Health Diaries > Health News > Cancer News > December 2005
December 28, 2005
Vitamin D Can Cut Cancer Risk
Garland and his colleagues examined 63 previous studies that looked at possible links between several types of cancer and vitamin D deficiency. Their study appears in the current online edition of the American Journal of Public Health, and will appear in the February 2006 print edition.
According to the researchers, the studies -- from 1966 to 2004 -- suggest that vitamin D can reduce the risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancers, among others, by as much as 50 percent. (Forbes.com)
Posted by news editor at 8:49 AM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2005
Bone Loss From Prostate Cancer Treatment
Many men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer receive testosterone-reducing therapy, because the hormone is thought to spur tumor growth.
But a new study suggests this hormonal treatment may also have an unwelcome side effect: it triggers a decline in patients' bone mass. (excite.com)
Posted by news editor at 7:58 AM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2005
U.S. Cancer Death Rate Continues to Decline
The rate of cancer cases diagnosed in the United States has stabilized, but the cancer death rate continues to decline, including the four most common types of cancer — prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal — the National Cancer Institute said Thursday. (MSNBC)
Posted by news editor at 8:21 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2005
Green Tea For Fighting Leukemia
Green tea may help treat a form of adulthood leukemia, if the cases of four patients are any indication, according to a new report.
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that of four patients who started drinking green tea or taking green tea extracts, three showed clear improvements in their condition in the following months. (Reuters)
Posted by news editor at 8:53 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2005
Mesothelioma Drug Alimta Approved in North East England
Patients across the north east of England are to be given a potentially life-saving lung cancer drug.
Regional health bosses have lifted restrictions on Alimta to be given to people with mesothelioma.
The decision by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority was made just days after a Teesside man's case was highlighted by the BBC. (BBC News)
Posted by news editor at 8:23 AM | Comments (0)
Zometa Prevents Osteoporosis in Prostate Cancer Patients
A multicenter trial has confirmed that Zometa (zoledronic acid) given for one year prevents bone loss in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy. The details of this phase II study were reported in the November 2005 issue of Urology. (CancerConsultants.com)
Posted by news editor at 7:44 AM | Comments (1)
Prostate Cancer Prevention - Strawberries, Mangoes, Figs
A new study at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine has discovered a chemical compound called lupeol that is found in many fruits, including strawberries, mangoes, and figs, and that may aid in the fight against prostate cancer.
Mukhtar and his research team observed the effects of lupeol in "nude" mice, those that accept foreign disease. The team injected the mice with human prostate-cancer cells and investigated the results of those given lupeol alone and lupeol in conjunction with a laboratory-produced antibody ... Mice injected with lupeol alone showed a substantial slowing of the cancer process, and those that received both showed even greater results. (Badger Herald)
Posted by news editor at 7:25 AM | Comments (0)
Causes of Prostate Cancer May Include Dairy
A new research review suggests high consumption of dairy products such as milk and cheese may be linked to a higher rate of prostate cancer.
"Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer in American men … these findings suggest caution before one embraces the new recommendations to increase dairy intake, especially among older men," they wrote in the Dec. 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (WebMD.com)
Posted by news editor at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)
December 8, 2005
Link Between Liver Cancer and Hepatitis C Studied
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals clues about the link between liver cancer and hepatitis C. Scientists have long noted a link between chronic hepatitis C infection and an increased risk for liver cancer, and a new study may help explain why.
"What we've found is that one of the hepatitis C virus proteins (NS5B) targets a cell protein (retinoblastoma) that is crucial for suppressing the development of tumors, interfering with its ability to control cell proliferation." (Forbes.com)
Posted by news editor at 3:06 AM | Comments (0)
Novartis Breast Cancer Drug Femara Approved for Wider Use in UK
Novartis AG has won approval for its drug Femara to be used in a wider range of British women with breast cancer, the Swiss company said on Thursday.
Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency cleared the medicine for treatment after surgery of postmenopausal women who have hormone-positive early invasive breast cancer. (Scotsman.com)
Posted by news editor at 3:03 AM | Comments (0)
Understanding Cancer Metastasis
Scientists have learned the mechanics of how cancer cells spread from the primary site to secondary sites. This process, known as metastasis, is one reason many late-stage cancers are difficutl to treat. The new study provides insight into the metastatic process:
Instead of a cell just breaking off from a tumor and traveling through the bloodstream to another organ where it forms a secondary tumor, or metastasis, researchers in the United States have shown that the cancer sends out envoys to prepare the new site. (Reuters.com)
Posted by news editor at 2:54 AM | Comments (0)