The said patients are being recruited by Moffitt for the phase II study of the oral medication AZD6244 — an experimental anti-cancer drug that may stop the growth of cancer cells and is designed to block the pathway of a protein called MEK (important for cell survival).

According to Dr. Chris R. Garrett, principal investigator with Moffitt’s Gastrointestinal Oncology program:

“There’s no cure for advanced liver cancer that’s not amenable to surgery. We’re looking for a novel therapy to improve the outcome for patients with the disease.”

The said trial – also being conducted at Emory University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University and VCU Massey Cancer Center – is sponsored by The National Cancer Institute.

If you qualify as a participant or you someone who does, you can call clinical research nurse Tiffany Campos at (813) 745-8358.

Source: Moffitt Cancer Center

Post from: Blisstree

Participants to Advanced Liver Cancer Study, Wanted by Moffitt

Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and third most common cause of death from cancer.

In the past year, the wonders of drinking coffee have continuously been being uncovered, the most recent (I found) being the benefit of caffeine in the cognitive decline of older women.

Now, in the reduction of liver cancer risk — as published in the August issue of Hepatology:

…”an increase of one cup of coffee every day was associated with a 23 per cent reduction across all the studies.

Moreover, the apparent favorable effect of coffee drinking was found both in studies from southern Europe, where coffee is widely consumed, and from Japan, where coffee consumption is less frequent, and in subjects with chronic liver diseases.”

As calculated by the authors, moderate coffee drinking was associated with a 30 per cent lower risk, while heavy coffee drinking was associated with a 55 per cent lower risk.

I still believe that moderation is the key, the same is true in drinking coffee. For instance, I don’t want to be awake all night for drinking too much coffee. And if I can’t sleep regularly, I’m sure I’ll be increasing my risk of various other serious conditions.

Source: NutraIngredients

Post from: Blisstree

A Meta-Analysis: Drinking Coffee May Reduce Liver Cancer Risk

Some fisherfolks here in my region eat raw fish direct from the sea – alone or vinegared. It is quite a delicacy – it is just that I am quite queasy with anything raw or medium rare.

Anyway, while fish is a cancer-friendly food, people should still be careful of what raw fish they eat especially if there are headlines out there that says: worms in fish can cause liver cancer.

The fish in question is a freshwater fish found in Southeast Asia – cyprinoid fishes common in rivers of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Read the full article at PLoS Medicine.

I love fish, but I love them cooked. I mean fishes from the sea. Freshwater fish in my vocabulary is one whole lot of a different story.

Post from: Blisstree

Do you eat raw fish? Read this.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) — a devastating complication of chronic liver disease and inflammation caused by risk factors such as hepatitis B and C viruses, or alcoholic liver disease — makes up the majority of liver cancers in humans.

Overall, men are three to five times more likely to develop HCC than women; however, in individuals who are under 50, HCC is seen seven to 10 times more frequently in men.

The protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) contributes to the chronic liver inflammation that leads to cancer. Apparently, males produce more IL-6 in response to liver injury. While in females, the production of IL-6 is suppressed by the female hormone estrogen.

These findings, discovered by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine in mouse studies may lead to the development of new targeted therapies to reduce men’s risk of developing liver cancer.

According to Michael Karin, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology in UCSD’s Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, who led the study:

“By eliminating IL-6, we reduced the incidence of liver cancer in the males by close to 90%. However, the missing IL-6 made no further difference in female mice.”

The study findings are published in the July 6 issue of the journal Science.

Find more details from the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

Why More Men Have Liver Cancer? Estrogen Makes the Difference!

This association has led to increased fortification of folic acid (the synthetic counterpart of folate) in various food products.

Now, a low folate diet may increase the risk of developing liver cancer, according to a study based in China –suggesting additional potential of folic acid fortification.

As reported in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention:

”…low folate levels may be linked to liver damage and liver cancer, and follows earlier research that reported low levels of the B vitamin may also be linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease.”

Liver cancer being the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and third most common cause of death from cancer – these new findings definitely needs further investigation.

Find more details from the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

Folate Against Liver Cancer

The specialist worked on designing non-viral systems which act directly upon the liver and the colon. In this manner, she prepared, optimized and evaluated, in vitro and in vivo, a new pharmaceutical format called ‘lipopolyplex.’

This compound aids the genetic material in penetrating into the damaged cells, and allows drug release in tumorous organs.

The new drug has been shown to slow tumor growths in mice.

Find more details from the Basque Research news.

Post from: Blisstree

New Treatment Slows Growth of Colon and Liver Cancers

Phase III clinical trial data of this miracle pill revealed that chances of survival from final stage liver cancer is increased by 44% or about three months life extension.

Final stage liver cancer is deadly and currently patients suffering this condition have no treatment option.

Sorafenib is a pill that directly targets malignant cancer cells and cuts off the blood supply feeding the tumour and has been found in a large scale multinational trial, conducted by researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain), to work on tumors within the liver and those that have already spread in other parts of the body.

According to Dr Subhash Gupta, head of department, liver surgery, Apollo Hospital:

“Sorafenib holds great promise for patients on whom aggressive options like a mix of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy fail.

Once detected early, liver cancer can be addressed by either a transplant or other techniques.”

Sorafenib is co-marketed by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals as Nexavar® - which is already indicated for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer).

Find more details from the full report at India Times and Science Daily.

[hat tip: Kendra James]

Post from: Blisstree

Sorafenib: Miracle Pill for Liver Cancer

Ruth Schaffer discussed snake venom toxin that can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and the blood DNA test for early detection of liver cancer at The Biotech Weblog; fruit and vegetables reduce the risk of head and neck cancer at Eating Fabulous.

Kate Baggott wrote about breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk at Babylune.

Beauty blogger Christina Jones asks the question: to tan or not to tan at e-Beauty Daily (a pretty important question to those at risk of skin cancer).

Last but not least, Veggie Chic tells us to put down the bacon.

Post from: Blisstree

Cancer Commentary Links for 2007-04-18

MDS Nordion is a leading global provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals (used to diagnose and treat diseases) and is one of 89 Ontario-based companies and organizations participating in a trade mission to India, organized by the Government of Ontario.

• Three patients were the first to be treated for primary liver cancer in India using TheraSphere®
• Two of the successful infusions were conducted at the Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre.
• The third was performed at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre. Both centres are located in Mumbai, India. TheraSphere® will be used in India to treat both primary and secondary liver cancers.

TheraSphere®, comprised of tiny radioactive glass beads, delivers a therapeutic dose of radiation to cancerous tumours directly by injecting into the main artery of the patient’s liver using a catheter.

Such way minimizes damage to the patient’s healthy tissues unlike conventional cancer therapy.

Find more details from the full report (a pdf file)

Post from: Blisstree

TheraSphere®, Novel Liver Cancer Therapy, Debuts in India

Also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), liver cancer is a common malignancy with very few treatment options.

Liver transplant or resection can potentially cure the condition, but most patients are inoperable once they are diagnosed.

In search for more minimally invasive treatments, previous studies suggested that short-acting octreotide could improve survival for patients with HCC while its twice-daily administration was associated with many side effects.

In this new study, the long-acting octreotide was put to test with negative results.

“This is the first randomized-controlled trial that analyzed the effect of long-acting octreotide on HCC growth and patient survival. We observed no survival improvement in HCC patients treated with octreotide in contrast to placebo treated patients.”

Source: Science Daily

[Photo Credit: Bedford Labs]

Post from: Blisstree

Long-acting Octreotide, Not Beneficial to Liver Cancer Patients