Young blogger loses battle with cancer

"So when he died Sunday, six days before his 19th birthday, he had blogged a lifetime of thoughts and dreams, words that somehow pierced through cyberspace and moved tens of thousands of readers to respond.
Miles blogged on the Web site of Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.
He isn't the only person to have written about a dying man's journey, but his wit and wisdom and choice of words, captured the imagination of his readers.
His story was circulated well beyond the world of cancer patients and was told by mass media including the Detroit News and CNN. "

ScienceDaily: Compounds That Color Fruits And Veggies May Protect Against Colon Cancer

"Evidence from laboratory experiments on rats and on human colon cancer cells also suggests that anthocyanins -- the compounds that give color to most red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables -- appreciably slow the growth of colon cancer cells. The findings also bring scientists a step closer to figuring out what exactly gives fruits and vegetables their cancer-fighting properties. “These foods contain many compounds, and we're just starting to figure out what they are and which ones provide the best health benefits,” said Monica Giusti, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of food science at Ohio State University. Giusti presented the findings, which represent the collaborative efforts of Giusti and her colleagues, on August 19 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. Giusti and her colleagues found that in some cases, slight alterations to the structure of anthocyanin molecules made these compounds more potent anti-cancer agents."

Cancer Cure?

"Ontario announced Thursday it will begin to offer a vaccine that could help prevent cervical cancer to girls in Grade 8, a day after an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal argued it is premature to offer the immunizations on a universal basis.

Ontario's free and voluntary program, which is to commence in classrooms this fall, will offer the Gardasil vaccine to about 84,000 young women at a cost of about $39 million a year or $117 million over three years -- Ontario's share of the $300 million announced in the last federal budget for the vaccine."

AP: ABC's Robin Roberts Has Breast Cancer

"ABC "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts discovered she had breast cancer after following her own advice about early detection in a story about former colleague Joel Siegel's cancer death. Roberts, who announced her diagnosis on Tuesday's show, will undergo surgery on Friday.

"Hearing the words and saying it and seeing - it's surreal," Roberts, 46, told viewers in an on-air conversation with co-anchor Diane Sawyer.

Siegel, the ABC morning show's longtime film critic, died of colon cancer last month. During an ABC tribute to him, Roberts did a story about how early detection is key to surviving cancer. She went home that night and examined her breasts."

Very Low LDL May Mean More Cancer Risk, But Study Is Not Conclusive And Does Not Mean Those Taking Statins Should Stop - CBS News

"New research suggests a link between very low cholesterol levels and an increased risk of cancer, but the findings are far from conclusive, researchers say.

The analysis of studies examining outcomes in patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins to lower their low density lipoprotein (LDL) 'bad' cholesterol found an elevated risk of cancer among those who achieved the very lowest LDL cholesterol levels while taking the drugs. "

Forbes: Chemical 'Paint' Helps Surgeons See Cancer's Borders

"Researchers say they've developed a tumor "paint" that illuminates cancerous cells and help surgeons spot the borders of tumors.
A team at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that the paint -- a protein derived from scorpions called chlorotoxin -- helped surgeons distinguish between brain tumor cells and normal brain tissue during surgery.

"My greatest hope is that tumor paint will fundamentally improve cancer therapy. By allowing surgeons to see cancer that would be undetectable by other means, we can give our patients better outcomes," study senior author Dr. James M. Olson said in a prepared statement."

Brain Cancer Vaccine

"Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc., a Bothell-based biotechnology company, won Swiss approval for its brain-cancer treatment, the first vaccine to harness a patient's immune system to fight the disease.
The product will be produced in the U.S., and made available to patients at treatment centers in Switzerland, Northwest Biotherapeutics said Monday in a prepared statement.
The company is working to win approval in the U.S. and Europe to gain access to the $35 billion market for cancer treatments. In clinical trials, patients treated with DCVax-Brain survived twice as long as those who didn't receive the vaccine, without major side effects, the company said.
"This is an unprecedented product," said Navid Malik, an analyst at Collins Stewart. "The whole field has opened up with this vaccine."
Though the vaccine has only been approved in Switzerland, patients from all over Europe are likely to travel for treatment, Malik said."

This may save your life cancer?

"Interim study results show prolonged survival for Pfizer's axitinib in advanced pancreatic cancer.

While final results need to be corroborated in an upcoming Phase III study, Pfizer's axitinib shows early potential to fulfill the great unmet need associated with pancreatic cancer. Given that OSI Pharmaceuticals/Genentech/Roche's Tarceva was granted FDA approval in this indication based on a two-week survival benefit, it is likely positive results would be met with great enthusiasm."

Exercise Grows New Brain Cells - Yahoo! News

"Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells, a new study on rats finds. The new cells could be the key to why working out relieves depression. "

Low carb diet ups colorectal cancer risk

"Long term use of a diet with very low carbohydrate such as Atkins diet may increase risk of colorectal cancer in humans as low carb diet reduces the amounts of beneficial bacteria, according to a new study.

Scientists at Aberdeen's Rowett Research Institute found that a very low carbohydrate weight loss diet causes a four-fold reduction in the numbers of certain types of bacteria in the gut of obese men. These bacteria are known to produce a chemical known as butyrate, which has been shown to be protective against colorectal cancer.

Butyrate, a short chain fatty acid, is produced in the gut only when the bacteria ferment the carbohydrate present in food. It can be used by the bacteria as a source of energy and also is used by the cells which line the gut wall. "

Pancreatic Cancer Wellness Research

Pancreatic Cancer Wellness Research

Pancreatic Cancer Patients Don't Get Surgery

"A new study says nearly 40% of patients with early pancreatic cancer who could be treated with surgery don't get the operation.

One of the study's co-authors says the complicated operation is tricky but safer than previously thought and can extend life, although chances of surviving five years are still not great.

The study found that about 30% of patients with early stage disease who get the operation can be expected to survive at least five years, compared with less than five percent of early stage patients who don't get the operation.

The study is based on an analysis of a national cancer database maintained by the American College of Surgeons."

Think Secret - Memo from Steve Jobs to Apple employees

"August 1, 2004 - Earlier today, Reuters reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs successfully underwent surgery for a "very rare" type of pancreatic cancer. The rare form can be cured if treated in time, as was the case with Jobs. As the CEO will be back on the job in September, it's unclear whether Jobs will keynote Apple Expo Paris on August 31.

The full text of Jobs' email to employees:"

"Enormous Failure" In Treatment Of Early Pancreatic Cancer

"More than half of eligible patients with operable, early-stage pancreatic cancer don't undergo potentially life-extending surgery, suggests a study published online this week by the Annals of Surgery, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

'The only opportunity for cure in early-stage patients is surgical resection, but nihilistic attitudes toward pancreatic cancer likely contribute to this striking underuse of curative resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma,' according to the new report. The lead author was Dr. Karl Y. Bilimoria of Northwestern University, Chicago.

The researchers analyzed data on more than 9,500 patients with early-stage cancers of the pancreas treated between 1995 and 2004. All patients had 'potentially resectable' cancers that had not yet spread to the lymph nodes or elsewhere. Data for the study came from the American College of Surgeons National Cancer Data Base (NCDB).

The study looked at how many patients underwent surgery, called pancreatectomy, to remove the cancer. If surgery was not performed, the researchers evaluated the reasons why."

Natural Products Industry Insider - Natural Products Industry Insider-Dietary B’s May Drop Pancreatic Cancer Risk

" BOSTON—Data from four large cohorts suggests plasma levels of the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12 may not reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer; however, there was an inverse association seen among adults whose only source of the nutrients was the diet—not dietary supplements (Cancer Res, 67(11):5553-60, 2007; DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-4463). Researchers from Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School conducted a prospective, nested, case-control study to examine plasma concentrations of folate, B6, B12 and homocysteine in relationship to pancreatic cancer. Among 208 cases and 623 controls, there was a modest trend between greater nutrient intake and reduced pancreatic cancer risk in subjects who did not report multivitamin use..."

"Failure" in Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

"More than half of eligible patients with operable, early-stage pancreatic cancer don't undergo potentially life-extending surgery, suggests a study published online this week by the Annals of Surgery.

'The only opportunity for cure in early-stage patients is surgical resection, but nihilistic attitudes toward pancreatic cancer likely contribute to this striking underuse of curative resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma,' according to the new report. The lead author was Dr. Karl Y. Bilimoria of Northwestern University, Chicago"

Associated Press: Study: Liver Cancer Breakthrough Found - MSN Money

"For the first time, doctors said Monday they have found a pill that improves survival for people with liver cancer, a notoriously hard to treat disease diagnosed in more than half a million people globally each year.
The results in a multinational study of 602 patients with advanced liver cancer are impressive and likely will change the way patients are treated, say cancer specialists, including the study authors."

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. "