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Stomach Bug Treatment for Cancer

Endoscopic image of deep gastric ulcer in the ...Image via Wikipedia

Eradicating a common bug in people with stomach cancer can prevent the disease from recurring, research suggests.

H. pylori is commonly known as the main cause of stomach ulcers

Helicobacter pylori, proved to be the cause of most stomach ulcers, has also been linked with stomach cancer

In a study of 550 people who had stomach cancer surgery, antibiotics which killed the bug cut the risk of a second cancer developing by two-thirds.
” Preventing gastric cancer by eradicating H. pylori in high-risk regions should be a priority” Says Dr Nicholas Talley
There will now be a trial of 56,000 British people to see if killing the bacterium stops the cancer developing.

H. pylori lives in the stomach, and accounts for up to 90% of duodenal ulcers and up to 80% of gastric ulcers.

It was famously linked with stomach ulcers by two Australian researchers – one of whom deliberately infected himself to prove the theory – who were awarded the Nobel prize for their discovery in 2005.

The World Health Organisation also classes the bacterium as a leading cause of stomach cancer.

Prevention :
Previous trials on eradicating H. pylori as a method of preventing further stomach cancers in patients who have undergone surgery have been conflicting.

But the latest study, done in Japan, found that the strategy could be very useful.

Patients with early stomach cancer underwent a procedure to remove the cancerous cells and surrounding tissue.

Half of them were then treated with a course of drugs designed to eradicate H. pylori – lansoprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin – and half received dummy pills and were then examined at six, 12, 24 and 36 months to see if the cancer had reappeared in a different site.

After three years, a second stomach cancer had developed in nine patients in the eradication group compared with 24 in the control group.

Overall, the risk of developing cancer was reduced by 65% with H. pylori treatment.

Study leader Dr Mototsugu Kato, from Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine said: “We believe that our data add to those from previous studies showing a causal relationship between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer, and also support the use of H. pylori eradication to prevent the development of gastric cancer.”

Writing in the same issue of The Lancet, Dr Nicholas Talley, of Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Florida, US said: “Preventing gastric cancer by eradicating H. pylori in high-risk regions should be a priority.”

Henry Scowcroft, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “This result adds to our understanding of the relationship between H pylori and stomach cancer, and to the debate on how we should treat people with this infection.

He added the charity was helping to fund a study to assess whether elimination of the bacteria could prevent cancer developing.

“The trial aims to recruit 56,000 people across the UK, treat any who show signs of H pylori infection, and follow them over 15 to 20 years to see if this treatment is effective.”

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Sources: BBC NEWS:31st.July.’08

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Mushrooms Can Help Fight Cancer

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Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins that may help fight cancer, say researchers.

While addressing the health benefits of mushrooms in a session Monday at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans, several scientists pointed out that this food item contains antioxidants, selenium, riboflavin, and other healthful substances that protect the immune system and fight cancer.

Dr Lana Zivanovic, a researcher in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Tennessee, said that mushrooms contained high amounts of beta-glucans, compounds that help keep immune cells in a state of vigilance and thereby guard against disease.

Dr Shiuan Chen, director of surgical research at the Beckman Research Institute in California, revealed that mushrooms were rich in cancer-fighting substances.

He said that lab experiments had found mushrooms’ cells to contain mechanisms that suppress breast and prostate cancer cells.

He even revealed that he was following up his study with clinical trials funded by the Mushroom Council, the results of which should be out in a year.

The researcher said that, so far, his team had discovered that mushrooms contain an antioxidant called ergothioneine, which contributes to immune support and protection of the eyes, skin, liver, kidneys, and bone marrow.

Dr Joy Dubost, principal nutritionist at PepsiCo, said that her studies had shown that stressful growing conditions might help mushrooms produce more of the antioxidants.

The scientists making presentations at the even also pointed out that mushrooms contained robust amounts of selenium, vitamin D and potassium.

Dr Robert Beelman from the Department of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University said that white button mushrooms had more protein, potassium, copper, and selenium than oyster or shitake mushrooms.

You may click to see:->The yellow mushroom that could fight cancer

Sources: The Times Of India

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Mediterranean Diet ‘Cuts Cancer’

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Adopting just a couple of elements of the Mediterranean diet could cut the risk of cancer by 12%, say scientists.

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The Mediterranean Pyramid
The Mediterranean diet begins with the same basis of lots of grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Major differences from the USDA pyramid include:
• Using olive oil as the primary fat
• Allowing for only moderate amounts of milk products
• Using fish and poultry, rather than red meat, as the main source of high protein food from animals
• Including wine with meals

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruit and vegetables

A study of 26,000 Greek people found just using more olive oil alone cut the risk by 9%.

The diet, reports the British Journal of Cancer, also includes higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and less red meat.

A separate study found adding broccoli to meals might help men vulnerable to prostate cancer cut their risk.

The Mediterranean diet came under scrutiny after researchers noticed lower rates of illnesses such as heart disease in countries such as Spain and Greece.

They noticed that people living there generally ate more vegetables and fish, less red meat, cooked in olive oil and drank moderate amounts of alcohol.

The latest study is one of the largest yet to look at the potential impact on cancer of the various parts of this diet.

‘No superfood’

Researchers from Harvard University persuaded thousands of Greek people of various ages to record their food intake over an eight-year-period.

Their adherence to the Mediterranean diet was ranked using a scoring system, and the group with the worst score compared with those who followed a couple of aspects of the diet, and those who followed it the most closely.

The biggest effect they found – a 9% reduction in risk – was achieved simply by eating more “unsaturated” fats such as olive oil.

But just two changes – eating less red meat, and more peas, beans and lentils, cut the risk of cancer by 12%.

Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, who led the study, said: “Adjusting one’s overall dietary habits towards the traditional Mediterranean pattern had an important effect.”

Sara Hiom, from Cancer Research UK, said the research highlighted the importance of a healthy balanced diet.

“It shows there are a number of things you can do, and there is no one ‘superfood’ that can stop you developing the disease” says Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK

Broccoli benefit

The other study suggesting that food had the power to prevent cancer came from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich.
Broccoli may help ward off prostate cancer:- CLICK & SEE
Scientists compared the effects of adding 400 grams of broccoli or peas a week to the diet of men at high risk of prostate cancer – and in the case of broccoli found differences in the activity of genes in the prostate which other studies have linked to cancer.

Their findings raised the possibility that broccoli, or other “cruciferous” vegetables, such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, could help prevent or slow down the disease, particularly if the man had a particular gene variant – GSTM1.

Professor Richard Mithen, who led the research, published in the Public Library of Science journal, said: “Eating two or three portions of cruciferous vegetables per week, and maybe a few more if you lack the GSTM1 gene – should be encouraged.”

Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of CancerPartnersUK, said the study was the first time in a properly controlled clinical trial that broccoli had been shown to change the expression of specific genes in the prostate gland.

“Although the observation period was too short and the numbers too small to show that the incidence of cancer actually fell, it is the first clear demonstration that broccoli and presumably other cruciferous vegetables may well reduce cancer risk.”

You may click to see:->Mediterranean diet benefits

>Diet Plans & Weight

>The Food Groups and the Food Pyramid

Sources: BBC NEWS:July 2, ’08

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Clone Cell Cancer ‘Cure’ Hailed

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Scientists claim they have cured advanced skin cancer for the first time using the patient’s own cells cloned outside the body.

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Melanoma can be fatal

The 52-year-old man involved was free of melanoma two years after treatment.

US researchers, reports the New England Journal of Medicine, took cancer-fighting immune cells, made five billion copies, then put them all back.

Scientists in the UK warned that further trials would need to be done to prove how well the treatment worked.

The body’s immune system plays a significant role in the battle against cancer, and doctors have been looking for ways to boost this tumour-killing response.

The 52-year-old man had advanced melanoma which had spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.

“This is another interesting demonstration of the huge power of the immune system to fight some types of cancer”…. says Spokesman, Cancer Research UK

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle concentrated on a type of white blood cell called a CD4+ T cell.

From a sample of the man’s white blood cells, they were able to select CD4+ T cells which had been specifically primed to attack a chemical found on the surface of melanoma cells.

These were then multiplied in the laboratory, and put back in their billions to see if they could mount an effective attack on the tumours.

Two months later, scans showed the tumours had disappeared, and after two years, the man remained disease-free.

The new cells persisted in the body for months after the treatment.

‘Immune power’
While claiming this as a world first, the study authors pointed out that their technique applied only to a patient with a particular type of immune system and tumour type, and could work for only a small percentage of people with advanced skin cancer.

Dr Cassian Yee, who led the project, said: “For this patient we were successful, but we would need to confirm the effectiveness of therapy in a larger study.”

A spokesman for Cancer Research UK also said more research would be needed, adding: “This is another interesting demonstration of the huge power of the immune system to fight some types of cancer.

“Although the technique is complex and difficult to use for all but a few patients, the principle that someone’s own immune cells can be expanded and made to work in this way is very encouraging for the work that ourselves and others are carrying out in this field.

You may click to see:->Cancer vaccine target pinpointed

>Hope for tailored cancer vaccine

>Cord blood cancer therapy boost

Sources: BBC NEWS :June 16, 2008

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Flip-flops ‘Linked to Skin Cancer’

From cheap plastic foam to leather

Image via Wikipedia

They may be just perfect for hot weather and a fashion hit of the summer, but remember wearing sandals and flip-flops can put you at risk of developing skin cancer on your feet.

 CLICK & SEE

Researchers have earlier warned of some link between open-toed footwears and skin patches.

Now, medics have also joined the attack by saying that sporting them can increase a person’s chance of getting lesions as the skin becomes exposed to intense sunlight, a key cause of skin tumours, or melanomas.

Cancer that affects the feet is actually known as “acral melanoma” and typically occurs on the sole of the foot, between the toes or under the toenails. Research has revealed that only half of patients with foot melanomas survive.

Anthony Kontos, Head of the clinic at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, who regularly treats patients with flip-flop injuries, said people often mistook skin cancer on the feet for bruising.

“With the increasing popularity of open-toed sandals and flip-flops, feet often have a sudden blast of intense sunlight. Our feet are enclosed in shoes most of the year and then we pack our sandals for a holiday in hot temperatures. This means feet are particularly susceptible to sunburn.

“People are generally aware of checking other parts of their body for suspicious moles but they’re unlikely to examine their feet,” British newspaper ‘The Daily Telegraph‘ quoted the podiatric surgeon as saying.

But, hey ladies, if you still want to sport those comfortable footwears apply sunscreen to feet, including the soles that is the advice from doctors.

However a British Skin Foundation Spokesman said, “The fact is that all types of skin cancer are on the rise. Women especially are susceptible because any lotion applied to the bridge of the foot gets rubbed off by sandals.”

Sources: The Times Of India

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