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Herpes linked to brain cancer
Cancer researchers are finally taking seriously a young surgeon’s decade-long hunch that brain tumors are linked to a strain of herpes that lies dormant in 80% of Americans. The physician speculated that brain cancer patients—many of them affluent and educated—were more vulnerable to common viruses such as the herpes CMV strain because of their "hyper-hygienic" lives, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
"I stopped to think, If I was going to cause a brain tumor, what would I be? CMV made a lot of sense,” he said. The link has now been confirmed in at least three new studies, and CMV vaccine trials have begun for chemo patients. Several of them are tumor-free after two years, rare for a cancer that returns within months of treatment in 95% of cases. Cancer researchers are finally taking seriously a young surgeon’s decade-long hunch that brain tumors are linked to a strain of herpes... more -
Breast cancer vaccine within reach
According to breast cancer expert Professor Valerie Beral from the University of Oxford, enough is known about the causes of breast cancer to make a vaccine or prophylactic drug a real possibility,
Beral challenged the scientific community to turn its efforts to preventing breast cancer instead of investing more and more money and time into better drug treatments. Speaking to the Guardian, she said that while death rates have been slashed by new drugs and earlier diagnosis, the number of women getting breast cancer and having to go through traumatic surgery and chemotherapy was rising.
According to her research, genes played a part in only a very small number of cancers while the processes of giving birth and breastfeeding protected a woman from breast cancer more than anything else. Of course, returning to an era where women had endless babies and breastfed for two years or more at a time was not an option, but Beral raises the question why there are no drugs that mimic the effects of childbirth. She said. "We don't know how this happens and nobody is doing research on it. We should be looking at hormone production during late pregnancy and lactation." According to breast cancer expert Professor Valerie Beral from the University of Oxford, enough is known about the causes of breast ca... more -
Single jab cancer therapy backed
A study has concluded that one dose of chemotherapy is the best way to cure testicular cancer in many patients.
Doctors already offer either carboplatin or radiotherapy, but scientists needed long-term trial results to see which was the best. The Medical Research Council project found that the drug offered a similar relapse rate - but far fewer side effects. A leading expert said it could one day reduce the need for testicle removal.
Several hundred men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the UK. The vast majority are "seminomas", affecting the sperm-producing cells in the testicle, and almost half of these are caught at an early stage.
These patients have their affected testicle removed, and are then offered either a single dose of carboplatin chemotherapy, a longer regime of radiotherapy, or the option to have no extra treatment with a higher risk of the cancer returning. Radiotherapy can have severe side effects, while people undergoing this type of chemotherapy can resume their normal lives much more quickly.
(continues at link) A study has concluded that one dose of chemotherapy is the best way to cure testicular cancer in many patients. ... more -
Human cancer equipment used secretly on pets
A major Melbourne hospital has been treating pet animals as private cancer patients in secret after-hours appointments.
The Alfred struck a deal with at least one vet to treat cats and dogs with its multi-million-dollar radiation therapy machines in 2001.
The Government yesterday ordered an immediate ban on the practice after it was revealed by the Sunday Herald Sun.
The use of expensive equipment to treat dozens of pets in the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre provoked an outcry.
"We had absolutely no knowledge of that. It's certainly not something we condone," Rowena Amin, of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, said.
"Any reasonable person would have problems with that. That equipment is dedicated to the treatment of human patients."
Health Minister Daniel Andrews agreed, moving quickly to stop the practice yesterday.
"This is an inappropriate use of our vital health resources and it will not continue," Mr Andrews's spokesman said.
The Alfred spokeswoman, Fiona Gillies, said the deal, under which 22 animals had been treated since 2005, was a "public service" that came "at no cost to the hospital".
Ms Gillies said The Alfred's radiation therapists were paid directly by the commissioning vet.
Pet owners were charged $200 for five radiation sessions.
"The service was done after hours, so there was no displacing patients," she said.
"The infection control after that was stronger than it would be for (human) patients."
Vet Dr Stephen Emms, believed to have referred patients to The Alfred from his Camberwell clinic, refused to comment.
The are two radiation therapy centres in Australia for treating animals - Melbourne and Brisbane.
About 100 animals are treated at the Southern Animal Referral Centre in Highett each year, centre spokesman Mark Amott says.
He said animals being treated in human medical centres was a closely guarded industry secret.
"There is nothing under-handed about it from the veterinary side of things, but they really have to sneak them in," he said.
"You see a dog on a (radiation) machine and people complain about it. They think it's unclean." A major Melbourne hospital has been treating pet animals as private cancer patients in secret after-hours appointments. ... more -
Ex-EastEnder 'dying of cancer'
Former EastEnders star Wendy Richard is dying of cancer, she has revealed.
The 65-year-old, who played Pauline Fowler in the BBC One soap, said she would marry her long-term partner before starting chemotherapy.
Richard has fought off breast cancer twice but in January was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease which has spread to a kidney and her bones.
She told the Sunday Express that she has since planned her funeral and written her will. Former EastEnders star Wendy Richard is dying of cancer, she has revealed. ... more -
Armstrong responds to Tour organizer's 'embarrassment' quip
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong responded strongly to the Tour organizer's new president's comment that he has "embarrassed" cycling's premier race.
"We can't say that he has not embarrassed the Tour de France, as he has had a quite a complicated history with it," Jean-Etienne Amaury said earlier Saturday in French sports newspaper L'Equipe. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong responded strongly to the Tour organizer's new president's comment that h... more -
Cancer treatment under threat from transport restrictions
The UK nearly ran out of cancer treatment isotopes last week after just one delivery from Holland was delayed.
Because the medical isotopes used have a half-life of just 66 hours, speedy delivery is essential. However, the Channel Tunnel - affected by fire - seems to be the only route these goods can take into Britain. The UK nearly ran out of cancer treatment isotopes last week after just one delivery from Holland was delayed. ... more -
Designing the $100 000 Super baby-
THIS IS AN AMAZING ARTICLE ON designing babies with genetic manipulation- Basically it talks about pushing science to achieve a tailored baby to your needs: choice of eye colour, athetic make-up and even cancer-resistance. Raises a whole bunch of ethical questions but most "cosmetic" modifications that parents may want in their kid are not that far away from perfection.
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By Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, MSN Money
The convention hall at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's 2007 annual meeting, in Washington, D.C., looked like a luxury shopping mall of futuristic baby making. Company reps held court in brightly colored booths, luring potential customers with bowls of candy and hoping to sell cutting-edge baby-making technology.
What kind of baby can money buy?
Just down the hall, conferees packed a seminar room to hear a talk titled "From Cells to Super Babies." By spending staggering amounts of money, as much as $100,000, picky parents would soon be able to design superior physical, mental and psychological attributes for their babies-to-be, the audience learned.
"Doctors, attorneys and mental-health professionals are all picking and choosing each and every genetic component in order to build a super baby," says Elaine Gordon, a clinical psychologist who specializes in counseling on such issues. "One day you'll be able to select for sex, hair color, confidence index, whether they are an optimist or pessimist, whether they are an athlete or a bookworm."
Talk back: Should parents be able to "design" babies?
That future may be closer than we think. Thanks in part to people choosing parenthood later in life, many would-be parents are already turning to expensive and advanced reproductive technology to beat the biological clock. They are employing prescription drugs, in vitro fertilization, donor eggs and sperm, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, a technique that lets doctors screen for genetic diseases and gender.
'This is serious, high-tech sex'
So custom baby design may not be far behind, and experts say the biggest obstacles are ethical, not technological.
"As reproductive technologies push the envelope of possibilities, they . . . will blur the edges of what is now formally forbidden: cloning, fetal research," Harvard economist Debora L. Spar writes in her book "The Baby Business." "In the end, the market will win. We will continue to buy, sell and modify our children, generating substantial profits in the process."
Make no mistake: The price tag will be high. And as with most reproductive technology, health insurance is unlikely to cover the cost.
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Click on the link for the full article THIS IS AN AMAZING ARTICLE ON designing babies with genetic manipulation- Basically it talks about pushing science to achieve a tailor... more -
Black men at higher risk of prostate cancer
Black men have a three times higher risk of prostate cancer than white men. They also tend to be diagnosed five years younger, a study of all cases in London and Bristol found.
In the UK study, it was initially unclear whether there was a "genuinely" higher rate of prostate cancer in these groups or whether they were more likely to be diagnosed. But when they looked in detail at hospital records they found black and white men had similar levels of knowledge about prostate cancer, similar symptoms and similar delays before they went to their GP.
The researchers are now doing further work to see if there are any differences in survival between the two groups. Black men have a three times higher risk of prostate cancer than white men. They also tend to be diagnosed five years younger, a study... more -
CN NS: Maccan's Marijuana Maverick Enters Race
Pot Advocate In Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley Battle
AMHERST - The marijuana maverick is back to take a second crack at becoming MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.
Rick Simpson, the Maccan man who believes he has found the cure for cancer in a marijuana paste he calls hemp oil, said Friday that he filed the necessary paperwork with the riding's returning officer earlier this week.
"I'm running to get my message out," Mr. Simpson said. "I want to see lives saved and get the country on its feet and straightened out. Hemp is the answer to all our problems."
Since his last run for federal office in 2006, Mr. Simpson has been convicted of trafficking in and illegally growing marijuana, but Mr. Simspon doesn't believe he is a criminal. "What's criminal is the corrupt big businesses and politicians who are preventing the message from getting out."
As an example of the uphill battle to get the message out, he said he will not be able to participate in an all-candidates meeting set for Truro.
"They've told me I can't participate because I'm just a one-issue candidate," he said. "Still, I would like to debate them and will challenge the other candidates to debate the issue.
"I'm not just a one-issue candidate, either. I too am concerned about the environment, about people's health and the economy, only I've found the answer and the answer is hemp. My own work with my patients proves that hemp oil will help cure people of cancer, psoriasis and other diseases. We could cut millions from our health budget if it was allowed to be used."
Marijuana would also help in the search for fuel sources, Mr. Simpson said. Half a hectare of hemp would produce 1,893 litres of ethanol, he said, but only 379 litres of bio-diesel.
If an average rural household were allowed to grow 1.6 hectares of hemp, it would provide household energy needs and run all a family's vehicles, he added..
Furthermore, he said, "They show all these starving children living in harsh climates, but hemp can grow in those climates and the seeds could feed the people."
If governments allowed the hemp industry to expand, "hundreds of thousands of earth-friendly jobs could be created and we wouldn't have to rely on fossil fuels," he said.
"We could leave them in the ground because they would not be needed."
The riding is being contested by the incumbent, Bill Casey, along with Joel Bernard ( Tory ), Liberal candidate Tracy Parsons ( Liberal ) and Karen Olsson ( NDP ).
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin Pot Advocate In Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley Battle ... more -
Cancer experts hope tiny 'torpedo' will blast away tumours
A tiny ‘torpedo’ that sails through the body to seek out and destroy tumours could help fight cancer.
The device, which is a thousand times smaller than a human hair, carries a cargo of anti-cancer medicine. Once it has located cancerous tissue, it binds to it and releases drugs.
The torpedo, being developed by experts from three leading U.S. universities, is able
to sneak past the body’s own defence mechanism without being noticed.
It can do this because the ‘hull’ of each one is made from specially modified fats designed to closely resemble those found in the body’s own cells.
As a result, the immune system does not recognise them as foreign and makes no
attempt to destroy them.
The torpedo also leaves healthy tissue unscathed, thanks to a protein called F3.
This protein is attached to the outside of the miniature particle as it is known to stick
to cancer cells but not disease-free ones.
‘Many drugs fail because they do not reach the diseased tissue in time or at
concentrations high enough to be effective,’ says Professor Sangeeta Bhatia,
one the leading researchers in the torpedo project at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
‘We hope these new devices will allow pinpoint targeting of treatments.’ A tiny ‘torpedo’ that sails through the body to seek out and destroy tumours could help fight cancer. ... more -
Sex bias seen in control of cancer pain
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - How well pain is managed in people with cancer apparently differs between men and women, new research hints.
Dr. Kristine A. Donovan, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues examined pain severity and the adequacy of pain management in 131 cancer patients newly referred to a multidisciplinary cancer pain clinic.
Men and women did not differ significantly in terms of worst pain scores, least pain scores, or pain interference. However, average pain in the last week and pain right now were significantly higher in women.
In addition, the average total daily dose of pain-killers was significantly greater for men (130 versus 66 milligrams morphine equivalent value).
Women were also significantly less likely than men to receive prescriptions for high potency opioids (33 percent versus 51 percent).
Women were also significantly more likely than men to report inadequate pain control, as indicated by scores on a standard pain management scale.
These findings, Donovan and colleagues conclude, highlight the need to improve the treatment of pain in cancer patients and to "more closely examine physician and patient-related factors that may hinder adequate pain management." NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - How well pain is managed in people with cancer apparently differs between men and women, new research hint... more -
Robert Redford 'beyond words' over Newman’s death
Paul Newman’s lasting impact in Hollywood was more than evident Saturday, a day after the Oscar winner succumbed to cancer, as stars and pals alike expressed their sadness over his death.
"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," two-time costar Robert Redford said in a statement. "I have lost a real friend. My life – and this country – is better for his being in it."
The pair, who shared heartthrob status in their heyday, starred together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 and again in The Sting, in 1973. A testament to their easygoing friendship: Redford famously gave Newman a dented, engine-less Porsche as a joke for his birthday one year. Newman repaid the favor by having the car crushed and sent back to the actor.
Newman's Absence of Malice costar Sally Field echoed the sentiment of fondness for the Oscar winner. "I was blessed to have known him," she said in a statement. "The world is better because of him. Sometimes God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them."
Victoria Principal, who worked alongside Newman in the 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, referred to the actor as "my first leading man" in a statement. She added that he "set the bar impossibly high for everyone after that. His generosity was real and inspirational to everyone who knew him and the world was a better place while he was here."
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger saluted Newman for both his “cool” screen persona and his even greater sense of the world around him. “Paul Newman was the ultimate cool guy, who men wanted to be like and women adored," he said. "He was an American icon, a brilliant actor, a Renaissance man and a generous but modest philanthropist."
He continued, “He entertained millions in some of Hollywood’s most memorable roles ever, and he brightened the lives of many more, especially seriously ill children, through his charitable works. Paul was one of a kind. The beloved film star will be missed by a world of fans and admirers. Maria and I send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, Joanne Woodward, his entire family and his many friends.”
Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton also acknowledged Newman's good deeds in a statement: “Paul was an American icon, philanthropist and champion for children. We will miss our dear friend, whose continued support always meant the world to us. Our prayers and thoughts are with Joanne and the Newman family and the many people who Paul impacted through his endless kindness and generosity.” Paul Newman’s lasting impact in Hollywood was more than evident Saturday, a day after the Oscar winner succumbed to cancer, as stars a... more -
Simpson gives campaigning a second try
AMHERST -Better known for hemp advocacy than his last run for federal office, Rick Simpson has become the second independent candidate in the race to represent Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley in the House of Commons.
Simpson, 58, of Little Forks, Cumberland County filed his nomination papers Monday for the Oct. 14 federal election.
"I ran in the last election on the same issue," said Simpson, a former power engineer. "They called me the one issue candidate but they were wrong, hemp is not just one issue."
He said using hemp is more than just about curing cancer, which he and his supporters claim he has been doing with the plant for years.
"It's not just medicinal," Simpson explained in a telephone interview from his home. "It's capable of producing energy, creating jobs and supporting industries that won't be harmful to the earth.
"We have to get people back to the land," he said. "If the economy collapses, which it's close to doing, cities will become war zones. At least in the 1930s (during the Great Depression) most people lived off the land."
Simpson acknowledges his way of thinking flies against society's accepted norms, but is undeterred.
"Today we have fossil fuels and corruption," he said, "and the fossil fuels are almost gone."
Last February, after being fined $2,000 for production of marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for the purpose of trafficking, following an incident in 2005, Simpson pondered leaving the country.
"After five years of trying to bring this medicinal oil to the people, I'm very disillusioned as to how this country is being run. It seems the health and welfare of Canadians means nothing to Ottawa," Simpson told the Amherst Daily News.
Now he is trying to evoke change from the inside, but says he is facing an uphill battle.
"The Truro Chamber of Commerce has already called me to say I'm not welcome at their candidates debate.
"It's not fair," he said. "You pay your $1,000, collect your 100 signatures and you're not allowed to speak."
The Truro chamber, which is hosting a candidates' debate for the riding on Oct. 2, sees it differently.
"Mr. Simpson is a one issue candidate," said executive director Tim Tucker. "We will be debating a broad spectrum of issues." AMHERST -Better known for hemp advocacy than his last run for federal office, Rick Simpson has become the second independent candidate... more -
Hormone Rx May Protect Women With Breast Cancer Gene
Postmenopausal women carrying breast cancer-linked BRCA gene mutations who took hormone replacement therapy actually reduced their risk for breast cancer, researchers report.
The study's authors called the finding "reassuring."
"I have no reservation about recommending HRT to my patients who have a [BRCA] mutation and who have had an oopherectomy [removal of ovaries] and, particularly, young women with surgical menopause," stated Dr. Steven Narod, senior author of the study and chair of breast cancer research at Women's College Hospital in Toronto. "I feel completely, absolutely, 100 percent comfortable in recommending HRT to BRCA carriers."
The study was published in the Sept. 23 issue of theJournal of the National Cancer Institute.
In a prepared statement, Dr. Amos Pines, immediate past president of the International Menopause Society (IMS), said the results support "the IMS view that HRT in the early postmenopausal period is safe and may be prescribed without concerns when needed."
Other commentators, however, approached the subject more conservatively, including IMS Secretary General Dr. Regine Sitruk-Ware.
"Given the limitations of the design and size of the study, caution is still recommended for the use of HRT in women who are carriers of a genetic mutation that expose them to a higher risk of breast cancer in their life," Sitruk-Ware said, also in a prepared statement.
Another expert agreed.
"These observational studies are small and have misled before," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "I would still advise my patients who have a mutational BRCA status, if at all possible, to use as little exogenous estrogen as possible and for as little time as possible."
Some 3 percent of invasive cancers can be attributed to either a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation, which elevate a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer to 60 percent to 80 percent. The National Cancer Institute puts the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer for an average American woman at 12.7 percent.
Many women with a BRCA mutation elect to have their ovaries removed at a relatively young age to reduce their breast cancer risk.
For this matched case-control study, researchers analyzed tumor samples from 472 postmenopausal women with a BRCA 1 mutation, some of who had undergone endocrine therapy (removing estrogen) before surgery for breast cancer. The other women also carried the BRCA1 mutation but had no history of breast cancer.
****Read More**** Postmenopausal women carrying breast cancer-linked BRCA gene mutations who took hormone replacement therapy actually reduced their ris... more -
Breast cancer 'kills more poor'
Breast cancer is more likely to kill poor women than their more affluent counterparts, research shows.
A study of breast cancer patients in England and Wales diagnosed between 1986 and 1999 found overall long-term survival rates are improving.
However, survival rates one year after diagnosis were worse among poor women than those who were more affluent.
And the British Journal of Cancer study found this "deprivation gap" doubled five years after diagnosis.
The study, which looked at more than 380,000 women, found that even after adjustijng for other causes of death, the five-year survival rate was about 6% higher for affluent women.
The figures are part of a detailed analysis of survival rates for the 20 most common forms of cancer.
The researchers found that one-year survival rates tended to be higher among affluent women across a range of cancers.
However, breast cancer was the only form of the disease for which this deprivation gap continued to widen years after diagnosis.
Lead researcher Professor Michel Coleman, an epidemiologist for Cancer Research UK, said women from poor backgrounds might be less likely to access radiotherapy or drug treatment.
Others said the key could be that patients living in deprived areas were more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage, or to have other life-threatening diseases.
Improvements
Dr Sarah Cant, of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said there had been significant improvements in access to services and treatments since the 2000 Cancer Plan which would not be be reflected in the study.
However, she said: "The inequalities in breast cancer survival between richer and poorer women that have been identified are of great concern.
"It is vital to continue to investigate the exact causes of any inequalities so appropriate measures to tackle them can be taken."
Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director for England, said there tended to be a difference of opinion between clinicians and epidemiologists about the reasons for a deprivation gap.
He said: "In general clinicians were likely to attribute the deprivation gap in survival mainly to the fact that people from poorer backgrounds had other diseases as well as cancer.
"By contrast statisticians put more emphasis on late diagnosis in deprived groups as a cause for poorer survival.
"These differences of opinion highlight the need for high quality information on the details of cancer staging and additional diseases to be collected by clinical teams and made available to the cancer registries."
For most cancers survival up to 10 years has improved significantly between those diagnosed in the mid 1980s and the late 1990s.
But there was almost no change in survival for lung, pancreatic, cervical and bladder cancer. Breast cancer is more likely to kill poor women than their more affluent counterparts, research shows. ... more -
School refuses 'cancer vaccine'
A Roman Catholic school has banned pupils from receiving the new cervical cancer vaccine on its premises.
The vaccinations give immunity to key strains of the sexually-transmitted Human Papilloma Virus, responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.
This is disappointing to read. How can a school refuse treatment for children?
I don't believe their excuses for a second. A Roman Catholic school has banned pupils from receiving the new cervical cancer vaccine on its premises. ... more -
Screw You, Cancer!
Join me in thwarting cancer's evil plan to take over the world at http://www.standup2cancer.org/teams?tq=resident
More info on the show at http://www.theresident.net Join me in thwarting cancer's evil plan to take over the world at http://www.standup2cancer.org/teams?tq=resident ... more -
Skin cancer cases treble since 1980s
A specific kind of skin cancer has trebled in Northern Ireland since the mid-1980s, researchers have found.
Malignant melanoma, which causes three quarters of skin cancer deaths, was discovered 254 times in 2006. Figures from the NI Cancer Registry at Queen's University Belfast show there were only 80 cases in 1984.
Unlike other cancers, malignant melanoma are more often found among more affluent sections of society. Women are particularly at risk. The report found a significant rise in cases among younger people in 2006, with a third aged under 50 at the time of diagnosis.
Northern Ireland Cancer Registry director Dr Anna Gavin said: "The figures are alarming and reflect increased exposure of skin to damaging UV rays from the sun and sunbeds.
"Sunburn in childhood is a particular risk factor."
On a more positive note, the report also found that people in Northern Ireland have among the best survival rates for the cancer in Europe, with 98.8% of patients alive one year after being diagnosed. A specific kind of skin cancer has trebled in Northern Ireland since the mid-1980s, researchers have found. ... more -
Mobile phone use ‘raises children’s risk of brain cancer fivefold’
Children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones, startling new research indicates.
The study, experts say, raises fears that today’s young people may suffer an “epidemic” of the disease in later life. At least nine out of 10 British 16-year-olds have their own handset, as do more than 40 per cent of primary schoolchildren.
Yet investigating dangers to the young has been omitted from a massive £3.1m British investigation of the risks of cancer from using mobile phones, launched this year, even though the official Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme – which is conducting it – admits that the issue is of the “highest priority”.
Despite recommendations of an official report that the use of mobiles by children should be “minimised”, the Government has done almost nothing to discourage it. Children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones, startling new research indicates. ... more
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