Cancer expected to skyrocket in Asia

"Asia is bracing for a dramatic surge in cancer rates over the next decade as people in the developing world live longer and adopt bad Western habits that greatly increase the risk of the disease.

Smoking, drinking and eating unhealthy foods — all linked to various cancers — will combine with larger populations and fewer deaths from infectious diseases to drive Asian cancer rates up 60 percent by 2020, some experts predict.

But unlike in wealthy countries where the world's top medical care is found, there will likely be no prevention or treatment for many living in poor countries."

AM - Scientists discover further breast cancer genes

" A study led by Australian scientists has identified four genes that may increase the risk of women developing breast cancer.

Scientists say it's too early to screen women for the genes but they hope that this latest finding will take them further down the track to determine what role genetics play in causing cancer.

Gavin Fang reports.

GAVIN FANG: The findings of the study are published today in the international science journal Nature.

Professor Graham Giles, from Melbourne's Cancer Epidemiology Centre, was a co-author.

GRAHAM GILES: The important thing about these genes is that they're not like the ones we already know about, like BRCA1 and 2, which are very rarely mutated but when they do they give a phenomenally high risk of breast cancer, these genes only increase breast cancer risk by a small amount. What people are carrying are minute alterations or variations in these genes. "

Cancer survivor now an advocate- mlive.com

"Linda Lover is grateful she beat breast cancer, but there's a nagging unfairness to her survival.
Her husband, Alton, 61, a Vietnam veteran and journeyman machine repairman at Flint Metal Center, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004, the same year she learned she had breast cancer. She survived. He didn't. "

Close-up On Pancreatic Disease: How Do We Improve The Odds?

"Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest of today's cancers due to limited tools for early diagnosis and few effective treatments. These article summaries look at pancreatic cancer and the conditions that may lead to it, such as chronic pancreatitis, to evaluate the progress made to date, as well as the promising new applications of technology that will improve survival rates in the coming years. "

Medical Laboratory World: Markers to detect pancreatic cancer

"A pattern of micro molecules able to distinguish pancreatic cancer from normal and benign pancreatic tissue could be a useful diagnostic tool in diagnosing pancreatic cancer in the future, scientists have said.
The study examined human pancreatic tumour tissue and compared it to nearby normal tissue and control tissue for levels of microRNA (miRNA). It identified about 100 different miRNAs that are present usually at very high levels in the tumor tissue compared with their levels in normal pancreatic tissue.
The findings suggest that miRNAs form an expression pattern that may offer new clues about how pancreatic cancer develops, and they could lead to new molecular markers that might improve doctors' ability to diagnose and treat the disease."

Cancer Care Seeks to Take Patients Beyond Survival - New York Times

"As a growing number of Americans are learning, surviving cancer can mean slipping into a rabbit hole of long-term medical problems — from premature menopause and sexual dysfunction to more debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, like heart disease and even new cancers.
The realization that cancer and its aftermath can go on for years has given rise to a medical specialty known as survivorship. At several major hospitals around the country, survivor programs financed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation are focusing on life after cancer.
“It’s no longer sufficient to say, ‘Well, you survived,’ ” said Mary S. McCabe, who directs the program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “We need to maximize their recovery and quality of life.”"

Use Of Swedish 'Snus' Linked To A Doubled Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer

"People who use Swedish moist snuff (snus) run twice the risk of developing cancer of the pancreas. This is the main result of a follow-up study conducted by Karolinska Institutet researchers amongst almost 300,000 male construction workers. The study is published online in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.

Tobacco smoking is a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer, which is an unusually malignant form of the disease. Since it is common for people who take snus - a tobacco product designed for insertion between the gum and upper lip - to also smoke cigarettes, the challenge facing epidemiological research into snus and cancer has been to isolate the effects of the different kinds of tobacco. What makes this new study unique is that it has been possible to study the correlation between snus and cancer risk in a large enough group of men who have never smoked. "

Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs May Protect Against Cancer - PakTribune

"The cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, used by many to protect against heart disease, may also guard against several kinds of cancers.
Already shown to shield against prostate cancer, two new studies suggest statins also provide a greater than 50 percent reduction in risk with pancreatic and esophageal cancer, the researchers said.
The studies were to be presented Monday at Digestive Disease Week 2005, in Chicago. "

Swedish 'snus' linked to a doubled risk of pancreatic cancer

"People who use Swedish moist snuff (snus) run twice the risk of developing cancer of the pancreas.
This is the main result of a follow-up study conducted by Karolinska Institutet researchers amongst almost 300,000 male construction workers. The study is published today online in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.
Tobacco smoking is a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer, which is an unusually malignant form of the disease. Since it is common for people who take snus , a tobacco product designed for insertion between the gum and upper lip , to also smoke cigarettes, the challenge facing epidemiological research into snus and cancer has been to isolate the effects of the different kinds of tobacco. What makes this new study unique is that it has been possible to study the correlation between snus and cancer risk in a large enough group of men who have never smoked.
The subjects attended health check ups between 1978 and 1992, during which they were asked to report on their smoking and 'snusing' habits. The researchers have also studied rates of oral and lung cancer amongst the men, but found no correlation to snus.
'We're actually not that surprised,' says project leader Professor Olof Nyr'n of the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 'Pancreatic cancer has been under discussion in several earlier epidemiological studies on humans, both regarding Scandinavian snus and American smoke-free tobacco. On the other hand, previous studies of oral and lung cancer in relation to Scandinavian snus have been negative.' "

Study finds a throat cancer, HPV link

"The virus that causes cervical cancer may be linked to throat cancer in people who engage in oral sex, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A study in 300 adults found that those infected with the human papillomavirus who had oral sex with more than six partners were three times as likely to get throat cancer. The research was included in a package of studies and commentary on the virus in Thursday's issue of the journal."

Smokeless tobacco 'snus' linked to pancreatic cancer

"New research has shown that users of Swedish 'snus' - an oral, smokeless tobacco - are twice as likely to contract pancreatic cancer as people who have never smoked.

The findings come from an article published in the medical journal the Lancet.

The study, by researchers at the Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, looked at around 280,000 Swedish construction workers who were surveyed on tobacco consumption habits from 1978 to 1992, and then followed up until 2004.

The researchers found no increased risk of lung or oral cancer in snus users compared to those who had never smoked, but did find that snus users were around twice as likely to contract pancreatic cancer than those who had never smoked.

However, smokers were still more likely to contract pancreatic cancer than snus users. "

Obesity Associated with Pancreatic Cancer Risk

"A review of published evidence suggests a positive association between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of pancreatic cancer in men and women, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer for May 1st.
While epidemiologic studies have associated overweight and obesity with elevated risk of many cancer types, 'uncertainty remains about the relation between obesity and the risk of pancreatic cancer,' write Dr. Susanna C. Larsson and colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
The researchers performed a meta-analysis of prospective studies on the association between BMI and the risk of pancreatic cancer. A total of 21 studies, involving almost 3,500,000 subjects and 8062 pancreatic cancer cases, were included in the analysis.
The estimated summary relative risk of pancreatic cancer per 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was 1.12 in men and women combined, 1.16 in men, and 1.10 in women. No evidence of publication bias was observed. "

Barbecue lovers may have higher breast cancer risk - Yahoo! News

"Postmenopausal women who like barbecued and smoked meat would be wise to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables too, a new study suggests. "

Pancreatic Cancer Markers Identified, May Predict Survival | Cancer Forums and News

"Scientists have discovered a way to distinguish pancreatic cancer from non-cancerous tissue, new research shows.
The method may also distinguish patients who will survive longer than two years.
The research examined pancreatic cancer cells for tiny molecules called microRNA (miRNA). It shows that relative levels of certain miRNAs can distinguish pancreatic cancer from nearby noncancerous tissue and from inflamed pancreatic tissue. "

Gene Discovery May Improve Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment

"Scientists say they can use small bits of genetic material called microRNA to spot key differences between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, aiding in earlier diagnosis for the lethal malignancy.
The researchers say doctors might also someday use microRNA to help predict the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer.
The report is especially important, because pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers known, eventually killing almost all of the 33,000 Americans it affects each year.
The problem is that pancreatic tumors often grow very large without outward symptoms, leading to late diagnoses and poor patient outcomes.
But 'microRNA can help in the diagnosis,' said lead researcher Dr. Mark Bloomston, a professor of surgery at Ohio State University, Columbus. 'It could also, potentially have some prognostic implications,' he added."