Legacy Assumptions

Second contagious form of cancer found in Tasmanian devils

"Until now, we've always thought that transmissible cancers arise extremely rarely in nature, but this new discovery makes us question this belief," said Dr. Elizabeth Murchison, a researcher in the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, which confirmed the second form of cancer, in a press release. "Now that we have discovered that this has happened a second time, it makes us wonder if Tasmanian devils might be particularly vulnerable to developing this type of disease, or that transmissible cancers may not be as rare in nature as we previously thought."

I'll put twenty dollars on number two, please.   I am of the opinion that all ulcerative infections can become cancerous.  Some just do it faster than others.

HeadDeskHeadDeskHeadDesk

Schoolgirl comment points to antibiotics as new cancer treatments

Professor Lisanti said: "I was having a conversation with Camilla about how to cure cancer and she asked why don't we just use antibiotics like we do for other illnesses. I knew that antibiotics can affect mitochondria and I've been doing a lot of work recently on how important they are to the growth of tumours, but this conversation helped me to make a direct link."
Professor Lisanti worked with colleagues from The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York and the Kimmel Cancer Centre, Philadelphia. The team used five types of antibiotics - including one used to treat acne (doxycycline) - on cell lines of eight different types of tumour and found that four of them eradicated the cancer stem cells in every test. This included glioblastoma, the most aggressive of brain tumours, as well as lung, prostate, ovarian, breast, pancreatic and skin cancer.

A few for you

Enzymes believed to promote cancer actually suppress tumors

Protein Kinase C (PKC) is a group of enzymes that act as catalysts for a host of cellular functions, among which are cancer-relevant activities, such as cell survival, proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. The discovery that they are receptors for tumor-producing phorbol esters, plant-derived compounds that bind to and activate PKC, created a dogma that activation of PKCs by phorbol esters promoted carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis.
"For three decades, researchers have sought to find new cancer therapies based on the idea that inhibiting or blocking PKC signals would hinder or halt tumor development," said Alexandra Newton, PhD, professor of pharmacology and the study's principal investigator, "but PKCs have remained an elusive chemotherapeutic target." The reason, suggest Newton and colleagues, is that contrary to conventional wisdom, PKCs do not promote cancer progression; rather, they act to suppress tumor growth.

That one will go in the chapter on man's ability to increasingly intricately measure irrelevant things.   With serum cholesterol.  And maternal attachment.

Viruses may play unexpected role in inflammatory bowel diseases
I don't know about you, but I do not find that surprising.

Regular marijuana use may not be so bad for your lungs

Smoking a joint every day for 20 years was not associated with negative changes in exhalation strength.

So have a nice weekend.

Told Ya

BRCA Gene Mutations Linked to Salivary Gland Cancer

The genetic mutations that put people at high risk for breast cancer may also be linked with an increased risk of salivary gland cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzed information from 187 people with breast cancer who had mutations in the BRAC1 and BRAC2 genes — which are linked with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The researchers also examined several generations of patients' close relatives, some of whom had also been tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
Of the 5,754 people in the study, three had salivary gland cancer, and all three were relatives of the breast cancer patients. The overall rate of salivary gland cancer in the study families was 0.052 percent. This is much higher than the rate of salivary gland cancer in the general population, which is three cases per 100,000 people, or 0.003 percent, the researchers said.       citation

  uh huh.

The Guinea Pig Generation

Soy isoflavones may accelerate progression of breast cancer

Women with estrogen-responsive breast cancer who consume soy protein supplements containing isoflavones to alleviate the side effects of menopause may be accelerating progression of their cancer, changing it from a treatable subtype to a more aggressive, less treatable form of the disease, new research suggests.
The study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, raises troubling questions about the safety and the potential health consequences associated with long-term use of dietary supplements containing soy isoflavones, such as the phytoestrogen genistein.
Estradiol and all three genistein concentrations stimulated tumor growth in mice, but when the estradiol implants and higher-dose dietary genistein (750 ppm) were removed, the tumors regressed completely.

I remember when that stuff was considered miracle food for middle aged women.

Well Mercy Me

Michael Douglas Says Oral Sex Caused His Throat Cancer

The Guardian asked Douglas, now 68, whether he regretted his years of smoking and drinking for causing his throat cancer. Douglas gave a "surprisingly frank" answer to the British paper: "No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus]..."

Notice the underlying assumption and shaming behavior of the questioner.  This my friends, is the battle.  Speak the truth.


(I think this works the other way too.  I'm pretty sure prostate and breast cancer are caused by oral microbes.)

Correlation Games

Chronic Heartburn May Raise Odds for Throat Cancer

People who suffer from frequent heartburn may be at increased risk for cancers of the throat and vocal cords even if they don't smoke or drink alcohol, a new study says.
Interestingly, common over-the-counter antacids seemed to protect against these cancers while prescription medications such as Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid didn't, the researchers said.

My explanation:
Heartburn destroys the tissue of the esophagus allowing microbes to infiltrate.  (much like smoking and drinking.)
Common oral microbes like Streptococcus anginosus and Helicobacter pylori are known to cause cancer.

And acid is something those bacteria need to metabolize sugar.
(so use sugar free antacid please)

As I was saying

High-Salt Diet and Ulcer Bug Combine to Increase Risk of Cancer

Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet high in salt is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. Now Timothy L. Cover and colleagues of Vanderbilt University show that high dietary salt combined with infection by the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori greatly increases the risk of cancer.

Microbes cause illness.
Diet affects microbes.  

More is Not Better

New study of elderly with kidney tumors

In a stunning example of when treatment might be worse than the disease, a large review of Medicare records finds that older people with small kidney tumors were much less likely to die over the next five years if doctors monitored them instead of operating right away. Even though nearly all of these tumors turned out to be cancer, they rarely proved fatal. And surgery roughly doubled patients' risk of developing heart problems or dying of other causes, doctors found.

When the only tool you're paid to use is a scalpel...

You don't say

How a simple infection can trigger cancer

Africa has a particularly high rate of cancers caused by infection. That's the bad news. The good news is, they are - in theory - preventable using vaccines.

But in theory, some of them might be caused by the immune reaction instead.  Antibiotics and vaccines are not the answer to everything.

Kitchen Table Medicine

Testing for cervical cancer with vinegar

Compare and Contrast

Marijuana Fights Cancer and Helps Manage Side Effects

Chemotherapy can backfire, make cancer worse by triggering tumor growth 

Correlation Games

Lack of Sleep Found to be a New Risk Factor for Aggressive Breast Cancers

"This is the first study to suggest that women who routinely sleep fewer hours may develop more aggressive breast cancers compared with women who sleep longer hours," said Dr. Thompson, who is Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and lead author. "We found a strong correlation between fewer hours of sleep per night and worse recurrence scores, specifically in post-menopausal breast cancer patients. This suggests that lack of sufficient sleep may cause more aggressive tumors, but more research will need to be done to verify this finding and understand the causes of this association."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/27/4760638/lack-of-sleep-found-to-be-a-new.html#storylink=cpy

Strep infections cause insomnia.
Strep infections can also cause cancer.

Very Interesting

My sister called yesterday to tell me she has a melanoma on her back/neck area.   She has always had moles, but none of them were cancerous.  My family is actually pretty susceptible to basal cell carcinoma.
Anyhow, she wondered if it could have anything to do with Herpes.   She had gotten complacent and gone off the Acyclovir, but started having nerve problems in her arms.   She ended up going to the dermatologist after a rash broke out on her elbow.    He said that was harmless, but found the suspicious spot during the exam.

So, after hanging up, I did my thing and found this:

Herpes Vaccine Entering Phase 3 Testing For Advanced Melanoma

OncoVEX, owned by BioVex, is being tested by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.  Its Phase 2 trial of OncoVEX had very encouraging results. Though persons with Stage III and Stage IV melanoma generally have very poor prognoses and die within six months to two years after the cancer becomes metastasized, the patients in Phase 2 testing of the drug fared significantly better.
Of the 50 patients involved, 8 patients completely recovered and 4 recovered after surgery and treatment with the OncoVEX vaccine.  Overall survival rate was 58 percent after one year and 52 percent after two years.

The results of Phase 3 are due sometime this fall.   I am really hoping they are good.
Maybe if herpes causes one of the most fatal cancers- instead of just heart attacks and dementia- people will decide it's okay to talk about it.

The Guinea Pig Generation

It's complicated.
Shocking, I tell you.
Nobody could have predicted.

Chemotherapy can backfire, make cancer worse by triggering tumor growth

Long considered the most effective cancer-fighting treatment, chemotherapy may actually make cancer worse, according to a shocking new study.
The extremely aggressive therapy, which kills both cancerous and healthy cells indiscriminately, can cause healthy cells to secrete a protein that sustains tumor growth and resistance to further treatment.

I wonder if my friend who just died of a brain tumor might have appreciated that information before they infused all that poison into her head...
tic tic tic tic tic.

As I was saying

Two Viruses Link to Prostate Cancer: High-Risk Human Papilloma Virus Found With Epstein Barr Virus 

The cause of prostate cancer is obvious.   Men just aren't even capable of imagining it.

Correlation Games

Cutting dietary salt 'could prevent stomach cancer'

They completely neglect to say Why.
Helicobacter Pylori causes stomach cancer.  H. Pylori likes salt.
H. Pylori also raises blood pressure. and causes atherosclerosis. and maybe even Parkinson's.

Maybe y'all should start testing for that instead of serum cholesterol.
Or telling everyone to cut back on salt.

Science is wonderful.  Try it sometime.

Cancer is Contagious

That is the opposite of what I was told most of my life.

One in six cancers worldwide are caused by infection

One in six cancers - two million a year globally - are caused by largely treatable or preventable infections, new estimates suggest.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases review, which looked at incidence rates for 27 cancers in 184 countries, found four main infections are responsible.
These four - human papillomaviruses, Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis B and C viruses - account for 1.9m cases of cervical, gut and liver cancers.

This data is quite compelling.
And yet, there are even more infections which cause cancer.   They didn't screen for those, though.

More Fruits and Vegetables!

Metformin improves outcome for Prostate and Pancreatic Cancer

Metformin may help prevent liver cancer

Metformin may Lower Risk for Oral Cancer

Cancer likes sugar.
Metformin lowers blood glucose levels.

More Fruits and Vegetables!

Fructose Induces Transketolase Flux to Promote Pancreatic Cancer Growth

Carbohydrate metabolism via glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle is pivotal for cancer growth, and increased refined carbohydrate consumption adversely affects cancer survival. Traditionally, glucose and fructose have been considered as interchangeable monosaccharide substrates that are similarly metabolized, and little attention has been given to sugars other than glucose. However, fructose intake has increased dramatically in recent decades and cellular uptake of glucose and fructose uses distinct transporters. Here, we report that fructose provides an alternative substrate to induce pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different; in comparison with glucose, fructose induces thiamine-dependent transketolase flux and is preferentially metabolized via the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway to synthesize nucleic acids and increase uric acid production. These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation. They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth.

I know several people who have/had cancer.  One of them has a brain tumor.  Not one of them has ever been given this information.  And they seem to feel I'm meddling when I tell them.