Colorectal cancer is the number two cause of cancer related deaths in the US. Both men and women are advised to have routine screening for colorectal cancer after the age of 50, even with no known risk factors. If detected early the cancer is easily curable, but late detection often yields an advanced stage diagnosis with a high possibility of metastasis.

There is a familial pattern for colorectal cancer, but its devlopment and progression is often related to dietary health of the individual.

Researchers at the University of Hawaii wanted to look for any coorelates dietary intake of specific nutrients may have on the incidence of this cancer. They studied dietary questionaires of more than 190,000 men and women over a 10 year period. The average follow up period was about 7 years.

During follow up a total of 2110 men and women were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, or just above 1% of the study population.

Both Vitamin D and calcium were found to have an inverse, or protective, relationship with colorectal cancer.

The men and women with the highest intakes of calcium had 30 and 36 percent decreased risk of the disease respectively compared with those with the lowest intakes.

Vitamin D was inversely associated with colorectal cancer in men only.

Interestingly, dairy was also found to be coorelated with a protective effect on colorectal cancer, yielding a decrease in risk of 23 percent for men and 34 percent for women.

The study did not reveal the exact mechanism Vitamin D and calcium play in the development or prevention of colorectal cancer, but the results are positive nonetheless.

The study involved dietary data and prostate specific health monitoring in more than 43,000 Japanese men over a 9 year period. Men were asked about dietary intake, specifically about the regular consumption of soy products.

Soy products contain several isoflavones, compounds that weakly mimic estrogen, also called phytoestrogens. The two most prevelent in soy are genistein and daidzein. In previous studies soy isoflavones have interacted with hormone specific cancers such as breast cancer.

The researchers were interested in the effect that regular consumption of soy, and its contained phytoestrogens, would have on the incidence and growth of prostate cancer.

After careful analysis they found that men who regularly consumed soy had a protective effect against the development of early prostate cancer, but after prostate cancer had been established the soy may actually encourage advancement of the disease.

The results, though conclusive for the different stages of the disease, did not help to clarify if isoflavone supplements should or should not be used by men to help prevent prostate cancer.

The study was published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

The researchers found that DNA damage was significantly lowered when participants consumed watercress. A larger reduction in DNA damage occurred in smokers. Furthermore, plasma lutein and beta-carotene levels increased by 100 percent and 33 percent respectively, when participants consumed watercress.

"The results support the theory that consumption of watercress can be linked to a reduced risk of cancer via decreased damage to DNA and possible modulation of antioxidant status by increasing carotenoid concentrations," the study authors conclude.

REFERENCES:
1. Gill CI et al. Watercress supplementation in diet reduces lymphocyte DNA damage and alters blood antioxidant status in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2007 Feb;85(2):504-10.

Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the eye that affects 1 in 15,000 children. It is most often diagnosed before the age of 6. The cancer is treated using a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, both of which carry many side effects.

The cancer is more deadly in developing countries were access to cancer therapies is limited. In these children most will live only 2-4 years after the diagnosis because the cancer quickly invades surrounding tissues including the brain.

Beta-lapachone, the active compound from the Hevea tree, was effective at preventing replication in several other cancers in the lab so scientists decided to test its efficacy against retinoblastoma.

The extract is novel compared to chemotherapy drugs because it seems to target only cancer cells and not healthy cells. This ability to select which cells to exerts its effect on may significantly lower side effects from treatment. The extract targets the unchecked growth of cancer cells and signals cell death in mutated cells, which results in halted growth.

The authors published their findings in the journal Eye. Steps are underway to test the extract in animal models with hopes that human trials may be in the future.

OPLs are classified by biopsy and include leukoplakia, erythroplakia, and lichen planus. However, any lesion in the mouth that persists for greater than 14 days should be investigated for premalignancy. OPLs can lead to oral cancer, the most common of the head and neck cancers in the US.

Researchers at the New England Research Institutes examined data from more than 40,000 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Men were enrolled between 1986 and 2002 and submitted dietary information including supplement use periodically over the study period.

They found that diets rich in Vitamin C, and not Vitamin C supplementation, lowered the risk of oral premalignant lesions. Men with the highest dietary intakes had a fifty percent reduction compared to men with the lowest intake.

The study also examined a possible relationship between other antioxidants including beta-carotene, lycopene, and Vitamin E but did not find the similar connection.

An interesting additional finding was a slight increase in risk for OPLs in smokers who had high intakes of Vitamin E, either dietary or supplemental. The authors stress the need for more research in this area.

Foods that are high in Vitamin C include most fruits and vegetables.

The study was only in men and does not address OPLs in women. It supports previous case reports that diets high in antioxidants, including Vitamin C protect against the development of oral cancers.

The study, published in the March issue of Diabetes Care, involved information from more than 65,000 men and women. Persons with previously diagnosed diabetes were not excluded from the study.

Analysis of all the data found an increased risk for several types of cancer, including liver, pancreas, and colon, in persons with Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops in adulthood and is often the result of chronicially high blood sugar levels in persons who are unfit and have a poor diet.

The researchers were also interested in any relationship between blood sugar and cancer in those not diagnosed with diabetes. Fasting blood sugar levels were compared to total risk for cancer during the study follow-up period.

They found that blood sugar levels were associated with increased cancer risk in women and not men. Women who had the highest fasting blood sugar levels (without being diabetic) had a 26 percent increased risk for developing cancer compared to women who had the lowest fasting blood sugar levels.

In both men and women cancers of the pancreas, urinary tract, and malignant melanoma are more likely to occur if the blood sugar begins to creep up in adulthood.

This study supports the need for education about diet and lifestyle factors that may predispose one to diabetes. Healthcare providers should also educate patients about blood sugar control to help prevent slight elevations over long periods of time.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, investigated whether added sugar and high sugar foods are associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden analyzed the data of 77,797 Swedish adults ages 45 to 83 years as part of a population-based cohort study. The participants were followed from 1997 to June 2005. Food frequency questionnaires obtained from the participants were analyzed to determine nutrient intake.

The researchers found that 131 participants developed pancreatic cancer. Findings revealed that participants who consumed sugary drinks twice daily had a 93 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer, compared to those who didn't drink them. Furthermore, participants who added sugar to their foods or drinks five times or more daily had a 69 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

"High consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods may be associated with a greater risk of pancreatic cancer," the study authors conclude.

REFERENCES:
1. Larsson SC et al. Consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 Nov;84(5):1171-6.

The cell study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, examined the effect of olive fruit extract on human colon cancer cells. Researchers at Universitat de Barcelona in Spain used various methods to measure the effect of different doses of an olive extract (with main components maslinic acid and oleanolic acid) on human colon cancer cells and control cells.

The researchers found that olive extract prevented the colon cancer cells from proliferating, but did not destroy healthy cells. In addition, colon cancer cells incubated for 24 hours with olive extract underwent apoptosis (programmed cell death). Findings also revealed a six-fold increase in caspase-3 protein (destroys unhealthy cells) after 24 hour incubation. The production of superoxide anions in the mitochondria of incubated cancer cells suggest that programmed cell death was induced by the intrinsic pathway,

"Our results report for the first time, to our knowledge, the inhibition of cell proliferation without cytotoxicity and the restoration of apoptosis in colon cancer cells by maslinic and oleanolic acids present in olive fruit extracts," the study authors conclude.

REFERENCES:
1. Juan ME et al. Olive fruit extracts inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cells. J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2553-7.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, investigated the association of vitamin A, retinol, and carotenoids intake and the risk of stomach cancer. Researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden analyzed the data of 82,002 adults ages 45 to 83 years as part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men. The participants were followed for 7.2 years. Food frequency questionnaires obtained from the participants were analyzed to determine vitamin A, retinol, and carotenoids levels.

The researchers found that 139 participants developed stomach cancer. Findings revealed that participants among the top one-fourth of total vitamin A intake from diet and supplements had a 47 percent lower risk of stomach cancer, compared with those in the lowest quarter. Furthermore, participants with the highest consumption of retinol, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene reduced the risk of stomach cancer by 44, 50, and 45 percent. However, carotenoids with no provitamin A activity (beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene), were not linked with stomach cancer risk.

"High intakes of vitamin A, retinol, and provitamin A carotenoids may reduce the risk of gastric cancer," the study authors conclude.

REFERENCES:
1. Larsson SC et al. Vitamin A, retinol, and carotenoids and the risk of gastric cancer: a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007 Feb;85(2):497-503.

The double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover study, published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), investigated the effects of olive oil on urinary oxidation products. Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke in Germany, administered twenty-five milliliters of 3 olive oils with low, medium, and high phenolic content to 182 healthy men daily for 3 weeks. The participant's urine samples were analyzed for DNA and RNA oxidative damage.

The researchers found that DNA oxidation was reduced by 13 percent. The findings also revealed that this effect was not associated with the phenolic content in olive oil.

"These findings support the idea that ingestion of olive oil is beneficial and can reduce the rate of oxidation of DNA," the study authors write. "This effect is not due to the phenolic content in the olive oil. The higher DNA and RNA oxidation in Northern European regions compared with that in Central and Southern regions supports the contention that olive oil consumption may explain some of the North-South differences in cancer incidences in Europe."

REFERENCES:
1. Machowetz A et al. Effect of olive oils on biomarkers of oxidative DNA stress in Northern and Southern Europeans. FASEB J. 2007 Jan;21(1):45-52. Epub 2006 Nov 16.

The results are positive in many ways for women who suffer from anovulation, and whom may also be infertile. It is believed that not having acheived pregnancy or not having any children increases one's risk. But if the reason is due to ovulatory dysfunction, then the worry about increased risk for breast cancer can be erased.

Women with ovulatory disorders had a 25 percent decrease in overall risk for breast cancer compared to women who ovulated on a regular basis. This reason may be due to lower estrogen levels, which is often the cause of anovulation.

Even more surprising, women who were infertile due to anovulation who underwent fertility treatment, which often includes induced ovulation had an overall lower risk of breast cancer than women who cycle regularly. The risk of breast cancer is a top concern for many women who are considering infertility treatment, and now it can be addressed with findings from a large scale clinical study.

A recent study comparing dietary habits of person's with liver cancer to healthy controls discovered that diet can also matter in this case. Researchers at the National Tumor Insitute in Aviano compared the diets of 185 men and women with liver cancer to more than twice the number of healthy controls.

They found that the consumption of dairy products greatly reduces the risk of developing liver cancer, by more than 75 percent. And this reduction held true even those who had a positive history of Hepatitis B or C, both of which increase one's risk of developing liver cancer.

Vegetables, which usually fall under that 'protective' headline did not offer any significant benefit, but fruits reduced risk by 52 percent and white meat lowered risk by 56 percent.

The results were published in the International Journal of Cancer.

The cell study, published in The FASEB Journal (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), examined the effects of aspirin, salicylate (a substance used to make aspirin), and the selective Cox inhibitor drugs SC560 and Celecoxib on the angiogenesis of cultured endothelial cells. Researchers at the University of Newcastle in England, treated cultured human endothelial cell lines with different doses of aspirin, salicylate and the Cox inhibitor drugs.

The researchers found that low and therapeutic doses of aspirin and salicylate significantly decreased angiogenesis. However, this effect was not observed with the selective Cox inhibitor drugs. This result suggests that aspirin inhibits angiogenesis through a Cox-independent mechanism. Findings also revealed that high doses of aspirin or salicylate resulted in apoptosis (programmed cell suicide) of the endothelial cells. This effect was not observed at therapeutic doses.

"We conclude that aspirin, at therapeutic concentrations, directly inhibits angiogenesis via a Cox-independent mechanism, which may significantly contribute to its neoplastic protective effects," the study authors write.

REFERENCES:
1. Borthwick GM et al. Therapeutic levels of aspirin and salicylate directly inhibit a model of angiogenesis through a Cox-independent mechanism. FASEB 2006 Oct;20:2009-2016.

New research was presented this month supporting the use of pharmaceutical cannabinoids as an adjunctive cancer treatment.

Patients with cancer who are undergoing the conventional treatments including chemotherapy and radiation suffer from a variety of side effects, most of which severely decrease the quality of life.

The most common complaints are nausea, lack of appetite, fatigue, depression, and insomnia. Medical marijuana has been shown to improve many of these side effects, and now cannabinoid drugs are being tested.

The recent study followed the effects of nabilone, a cannabinoid, on side effects in 139 cancer patients.

Each person filled out questionaires about the occurance of side effects listed above and also were asked to comment on pain.

The medication significanlty reduced fatigue, nausea, pain, depression, and lack of appetite compared to placebo.

The results were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium this winter.

A benefit of using the pharmaceutical drug over medical marijuana is lack of damaging effects that can occur. Many patients may also prefer the pill form versus using actual marijuana because of the negative social stigma attached to use of pot.

Practitioners should use these medications in cancer treatment patients, especially when response to traditional anti-nausea medications is poor. There are several choices approved by the FDA on the market today.

Lung cancer is the number three cause of cancer related deaths in men and women. Both sexes can develop lung cancer regardless of a history of cigarette smoke exposure. Lung cancer can also develop due to metastasis from cancer in other parts of the body.

Researchers gathered information about exercise and cancer incidence over a 16 year period from more than 35,000 women who were enrolled in the Iowa Women's Health Study.

Each of the women were questioned about their exercise habits. Women were rated as highly active if they participated in moderate exercise four or more times a week or vigorous exercise more than one time a week.

Moderate exercise would be brisk walking, stair climber, or aerobics. Vigorous exercise would be bicycling, swimming or running.

Women who were moderate to vigorous exercisers lowered their risk for lung cancer by 23 percent. If they were also smokers this risk was lowered by 28 percent, though smoking also significantly increased their risk over non-smokers.

And women who were ex-smokers and exercised at least moderately lowered their risk by the greatest amount, an astounding 37 percent.

The lead researcher wanted to stress that the best choice to lower one's risk is to quit smoking, if a smoker.

The report did not elaborate about a possible mechanism.