Cancer - General

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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."

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NCI - General Cancer Prevention Information (includes specific cancers)

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Cancer - General

Risk Reduction

NEWS:

1 in 3 Common Cancers May Be Preventable

Can Cancer Risk Be Melted Away Along with Excess Body Fat? “Comment: These important results add to the evidence that obesity is a risk factor for cancer and suggest that substantial weight loss can partially mitigate this risk. Because this was not a randomized clinical trial, the data are not definitive. However, the large number of participants, high degree of retention, consistent ascertainment of malignancy, and long follow-up all strengthen the conclusions.”

Cancer risk significantly lower for vegetarians “London: Vegetarian diets can help combat cancer, according to a new study by Cancer Research UK. Research published in the British Journal Of Cancer this month found those who adhere to a strict meat-free diet are 45 per cent less likely to develop certain forms of the disease. Scientists monitored 61,000 people over 12 years and found that vegetarians were 12 per cent less likely to develop cancer of all types than their meat-eating counterparts. And when it came to cancers of the blood - including leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma - the vegetarians' risk was almost half that of meat-eaters. “

Coffee, tea tied to lower uterine cancer risk “Women who drink a few cups of coffee and tea each day may have a lower risk of endometrial cancer, new study findings suggest. Endometrial cancer arises in the lining of the uterus. Some risk factors have been established -- including older age, obesity and factors that expose women to more estrogen, such as late menopause and estrogen therapy after menopause. The possible role of diet has been less clear. In the new study, researchers found that among nearly 1,100 women they surveyed, coffee and tea drinkers seemed to have a lower risk of the uterine cancer than non-drinkers. Women who drank more than four cups of coffee and tea each day were only half as likely as non-drinkers to have endometrial cancer. Similarly, women who drank only tea -- more than two cups per day -- had a 44 percent lower risk of the disease.”

Daily Dose of Nuts Reduces Cancer Risk “A diet that incorporates a daily dose of pistachios may help reduce the risk of lung and other cancers. "It is known that vitamin E provides a degree of protection against certain forms of cancer,” Ladia M. Hernandez, M.S., R.D., L.D., senior research dietitian in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, was quoted as saying. Higher intakes of gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E, may reduce the risk of lung cancer. "Pistachios are a good source of gamma-tocopherol,” said Hernandez. “Eating them increases intake of gamma-tocopherol so pistachios may help to decrease lung cancer risk."”

Exercise Reduces Risk for Premature Death From Cancer “A study from Finland has shown that men who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day at moderate to high intensity halved their risk of dying prematurely from cancer, mainly gastrointestinal and lung cancer. The results were published online July 28, 2009 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Physical inactivity over a person's lifespan might be a "key factor in the initiation of cancer development," the authors note. This study adds ammunition to the public-health message promoting at least 30 minutes a day of exercise, lead author Sudhir Kurl MD, from the School of Public Health at the University of Kuopio in Finland, told Medscape Oncology. “

Green Tea Drinking Linked to Lower Risk for Distal Gastric Cancer in Women

Omega-3 Kills Cancer Cells “Docosahexanoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oils, has been shown to reduce the size of tumours and enhance the positive effects of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, while limiting its harmful side effects. The rat experiments provide some support for the plethora of health benefits often ascribed to omega-3 acids.”

Ovary Removal Lowers Odds of Cancer in High-Risk Women

Reductions In Cancer And Overall Mortality Persist 10 Years After Vitamin And Mineral Supplementation “Individuals who took a dietary supplement called "factor D", which included selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, continued to have lower gastric cancer and overall mortality 10 years after supplementation ceased compared with individuals who did not take the supplements, according to long-term follow-up data from the randomized, double-blind General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial in Linxian, China.”

Whole-cooked carrots "better for fighting cancer" “The anti-cancer properties of carrots are enhanced 25 percent if they are cooked whole rather than chopped up beforehand, a study has found. … "Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked," said lead researcher Dr Kirsten Brandt. "By cooking them whole and chopping them up afterwards, you are locking in both taste and nutrients." “

ARTICLES:

Cancer prevention: 7 steps to reduce your risk

The 10 commandments of cancer prevention

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Anticancer effects of phytosterols. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009)

Antioxidant intake from fruits, vegetables and other sources and risk of non-hodgkin lymphoma: The iowa women's health study. (Int J Cancer. 2009) “In conclusion, these results support a role for vegetables and perhaps fruits, and associated antioxidants from food sources, as protective factors against the development of NHL and follicular lymphoma in particular.”

Dietary vitamin C, E, and carotenoid intake and risk of renal cell carcinoma. (Cancer Causes Control. 2009) “CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence that a diet rich in beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin may play a role in RCC prevention.”

Fruits, vegetables and the risk of cancer: a multisite case-control study in Uruguay.. (Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2009) “CONCLUSION: Our results provide some evidence that high intake of fruits and vegetables and particularly fruit may decrease the risk of cancer. However, because of the possibility that these findings could be due to residual confounding from intake of meat, alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking, further studies in populations with a large number of participants with low or no exposure to these potential confounding factors are warranted.”

Intakes of Fruit, Vegetables, and Carotenoids and Renal Cell Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of 13 Prospective Studies (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 2009) “In conclusion, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with decreasing risk of renal cell cancer; carotenoids present in fruit and vegetables may partly contribute to this protection.”

Selenium and selenium-antagonistic elements in nutritional cancer prevention. (Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2009) “Selenium is an essential trace element with antioxidative, antimutagenic, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties. There is increasing evidence that the dietary selenium intakes are sub-optimal in the populations of many countries and that human cancer mortalities would significantly decline if additional selenium was made available either through supplementation or the fortification of certain foods. … Cadmium, for example, is a key risk-increasing element for prostate cancer; for breast cancer, Cd, Cr, Zn are mainly contributing; for bronchial cancer (in smelter workers), Cd, As, Cr, Sb, Co, La, all these elements are in a reciprocal relationship with Se. While selenium remains the key cancer-protective trace element, the interpretation of its mode of action necessitates consideration of the effects of selenium antagonistic elements.”

Vegetable and fruit intakes and risk of Barrett's esophagus in men and women (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009) “Conclusions: The results support previous findings that increased intakes of vegetables and of vegetables and fruit are associated with a lower risk of BE in men and women. Prospective data that examine relations between diet and BE are needed. “

Vitamin D for cancer prevention: global perspective. (Ann Epidemiol. 2009)

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