Cancer Prevention News
Frozen Strawberries, Key To Throat Cancer Prevention In China
In a country where there is the highest incidence of throat, or esophageal cancer, Chinese researchers have found that simple strawberries may be an affordable and commonly found prevention tool to stave off this deadly disease. Frozen berries are even better because by removing the water from the berries, the concentrate of the preventive substances increase by nearly tenfold.
Lead researcher Tong Chen, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, division of medical oncology, department of internal medicine at The Ohio State University and member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center explains:
“We concluded from this study that six months of eating strawberries is safe and easy to consume. In addition, our preliminary data suggests that strawberries can decrease histological grade of precancerous lesions and reduce cancer-related molecular events.”
Study participants consumed 60 grams of freeze dried strawberries daily for six months and completed a dietary diary chronicling their strawberry consumption.
The researchers obtained biopsy specimens before and after strawberry consumption. The results showed that 29 out of 36 participants experienced a decrease in histological grade of the precancerous lesions during the study.
Chen continues:
“Our study is important because it shows that strawberries may slow the progression of precancerous lesion in the esophagus. Strawberries may be an alternative or work together with other chemopreventive drugs for the prevention of esophageal cancer. But, we will need to test this in randomized placebo-controlled trials in the future.”
If the cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, the patient’s chances of living and being cancer free five years after treatment is greatly improved. Unfortunately, most cases of esophageal cancer are only discovered when the patient comes to their doctor because of swallowing difficulty, which doesn’t happen until later stages of the cancer growth. The prognosis then is very poor.
Esophageal cancer is a relatively rare form of cancer, but some world areas have a markedly higher incidence than others: Belgium, China, Iran, Iceland, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, appear to have a higher incidence, as well as the region around the Caspian Sea. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2011, approximately 16,000 new esophageal cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States.
Since the 1960s, Chinese researchers at the Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, have been tracing the environmental factors that cause esophageal cancer.
Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in the world. About 250,000 esophageal cancer cases are diagnosed each year in China, accounting for half of the world’s total.
Once diagnosed, survival rates for esophageal cancer are poor: 75% of patients die within one year, and the five-year survival rate is only 5% to 10%.
Esophageal cancer occurs more often in specific regions. Most victims live in the “esophageal cancer belt,” which stretches from the central part of North China westward through Central Asia to northern Iran.
In China, esophageal cancer occurs mainly in areas south of the Taihang Mountains on the borders of three provinces Henan, Shanxi and Hebei.
Media Advisory – Annual Report Card on Cancer in Canada(TM) – Fighting a Battle on Two Fronts: the Disease and the System
Media are invited to join the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC) for the release of the 2010-2011 Report Card on Cancer in Canada™ and presentation of key findings:
● Cancer Prevention in Canada: The sooner the better
Prevention is the single most cost-effective initiative Canada could implement to combat many cancers and data show it would result in several thousand fewer cases each year and millions of dollars in savings for governments. Despite this compelling evidence, Canada is lacking dedicated cancer prevention centres and organized cancer prevention programs.
● Should clinical trials be considered the standard of care for cancer patients in Canada?
Clinical trials are the engine that drives cancer research and have been the source of major advances in our understanding of cancer cell biology and treatments. Participation in clinical trials allows people with cancer to access potentially effective new treatments, and institutions with high participation rates in academic clinical trials have better patient outcomes. But, Canada is rapidly falling behind other countries in its capacity to undertake patient-oriented research.
● The Role of the Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Pharmacist in Collaborative Patient Care and Drug Therapy Management in Canadian Cancer Centres
Due to an aging population, the prevalence of cancer in Canada will continue to increase and the rise in the volume of patients will need to be met with an expansion of oncology services. Cancer treatments are moving from the hospital setting to the home, creating a gap in patient care and oversight. Expanding the role of non-physician healthcare professionals should be addressed.
● Rare Cancers and Advocacy
The need to support patients living with rare cancers, such as testicular and ovarian cancer, is urgent. They face unusual hurdles in diagnosis, treatment and recovery while public attention is focused on the big-number cancers. Though there have been significant advances in treatment options and therapies, many patients with rare cancers are still struggling for access to the services they need. Scores of patients, along with their physicians, become advocates just to be heard.
WHERE: The Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario
Level 4 RBC Foundation Glass Room (Queen’s Park/Avenue Road entrance)
WHEN: Tuesday, April 12, 2011
9:45 a.m. – Media sign-in
10:00 a.m. – News conference begins
11:00 a.m. – News conference ends, one-on-one interviews available
The full Report Card and all related materials will be on the CACC website by 10.00 a.m. the morning of the news conference at www.canceradvocacy.ca.
WHO: Dr. David Saltman, MD, PhD, FRCP, Board Member, CACC
Dr. Joseph Ragaz, MD, FRCP, Board Member, CACC
Dr. Pierre Major, MD, Vice-Chair, CACC
Sandi Yurichuk, BS, MBA, Vice-Chair, CACC
Note: Patients will also be available at the news conference for media interviews
Lifelong Prevention Still Key to Beating Skin Cancer
Summertime means plenty of fun in the sun for many. “I would burn on Saturday and Sunday, peel by Wednesday and be back on the water by the next Saturday doing the same thing,” says Thomas Randall, a man in his 70s who spent much of his youth at a lake or a beach trying to tan a pale complexion. But countless hours of sun exposure have taken a toll on his skin, and he now needs regular examinations to search for pre-cancerous moles. “I had two moles cut off my chest and a major incision on my left leg to remove another mole,” Kendall says. He’s also had lesions removed from his face and both ears.
Craig Elmets, M.D., chair of the UAB department of dermatology, says protecting skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, is the number one way to avoid potential skin problems. “Sunscreen should be worn daily and re-applied often, even if the sky is cloudy. A hat and sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection also protect against melanoma, a form of skin cancer than can occur anywhere on the body, even in the eye,” Elmets explains. Keeping a check on moles is also important, and any changes in moles shape, color or texture should be brought to the attention of a dermatologist. Elmets is also researching various drugs to findElmets’ research focuses on drug-based skin-cancer prevention. In 2010 Elmets demonstrated the drug Celebrex may help prevent some non-melanoma skin cancers. Now, he is investigating other medications that could keep skin cancer from developing in patients who are considered high risk due to a personal or family history of the disease. “Our studies are preliminary, but they have been very encouraging and we’ve found that the medications we’ve tested cause a 50 to 60 percent reduction in skin-cancer development,” Elmets says.