News
November 24, 2008
A new study for patients with non small cell lung cancer... more
November 24, 2008
A new study for patients with colorectal cancer... more
November 5, 2008
Patient's as artists!
We now have a new page called Patient's as artists to showcase the works of our talented patients.
September 30, 2008
Cancer and the Immune System
We know that the body's immune system plays an important role in controlling cancer. Some cancers -- such as kidney cancer and melanoma -- have been linked more closely to eliciting an immune response than others. We know for example that Interferon improves the outcome in some patients with melanoma when administered following surgery. Interferon is an important substance produced by a certain type of white blood cell in response to viral infections. It is part of the immune system's defensive response to fight off viruses.
Along the same lines a number of investigators have attempted to create cancer vaccines that help the body to mount an immune response to certain cancers. At the American Cancer Society meeting in 2008 data from a study (EORTC 18961) that involved 1300 patients with stage II melanoma was presented. After undergoing complete removal of the melanoma, these patients were randomly assigned to receive either vaccination with the adjuvant ganglioside GM2-KLH21 or no treatment (observation only). Disappointingly five years into the study the patients receiving the vaccine did not do as well as the ones that did not received any additional therapy.
September 29, 2008
Essential nutrient found in eggs reduces Breast cancer risk by 24%
Choline, an essential nutrient found in foods such as eggs is associated with a 24% decrease in the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a study from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study involved 3000 adult women. Women with the lowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 mg or less of choline. Similar results were found in other studies, including a study published by researchers at Harvard University and a third study on Chinese women.
Only 10% of Americans currently meet the recommended intake of choline which is 550 mg per day for men and breast-feeding women, 425 mg per day for women and 450 mg per day for pregnant women. One egg contains 125.5 mg of choline. Choline is found exclusively in the eggs yolk. Other top food sources of choline include liver, wheat germ and cauliflower.
September 10, 2008
Vitamin D deficiency linked to worse prognosis in Breast cancer
A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting reported on Vitamin D levels in women with breast cancer. Women with a vitamin deficiency at the time of breast cancer diagnoses are 95% more likely to experience metastases and 73% more likely to die compared with women with adequate vitamin D levels.
Women with vitamin D levels less than 50 nmol/l are more likely to have high grade (more aggressive)tumors. The study was conducted in Toronto and involved 512 women with breast cancer. There may be an association between vitamin D levels and breast cancer, however, the authors of the study cautioned that it is not clear whether low vitamin D levels are the cause of a poor outcome. Further studies are needed to address this question.
