Cancer - General
- Diagnosis, Imaging, Screening
- General Information
- Guidelines
- Internet Sites
- Risk Factors
- Risk Reduction
- Treatment
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General Cancer
Cancer Prevention Overview (PDQ®)
"The summaries in the cancer prevention section of PDQ address the prevention of specific types of cancer. Prevention is defined as the reduction of cancer mortality via reduction in the incidence of cancer. This can be accomplished by avoiding a carcinogen or altering its metabolism; pursuing lifestyle or dietary practices that modify cancer-causing factors or genetic predispositions; and/or medical intervention (chemoprevention) to successfully reverse preneoplastic changes. Much of the promise for cancer prevention comes from observational epidemiologic studies that show associations between modifiable lifestyle factors or environmental exposures and specific cancers. … The most consistent finding, over decades of research is the strong association between tobacco use and cancers of many sites. Hundreds of epidemiologic studies have confirmed this association. Further support comes from the fact that lung cancer death rates in the United States have mirrored smoking patterns with increases in smoking followed by dramatic increases in lung cancer death rates, and more recently decreases in smoking followed by decreases in lung cancer death rates in men. Infections may also be associated with cancer development. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary event for subsequent cervix cancer, and vaccine-conferred immunity results in a marked decrease in precancerous lesions. … Additional examples of modifiable cancer risk factors include alcohol consumption (associated with increased risk of oral, esophageal, breast, and other cancers), physical inactivity (associated with increased risk of colon, breast, and possibly other cancers), and obesity (associated with colon, breast, endometrial, and possibly other cancers). Observational evidence shows associations between alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and obesity and increased incidence of certain cancers."
Highlighted Articles
Vitamin D and Sunlight: Strategies for Cancer Prevention and Other Health Benefits. (Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008) “Lack of sun exposure and vitamin D deficiency have been linked to many serious chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, and deadly cancers. It is estimated that there is a 30 to 50% reduction in risk for developing colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer by either increasing vitamin D intake to least 1000 IU/d vitamin D or increasing sun exposure to raise blood levels of 25(OH)D >30 ng/ml. Most tissues in the body have a vitamin D receptor. The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, is made in many different tissues, including colon, prostate, and breast. It is believed that the local production of 1,25(OH)2D may be responsible for the anticancer benefit of vitamin D. Recent studies suggested that women who are vitamin D deficient have a 253% increased risk for developing colorectal cancer, and women who ingested 1500 mg/d calcium and 1100 IU/d vitamin D3 for 4 yr reduced risk for developing cancer by >60%.”
Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: Pooled analysis. (J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Intake of 2000IU/day of Vitamin D(3), and, when possible, very moderate exposure to sunlight, could raise serum 25(OH)D to 52ng/ml, a level associated with reduction by 50% in incidence of breast cancer, according to observational studies."
Sun Exposure and Prostate Cancer Risk: Evidence for a Protective Effect of Early-Life Exposure (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 2007) "These findings suggest that, in addition to sun exposure in adulthood, sun exposure in early life protects against prostate cancer."
Highlighted Internet Site
NCI - General Cancer Prevention Information (includes specific cancers)
CONTINUE YOUR INFOMEDSEARCH RESEARCH with our previous InfoMedLinks. Start with InfoMedLinks 2007.
Notes
The Guidelines section will contain 2008 and some 2007 updated published guidelines. To view Guidelines from previous years, view the Guideline sections or the Article sections or our Monthly Online Newsletter (under the Guidelines section).
Cancer - General
Daily Treatment Report
Cognitive Therapy-CBT-Psychotherapy
Device Therapy
Drug Side-Effects and Interactions
Vitamin C and Chemotherapy: Bad Combo?
Bisphosphonate-induced necrosis of the jaws: a reconstructive nightmare. (Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008)
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Patients with Bone Metastases Treated with Bisphosphonates: A Retrospective Study (Oncologist. 2008)
Peripheral nerve damage associated with administration of taxanes in patients with cancer. (Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2008)
Drugs
JAMA Patient Page: Cancer Chemotherapy
Exercise
Exercise in Prevention and Management of Cancer. “Based on this evidence it is now clear to us that exercise is a critical adjuvant therapy in the management of many cancers and will greatly enhance the therapeutic effects of traditional radiation and pharmaceutical treatments by increasing tolerance, reducing side effects, and lowering risk of chronic diseases, even those not aggravated by cancer treatment. While patients and their clinicians deal with their cancer, other chronic disease mechanisms continue unabated. Anxiety, depression, poor nutritional choices, and a counterproductive rest strategy will accelerate these processes, while a well-designed exercise program adhered to by the patient and supported by the medical and exercise professionals will effectively control and even reverse these diseases and disabilities.”
Some Exercise a Day May Keep Cancer at Bay
Exercise for the management of cancer-related fatigue in adults. (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008)
Exercise for Cancer Patients: Fitness After Treatment "There's abundant evidence that exercise and eating right can help prevent people from getting cancer. The latest information shows that exercise for cancer patients can also keep cancer from recurring."
General Information
(1)Cancer patients are not given enough information
Risks and benefits of bisphosphonates. (Br J Cancer. 2008) “Bone is the most common site for metastasis in cancer and is of particular clinical importance in breast and prostate cancers due to the prevalence of these diseases. Bone metastases result in considerable morbidity and complex demands on health care resources, affecting quality of life and independence over years rather than months. The bisphosphonates have been shown to reduce skeletal morbidity in multiple myeloma as well as a wide range of solid tumours affecting bone by 30-50%. Quite appropriately, these agents are increasingly used alongside anticancer treatments to prevent skeletal complications and relieve bone pain. The use of bisphosphonates in early cancer is also increasingly important to prevent the adverse effects of cancer treatments on bone health. These include ovarian suppression and the use of aromatase inhibitors in breast cancer patients and androgen deprivation therapy in those with prostate cancer.”
Sticker shock a side effect of cancer remedies "Drug prices are a growing issue for every disease, especially for people who are uninsured. But cancer sticker shock is hitting hard now, as a list of more advanced biotech drugs have made treatment rounds costing $100,000, or even more, no longer a rarity. Also, patients are living longer, good news but meaning they need treatment for longer periods. The cost of cancer care is rising 15 percent a year, Lichter notes. Make no mistake: Some of these newer drugs have greatly helped some patients - Gleevec, for example, has revolutionized care for a type of leukemia - and the prices reflect manufacturers' years of research and development investment. Also, drug companies do donate a certain amount of medication to prescription-assistance programs that provide them for free to patients who otherwise couldn't pay. Since 2005, nearly 5 million people - cancer patients and people with other diseases - have been matched to such programs through the drug industry's "Partnership for Prescription Assistance." "
Guidelines
Immunotherapy
Internet Sites
Treatment Information
NCI - Dictionary of Cancer Terms
NCI - Overview of Nutrition in Cancer Care
Drug-Food-Supplement Information
DrugDigest (drug interactions)
FDA - Drug Interactions: What You Should Know
NIH - Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information
NIH - Drug, Supplements, and Herbal Information
NIH - Herbal Supplements: Consider Safety, Too
NIH - Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets
Nutrition
How eating fruit and vegetables can improve cancer patients' response to chemotherapy “ "In therapy you want to kill cancer cells," explained Cai, the first author of the research paper. "But to stop cell growth and to kill the cell, p53 first needs to be moved to the cell's nucleus to function. Apigenin is very effective in localizing p53 this way." ... Apigenin is mainly found in fruit (including apples, cherries, grapes), vegetables (including parsley, artichoke, basil, celery), nuts and plant-derived beverages (including tea and wine). It has been shown by researchers to have growth inhibitory properties in several cancer lines, including breast, colon, skin, thyroid and leukemia cells. It has also been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. "Our study advocates the inclusion of vegetables and fruit in our daily diet to help prevent cancer," said Liu, the research paper's coauthor. “
Cancer Treatment: How Eating Fruit And Vegetables Can Improve Cancer Patients' Response To Chemotherapy “Apigenin is mainly found in fruit (including apples, cherries, grapes), vegetables (including parsley, artichoke, basil, celery), nuts and plant-derived beverages (including tea and wine). It has been shown by researchers to have growth inhibitory properties in several cancer lines, including breast, colon, skin, thyroid and leukemia cells. It has also been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. "Our study advocates the inclusion of vegetables and fruit in our daily diet to help prevent cancer," said Liu, the research paper's coauthor.”
Other
Radiation-Chemotherapy
Other Treatments
Experimental
Opposing effects of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on pancreatic cancer growth. (Pancreas. 2008) “CONCLUSIONS: Our studies provide evidence that n-3 PUFAs possess antitumor activities, whereas n-6 PUFAs stimulate pancreatic tumor growth. The opposite effects of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs are mediated by the formation of different prostaglandin species. n-3 PUFAs may prove beneficial as monotherapy or combination therapy with standard chemotherapeutic agents in pancreatic cancer patients.”
Resveratrol causes COX-2- and p53-dependent apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell cancer cells. (J Cell Biochem. 2008)
Radiotherapy
Supplements-Vitamins-CAM
Many Cancer Patients Turn to Complementary Medicine “The use of some complementary methods by cancer survivors is very common, the study found. For example, 61.4 percent used prayer; 44.3 percent used relaxation techniques; 42.4 percent used faith/spiritual healing; 40.1 percent used nutritional supplements such as vitamins; 15 percent used meditation; 11.3 percent used religious counseling; 11.2 percent used massage; and 9.7 percent participated in support groups.”
Surgery
Transplantation
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