemotherapy

- History of Paget's disease

- Family history of bone cancer

- People with hereditary retinoblastoma.

In a few cases, bone cancers may have a hereditary component, such as in:

Li-Fraumeni syndrome. This condition is characterized by an increased risk of many different cancers, including osteosarcoma, breast cancer, brain cancer and others.

Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. This condition causes short stature, skeletal problems and rashes, and increases risk of bone cancer.

Hereditary retinoblastoma. Children with this rare cancer of the eye have an increased risk of osteosarcoma.

Multiple exostoses. Children with this inherited condition that causes cartilage bumps to form on your bones have an increased risk of chondrosarcoma.

The association with radiation

Radiation is occasionally associated with bone cancer. Exposure to radiation from a diagnostic X-ray won't harm you. But heavy doses of radiation, such as radiation therapy given for other cancers, can increase your risk of developing bone cancer, especially if you receive the therapy at a young age.

Still, radiation therapy is becoming more and more sophisticated, which may lead to fewer of such side effects. For example, doctors today are better able to regulate doses of radiation and more precisely target the tumor being treated.

Bone Cancer

2009-12-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

Bone cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells of the bone. It begins when cells in the bone begin to change, grow without control, and no longer die, forming a mass called a tumor. Bone tumors occur most commonly in children and adolescents and are less common in older adults. Cancer involving the bone in older adults is most commonly the result of Metastatic spread from another tumor.

Bone cancer can occur in any of these parts of the bone. A bone tumor can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous, meaning it can spread to other parts of the body). Even though a benign tumor does not spread outside the bone, it can grow large enough to press on surrounding tissues and weaken the bone. A malignant tumor can destroy the cortex (the hard outer portion of the bone) and spread to nearby tissue. If bone tumor cells get into the bloodstream, they can spread to other parts of the body, especially the lungs.

There are two basic groups of bone cancer: Primary, which originates from the bone and Metastatic, which originates from a cancer located in another part of the body, but have migrated to the bone.

There are many different types of bone cancer. The most common bone tumors include Osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma, and chordoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone cancer. It most commonly affects males between 10 and 25 years old, but can less commonly affect older adults. It often occurs in the long bones of the arms and legs at areas of rapid growth around the knees and shoulders of children. This type of cancer is often very aggressive with risk of spread to the lungs. The five-year survival rate is about 65%.

Ewing's sarcoma is the most aggressive bone tumor and affects younger people between 4-15 years of age. It is more common in males and is very rare in people over 30 years old. It most commonly occurs in the middle of the long bones of the arms and legs. The three-year survival rate is about 65%, but this rate is much lower if there has been spread to the lungs or other tissues of the body.

Chondrosarcoma is the second most common bone tumor and accounts for about 25% of all malignant bone tumors. These tumors arise from the cartilage cells and can either be very aggressive or relatively slow-growing. Unlike many other bone tumors, chondrosarcoma is most common in people over 40 years old. It is slightly more common in males and can potentially spread to the lungs and lymph nodes. Chondrosracoma most commonly affects the bones of the pelvis and hips.

The five-year survival for the aggressive form is about 30%, but the survival rate for slow-growing tumors is 90%.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) affects the soft tissues including muscle, ligaments, tendons, and fat. It is the most common soft-tissue malignancy in later adult life, usually occurring in people 50-60 years of age. It most commonly affects the extremities and is about twice as common in males as females. MFH also has a wide range of severity. The overall five-year survival rate is about 35%-60%.

Fibrosarcoma is much more rare than the other bone tumors. It is most common in people 35-55 years of age. It most commonly affects the soft tissues of the leg behind the knee. It is slightly more common in males than females.

Chordoma is a very rare tumor with an average survival of about six years after diagnosis. It occurs in adults over 30 years of age and is about twice as common in males as females. It most commonly affects either the lower or upper end of the spinal column.

To know more about Bone Cancer, select from the topics below:

What is Bone Cancer?

Causes of Bone Cancer

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone Cancer Tests and diagnosis

Bone Cancer Treatment

Common Types of Cancers

2009-12-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

Bone Cancer - Bone cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells of the bone. It begins when cells in the bone begin to change, grow without control, and no longer die, forming a mass called a tumor. Bone tumors occur most commonly in children and adolescents and are less common in older adults. Cancer involving the bone in older adults is most commonly the result of Metastatic spread from another tumor.

Brain Cancer - Brain cancer is a disease of the brain where cancer cells (malignant) grow in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain tissue functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions.

Breast Cancer - Breast cancer is a malignant (cancer) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. It is found mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer, too. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease. Usually breast cancer either begins in the cells of the lobules, which are the milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the passages that drain milk from the lobules to the nipple. Less commonly, breast cancer can begin in the stromal tissues, which include the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast.

Endocrine Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Gynecologic Cancer
Head & Neck Cancer
Leukemia
Lung Cancer
Lymphoma
Multiple Myeloma
Prostate Cancer
Skin Cancer
Soft Tissue Sarcoma

The most common type of cancer on the list is nonmelanoma skin cancer, with more than 1,000,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2008. Nonmelanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in this country.

The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer. The estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2008 is 37,340.

Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For 2008, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 108,070, and the estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 40,740.

Kidney cancers can be divided into two major groups, renal parenchyma cancers and renal pelvis cancers. Approximately 85 percent of kidney cancers develop in the renal parenchyma,2 and nearly all of these cancers are renal cell cancers. The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer for 2008 is 46,232.

Leukemia as a cancer type includes acute lymphoblastic (or lymphoid) leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia, and other forms of leukemia. It is estimated that more than 44,270 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia being the most common type (approximately 15,110 new cases).

Cancer Treatment

2009-12-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

Cancer treatment involves medical procedures to destroy, modify, control, or remove primary, regional, or metastatic cancer tissue. The goals of cancer treatment include eradicating known tumors entirely, preventing the recurrence or spread of the primary cancer, and relieving symptoms if all reasonable curative approaches have been exhausted.

Decisions concerning how to treat a particular cancer are based on many factors. The primary goal is to choose an approach that will remove the tumor, rid the body of wandering cancer cells, and prevent a recurrence.

How is cancer treated?

Specific treatment for cancer will be determined by your physician based on:

Your overall health and medical history

Extent of the disease - type, grade, stage, and location

Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies

Expectations for the course of the disease

Your opinion or preference

What are the standard types of cancer treatment?

Listed below are the conventional, primary methods of treating cancer:

Surgery

Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy

Hormone therapy

Immunotherapy / Biological therapy

Combining two or more treatments

Clinical Trials

Top 10 Foods and Drinks for Cancer Prevention

2009-12-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

Cancer is such a staggering epidemic–the sheer number of people affected by the disease is as heartbreaking as it is mystifying. As we are slowly learning more about the causes, we are beginning to learn more about preventive measures.

In terms of the relationship between diet and cancer, this leads us to lists of what not to eat, as well as the other side of the coin: What we should eat.

In the book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth consider the importance of eating specific foods and drinks for cancer protection. Here’s what they suggest:

1. Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale. These score high for containing many anti-cancer substances, such as isothiocyanates.

2. Globe artichoke for very high levels of salvestrols.

3. Dark greens, such as spinach and romaine lettuce, for their fiber, folate and a wide range of cancer-fighting carotenoids. Other dark colored veggies, too, such as beets and red cabbage.

4. Grapes and red wine, especially for the resveratrol.

5. Legumes: beans, peas and lentils, for the saponins, protease inhibitors and more.

6. Berries, particularly blueberries, for the ellagic acid and anthocyanosides.

7. Flaxseed, especially if you grind it yourself and consume when fresh, for the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, lignans and other “good fats.”

8. Garlic, onions, scallions, leeks and chives, for many anti-cancer substances including allicin.

9. Green tea, for its anti-cancer catechins, a potent anti-oxidant.

10. Tomatoes, for the famous flavenoid lycopene.

Cancer Prevention

2009-12-11T22:58:00.000-08:00

At least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable. Prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer.

Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world today. It causes 80-90% of all lung cancer deaths, and about 30% of all cancer deaths in developing countries, including deaths from cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and stomach. A comprehensive strategy including bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, tax increases on tobacco products, and cessation programmes can reduce tobacco consumption in many countries. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, adopted in May 2003, aims to curb tobacco-related deaths and disease.

Dietary modification is another important approach to cancer control. There is a link between overweight and obesity to many types of cancer such as oesophagus, colorectum, breast, endometrium and kidney. Diets high in fruits and vegetables may have a protective effect against many cancers. Conversely, excess consumption of red and preserved meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, healthy eating habits that prevent the development of diet-associated cancers will also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Regular physical activity and the maintenance of a healthy body weight, along with a healthy diet, will considerably reduce cancer risk. National policies and programmes should be implemented to raise awareness and reduce exposure to cancer risk factors, and to ensure that people are provided with the information and support they need to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Infectious agents are responsible for almost 22% of cancer deaths in the developing world and 6% in industrialized countries. Viral hepatitis B and C cause cancer of the liver; human papilloma virus infection causes cervical cancer; the bacterium Helicobacter pylori increases the risk of stomach cancer. In some countries the parasitic infection schistosomiasis increases the risk of bladder cancer and in other countries the liver fluke increases the risk of cholangiocarcinoma of the bile ducts. Preventive measures include vaccination and prevention of infection and infestation.

Exposure to ionizing radiation is also known to cause to certain cancers. Excessive solar ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of all types of cancer of the skin. Avoiding excessive exposure, use of sunscreen and protective clothing are effective preventive measures.

Asbestos can cause lung cancer; aniline dyes have been linked to bladder cancer; and benzene can lead to leukaemia. The prevention of certain occupational and environmental exposure to these and other chemicals is another important element in preventing cancer.

Cancer Stages

2009-12-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

The stage of a cancer is a descriptor (usually numbers I to IV) of how much the cancer has spread. The stage often takes into account the size of a tumor, how deep it has penetrated, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many lymph nodes it has metastasized to (if any), and whether it has spread to distant organs. Staging of cancer is important because the stage at diagnosis is the most powerful predictor of survival, and treatments are often changed based on the stage.

The concept of stage is applicable to almost all cancers except for most forms of leukemia. Since leukemias involve all of the blood, they are not anatomically localized like other cancers, so the concept of staging doesn't make as much sense for them. A few forms of leukemia do have staging systems which reflect various measures of how advanced the disease is. For most solid tumors, there are two related cancer staging systems, the Overall Stage Grouping, and the TNM system.

Overall Stage Grouping

In this system, cases are grouped into four stages denoted by Roman numerals I through IV, or are classified as "recurrent."

Stage 1 usually means a cancer is relatively small and contained within the organ it started in.

Stage 2 usually means the cancer has not started to spread into surrounding tissue, but the tumour is larger than in stage 1. Sometimes stage 2 means that cancer cells have spread into lymph nodes close to the tumor.

Stage 3 usually means the cancer is larger. It may have started to spread into surrounding tissues and there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the area.

Stage 4 means the cancer has spread from where it started to another body organ – this is also called secondary or metastatic cancer.

TNM Staging

In the TNM system, TNM stands for Tumor, Nodes, and Metastases. Each of these is categorized separately and classified with a number to give the total stage. Thus a T1N1M0 cancer means the patient has a T1 tumor, N1 lymph node involvement, and no distant metastases. Of course the definitions of T, N and M are specific to each cancer, but it is possible to give a general idea of what they mean.

Tumor - Classifies the extent of the primary tumor, and is normally given as T0 through T4. T0 represents a tumor that has not even started to invade the local tissues. This is called "In Situ". T4 on the other hand represents a large primary tumor that has probably invaded other organs by direct extension, and which is usually inoperable.

Lymph Nodes - classifies the amount of regional lymph node involvement. It is important to understand that only the lymph nodes draining the area of the primary tumor are considered in this classification. Involvement of distant lymph nodes is considered to be metastatic disease. The definition of just which lymph nodes are regional depends on the type of cancer. N0 means no lymph node involvement while N4 means extensive involvement. In general more extensive involvement means some combination of more nodes involved, greater enlargement of the involved nodes, and more distant (But still regional) node involvement.

Metastasis - is either M0 if there are no metastases or M1 if there are metastases.As with the other system, the exact definitions for T and N are different for each different kind of cancer.

As you can see, the TNM system is more precise than the I through IV system and certainly has a lot more categories. The two systems are actually related. The I through IV groupings are actually defined using the TNM system. For example, stage II non-small cell lung cancer means a T1 or T2 primary tumor with N1 lymph node involvement, and no metastases (M0).

Symptoms of Cancer

2009-12-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

Cancer is a broad term that encompasses over one hundred different types of cancer. Although each type has its own set of characteristics, there are some cancer symptoms that occur in many types of cancer.

It is important to note that some types of cancer do not present any symptoms until they are in advanced stages. This is why cancer screening and risk assessment are vital for cancer prevention and early detection.

A broad spectrum of non-specific cancer symptoms may include:

Persistent Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the most commonly experienced cancer symptoms. It is usually more common when the cancer is advanced, but still occurs in the early stages of some cancers. Anemia is commonly the culprit -- a condition that is associated with many types of cancer, especially types affecting the bowel. Fatigue is a symptom of both malignant and non-malignant conditions and should be evaluated by a physician.

Unintentional Weight Loss: While it may be a welcome surprise to lose weight without trying, it can be a red flag for many illnesses, including cancer. Losing 10 pounds or more unintentionally definitely warrants a visit to the doctor. This type of weight loss can occur with or without loss of appetite. Remember, weight loss can be a symptom of cancer, but is also a symptom of many other illnesses, too.

Pain Typically, pain is not an early symptom of cancer, except in some cancer types like those that spread to the bone. Pain generally occurs when cancer spreads and begins to affect other organs and nerves.

Lower pack pain is cancer symptom that is associated with ovarian cancer and colon cancer. Shoulder pain can also be a symptom of lung cancer. Pain in the form of headaches can be associated with brain tumors (malignant and benign).

Stomach pains can be related to types of cancer, like stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and many others. Stomach pain can be a very vague symptom because so many illnesses can cause stomach pain.

Fever: A fever is a very non-specific symptom of many mild to severe conditions, including cancer. In relation to cancer, a fever that is persistent or one that comes and goes frequently can signal stress on the immune system. Fevers are commonly associated with types of cancer that affects the blood, like leukemia and lymphoma, but are also common in people whose cancer has spread.

Bowel Changes: If you experience constipation, diarrhea, blood in the stools, gas, thinner stools, or just a general overall change in bowel habits, see your doctor. These symptoms are most commonly associated with colon cancer, but are also related to other cancer types.

Chronic Cough: A persistent, new cough or a cough that won't go away or becomes worse needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Blood and/or mucus may accompany the cough and can be caused many conditions. In relation to cancer, a chronic cough with blood or mucus can be symptom of lung cancer.

Keep in mind that these are very general, vague symptoms of cancer. If you have one or two of these symptoms, it is not a red flag for cancer but more an indication to your doctor to run certain medical tests. The symptoms listed above are experienced by most people with cancer at various stages of their disease, but are also linked to many other non-cancerous conditions.

For more specific cancer symptoms, see below for symptom information about several types of cancer.

Bladder cancer: Blood in the urine, pain or burning upon urination; frequent urination; or cloudy urine

Bladder cancer Pain in the bone or swelling around the affected site; fractures in bones; weakness, fatigue; weight loss; repeated infections; nausea, vomiting, constipation, problems with urination; weakness or numbness in the legs; bumps and bruises that persist

Brain cancer: Dizziness; drowsiness; abnormal eye movements or changes in vision; weakness, loss of feeling in arms or legs or difficulties in walking; fits or convulsions; changes in personality, memory or speech; headaches that tend to be worse in the morning and ease during the day, that may be accompanied by nausea or vomiting

Breast cancer: A lump or thickening of the breast; discharge from the nipple; change in the skin of the breast; a feeling of heat; or enlarged lymph nodes under the arm

Colorectal cancer: Rectal bleeding (red blood in stools or black stools); abdominal cramps; constipation alternating with diarrhea; weight loss; loss of appetite; weakness; pallid complexion

Kidney cancer: Blood in urine; dull ache or pain in the back or side; lump in kidney area, sometimes accompanied by high blood pressure or abnormality in red blood cell count

Leukemia: Weakness, paleness; fever and flu-like symptoms; bruising and prolonged bleeding; enlarged lymph nodes, spleen, liver; pain in bones and joints; frequent infections; weight loss; night sweats

Lung cancer: Wheezing, persistent cough for months; blood-streaked sputum; persistent ache in chest; congestion in lungs; enlarged lymph nodes in the neck

Melanoma: Change in mole or other bump on the skin, including bleeding or change in size, shape, color, or texture

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin; persistent fever; feeling of fatigue; unexplained weight loss; itchy skin and rashes; small lumps in skin; bone pain; swelling in the abdomen; liver or spleen enlargement

Oral cancer: A lump in the mouth, ulceration of the lip, tongue or inside of the mouth that does not heal within a couple of weeks; dentures that no longer fit well; oral pain, bleeding, foul breath, loose teeth, and changes in speech

Ovarian cancer: Abdominal swelling; in rare cases, abnormal vaginal bleeding; digestive discomfort

Pancreatic cancer: Upper abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss; pain near the center of the back; intolerance of fatty foods; yellowing of the skin; abdominal masses; enlargement of liver and spleen

Prostate cancer: Urination difficulties due to blockage of the urethra; bladder retains urine, creating frequent feelings of urgency to urinate, especially at night; bladder not emptying completely; burning or painful urination; bloody urine; tenderness over the bladder; and dull ache in the pelvis or back

Stomach cancer: Indigestion or heartburn; discomfort or pain in the abdomen; nausea and vomiting; diarrhea or constipation; bloating after meals; loss of appetite; weakness and fatigue; bleeding - vomiting blood or blood in the stool

Uterine cancer: Abnormal vaginal bleeding, a watery bloody discharge in postmenopausal women; a painful urination; pain during intercourse; pain in pelvic area

Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk

2009-12-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

Many would disagree but the fact is that carcinogens (substances that cause a normal cell to change into a cancerous cell) creep in unnoticed into one's daily food in many different ways. They could be present in the form of insecticides that fruit and vegetables have been sprayed with; they could be in the form of growth hormones with which cows and pigs have been fattened in commercial farms; they could be in the preservatives and coloring agents added to food or they could occur naturally in the food itself.

About 1,444,920 new cases of cancer were expected to be diagnosed last year–while 559,650 people were expected to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s more than 1,500 people a day. What a startling statistic. Listed within are the 10 Foods and Drinks to Limit or Eliminate:

1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.

2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.

3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added.

4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.

5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.

7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.

8. Excess alcohol.

9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.

10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.

Causes of Cancer

2009-12-11T22:06:00.000-08:00

There are about 200 different types of cancer. They can start in any type of body tissue. What affects one body tissue may not affect another. For example, tobacco smoke that you breathe in may help to cause lung cancer. Overexposing your skin to the sun could cause a melanoma on your leg.

Research shows that certain risk factors increase the chance that a person will develop cancer. These are the most common risk factors for cancer:

1. Growing older - The most important risk factor for cancer is growing older. Most cancers occur in people over the age of 65. But people of all ages, including children, can get cancer, too.

2. Tobacco - Using tobacco products or regularly being around tobacco smoke (environmental or secondhand smoke) increases the risk of cancer. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cancer of the lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, throat, stomach, pancreas, or cervix. They also are more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that starts in blood cells). People who use smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco) are at increased risk of cancer of the mouth.

3. Sunlight - Radiation that comes from the sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths. It causes early aging of the skin and skin damage that can lead to skin cancer.

4. Ionizing radiation - Ionizing radiation can cause cell damage that leads to cancer. This kind of radiation comes from rays that enter the Earth's atmosphere from outer space, radioactive fallout, radon gas, x-rays and other sources. Radioactive fallout can come from accidents at nuclear power plants or from the production, testing, or use of atomic weapons. People exposed to fallout may have an increased risk of cancer, especially leukemia and cancers of the thyroid, breast, lung, and stomach.

Radon is a radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste. It forms in soil and rocks. People who work in mines may be exposed to radon. In some parts of the country, radon is found in houses. People exposed to radon are at increased risk of lung cancer.

Medical procedures are a common source of radiation:

Doctors use radiation (low-dose x-rays) to take pictures of the inside of the body. These pictures help to diagnose broken bones and other problems.
Doctors use radiation therapy (high-dose radiation from large machines or from radioactive substances) to treat cancer.

The risk of cancer from low-dose x-rays is extremely small. The risk from radiation therapy is slightly higher. For both, the benefit nearly always outweighs the small risk.

5. Certain chemicals and other substances - People who have certain jobs (such as painters, construction workers, and those in the chemical industry) have an increased risk of cancer. Many studies have shown that exposure to asbestos, benzene, benzidine, cadmium, nickel, or vinyl chloride in the workplace can cause cancer.

6. Some viruses and bacteria - Being infected with certain viruses or bacteria may increase the risk of developing cancer:

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs): HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer. It also may be a risk factor for other types of cancer.
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses: Liver cancer can develop after many years of infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV-1): Infection with HTLV-1 increases a person's risk of lymphoma and leukemia.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. People who have HIV infection are at greater risk of cancer, such as lymphoma and a rare cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV): Infection with EBV has been linked to an increased risk of lymphoma.
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8): This virus is a risk factor for Kaposi's sarcoma.
Helicobacter pylori : This bacterium can cause stomach ulcers. It also can cause stomach cancer and lymphoma in the stomach lining.

7. Certain hormones - Doctors may recommend hormones (estrogen alone or estrogen along with progestin) to help control problems (such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and thinning bones) that may occur during menopause. However, studies show that menopausal hormone therapy can cause serious side effects. Hormones may increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, or blood clots.

8. Family history of cancer - Most cancers develop because of changes (mutations) in genes. A normal cell may become a cancer cell after a series of gene changes occur. Tobacco use, certain viruses, or other factors in a person's lifestyle or environment can cause such changes in certain types of cells.

Some gene changes that increase the risk of cancer are passed from parent to child. These changes are present at birth in all cells of the body.

It is uncommon for cancer to run in a family. However, certain types of cancer do occur more often in some families than in the rest of the population. For example, melanoma and cancers of the breast, ovary, prostate, and colon sometimes run in families. Several cases of the same cancer type in a family may be linked to inherited gene changes, which may increase the chance of developing cancers. However, environmental factors may also be involved. Most of the time, multiple cases of cancer in a family are just a matter of chance.

9. Alcohol - Having more than two drinks each day for many years may increase the chance of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, and breast. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol that a person drinks. For most of these cancers, the risk is higher for a drinker who uses tobacco.

10. Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight - People who have a poor diet, do not have enough physical activity, or are overweight may be at increased risk of several types of cancer. For example, studies suggest that people whose diet is high in fat have an increased risk of cancers of the colon, uterus, and prostate. Lack of physical activity and being overweight are risk factors for cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, and uterus.

Understanding Cancer

2009-12-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Understanding Cancer

What is Cancer?

The word Cancer is a Latin word meaning 'crab'. The condition was called cancer in ancient times because an advanced cancer was thought to resemble a crab with claws reaching out into surrounding tissues. Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. The cells form a lump or mass called a tumor. Some cancers, however, such as blood cancers, do not form tumors. Tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors may grow, but they do not spread to other parts of the body and are usually not life threatening. Malignant tumors grow and invade other tissues in the body.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

Cancer types can be grouped into broader categories. The main categories of cancer include:

Carcinoma - cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.

Sarcoma - cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.

Leukemia - cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.

Lymphoma and myeloma - cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.

Central nervous system cancers - cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.

Benign tumors aren't cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.

Top 10 Killer Cancers

2009-12-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Cancer Overview

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world and it is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide in 2010 overtaking heart disease. Cancer diagnoses around the world have steadily been rising and are expected to hit 12 million this year. Global killer cancer deaths are expected to reach 7 million, according to the new report by the World Health Organization.

An annual rise of 1 percent in cases and deaths is expected — with even larger increases in China, Russia and India. That means new killer cancer cases will likely mushroom to 27 million annually by 2030, with deaths hitting 17 million.

Below, you'll find the Top 10 Fatal Cancers today.

Top 10 Killer Cancers

1. Lung Cancer

The death toll is high. About 213,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year and more than 160,000 die from it.

2. Colon-Rectum Cancer

It is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US. Each year it claims an estimated 55,000 lives, and produces about 150,000 new cases- more than any other kind of cancer except skin cancer. It afflicts men and women about equally.

3. Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common of cancers affecting woman. It kills more women than any other kind of cancer. About 150,000 women in the US develop breast cancer each year, and 35% die of the disease.

4. Pancreatic Cancer

An estimated 34,000 people in the United States will die from stomach cancer this year. An estimated 37,000 new cases were reported just last year (2008).

5. Prostate Cancer

Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancers among men and is second only to lung cancer as a lethal type of tumor for men. About 30,000 people die of prostate cancer each year.

6. Bladder Cancer

Extensive occurrence of bladder cancer is commonly associated with industrial growth. It appears at annual rate of about 40,000 new cases each year in the US and causes more than 15,000 deaths annually.

7. Oral Cancer

Cancer of the mouth and lips strike an estimated 25,000 persons in the US each year and kill a shocking 9,000.

8. Skin Cancer

With as many as 500,000 new cases occuring annually, skin cancer is the largest single source of malignancy in the US. An estimated 6,000 persons die of this disease each year.

9. Cancer of the Uterus

Cancer of the uterus is more common than cancer of the cervix. Uterine cancer is the most common type of cancer of the reproductive organs.

10. Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in women, with an average of 21,000 new cases each year. It is second to uterine cancer in the number of cases of cancer of the reproductive organ.

I hope this helped you somehow to be aware of the fatal cancers today. If you need to learn more about cancer in general, you may browse the pages for more information.

Thyroid Cancer May Be More Common Near Volcanoes

2009-11-11T00:17:00.001-08:00

People who live in volcanic areas may have an elevated risk of developing thyroid cancer, a new study suggests.

Italian researchers found that between 2002 and 2004, rates of papillary thyroid cancer -- the most common form of thyroid cancer -- were twice as high in Sicily's volcanic region compared with the rest of the island.

Among people living in Sicily's Catania province, home to the active Mt. Etna volcano, there were 32 cases of thyroid cancer per 100,000 women per year, and six cases per 100,000 men. Across the rest of Sicily, those rates were 14 and three per 100,000, respectively.

The large majority of cancers were papillary thyroid tumors, a slow- growing form of the disease that accounts for most cases of thyroid cancer.

"The increase of thyroid cancer is striking in the volcanic area of Sicily -- more than the double in respect to the rest of the island," senior researcher Dr. Riccardo Vigneri, of the University of Catania Medical School, told Reuters Health in an email.

Because all volcanoes are not the same, it's not clear whether people living near any volcano might have an elevated risk of thyroid cancer, Vigneri said.

Further research should be done to track rates of thyroid and other cancers in these areas, according to Vigneri, who noted that about 500 million people worldwide live in a volcanic region.
He and his colleagues report their findings in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Located at the base of the neck, the thyroid gland produces hormones that help regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Thyroid cancer is relatively uncommon; in the U.S., for example, it is diagnosed in about 37,000 people each year, according to the NCI.

But the incidence of the disease has been on the rise in recent decades, in the U.S., France, Italy and elsewhere, Vigneri and his colleagues point out. Risk factors include iodine deficiency and exposure to high levels of radiation -- such as radiation treatment to the head and neck -- but beyond that, little is known about the types of environmental exposures that might contribute to the cancer. source: ABC news

Retired Captain Dies of Cancer

2009-11-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

Those who worked closely with and for Capt. Robert James Kane described him as a mentor, excellent supervisor and investigator, and one of Youngstown’s best police officers.

Kane, who had served more than 10 years as chief of detectives at the Youngstown Police Department, died of kidney cancer Monday evening in Hospice House in Beaver Township.

“He was always a kind person, very outgoing,” said Capt. Rod Foley, commander of the internal- affairs division. “We always called him the encyclopedia of the Youngstown Police Department. He always had a quote for you from an old past officer or a tale to tell or an experience that he had in the past.”

“He was always a good person to go to if you were looking for advice,’’ Foley added. He was a “very upbeat, up-tempo guy, high- energy. He’s going to be sadly missed,” Foley said of the longest-serving chief of detectives in the city’s history.

“I will remember him personally as absolutely the best investigator and detective I’ve ever worked with and the best supervisor that I ever served under,” said William Blanchard, who has been a detective since 1981.

“He had been a homicide detective. He was such a good investigator that everybody had the utmost respect for him, and that’s why he was so successful in managing the detective bureau,” Blanchard said.

“You had two losses of two longtime people down here. Certainly it affects everybody,” Blanchard said, referring to the October leukemia death of Capt. Kenneth Centorame, 56, who was the most recent chief of detectives.

“Bob Kane was a very good friend of mine, and it’s really affected me deeply,” Blanchard said.
Detective John Perdue said Kane will be remembered “as one of the best police officers ever for the city of Youngstown.” Purdue remembered his former boss as “passionate and just an all-around good individual” and a “likable guy.”

“He broke me in on this job. He taught me everything he knew,” said Darryl Martin, a detective for 19 years. “He knew how to work with people. He knew how to work with us and how to handle the cases,” Martin said. “If you needed help, he was there for you,” he added.

“The guy just loved Youngstown. He loved the police department. He was just an excellent detective,” Martin added.

Kane, 63, who lived in Poland, was born Sept. 4, 1946, in Youngstown, was appointed to the city police department Feb. 1, 1971, and had retired Oct. 22, after 38 years of service, slightly more than two weeks before his death.

Most recently, he was day-turn patrol commander, but he had been on medical leave for his final 10 months on the force.

Kane was a 1964 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School and attended Youngstown State University. He was promoted to detective in May 1977 and assigned to the narcotics squad before being promoted to lieutenant in May 1981.

He was promoted to captain Aug. 18, 1989, the same day his younger brother, Martin, was promoted to lieutenant. Capt. Martin Kane is now commander of the B turn patrol division, which works afternoon and night shifts.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick Church in Youngstown. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Fox Funeral Home in Boardman. source: Vindy.com

Guam Agat Vice Mayor Succumbs To Cancer

2009-11-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

Agat Vice Mayor Jesus Babauta Chaco

After fighting his battle with cancer the past few months at St. Luke's Hospital in Manila, Agat Vice Mayor Jesus Babauta Chaco passed away this afternoon at Guam Memorial Hospital with his family and friends at his side.

Vice Mayor Chaco died at the age of 63. He served as the Vice Mayor of Agat from January 6, 1997 to present. Chaco is survived by his wife Virginia and his children, Jesse, June, Jeffrey, and John Vincent.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced at a later time.
This news announcement was prepared from an official news release provided by the Mayor's Council of Guam. source: Guam news factor

Discovery In Worms Points To More Targeted Cancer Treatment

2009-11-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

Researchers at Queen's University have found a link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans, by examining the genes in worms. The groundbreaking discovery provides a foundation for how tumor-forming genes interact, and may offer a drug target for cancer treatment.

"When cancer hijacks a healthy system, it can create tumors by causing cells to divide when they shouldn't," says Ian Chin-Sang, a developmental biologist at Queen's and lead researcher on the study. "Certain genes control the normal movement and growth of cells, and by studying how these genes interact, we can understand what is abnormal when cancer is present."

There is an important gene in humans called PTEN that acts as a tumor suppressor. When the PTEN gene function is lost, it can lead to cancers. For example, 70-80 per cent of all prostate cancers have lost PTEN function. Another gene family, called Eph receptors, often shows high levels in cancers, but a connection between PTEN and Eph Receptors in cancer formation has never been shown. The Queen's study shows the remarkable relationship between these genes in worms.

When the research team increased Eph receptor levels in worms, the PTEN levels diminished and the worms died prematurely. When they decreased the Eph receptor level in the worm, the PTEN levels went up and the worm lived longer than normal. The team believes the same principals are applicable to humans. continue reading

Cancer Linked To Excess Body Fat

2009-11-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

Newly compiled data suggest that "excess body fat alone is responsible for more than 100,000 cancer cases in the U.S." The report comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research, which said its data included cases of endometrial, esophageal, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, breast and colorectal cancer.

Researcher Laurence Kolonel said that fat isn't just sitting around waiting to be drawn on when your body's starving. In fact, he says, there are "all kinds of things going on in fat tissue," including production of estrogen and other cancer-promoting hormones. Fat tissue also contributes to inflammation, an established cancer precursor, he says. source: E-truth

Evidence still fuzzy on cell phones, cancer

2009-11-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

In the year since a U.S. cancer researcher's warning drew wide attention, more evidence is emerging that long-term cell phone use is associated with cancer, but there's still not a definitive explanation or proof of cause and effect.

Last summer, Dr. Ronald Herberman, then director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued a warning to about 3,000 faculty and staff, listing steps to avoid harmful electromagnetic radiation from cell phones. This included keeping the phone away from the body as much as possible and not allowing children to use cell phones except in emergencies.

"Since I put out that precautionary advisory in July of last year, I believe there is more indication for concern, particularly among children," he recently said.

A much-anticipated but unreleased report from the World Health Organization on a decade-long investigation called Interphone will show a "significantly increased risk" of some brain tumors "related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more," the London Daily Telegraph reported in late October. The study will be published before the end of the year, the newspaper said.

Supporting that conclusion, a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that looked at 23 case-control studies found that the research with the more scientifically rigorous methodologies suggested cell phones and tumors are linked. The eight strongest studies made sure the investigators did not know which participants had tumors when they conducted the interviews about cell phone use, and they did not receive funding from industry groups.

Studies that looked at people who had used cell phones 10 years or longer tended to find the strongest risk of tumors. Researchers found that cell phone users had a 10 percent to 30 percent higher risk than people who barely, if ever, used this technology. continue reading

Deadliest Lung Cancer Breakthrough

2009-11-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

A new pill that could cure one of the most lethal forms of cancer is being developed by scientists.
British researchers have found that a drug destroys tumours in a form of inoperable lung cancer that kills more than nine out of 10 sufferers.

The treatment works by blocking the growth of the cancer cells and eventually causing them to self destruct.

In more than 50 per cent of the trials, the treatment, which appears to have no side affects, killed all traces of the disease.

"We are very excited about it," said Professor Michael Seckl, the molecular oncologist who led the study at Imperial College London.

"If you get diagnosed with this cancer your chances of surviving are very small. Over the last 30 years we have made very little progress in its treatment.

"This is why this is so exciting. It is pretty unusual to see a drug that makes these tumours completely disappear."

More than 34,000 people die each year from lung cancer in the United Kingdom, the heaviest death toll of any cancer.

One in five lung cancer sufferers have a particularly virulent strain called small cell lung cancer which kills all but three per cent of sufferers within five years of diagnoses.

With this form of lung cancer, tumours spread quickly so it is rarely possible to remove the tumours surgically. Because of this, small cell lung cancer is treated with chemotherapy.

Initially, the treatment often appears to work, reducing the size of the tumours. However, the tumours usually grow back rapidly and then become resistant to further treatment.

The researchers behind the new study published in the journal Cancer Research have identified a drug that, in half of the mice treated, was able to completely shrink tumours away.

It was also able to stop tumours from growing back and it helped other forms of chemotherapy to work more effectively.

If the drug proves successful in humans, the researchers hope that it could help patients with this kind of lung cancer to live longer with five to 10 years.

Prof Seckl said: "I have been working on small cell lung cancer for many years and to find something that can take a measurable piece of tumour and make it go away is wonderful.

"Lung cancer is the most common cancer killer in the world and over 100 people in the UK are diagnosed with the disease every day.

"Although it responds to chemotherapy initially, the tumours soon become resistant to treatment and sadly nearly all people with the disease do not survive."

Dr Joanna Owens, Cancer Research UK's science information manager, said: "It's encouraging to see potential new drugs for lung cancer in the initial stages of development.

"The early results from this study are impressive but we'll need to wait for the results of clinical trials before we'll know if the drugs could work for patients." source: Telegraph.co.uk

Diane Allen diagnosed with cancer

2009-11-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

New Jersey state Sen. Diane Allen has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery this week.

In a statement released by her office Monday, Allen, R-7th of Edgewater Park, described the cancer as aggressive but expressed resolve to overcome the disease and join the hundreds of survivors she has met over the years.

"My plan is to return to the floor of the Senate at the first opportunity," Allen said in the statement. "No illness will prevent me or my experienced and dedicated staff from providing the people of my district with full representation. My district is open and ready to help any constituent who contacts us."

The statement did not describe the cancer or specify when Allen was diagnosed.

She asked that her family's privacy be respected and thanked supporters and friends who have inquired about her health.

"My illness has shown me just how much the good people of my district and the state of New Jersey care about others," she said. "It's impossible to express how grateful I am for their outpourings of caring, support and love." continue reading

NBA's great Abdul-Jabbar has rare blood cancer

2009-11-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

The NBA's all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed Tuesday that he is battling with a rare form of blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, he insisted that his prognosis is encouraging.

The Lakers Assistant coach has been living with the disease since a year but despite admitting he was scared he said he is hopeful of living a full life without making any drastic changes.

"There is hope," he added. "This condition can be treated. You can still live a productive, full life. I'm living proof I can make it."

Jabbar said he is taking oral medication to counter the disease and will have to undergo frequent blood tests and see a specialist every other month.

Jabbar’s diagnosisThe 62-year-old basketball legend was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia last December. He decided to go for tests after experiencing odd sensations like hot flashes and night sweats.

"I had noticed I was having hot flashes and sweats," he said. "I'm not going through menopause. So I really needed to know what that's about. The next day they called and said, 'You need to go see a specialist. Your white blood cell count is sky high."

How his diagnosis became public?For Jabbar, going public with leukemia diagnosis was a private battle. Even some of the Lakers officials did not know about his diagnosis until Tuesday.
"I've never been a person to share my private life, but I can help save lives," he said. "It's incumbent on someone like me to talk about this."

The other reason that took him so long to announce his disease is that cancer has been very prominent in his life.

"My grandfather died from colorectal cancer, my uncle died from colorectal cancer and my father almost died from colorectal cancer," he said.

He has also lost one of his close friends, actor Bruno Kirby to leukemia in 2006.
However, late last week, he decided to go public with his disease because he wanted to draw people’s attention towards the same.

He is now a spokesman for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., which partners with the CML Alliance and is doing an educational campaign to spread awareness about the disease.

Jabbar’s careerFamed for his skyhook shot, Abdul Jabbar has had a glittering career of 20 years from 1969 to 1989 with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers.

He scored the highest points total of any player in league history (38,387), in addition to winning a record six Most Valuable Player Awards and six NBA championships.

Since retiring from basketball, he has been known as an author, coach and actor. source: The Money Times

British composer Lloyd Webber in hospital for prostate cancer

2009-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

British composer and musical producer, Andrew Lloyd Webber is undergoing treatment for prostrate cancer, British media reports said Sunday.

'Andrew is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year,' his spokesman was quoted as saying in a statement.

The 61-year-old Lloyd Webber was being treated in hospital. The diagnosis of the cancer in its early stages was made several weeks ago, according to the statement.

The composer is best known for his musicals, including Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Evita. He owns seven theatres in London's West End. source: m&c

Pregnant mother can pass cancer to baby: Study

2009-10-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

A pregnant woman with cancer may be able to pass the disease on to her unborn child, according to a team of international researchers.

Scientists have seen cases of a mother and infant sharing the same cancer, usually leukemia or melanoma, but have been unable until now to trace the disease back to its origin.

In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers were able to connect the cancer in a pregnant Japanese woman to that which appeared in her fetus.

The research group, comprised of scientists from Japan and from the Institute of Cancer Research in the U.K., found the case "defied accepted theories of biology," according to a news release.

The scientists used "advanced genetic fingerprinting" and found the baby's leukemic cells were "unquestionably of maternal origin."

Both the mother and infant's cells contained the cancer gene BCR-ABL1, which could not have occurred without transmission, according to the study.

They believe the cancer cells were accepted by the infant's immune system, because the baby's body did not recognize them as foreign, enabling them to cross the placental barrier and survive.

"It appears that, in this, and, we presume, other cases of mother-to-offspring cancer, the maternal cancer cells did cross the placenta into the developing fetus and succeeded in implanting, because they were invisible to the immune system," said lead researcher Mel Greaves in a statement.

"We are pleased to have resolved this long-standing puzzle. But we stress that such mother-to-offspring transfer of cancer is exceedingly rare, and the chances of any pregnant woman with cancer passing it on to her child are remote." source: canada.com

U.K. soldier died from cancer from transplanted lungs

2009-10-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

A British soldier died from cancer after getting a lung transplant from a smoker whose lung contained a tumour that doctors failed to spot, according to a coroner's report.

The report said that 31-year-old Matthew Millington, an Iraq war veteran, died Feb. 8, 2008, from "complications of transplant surgery" and the drugs he was taking to prevent rejection of his new lungs.

Doctors who handled the case missed the tumour in the donor's lung, but hospital officials said it was not unusual to use lungs from smokers because of the shortage of donor organs.

"During 2008-09, 146 lung transplants were carried out in the U.K. During the same period, 84 people died on the waiting list," according to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge where the transplant was done.

"If we had a policy that said we did not use the lungs of those who had smoked, then the number of lung transplants carried out would have been significantly lower," the hospital said.

UK Transplant, a government agency, had slightly different figures. It says there were 169 lung transplants in the year ending April 1, and in 83 cases the donors were smokers. Nine of those donors had smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day, the agency said.

A corporal in the Queen's Royal Lancers, Millington was serving in Iraq in 2005 when he was diagnosed with a rare and deadly lung disease.

He was given a double lung transplant, but his wife, Siobhan, said he told her they felt like "two deflated balloons," according to an account carried in The Sentinel newspaper in Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday.

Doctors eventually discovered a tumour in the new lungs and, despite radiotherapy, Millington died in February of last year, only 10 months after the operation.

"In this case there were a number of failures and I did not feel the team performed to the standard I would expect," said Dr. Steven Tsui, clinical director of transplant services at Papworth, who was not involved in Millington's case.

Lester Millington said the family had no complaints about the care his son had received at the hospital.

"I have never even contemplated taking further action," he said, according to The Sentinel.

"I wanted to get to the inquest, but I was 99.9 per cent certain that nothing they had done wrong was done wrong wilfully."source: CTV News

Lucky Pet Dogs Receive Experimental Cancer Treatments Before Their Humans

2009-10-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Animal rights activists, take note: when it comes to experimental cancer treatments, American pet dogs are now in line in front of humans, participating in trials that in several cases have destroyed cancers completely.

Dogs experience cancer in ways similar to humans, making them preferable research subjects to lab rats and mice, whose experimental settings are too regimented to reflect a human reaction to cancers. Those human-like reactions have granted dying dogs access to treatments ahead of dying humans in some cases, allaying some ethical fears while stirring up others.

Like humans, dogs suffer from various cancers that spread to form secondaries and grow resistant to drugs over time. Dogs can also relapse just as humans do, giving researchers a much better picture of how effective a drug can be at destroying a particular cancer or sending it into remission. These similarities make dogs ideal candidates for testing of cancer drugs, and as such a group of 19 veterinary institutions currently has 12 different trials underway on groups ranging from 15 to 60 dogs.

Some of the experimental treatments have undergone human testing and simply require additional animal data before clearing regulatory hurdles, but many have not been tested in humans at all. Owners can choose between conventional or experimental drugs, weighing the possible risks and benefits of each as well as the reduced cost of care that comes with participating in a clinical trial. In addition to caring for their sick pets, owners collaborate on the research, keeping detailed notebooks on appetite, demeanor, quality of life, etc.

The fact that the dogs develop the cancers naturally and that owners continue to care for them at home (rather than penning them inside a research facility) has muted some of the usual blowback from animal rights groups. Pet owners are motivated by the opportunity to allow their pets to contribute to advances in medicine, and because the owners, rather than the experimenters, consent to the trials, there is an added ethical layer to the experiments, as the assumption is that the owner will do what is best for the dog rather than what is best for the trial. Still, some groups have opposed the treatments, claiming they open the door for wider animal testing for treatments deemed too dangerous for humans.

In the meantime, researchers see it as a humane way to feel out the efficacy and safety of treatments before moving on to human trials. European researchers are treating the American consortium as an experiment of their own, keeping a watchful eye on the program as they consider whether or not to join. source: popsci.com

Dogs aid in advancing human cancer therapy

2009-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Studying pet dogs with cancer could yield valuable information on how to diagnose and treat human cancers, according to scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The team of scientists , led by Chand Khanna, believes that studying these new therapies in clinical trials with dogs may yield insights into how to improve care for human patients. Naturally occurring tumors in dogs have clinical and biological similarities to the human disease.

Khanna and colleagues say that a pet owner's decision to pursue an experimental therapy is influenced by a number of factors, especially the possible risks and benefits of the new therapy and the reduced costs for care provided by the trial.

Additionally, they say, "many pet owners are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of cancer treatment for future human and canine patients."

Estimates suggest that as many as 1 million new diagnoses of cancer occur in dogs in the United States each year. The condition is treated much like human cancer, with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

The researchers published their article today in the PLos Medicine journal. Source: USA Today

New technology at UCMH aids in breast-cancer detection

2009-10-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is once again bringing a reminder that early detection is the best defense in beating cancer, and Unicoi County Memorial Hospital’s newly installed digital mammography system can serve a vital role for local women.

UCMH installed the innovative digital system in January and has since been able to provide outstanding image quality and clear, highly detailed images of the breast. The Senographe DS, a full-field digital mammography system acquired from GE Healthcare, is the one of the most modern pieces of mammography equipment available to patients today.

“The patients of Unicoi County Memorial Hospital have a new and powerful tool in the detection and fight against breast cancer,” said Chris Peterson, UCMH’s marketing director. “This new, all-digital system is revolutionizing breast care by providing our patients with mammograms that are fast, easy and comfortable, while providing our physicians with highly detailed images to use in the diagnosis.”

October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink ribbons are showing up around the country as a reminder of the importance of early detection in treating and surviving breast cancer.

All month, UCMH will provide a free gift to every woman who comes to the hospital for a mammogram.

“We want to encourage women to have annual mammograms,” Peterson said, “because, for them, it’s the most important gift they can give themselves. We know that mammograms can save your lives by detecting breast cancer early.”

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among 184,450 women and 1,990 men each year, and an estimated 40,480 women and 450 men will die of this disease.

UMCH’s new equipment provides some of the most advanced care for patients by providing clear and detailed breast images, which is the first step towards an accurate diagnosis and getting a patient on the proper treatment plan to good health.

The Senographe DS is a full-field digital mammography system designed to help hospitals, like UCMH, provide comprehensive mammography patient care – from screening and diagnosis, to interventional procedures. Plus, the system has a patient-centric design and intuitive controls that allow the technologists who perform the exams to focus on the patients, making the mammogram a comfortable and easy experience. For the physician, it provides greater flexibility in viewing the exam and performing biopsies.

For patients, the new system offers several advantages that older techniques didn’t offer.

Exams, for example, can take less than half the time – with the Senographe DS an average exam can be reduced to 10 to 15 minutes compared to 30 or more minutes for traditional film-based mammograms.

Compression speed of the paddle slows when coming into contact with the breast, providing better patient comfort, and a narrow tube head allows for easy and relaxed patient positions during the exam.

For physicians, there are advantages, too, as the Senographe DS provides better visibility of the breast, and electronic archiving of patient images means easier retrieval and transmission of patient information to healthcare providers.

The machine also provides for easier access to lesions for biopsies with the ability to do both vertical and lateral approaches – optimizing biopsy sampling.

The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased from 80 percent in the 1950s to 98 percent in recent years, but early detection is critical in treating and surviving breast cancer. The latest figures show that 78 percent of all diagnosed cases of breast cancer are among women aged 50 years or older. source: Erwin Record

Why 1 in 4 Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Still Opt for Mastectomies

2009-10-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

For more than 20 years, breast cancer patients have been overtreated with mastectomies, experts contend, instead of with breast-sparing surgery that removes just the lump and a little of the surrounding tissue. The good news is about 75 percent of women who qualify for breast-conserving surgery are getting it, according to a survey of 2,000 women published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study found that for those who still opted for total breast removal, the decision was sometimes based on a surgeon's recommendation and sometimes against medical advice. In fact, nearly 9 percent of breast cancer patients opted to get a mastectomy when their doctors didn't state a preference either way or when their doctors actually urged them to get breast-conserving surgery. "Our findings suggest that patient preferences play an important role in initial receipt of mastectomy, especially in the absence of a surgeon recommendation favoring one procedure over another," wrote the study's authors.

The survey identified the most common reasons why women were opting for mastectomies. Many didn't want to deal with radiation treatments, routinely given after lumpectomies to prevent local recurrence. Others wanted peace of mind that all of their cancer was removed, but often were unaware that survival rates for the two surgeries are the same for early stage breast cancer. (Neither surgery guarantees that the cancer hasn't already spread.)

At a news conference announcing the study, lead author Monica Morrow, a breast surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said doctors need to do a better job of communicating information about survival rates. "Fewer than 50 percent of women who chose to have mastectomies recalled 6 months later that survival rates for the two surgeries are equal," she said—which means that if women were indeed told this information by their surgeons, it didn't sink in. Surgeons also need to make more of an effort, she said, to shrink larger tumors with chemotherapy administered before surgery to enable more women to avoid mastectomies. Research shows there's no survival difference if surgery is delayed to administer chemo, yet many doctors are reluctant to employ this approach, perhaps because it's relatively new.

I'm also wondering if more women would opt for breast-sparing surgery if they knew how harrowing breast reconstruction can be. A former colleague of mine, a physician, told me that the most painful part of his wife's recovery from breast cancer was her reconstruction surgery. And a close friend who needed a mastectomy to remove a fairly large tumor recently needed several surgeries to reconstruct her new breast. I'm sure she would have jumped at breast-conserving surgery if she'd been a candidate. source: US Health News

Bee Venom cure for Cancer?

2009-09-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

A bee sting can be painful, but its venomous payload might hold promise for a beneficial purpose—fighting cancer.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have used an ingredient of bee venom called melittin to shrink or slow the growth of tumors in mice. Melittin's anti-tumor potential has been known for years, but it hasn't been used as a drug because it also attacks healthy cells, including vital red blood cells.

Now the researchers have found a way, using the burgeoning field of nanotechnology, to pinpoint tumors for attack by melittin while largely shielding healthy cells. They do this by attaching the bee-venom ingredient to nanoparticles, which are ultra-tiny, synthetically manufactured spheres. The resultant product, called nanobees, are injected into the blood stream where they circulate until they reach and attack cancerous tumors. The approach also has the potential to avoid some of the toxic side effects seen in older cancer therapies like chemotherapy.

Nanobees showed promise in a study published this summer in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study found that nanobees halted tumor growth or shrank tumors in mice with breast and skin cancers, and reduced precancerous lesions. The experiments showed minimal toxicity to healthy cells from the treatment.

"In effect, we've got something that does what a bee does except it's a synthetic particle. It's got a stinger and injector to insert the toxin into a cell," says Samuel Wickline, a professor at Washington University's medical school.

The efforts to fight cancer using nanobees reflect a broader body of research and development that focuses on targeting the delivery of drugs directly to tumors. That contrasts with traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, which goes after any cell that divides rapidly, cancerous and healthy alike. source: The Wall Street Journal

Japan panel backs Glaxo cervical cancer vaccine

2009-09-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

* Glaxo's set to be first cervical cancer vaccine in Japan

* Final decision on approval should come within a month

* Merck also applied for approval of vaccine Gardasil

(Adds background, details)

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) won support for its cervical cancer vaccine from an advisory panel to Japan's Health Ministry on Tuesday, putting it on track to be the first to offer such a vaccine in the world's second-biggest drug market.

The ministry should give its final stamp of approval within a month, said Takehiro Kimura, a health ministry official.

On Monday, British health officials said a teenage girl died after receiving a cervical cancer vaccine made by Glaxo, though no link could be made between the death and the drug until all facts were known and a post-mortem conducted. [ID:nLT165573]

Approval in Japan could help clear the way for Merck & Co (MRK.N), which has also applied for approval for its Gardasil vaccine. Both Glaxo's Cervarix and Merck's Gardasil vaccines protect against infection from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer and genital warts.

About 2,500 women die each year in Japan from cervical cancer. Worldwide deaths from the disease total about 280,000, mostly in developing countries with inadequate screening.

Glaxo's Cervarix has already been approved in 98 countries, with sales in January-June nearly matching its annual sales of 125 million pounds ($199 million) last year.

A U.S. panel has also backed the vaccine for approval and a final decision could come this month, though Cervarix's launch in the world's largest drug market will lag Gardasil, which won approval three years ago. [ID:nN09323683]

Merck's Gardasil vaccine has been approved for use in 112 countries, and logged $1.4 billion in sales in 2008. (Additional reporting by Mayumi Negishi, editing by Will Waterman) source: reuters

Prostate Cancer Caused By a Virus?

2009-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Researchers reporting online in yesterday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences think prostate cancer may be related to a virus. Scientists at Columbia University and the University of Utah have determined that a virus that's already known to cause certain other cancers in animals is present in human prostate cancer cells.

Comparing more than 200 human prostate cancers to more than 100 non-cancerous prostate-tissue samples, they found that 27 percent of the cancers contained the virus known as XMRV, which was found in only 6 percent of the benign tissues. XMRV has been under investigation for its potential role in causing cancer for some time; this new study strengthens the link and also dispels the previous belief that certain people with genetic mutations are more susceptible than others the XMRV infection.

There's no evidence yet that XMRV causes prostate cancer. But should such a relationship emerge, the discovery might lead to new ways to diagnose, treat or even prevent the disease, which affects nearly 200,000 men each year in the U.S.

Other viruses are known to cause cancer in humans. For instance, the human papillomavirus, or HPV, causes cervical cancer in women. The Gardasil vaccine targets HPV and thus wards off that form of cancer.

A prostate cancer vaccine is still a distant prospect, though. And researchers point out that much remains to be learned about XMRV. Does it affect women? Is it sexually transmitted? How common is it? And does it cause cancer elsewhere in the body, other than in the prostate?

"We have many questions right now," said lead researcher Ila Singh of the University of Utah in a press release, "and we believe this merits further investigation." source: Washington Post

Report: Tobacco Use Kills 6M People a Year

2009-08-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Tobacco use causes 6 million deaths a year, a third of those deaths from cancer, according to a report released by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation.

The tobacco industry is targeting countries with fewer tobacco controls and less effective public health campaigns, according to the American Cancer Society, which predicts that 72 percent of tobacco-related deaths will be in low- and middle-income countries by 2010. The report predicts that 2 million people will die each year from tobacco-related cancer by 2015.

"The Tobacco Atlas presents compelling evidence that the health burden is shifting from richer countries to their lower-resource counterparts," said Peter Baldini, chief executive officer of the World Lung Foundation. "This evidence clearly articulates the breathtaking scope and dimensions of the problem. It calls out to be used actively in strengthening the case for policy change."

The American Cancer Society estimates that the tobacco industry has caused a $500 billion loss in the global economy, citing premature deaths of smokers in their most productive years and tobacco fields taking the place of agricultural fields on nearly 4 million hectares of land. Since 1960, tobacco production has increased by three times in low- and middle-income countries. But in richer countries, production has been cut in half.

The Tobacco Atlas is published by the two organizations to help develop public health strategies to reduce tobacco use worldwide. source: CBS news

HPV Vaccine Could Prevent Many Penile Cancers

2009-08-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes about half of penile cancer cases in the world, and giving vaccines to males could greatly reduce the incidence of the disease, a new study suggests.

Penile cancer remains rare, accounting for less than 1 percent of adult male cancers in North America and Europe, but that rate jumps to as high as 10 percent in Africa and Asia, according to Spanish researchers reporting online Aug. 25 in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. More than 26,300 cases of penile cancer are thought to occur around the world each year.

HPV -- best known for its link to cervical cancer in women -- is also thought to cause anal and penile cancers in men. In their study, the Spanish scientists at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona reviewed 31 studies on penile cancer published over the last three decades.

They found that HPV was involved in nearly 47 percent of the 1,466 cases of penile cancer covered by the studies, with nearly 58 percent of the tumors in North American patients linked to the virus. Two strains -- HPV 16 and 18 -- accounted for nearly three-quarters of these HPV-linked cases, the researchers found.

Those two strains are the prime target of the HPV vaccines currently recommended to prevent cervical cancer, and "although penile carcinoma is a rare disease, around 7,000 cases would be prevented annually by the eradication of HPV-16/18," the authors concluded. s0urce: US health news

Does Your Cell Phone Cause Cancer?

2009-08-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

You may not think twice when you make or take a call on your cell phone, but a new report offers some reasons for concern. The International EMF Collective (EMF stands for "electromagnetic fields") report, co-authored by Brian Stein, questions long-awaited research about whether cell phone use can cause brain cancer.

Stein, who also heads a British supermarket chain, says he used his cell regularly for 14 years and then started experiencing problems. He's convinced the phone was to blame.

"If this had happened to you, you would have had no doubt whatsoever what caused it. As soon as I put the cell phone to my head, major pain; as soon as I removed it from my head the pain went away. It was as dramatic and instantaneous as that."

The report questions the 13-country "Interphone" study that is still to be released. Stein says the research techniques in that study are flawed and could skew its findings.

While he is not advocating doing away with cell phones, Stein thinks safer technologies can and should be developed. Cell phone companies have long asserted that the radiation isn't hot enough to cause tissue damage.

Dr. Ronald Herberman with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute says strong evidence points to a link between cell phones and adverse health effects, including cancer, "particularly in people who've been frequent users for more than 10 years. And there is indication that there is more absorption into the brain of the radio frequency radiation in children, as compared to adults."

U.S. Senate hearings on the potential dangers of cell phones are reportedly being planned for next month.

The report is "Cellphones and Brain Tumors, 15 Reasons for Concern: Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone." ("Interphone" is the name of the 13-country study.) It is available at www.radiationresearch.org/pdfs/15reasons.asp. source: kbkw.com

Kennedy Death Puts Spotlight on Brain Cancer

2009-08-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Senator Edward Kennedy, a legendary political figure in the United States, died on Tuesday after a year long battle with malignant glioma, the most common type of brain cancer among adults. Although he had the most up-to-date treatments -- surgery at Duke University Medical Center, chemotherapy and radiation -- he was not able to survive the disease. Doctors still don't know what causes brain tumors and the National Cancer Institute says the outlook for patients with malignant gliomas is poor.

Senator Kennedy's brain tumor was diagnosed in May 2008 after he had a seizure, a frequent symptom of brain cancer.

At Duke University Medical Center, he had surgery to remove the tumor. His doctors said it was a success and Kennedy was discharged six days later.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Anthony Caputy says success means removing about 90 percent of the tumor. "Because then, the outcome is much better for the other treatments if you get to 90 percent," he said.

Kennedy had what's called a craniotomy, which involves opening the skull to expose the surface of the brain.

Surgeons then determine the exact location of the tumor, often with the help of an MRI or C-T (cat) scan.

During part of the procedure, patients can be brought back to consciousness. That helps the doctors avoid cutting in areas that control speech. "The brain will not feel any pain, so you can stimulate while the patient is awake and test the motor function, the speech functions while the patient is awake which allows very accurate determination of where these eloquent areas of the brain are," Dr. Caputy explains.

Doctors still don't know what causes brain tumors. They do know what the risk factors are and Senator Kennedy had them all. Men are more likely to get brain tumors than women, as are white people and those 70 years or older.

Researchers are trying to discover the cause so they can treat it better. Dr. Markus Bredel at Northwestern University analyzes the genetic makeup of brain tumors, specifically gene mutations within glioblastomas, an even more aggressive form of the disease. But there are hundreds of thousands of genes in the tumors' genome.

"The difficult question is which of those many, many genes are actually important in the disease process and which are just simply bystanders to the process," Dr. Bredel said.

Senator Kennedy's outcome was expected. And American flags are now at half staff in his honor. The National Cancer Institute says brain tumors rank among the highest causes of cancer deaths.

Doctors caution that even with treatment, these aggressive tumors always come back. What's not known is when. source: voa news

A beer a day may raise risk of several cancers: study

2009-08-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

Men who drink beer or liquor on a regular basis may face a heightened risk of several different types of cancer, according to a Canadian study.

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal surveyed nearly 3,600 Canadian men aged 35 to 70 and found those who averaged at least a drink per day had higher risks of a number of cancers than men who drank occasionally or not at all.

These included cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate.

When the researchers looked at individual types of alcohol, though, only beer and "spirits" -- and not wine -- were linked to elevated cancer risks.

In general, the odds increased in tandem with the men's lifetime alcohol intake, according to findings published in the Cancer Prevention and Detection. With several cancers, men who drank at least once per day tended to have higher risks than those who drank on a regular, but less-than-daily, basis.

When it came to esophageal cancer, for instance, men who drank one to six times per week had an 83 percent higher risk than teetotalers and less-frequent drinkers, while daily drinkers had a three-fold higher risk.

In addition, when the researchers looked only at daily drinkers, the risks generally increased with the number of years the men had been drinking daily.

"Our results show that the heaviest consumers over the lifetime had the biggest increases in the risks of multiple sites of cancer," researcher Dr. Andrea Benedetti told Reuters Health.

Many studies have suggested that moderate drinking -- usually defined as no more than a drink or two per day -- can be a healthy habit, particularly when it comes to heart disease risk.

But the current study suggested that even such moderate drinking levels are linked to higher risks of certain cancers, at least when the alcohol of choice is beer or liquor.

The question of whether moderate drinkers should cut down, however, cannot be answered by a single study, according to Benedetti.

"In terms of balancing this risk (of cancer) with risks of cardiovascular disease, people should talk with their doctor," she said. source: Reuters

Gene Mutation Improves Response to Lung Cancer Drug

2009-08-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

People with lung cancer who are screened for a genetic mutation and then given a drug called Tarceva, which is believed to work well with that mutation, live longer than those without the mutation who take the drug, new research has found.

According to the Spanish authors of a study in the Aug. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, this type of widespread screening is actually doable and could lead to better decisions about treatment.

"They proved that it is worthy to test patients for the [epidermal growth factor receptor gene] mutations, and that if you have the mutations you are going to do well," said Dr. Edgardo Santos, an assistant professor of medicine in the hematology and oncology section at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. "If we are moving toward personalized medicine in the future, I think this is the way to go -- that patients be tested and use the drug if indicated."

People who have advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who also have certain mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) tend to respond better to Tarceva and Iressa. Both of these drugs are tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which interfere with cancer cells' ability to multiply. Non-small-cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer.

The researchers screened lung cancer samples from 2,105 people at 129 institutions in Spain for two different EGFR mutations.

Those with mutations (16.6 percent of the sample, considered a sizable proportion) were put on Tarceva. They survived a median of 14 months without progression of their disease and 27 months overall, more than twice as long as the rates seen in other treatment groups, Santos said. This was true regardless of whether Tarceva was given as first-line, second-line or third-line therapy.

"Basically, this highlights the fact that patients with EGFR mutations should, sometime during the course of their illness, get erlotinib [Tarceva]," said Dr. George Simon, director of thoracic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "However, I think for reasons of quality of life and ease of administration and differences in toxicity profiles, it may still be preferable to give gefitinib [Iressa] first-line."

But a big question still to be worked out is why people still succumbed to the disease.

"They all had progressive disease, which basically means they had developed mechanisms of resistance," Simon said. "We need to study what were these mechanisms of resistance and how can we counteract them, developing methods of either prevention of the emergence of resistance or treatment once resistance has emerged."

A second study in the same issue of the journal, conducted in East Asia, found that Iressa worked better than a chemotherapy regimen of carboplatin-paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for nonsmokers and former light smokers who also had non-small-cell lung cancer.

Here again, people with the EGFR mutation responded better to Iressa.

At one year, almost 25 percent of those on Iressa had continued without a recurrence, compared with nearly 7 percent in the other group.

"Overall, patients who got gefitinib [Iressa] had a longer time from the start of treatment to the worsening of disease," Simon said. "And it appeared that the drug's benefit was primarily seen in patients with EGFR mutations."

Overall survival, however, did not differ between the two groups, probably because many people started the other type of treatment after they had relapsed on the first treatment, Simon said.

The study was funded by AstraZeneca, which makes Iressa.

"This basically confirmed what we have thought, that in selected populations [light smokers or those who never smoked], those testing positive for EGFR mutations will do much better in progression-free survival than if you put the patient on chemo," Santos said.

"For the first time in a selected population, you have a drug which can compete with systemic chemotherapy," he said. "There is a pill that matches systemic chemotherapy." source: US Health News

U.S. Gives Thumbs Up to Controversial Cervical Cancer Vaccine Gardasil

2009-08-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

They say where there is smoke, there is fire, but despite continued questions swirling around the Merck & Co. cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil, government regulators are standing firmly behind the drug.

Today, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention issued a joint statement affirming their position that the benefits of the vaccine still outweigh its risks. The agencies have previously said Gardasil is safe and that reports of users suffering from fatal blood clots, seizures, fainting spells, appendicitis, allergic reactions, and a rare immune disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome do not overshadow the vaccine’s ability to effectively prevent cervical cancer.

“Based on the review of available information by FDA and CDC, Gardasil continues to be safe and effective, and its benefits continue to outweigh its risks,” the agencies said in a statement posted on the FDA website, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Since it was approved in 2006, Gardasil has been given to more than 30 million girls and young women worldwide. In all, there have been 32 deaths linked to Gardasil, officials said.

The official government seal of approval comes on the heels of a widely report study of Gardasil, which found the vaccine can increase the risks of blood clots and fainting spells in patients who receive the series of three injections. That study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The FDA and CDC said rates of fainting and blood clots among Gardasil users may be higher than is associated with other vaccines, but not any higher than is expected in women of such ages. Also, obesity, smoking, and other factors rather than Gardasil vaccinations may have contributed to or caused those adverse events, the agencies said. source: Attorney at law

HPV: Most Common Sexually Transmitted Virus: 25,000 Cancers Per Year

2009-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you have been up to date with the latest Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) news, you might have heard that Dr. Harald Zur Hausen, a German scientist who discovered the link between HPV and cervical cancer, was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine this year. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus, and cervical cancer is the most serious consequence of HPV infections. Additionally, the different strains of HPV cause many other cancerous and non-cancerous diseases beyond cervical cancer. The latest report from the CDC, “Assessing the Burden of HPV- Associated Cancers in the United States” and published in the November 15, 2008 supplement to the journal Cancer comprises the largest and most up to date assessment of HPV-related cancers in the United States between 1998 and 2003. The main purpose of the study was to get a better understanding of the broad spectrum of HPV related pre-cancers and cancers before the introduction of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, in June 2006, and to study the future impact of the vaccine on these disease states.

Highlights of the report include:

* Number of HPV-related cancers: Approximately 25,000 per year
* Most common infection sites: Cervix, head and neck, anus, vulva, vagina and penis
* Most common reasons for HPV-related cancers: Low education and high poverty levels.
* Relationship among HPV-associated cancers: Those with cervical cancer had a higher chance of developing vaginal, vulvar and rectal cancer

The following are summaries of the report’s findings on different kinds of cancers caused by HPV

* Cancer of the cervix: The most common site of HPV-associated cancer, there were around 10,800 cases per year of cervical cancer during the study period. Blacks from the South, Hispanics form the Texas- Mexican border, Whites from the Appalachians and Asian immigrants were most affected. Low educational levels, and heightened poverty were cited as the causes. As a reference, according to The American Cancer Society, 4 out of 5 women who developed cervical cancer did not obtain a Pap test in the past 5 years.
* Head and neck: Even though the rates of head and neck cancers in this country have been declining since 1960s when the surgeon general issued a warning about the negative effects of smoking, certain cancers of the head and neck --particularly those of the tonsils, base of the tongue and back of the throat (the oropharyngeal region) -- have been steadily rising at about 3%-4% per year. This is linked to HPV infections from the rising frequency of oral-genital sex. Oral cancers are the second most common type of HPV-associated cancers, with nearly 7,400 occurring in the study period. Blacks, Non-Hispanics and men were most affected.
* Anal cancer: Anal sex is often seen as a taboo in our society because of its association with homosexuality, but even though gay and bisexual men are at a higher risk for developing anal cancer, there are a greater number of heterosexual and bisexual women engaging in anal sex than gay or bisexual men. Therefore, more women get anal cancer than men. According to this report, more than 3,000 HPV-associated anal cancers occurred per year – about 1,900 in women and 1,100 in men. Blacks and Hispanics were most affected.
* Vulvar cancer: Nearly 2,300 women developed vulvar cancer per year during the study. White women were most affected.
* Vaginal cancer: 600 women developed vaginal cancer per year during this study period. Blacks and Hispanics were most affected.
* Penile cancer: Penile cancers are rare in the United States. The causes, racial and geographic distribution of penile cancers parallel that of cervical cancers. According to this study, penile cancer strikes about 800 men per year.
* HPV Vaccine: The only HPV vaccine that is currently available in the U.S is Gardasil by Merck. The vaccine is indicated for the prevention of most genital warts and cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer. It has not yet been approved for anal, penile, or mouth and throat cancers, nor has it been approved for men in this country. As the vaccine is preventive in nature, it is recommended for routine immunization in females between the ages of 11-12 (before sexual debut) with the possibility for catch up through 26 years of age.

Even though this study proves that the burden of HPV cancers is significant, several salient factors present themselves that need to be addressed in order to best combat HPV-related diseases. First, since most HPV-related cancers take decades to develop, it would take several years for us to effectively measure the true impact of the vaccine. However, precancerous lesions occur much earlier in the process, and it would therefore help to use them as surrogates to measure the potential success of the vaccine. Unfortunately, we do not have an organized system to track precancerous lesions in this country like we do a cancer, and therefore, the impact of the vaccine will not be measurable for years to come. Hence, the creation of a pre-cancer registry is highly recommended.

Second, the study has shown that cervical cancer and many other HPV-related diseases are a reflection of health care disparities that include socioeconomic differences, inadequate access to healthcare, and ethnically unsound public education. Health awareness programs should not only aim to educate but should also tailor their message in a culturally sensitive manner to cater to the needs of people from various backgrounds –an area where we should discriminate in order to maximize positive health outcomes. source: Basil and Spice

Estrogen Therapy May Be Effective in Treating Breast Cancer Relapse

2009-08-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Although the last thirty years have brought great advances in our knowledge of breast cancer, it's still not understood what causes the disease to develop in a certain person at a certain time. We do know that about 80 percent of breast cancers grow with the help of estrogen and/or progesterone, female hormones that are produced in the body. When these hormones attach to special proteins called hormone receptors, the cancer cells with these receptors grow. Hormone therapies, like the drug tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, can stop this growth by preventing the cancer cells from getting the estrogen they need to grow. However, researchers have discovered that breast cancers can become resistant to anti-estrogen therapies, and the body may need some of the hormone to fight off the disease.

Dr. Matthew Ellis, a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and an oncologist with the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, and colleagues studied 66 women with advanced breast cancer who had been treated with aromatase inhibitors, including Pfizer’s Aromasin, Novartis’s Femara, and AstraZeneca’s Arimidex. “The women in the study had all experienced a relapse while on estrogen-lowering drugs, and their disease was progressing,” Ellis said in a statement. “So they were faced with undergoing chemotherapy.”

The women were given a form of estrogen called estradiol, in both high (30 milligrams) and very low doses (6 milligrams). Both doses were similar in effectiveness, halting the growth or shrinking the tumors in about 30 percent of the women. “We found that estrogen treatment stopped disease progression in many patients and was much better tolerated than chemotherapy would have been,” Ellis said.

However, those given the high dose had more negative side effects, such as headaches, bloating, breast tenderness, fluid retention, nausea and vomiting, as well as a poorer quality of life. “We demonstrated clearly that the low dose was better tolerated than the high dose and was just as effective for controlling metastatic disease,” Ellis said, adding that these side effects were limited in comparison to other treatments.

Some of the cancers later recurred, but about a third of these women then responded again to aromatase inhibitors, which suggests that the estrogen caused some of the tumors to become sensitive to anti-estrogen drugs again. “The endocrine system is a complicated system of feedback loops and, under normal circumstances, women experience wild changes in estrogen levels, depending on whether they’re menstruating, pregnant or postmenopausal,” Ellis explained. “All this is regulated in an exquisite way, which we actually understand fairly well. These results mean the feedback loops may be corrupted in some ways.” The researchers say they are planning further studies to see which group of women might benefit most from the protocol.

Some experts remain cautious about the findings, calling for further research to support the claim. “It’s an interesting observation, but it needs to be expanded into a large trial,” said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “There’s probably something biologically going on here that we don’t quite understand. The question is can we translate this into really clinically meaningful responses?”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, other than skin cancer, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 there will be 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in the United States and more than 40,000 will die from the disease.

The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. source: Health news

Popcorn full of cancer-fighting anti-oxidants

2009-08-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Munching on popcorn during movies may be healthier than you think.

New research says the popular snack food can actually help prevent cancer, according to a study led by Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

The chemist and his team of scientists found that popcorn contains surprisingly large levels of antioxidants called polyphenols, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

This is the first study to say that snack foods and certain wholegrain cereals are a good source of polyphenols.

“We really were surprised by the levels of polyphenols we found in popcorn,” Dr. Vinson said. “I guess it’s because it's not processed. You get all the wonderful ingredients of the corn undiluted and protected by the skin. In my opinion it's a good health food.”

Even more surprising, hot breakfast foods like porridge oats were found to have low levels of cancer-fighting polyphenols. source: NY Daily news

Study: Romantic Candlelit Dinners Could Cause Cancer

2009-08-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing that says romance like a candlelit dinner – but scientists say burning certain kinds of candles may actually be hazardous to your health.

In a study presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., researchers found fumes from paraffin wax candles — the most popular and cheapest kind of candles — can be poisonous and even cause cancer.

They say the candles, made from petroleum, are an "unrecognized source of exposure to indoor air pollution, including known human carcinogens."

For the study, the researchers burned paraffin candles for up to six hours in a small box and then analyzed the results. What they found was that the candles released toxic chemicals into the air.

"Lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an unventilated bathroom around a tub, for example, may cause problems," said Amid Hamidi, the co-author of the study at South Carolina State University.

However, he said an occasional paraffin candle and its emissions "will not likely affect you."

Hamidi and his colleagues also tested other candles made from beeswax and soy.

“Although more expensive, apparently [they] are healthier," he said. "They do not release potentially harmful amounts of indoor air pollutants while retaining all of the warmth, ambience and fragrance of paraffin candles." source: Fox News

Showtime boxing announcer Charles has cancer

2009-08-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Showtime boxing announcer Nick Charles has taken a leave of absence while battling bladder cancer.

Charles, a longtime CNN sportscaster, has been part of Showtime's ShoBox series since it began in 2001. The 63-year-old journalist has begun treatment at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Charles was among the first reporters hired by CNN, hosting programs for the cable news network for 21 years. He also hosted several Goodwill Games broadcasts for Turner Sports.

"Having bladder cancer is clearly the greatest challenge of my life," Charles said. "Now it's time for a face-first assault. Like a fighter, just give me one round at a time and I'll eventually win." source: Google News

Cancer Patient's Dying Wish Denied

2009-08-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Chinese Woman Wants To See Parents

A dying cancer patient is reaching out to Sen. Ted Kennedy hoping he can cut through some government red tape and allow her the one thing that could relieve her suffering -- a final visit with her parents.

Tina Chang Hong Yuan knows she does not have long to live. The 41-year-old Quincy woman was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer two year ago. "Now cancer come in my brain," Yuan said. "I know I don't have a long time left." Yuan first came to America to sell Chinese supplements on the West Coast. She returned six years ago to give birth to her son Michael in order to avoid a forced abortion in China. She was working two jobs until she was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her bones and liver. Her oncologist, Dr. Steven Isakoff at Massachusetts General Hospital, has tried numerous treatments and enrolled Yuan in three clinical trials. "When breast cancer goes to the brain, we have treatments and can control it. But sometimes it can progress rather rapidly," Isakoff said. Yuan has tried unsuccessfully for two years to secure a visa for her parents. "My last wish is I can see my mommy and daddy last time," Yuan said. "I want to see my parents last time." Isakoff has written numerous letters on her behalf to both the United States and Chinese governments. "In Tina's case relieving suffering for her is not just medications, not just giving her pain medicine, but it's allowing her to be with her family," Isakoff said. Supporters have reached out to Kennedy's office hoping his staff might have some sway with the Homeland Security Department. "We're just stuck and need help," Isakoff said. "They've been denied a visa because fit a profile of people who come from china who are likely to overstay their visa." All involved said it's not practical for Yuan to go home. "She would be forced to say goodbye to her son here on American soil knowing that she'll board the plane and never see him again," said Melissa White, Yuan's attorney. "That seems to be incredibly difficult to force a mother to do." Yuan also wouldn't have access to palliative care available at Massachusetts General Hospital. Keith Maley, a spokesman for Kennedy said, "our office has a longstanding policy of not discussing the details of casework, and deferring to families." Maley said staff members are working with Yuan's family to obtain visas to allow her parents to come visit. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said he would research the matter and get back to NewsCenter 5. source: The Boston Channel

Mammography, Breast Cancer and What Women Need to Know

2009-08-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

The results of a recent study published in the British Medical Journal may be confusing to women when it comes to the reliability of mammography. According to the study’s authors, Jorgensen and Gotzsche, screening mammogram results lead to an overdiagnosis of breast cancer. In their study, one in three breast cancers detected by organized screening mammography was overdiagnosed.

The term “overdiagnosed” refers to the detection of abnormalities, say, in the breast tissue, that will never cause symptoms or death during a patient’s lifetime. Overdiagnosis of breast cancer or any cancer occurs when the disease grows so slowly that the patient dies of other causes before the cancer ever produces symptoms or it remains dormant.

One problem with overdiagnosis is that because doctors don’t know which patients are overdiagnosed, the tendency is to treat everyone who shows any abnormalities. The result is unnecessary treatment, which can itself cause other health problems.

In the current study, the investigators evaluated data from a fourteen-year period (seven years before and seven years after screening mammography) from women in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. It did not include women from the United States.

One factor that may have an impact on the results of the current study is that the investigators looked at both invasive breast cancers and a type called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer. This type of cancer is noninvasive because it has not spread beyond the milk ducts into any surrounding normal tissue.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 60,000 cases of DCIS are diagnosed in the United States each year. Women who have had DCIS are at greater risk for the cancer coming back or for developing a new breast cancer than women who have never had breast cancer. However, the chances of recurrence are less than 30 percent. By including DCIS in the British Medical Journal study, the estimate of overdiagnosis may be exaggerated, as most cases of DCIS are never expected to become full-blown cancer.

Women should also know that according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 10 percent of mammogram results are false positives, which means the results indicate cancer when there really is no disease there. Women who get a false-positive test result typically return for additional testing. Digital mammography reportedly has a lower false-positive rate, and women may want to insist on this technology when getting a mammogram.

Mammography is and probably will remain a controversial technique for some time. In the United States, women age 40 and older are urged by the American Cancer Society and other health organizations to get a mammogram every one to two years. Women are also encouraged to do breast self-exams once a month. These are personal choices, but the choice is not many any easier by the confusing and sometimes conflicting information provided about the benefits and risks of mammography and the data on breast cancer risks. More research is still needed to help women make informed decisions when it comes to mammography and breast cancer. source: emaxhealth.com

Lifting Weights Reduces Lymphedema Symptoms Following Breast Cancer Surgery, Research Shows

2009-08-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer survivors who lift weights are less likely than their non-weightlifting peers to experience worsening symptoms of lymphedema, the arm- and hand-swelling condition that plagues many women following surgery for their disease, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings challenge the advice commonly given to lymphedema sufferers, who may worry that weight training or even carrying children or bags of groceries will exacerbate their symptoms.

"Our study challenges the historical medical recommendations for women who get lymphedema after breast cancer, and is another example of well-meaning medical advice turning out to be misguided," says lead author Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of Penn's Abramson Cancer Center. "For instance, we used to tell those who had back pain to rest, but we know now that in many cases, inactivity can actually make a bad back worse. Too many women have missed out on the health and fitness benefits that weight lifting provides, including building bone density. Our study shows that breast cancer survivors can safely participate in slowly progressive weight lifting and gain those benefits without any increase in their lymphedema symptoms. In fact, this type of exercise may actually help them feel better."

In the largest study to date to examine the impact of weight training on this sometimes debilitating, incurable condition, Schmitz's team enrolled 141 breast cancer survivors with a current diagnosis of lymphedema. Half were assigned to a weight-lifting group that participated in small- group, twice-weekly, 90-minute exercise classes for 13 weeks. During that time, with guidance from trained fitness instructors in community fitness centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, the women worked up to greater resistance and more sets of weightlifting exercise. For the next 39 weeks, the women continued twice-weekly unsupervised exercise, with trainers calling to check in on women who missed more than one session per week. The women wore a custom-fitted compression garment on their affected arm during their workouts, and each week were asked about changes in symptoms. Their arms were measured monthly to ensure any changes were noted as soon as they occurred. The 70 control group participants, meanwhile, were asked not to change their exercise level during study participation.

During the course of the study, women in the weightlifting group experienced fewer exacerbations of their condition, and a reduction in symptoms compared to the women who did not lift weights. There were 19 women in the control group who experienced lymphedema exacerbations that required treatment from a physical therapist, compared to 9 in the treatment group. The proportion of women who experienced an increase of five percent or more in their limb swelling was similar in both groups -- 11 percent of the weight-lifting group and 12 percent in the control group. The researchers theorize that a controlled weightlifting program may have protective benefits, by boosting strength in affected limbs enough to ward off injuries from everyday activities that can aggravate lymphedema symptoms.

"Our study shows that participating in a safe, structured weight-lifting routine can help women with lymphedema take control of their symptoms and reap the many rewards that resistance training has on their overall health as they begin life as a cancer survivor," Schmitz says. "We did the intervention in community fitness centers deliberately, in the hope that positive results seen in our study would continue to be available to breast cancer survivors long beyond the end of the research study."

It is recommended that women start with a slowly progressive program, supervised by a certified fitness professional, in order to learn how to do these types of exercises properly. Women with lymphedema should also wear a well-fitting compression garment during all exercise sessions. The new research was conducted in partnership with YMCAs in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania and in Burlington County in New Jersey, as well as Sisters-In-Shape Fitness in Philadelphia. Staff at the Edison-Metuchen YMCA in New Jersey have also been trained to deliver this intervention.

The research was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Research Resources. source: Science Daily

Gibson, the world's tallest dog dies from cancer

2009-08-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Gibson, a seven-year-old harlequin great Dane and also the tallest dog according to the Guinness book of world records died August 7 in Loomis, California. His owner, Sandy Hall made the decision to have him humanely euthanized after finding out that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Earlier this year Gibson had his leg and shoulder removed from the bone cancer.

Sandy Hall announced Gibson's death on the website www.remembergibson.com. You can sign his memorial guest book at that site. Sandy has started a website or promoting cancer awareness and dogs. It is called Three Paws for The Cause.

Several years ago, while I was living in Grass Valley, California, I was fortunate and very pleased to have Gibson and his owner Sandy Hall visit my home. Gibson was such a delightful dog and was full of love. He could say"I love you" and you could feel the love. I baked a Lavender lemon cake for Sandy Hall. She shared some with Gibson and remarked that he really love cheeseburgers and I would get a kick out of the face on the people through the hamburger drive-in window when she went to order his burgers with him in the car.

Gibson wandered around my house sniffing where my dog had been in checkout the doggie toys. Gibson and Buddy the Dog from Hawaii, became forever friends that day.

I went on several outings with Gibson and Sandy. We went to the pet store to buy Gibson food and it is truly amazing to see people's response to his presence. He weighs 180 pounds and is very tall. He's also very gentle. I sat in the front passenger seat of the Gibson Mobile and Gibson kept nudging my neck during the ride.

Gibson's home is custom built to accommodate large dogs and one room was a huge dog kennel. Gibson drank water from the kitchen faucet when he was standing normal.

We also visited a care home with Gibson and the residents really loved Gibson. He turned heads wherever he went and he will be truly missed.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in dogs and more research needs to be done to help prevent and to stop the cancer. source: examiner.com