general-cancer-information

The Consumption Of Alcohol And Breast Cancer

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:55:05 +0100

Is moderate alcohol consumption good for your health. This question has been subject to debate since decades. While some scientist swear that it can have beneficial role in the prevention of some disease, recent studies have clearly indicated that there is a correlation between alcohol and cancer, specifically, alcohol and breast cancer.

By drinking as little as half a glass of wine per day, a woman's risk of developing a form of breast cancer is being raised significantly. According to Wendy Chen (MD, PhD), a cancer specialist at Dana-Farber in Boston, it is irrelevant what kind of alcoholic beverage you consume. The bottom line is: the more alcohol is being consumed on a regular basis, the greater the risk. Chen presented her study a few years ago at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

While she acknowledges the beneficial aspects of moderate consumption in relation to some health conditions, she clearly alarms women who have a few glasses of wine a day to reconsider. To put things in perspective though, the emphasizes "regular basis" and with that being said, she explained that an occasional glass of wine and beer it no problem at all.

But this is not the first study that has conclusively linked alcohol and breast cancer together. There is strong data the suggests that alcohol may influence they way metabolism handles estrogen. And as we know, estrogen imbalances are strongly associated with many forms of breast cancer. So the equation is simple, the risk of developing breast cancer grows proportionally with higher levels of estrogen in the blood.

Chen's study is massive. 122,000 women were tracked since 1976. When the project started, all women were free of cancer. Every four years the women had to report how much alcohol the drank on average per month in the past year. And 6,000 had developed breast cancer by 2002.

In comparison to the women who lived abstinent from alcohol: All women who drank half a glass of wine per day (or the equivalent amount of alcohol in other beverages) where 6% more likely to develop breast cancer. With or two glasses of wine, the risk went up to 21%. Women with an alcohol intake of more than two glasses were at a 37% risk of getting breast cancer.

Further to that, menopausal women were at an even higher risk according to the data generated by Chen's study. Half a glass of wine brought them a likelihood of developing breast cancer by 18%.

According to the American Cancer Society, alcohol is an identified and acknowledged risk factor. Having one drink or more a day is associated with an increased chance of developing breast cancer. Well, when we learned about my wife's breast cancer diagnosis, we both decided to live completely abstinent from alcohol. My wife had a drink or two a day, I certainly consumed more than that. And even though my oncologist told me that my kidney cancer cannot be linked to alcohol consumption, I'd rather play it safe.

Lastly, I know that many people stress on the "health benefits" associated with moderate alcohol consumption. Well, the truth of the matter is, you don't need alcohol to live healthy. You can get the same benefits or even more from non-alcoholic drinks. And just to throw it out there, instead of a few six-packs every night I now have green tea and a bottle of Kombucha.

Here is a video discussing another study which delivered pretty much the same results as the one we just discussed:

Is There Any Science Based Prostate Cancer Prevention?

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:46:03 +0100

Prostate cancer is a slow growing disease, however, in later stages very difficult to treat effectively. The numbers are astonishing, but not surprising. Every sixth man will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis at some point in is life. Each year and in the United States alone around 200,000 new patients are getting diagnosed with prostate cancer. And a solid 15% will ultimately lead to death.

However, as with all cancer, prevention is key. And there are many things that one can do for a good prostate health. The good news is: it's simple and inexpensive and those measures have a lot of POSITIVE side effects, as they promote the overall health of the patient.

Let's look into five concrete tips that are scientifically proven to help protecting from prostate cancer and other diseases:

Omega-3 fatty acids: A study conducted under John S. Witte at the University of California clearly showed that an increased intake of so called polyunsaturated fatty acids - such as Omega-3 - may protect you from getting prostate cancer. The study was done with a group of men and those who consumed dark fish (such as salmon) had a 63% lower risk of getting an aggressive prostate cancer, in comparison to those who did not or only rarely consumed fish with high concentrations of Omega-3s.

Pomegranates and Walnuts: Didn't I just tell you it's inexpensive to protect your health? There you go! Another pair of proven prostate cancer fighters are pomegranates and walnuts. Both fall under the superfood category, which simply means super-healthy. Again, scientifically proven! Pomegranets for example contain certain compounds including phenylpropanoids and flavones.

Green Tea, and yes, Coffee: Good news for all the coffee addicts. Yes, it can be good for you if you drink it in moderation. And it's not news anymore that green tea and its antioxidants play a major role in the treatment of prostate cancer, or any other form of cancer for that matter. Specifically, Polyphenol E which is one of the substances in green tea significantly reduce the levels of PSA, which is a Prostate Specific Antigen and its presence usually indicates the severity of the disease in certain prostate cancer patients.

Healthy Cholesterol levels: Same old story. There is a link between high levels of cholesterol and an increased risk of developing prostate cancer and many other cancerous diseases. Scientists affiliated with John Hopkins have proven that cholesterol levels below 200mg/dL are associated with up to 60% of a lower likelihood of developing aggressive prostate cancer. How do you get a healthy cholesterol level? Eat right and exercise! Simple and easy, as I said!

Vitamin D: I am not a scientist as you know, but based on my research as a cancer patient, Vitamin D to me is probably the single most important substance in cancer prevention. Researchers in the UK suggest that Vitamin D can be highly effective in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer by reducing the risk up to 20%. How do you get enough Vitamin D? Just get enough sunlight and/or get yourself a high quality supplement me and my wife do.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death among men in America. And in the United Kingdom, every hour a man dies from this disease. It is of paramount importance that we increase the level of awareness of available alternative treatments for prostate cancer, that have been scientifically proven to protect against this condition.

Article Source: Natural News

Here's an informative video on the link between nutrition and prostate cancer prevention.

Is There Finally A Cancer Blood Test?

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:49:41 +0100

Well, not quite yet. At least not a general one. But according to a recent press release, pharmaceutical giant Johnson&Johnson is supporting researched geared towards a cancer blood test that would locate a cancer cell among a billion normal ones. A group of scientist located in Boston will work closely together with J&J to develop the test further to make it hopefully available soon to a broader audience. In addition to that, four of the largest cancer centers in the United States have agreed to conduct experimental studies with the promising blood test for cancer in 2011.

Is There Finally A Cancer Blood Test?

It is common belief that stray cancer cells are indicative of a tumor that has already spread or is in the process of spreading beyond its primary location. Since decades researchers have looked into ways to develop cancer blood tests that would allow spotting such cells which would revolutionize early cancer detection and have a significant impact on the care of many cancers including lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. In a first phase the test could help oncologists to determine what kind of treatments would be most effective for a patient and whether or not they are working satisfyingly. Another major improvement would be the fact that this blood test cancer method could make many biopsies obsolete. One of the inventors of this test, the chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Daniel Haber compared this new method to a "liquid biopsy". A traditional biopsy is usually associated with a large degree of discomfort for the patient and also bears a risk that cancer cells might release from the tumor as it is being punctuated.

Moreover, the other conventional cancer testing methods including colonoscopies, mammograms, CAT-Scans, etc. have never been ideal diagnostic tools - that's why the hopes are high that this new cancer blood test could truly take early detection to the next level. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City is one of the institutions where studies will be conducted to explore further the potential of the new methods. Dr. Mark Kris, lung cancer chief at MSK, said that there is already a lot of excitement due to the promising potential. The problem with traditional diagnostics and treatment is the time that is being lost between treatment and follow-up test. Usually, a patient will undergo radiation or chemotherapy for a certain amount of time without knowing whether or not he is responding to the treatment. This test has the potential to get clarity on this important aspect much sooner, which will save precious time and ultimately give the patient and his doctors many more options. The only existing blood test for cancer on the market is "CellSearch" which only indicates the cell count, but does not capture a whole cell.

How does this new method work?

The idea is that a cancer patient can be put on a drug and by the next day a blood sample can give clarity as to whether or not the patient responded successfully to it, simply by finding out if there are still circulating tumor cells in the patient's system. The key component of the test is a microchip which - in unsophisticated terms - can be viewed as a high tech mini hair brush. The bristles are coated with antibodies which basically respond to tumor cells. Healthy cells will bounce off the bristles while cancerous cells will stick to it. According to Mehmet Toner from the Harvard University, the cancer blood test will be capable of finding one cancer cell amongst a billion or more healthy cells. The chip has already been studied preliminarily and the promising results were published by journals like Science Translational Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature. On big issue, though, is the cost factor. The microchips used during the development phase are costly and not suitable for mass production. The next step is to develop a cheaper plastic version of the chip and J&J announced this Monday that they will be working on improving the current model.

Cancer Cell

As mentioned earlier, Mass General, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dana-Farber and Sloan-Kettering will be starting to use the test in 2011. The project is funded through a grant coming from the American Association for Cancer Research who raised the monies via their "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon.

However, more research is needed to fully understand how to interpret the results of the cancer blood tests most efficiently. Ideally and according to a statement by Dr. Minetta Liu, a breast cancer specialist at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a woman would go for her mammogram and gets a tube of blood drawn, so doctors could use images as well as the blood test to get a better picture of the situation. No doubt this could be a major milestone in the fight against cancer. I don't know how many biopsies my wife had to have, but there were many of them. But most importantly, imagine you could just go to your annual physical and your doctor could just give you a cancer blood test to make sure that there is nothing going on. And if there is, it would be detected super early so treatment could start before the disease even has a chance to fully develop.

I'll keep my fingers crossed!

What Are The Most Commonly Seen Testicular Cancer Symptoms?

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:11:51 +0100

Wow. To be perfectly honest with you, I am a little bit upset. Does the fact that I am a kidney cancer patient and the husband of a wife who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, make me a subject matter expert? No, it doesn’t. But I will say this: my wife and I learned a lot during our cancer journey and what makes me really angry when I do research on a topic related to cancer, and the top search results that come back in the search engines are sites that absolutely provide no value or even worse, blatantly incorrect information. Sorry, I had to vent.

Alright, let’s talk about the most common testicular cancer symptoms or more specifically, what is most commonly seen as symptoms of testicular cancer in men.

Swelling of one or both testicles
Localized Pain
Lumps

It is important to note that the aforementioned signs of testicular cancer might be indicative of other, less severe health conditions. Other, less frequently reported symptoms include heavy discomfort and pain in the lower abdomen that might cause the patient to feel nauseous. Again, this is obviously rather vague and does not conclusively mean that you need to fear a testicular cancer diagnosis. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of patients who encounter these symptoms will get diagnosed with something else but cancer.

Early sings of testicular cancer

I know that it is being recommended to perform regular self exams to check on anything out of the ordinary that might point to testicular cancer. And I personally do agree with that. It is very similar to what is suggested to women – regular self breast exams to detect any abnormalities such as lumps. So the same applies to us males. And as funny as it may sound, yes, check your testicles on a regular basis. You don’t know how? Well, just read and/or download this excellent document provided by the American Cancer Society: Do I have Testicular Cancer?

In cases of testicular cancer, there is usually a painless lump which is attached to one of the testicles. Very rarely, the patient actually experiences any pain. It is possible that the affected testicle is swollen. However, it is important to realize that each testicle has an epididymis which can be mistaken by a lump. And here is my point: Yes, do yourself exams, but don’t freak out if you think you found anything unusual. Because first of all, you don’t even know what ‘unusual’ is and secondly, it does not necessarily mean that you will get diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Alright, so make sure that you get your annual physical done. Don’t be a wimp and say you won’t need annual physicals. I also know that some men think that it is weird to have their primary physician doing a testicular cancer check by touching their genitals. Well, let me tell you what’s weird – weird is when your doctor calls you to tell you that you have cancer. I’ve been through that and I want you not to have to go through the same. So get out there and have your nuts checked. It might save your life.

What Is The Liver Cancer Thetole Treatment?

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:54:10 +0100

Lately, there has been a lot of talk around the alleged liver cancer herbal cure thetole. As much as I support the idea to look outside of what traditional cancer treatments have to offer, I am always sceptical when I hear the word ‘cure’ associated with ‘cancer’. But before we will attempt to shed some light on this ominous liver cancer medicine thetole, let’s make sure that we are all on the same page and understand the basics of liver cancer.

There is a lot of confusion around this cancer, even among patients who are directly affected as well as health care professional. It all comes down to semantics and the way use terms incorrectly for certain things. The cancer of the liver is called hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepa is the Greek word for liver.

This malignant disease is also referred to as primary liver cell carcinoma, which is in my opinion (as a patient) the most adequate way to describe it. The problem is, when we in a colloquial context speak of liver cancer, we do most talk about a cancer that did not originate in the liver, but has spread to this organ at some point. In other words, very often the cancer actually originated somewhere els, like for instance in the breast, pancreas or the lungs and has then at a later stage invaded the liver.

The causes of liver cancer is typically strongly connected to cirrhosis, the scarring of the liver tissue, which can be a result of the following: Autoimmune diseases, alcohol abuse, infection with hepatitis B or C and excess iron in the body (also known as hemochromatosis. Primary liver cancer is more often diagnosed in men than in women and usually seen in males ages 55 - 60. Further to that, this condition has a stronger presence in South America and Europe compared to the United States. Liver cancer ranks number 4 among all cancer types worldwide. Some studies suggest that on average a liver cancer patient dies within 12 months after diagnosis. Thus, it is not surprising that affected patients look for liver cancer treatment options that are out of the ordinary.

Okay, so let's discuss now what we know about those liver cancer herbs thetole. ‘The Tole’ is rooted into traditional Chinese Medicine, and basically combines neuro-acupuncture with herbal medicine in order to treat a myriad of illnesses and diseases. So far so good. Again, if you had read my story and my kidney cancer blog, I am a strong proponent for alternative cancer treatment options. However, I am also a strong believer that any kind of treatment must be monitored by qualified medical professionals. I always get very concerned if people buy 'cancer cures' over the internet. Recently, some 'providers' emerged and sell their 'liver cancer alternative medicine thetole' products online. Now this is just my personal opinion: but I would stay away from any products that are sold over the internet in order to treat cancer (or any other disease for that matter), unless I was explicitly advised to do so by legit Oncologist. I don't know if this liver cancer acupuncture thetole thing works or not. But I am inclined to say that is don not cure cancer. Because otherwise, believe me, the pharmaceutical industry would have gotten a hold on it already.

It might be something you may want to explore. However, please use common sense and please talk to your doctors before you take any treatment products.

How many people die from cancer each year?

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:31:06 +0100

I have cancer! Will I die? When will I die? A cancer diagnosis triggers a lot of questions. And most of them we cannot answer, which makes the whole situation even more frustrating. But there is also a good side to this, I will explain in more detail in a little bit.

When my wife got diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2009, we tried to gather as much information as possible, mainly by using online cancer resources. And almost inadvertently you come across with numbers, data and of course, many statistics. To make matters worse, a lot of them actually contradict each other. One of the questions we were trying to answer was: how many people die from cancer each year in the United States? And there was another important one: how many people are diagnosed with cancer each year?The data we found was mind boggling. Cancer used to something that was 'remote'. You might have someone in your family who has or had cancer, but usually, it was not really something that we used to perceive as an immediate threat. But things have changed over the past two decades - at least that's what it looks like.

Anyway, let's look at some data first. The attached slide presentation was put together by the American Cancer Society. It is a very comprehensive slide deck with some interesting break-downs all around most recent cancer data, specifically looking into the question of how many people will die from cancer in 2010:

Click here to launch the presentation: how many people will die from cancer in 2010?

Of course, cancer is a world-wide issue. The numbers of people dying of cancer are actually on the rise, even though some statistics suggest the opposite. In 2007, almost 8,000,000 people died of cancer. According to expert opinion that number will rise to 11,500,000 by the year 2030 , or maybe even earlier. Interestingly enough, especially in the so called developed countries, cancer is even more present than in the rest of the world. Remarkable, right after heart disease, cancer comes in second in the mortality rates statistics. Cancer used to be propagated as this big unknown disease and even expert health care professionals used to believe that it is sheer randomness that makes a person develop cancer. But nowadays it is commonly acknowledged that most of the cancer diagnoses could be prevented by opting for a healthier lifestyle, specifically by avoiding tobacco, alcohol, obesity and exposure to carcinogenic substances.

How many people die from cancer in the US in 2010? According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 570,000 patients. Lung cancer leads the statistic, followed by colon cancer, prostate cancer and cancer of the pancreas. Okay, no let me share my two cents regarding statistics. I am not saying they are all baloney, however, you don't know where you fit in into all that data. Let me give you an example: according to the numbers, when I encountered blood in my urine, there was only a 2% likelihood that I would actually get diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, the cancer of the kidney. Well, it was cancer and my left kidney had to be removed via a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. Numbers can be looked at in many different ways. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, don't worry too much about where you fit into all these numbers. Try to focus on receiving the best possible treatment and adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are things that you can do actively fight your cancer.