The Mayo Clinic published 10 tips to reduce cancer risk in their most recent issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

Here are the tips and below there’s more explanation:

1. Stop smoking
2. Limit alcohol intake – some alcohol is okay, too much is not
3. Follow recommended intake of fruits and vegetable (daily!)
4. Decrease the amount of fat in your daily diet
5. Lose weight if you’re too heavy, try to gain weight if you’re too thin
6. Move! Get active
7. Watch your skin (from the sun and don’t use tanning beds)
8. Don’t take chances when having sex. Protect yourself.
9. See your doctor regularly and take part in recommenced screening tests
10. If you have had cancer or are at particularly high risk, speak with your doctor about chemoprevention, which is taking medications to reduce the risk of new cancers

How and why do these steps help?

First of all, none of these are a surprise. All these recommendations, save for the last one, are recommended to help reduce the risk of developing many health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and more. So by following these tips, you’re helping your body more than you may realize.

Smoking: Did you know that smoking not only increases your risk of developing lung cancer, but also mouth (tongue, cheek, palate, throat, gum) cancer? Your risk of bladder cancer also climbs quite a bit. Smoking affects your whole body, not just your lungs. Also, the social act of smoking is often accompanied by other not-so-healthy lifestyle factors, like drinking alcohol, limiting exercise, and so on. By quitting the cigarettes, your risk drops every day you’re no longer a smoker.

Alcohol: Many of us like to enjoy a good glass of wine, a cold bottle of beer, a good scotch – and many of us limit ourselves to a moderate number of glasses. However, if you drink too much, more than the recommended amount for your sex, you increase your risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum cancers.

Fruits and vegetables: It’s not that difficult to add the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet, but it does take planning. Unfortunately, with the hectic lifestyles many people lead these days, food planning often goes out the door. Five servings of fruits and vegetables daily are the minimal amount that you should be taking in. The thing is, servings are not huge, so this is not impossible. Two and a half cups of fruits or vegetables over the course of the day is maybe one apple, one tomato and a couple of stalks of celery. That’s not too much, is it?

Limiting fat: This one may be of the easiest things to do. Fat is an essential part of the human diet; we need it for our body to function properly. However, the type of fat and the amount you get is important.

This table, from the USDA, shows you how much fat you should have according to the number of calories you should have per day:

And this table, from the same source, gives you an idea of what foods have what fat:

Source: ARS Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17.

Weight control: Being a healthy weight for your body build helps your body in many ways. It can even help reduce the pain of osteoarthritis for some people. Being too thin also has health issues, so keep that in mind if you are trying to lose weight.

Get active: Enough said!

Watch your skin: Tanning is not beautiful – any change in your skin color means there is damage going on. Don’t use tanning beds – they’re even worse than the sun. Plus, too much sun exposure doesn’t just contribute to skin cancer, it makes your skin old, dry and wrinkly well before its time.

Protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections: Sex with people without protection exposes you to hepatitis and HIV, both of which are very high risk for cancer, let alone the disease itself. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes genital warts, some of which can cause cervical cancer, cancer of the cervix.

Screening tests: Screening tests for prostate cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, are all over the news, but don’t forget the other screenings that you can have done. You can have a colonoscopy to check for the beginnings of colon cancer and you can have your skin checked regularly to look for signs of skin cancer. If you are at high risk of a particular type of cancer, speak with your doctor about screening for that, as well. And, don’t forget your dentist. He or she is the one who can detect signs of oral cancer.

Chemoprevention: This is a relatively new area, most commonly known for women who take Tamoxifen to help reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back. You may want to speak with your doctor about this if you are at a high risk of cancer or you have already had it.

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Images: MorgueFile.com

Post from: Blisstree

10 Tips for Reducing Cancer Risk

Men who develop prostate cancer are becoming more open about it and that’s a good thing. This allows them to connect with other men who have or had it, and it allows them to research it and learn as much as they can. But what about their wives, sisters, mothers, daughters, female friends? Where can they turn for help?

The American and Canadian Cancer Societies, and many others, do a great job in providing what support they can. They’re wonderful sources for information and links to other places. There’s also now another place called HisProstateCancer.com .

The site says:

This web site was created to help you during this difficult time. It provides information to support you and your loved one as you make important decisions, such as choosing among the many treatment options. It also provides information about potential problems or concerns that may arise before or after treatment.

What does it offer?

There is basic information on prostate cancer (Prostate 101 ), discussion about treatments , sex life , and communication , among other topics. There is also a section with helpful tips, ranging from Ways to help support your man to “Bill of Rights” for wives and partners.

Why not check it out and see what you think?

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Images: MorgueFile.com, iStock

Post from: Blisstree

A Woman’s Resource on Prostate Cancer

The National Cancer Institute has issued a press release discussing a new report from a study by the  Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. It says that “6 annual screenings for prostate cancer led to more diagnoses of the disease, but no fewer prostate cancer deaths.”

The press release goes on to say,

“What this report tells us is that there may be some men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer and have the side-effects of treatment, such as impotence and incontinence, with little chance of benefit,” said John E. Niederhuber, M.D., director of the NCI. “Clearly, we need a better way of detecting prostate cancer at its earliest stages and as importantly, a method of determining which tumors will progress.

This is a significant finding because if treatment isn’t going to be beneficial, then what’s the point of spending the money and living through the stress of knowing you have prostate cancer?

The researchers aren’t saying “don’t go get screened,” but at this point, they are wondering what the best approach is, given what they’re learning from the study.

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Image: MorgueFile.com

Post from: Blisstree

Are annual prostate tests a waste of time?

Such were the findings of a new prostate cancer study.

A prostate cancer study that could change how doctors treat some patients found that widely used hormone-blocking drugs did not improve survival chances for older men whose disease hadn’t spread.

In fact, men given the drugs alone were slightly more likely to die of prostate cancer during the next six years than men who’d gotten medical monitoring but no or delayed treatment, another common treatment approach.

The study involved nearly 20,000 Medicare patients with prostate cancer that hadn’t spread. A surprising 41 percent got only drug treatment, in shots or implants, showing that the therapy has become a popular alternative to surgery and radiation, the study authors said.

Well…hopefully the doctors will change their advice on course of treatment, right? Indeed it is always tricky which course of treatment will work with every patient. I don’t know, sometimes I feel that we are at the mercy of our doctors and science itself with regards to cancer. But of course, I don’t wanna be totally negative about what cancer drugs do to the patient. Know what I mean?

Read more from AP.

Post from: Blisstree

Older Prostate Cancer May Not Benefit From Treatment

During Cancer Control Month, we honor cancer victims and survivors, raise awareness of the impact cancer has on our citizens, and underscore our commitment to battling this deadly disease.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, and we remain committed to making the medical advances necessary to prevent and treat this disease.

Scientists and medical professionals have made great progress in developing innovative treatments, improving diagnostic tools, and increasing our understanding of cancer. These advances have helped people with cancer live longer, healthier lives.

Cancer Control Month is April — and the word the first comes to mind (each time I think of cancer) is hope. HOPE. There should always be hope, me thinks. Despite the difficulties in finding the cure, despite the difficulties in surviving cancer.

The official website of the American Cancer Society has a little corner called Stories of Hope. Have you found that yet? If not, check it out. Right Now.

Last week, I found out about Hope Lodge. What a fitting name to accommodate (for free!) cancer patients seeking treatment away from home.

Honestly, when I found out about that wonderful service (Hope Lodge), I was really deeply touched (still is). That is really a lot of help – in more ways than one – to cancer patients.

Speaking of Hope Lodge, I found this story of a prostate cancer survivor who found HOPE in Hope Lodge.

It took several weeks for a spot to open up; until then, Learned stayed in a hotel. Although he joined a local gym and even managed to find some tennis partners, he still felt isolated.

“I was in a strange city where I knew no one and I was by myself and my treatment was 15 minutes a day and that was the only thing I had to do,” he recalls. “It was very lonely.”

That all changed when Learned moved into Hope Lodge for the final 3 weeks of his treatment.

“Everybody there was so friendly,” he says. “It’s an incredible place.”

Read on. Thank God for such places, making one’s journey to survival, bearable.

Post from: Blisstree

Finding Hope in Cancer

“Anti-androgen therapy slows the prostate cancer but eventually the cancer becomes androgen-independent, the therapy becomes ineffective and the cancer cells become more aggressive,” said Xi Zheng, assistant research professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who conducted the study.

“Treatments available for the later stage cancers are not very good,” said Allan Conney, director of Rutgers’ Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, another researcher on the project. “Oncologists employ classical chemotherapy drugs which are very toxic and don’t work all that well.”

Such excitingly good news were the findings of researchers at the Rutgers’ Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

A combination of low doses of Lipitor and Celebrex had a more potent inhibiting effect on the formation of later stage tumors than a higher dose of either agent alone,” Zheng reported.

“The results from our study indicate that a combination of Lipitor and Celebrex may be an effective strategy for the prevention of prostate cancer progression from the first to the second stage.”

Clinical trial are being planned in the hope that same results will be generated.

Read more from Rutgers University.

Post from: Blisstree

Anti-inflammatory and Statin Combo May Stop Prostate Cancer

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday granted the actor’s request to toss a lawsuit filed against him by an insurance company that claimed De Niro intentionally withheld that he had prostate cancer before the insurer signed on to cover one of his films.

Fireman’s Fund sued the Raging Bull star in October 2006, contending he wrongfully checked off a box indicating he had “never been diagnosed with or treated for” various conditions, including a diseased prostate, when he filled out his medical certificate.

The 64-year old old actor – Robert De Niro – underwent prostate cancer surgery in December 2003 at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Since then, De Niro claims to be cancer-free.

Find more details from E!Online.

Post from: Blisstree

Robert De Niro “Won” Against Cancer Suit

The following are still in my week-old (!!) notes:

Smokers Might Benefit From Earlier Colon Cancer Screening

New evidence suggests screening for colorectal cancer, which is now recommended to begin at age 50 for most people, should start five to 10 years earlier for individuals with a significant lifetime exposure to tobacco smoke, a University of Rochester Medical Center study said.

An examination of 3,450 cases found that current smokers were diagnosed with colon cancer approximately seven years earlier than people who never smoked. The study is also one of the first to link exposure to second-hand smoke, especially early in life, with a younger age for colon cancer onset.

What’s Good For The Heart May Be Good For The Prostate

Men who eat a diet low in fat and red meat but high in vegetables and lean protein and who drink alcohol in moderation may not just be doing their hearts a favor. A new study shows that such a heart-healthy diet may also be good for the prostate.

Specifically, such a diet significantly decreases the risk of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. The bothersome condition is associated with frequent and painful urination that affects about half of all men by the time they reach 50 and nearly all men by age 70.

Novel Highly Potent Anticancer Drug From The Sea Identified

A collaborative team of researchers spearheaded by Dennis Carson M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has identified a potent new anti-cancer drug isolated from a toxic blue-green algae found in the South Pacific. The properties of somocystinamide A (ScA) are described in a paper that will be published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science the week of February 11 -15.

“We are excited because we have discovered a structurally unique and highly potent cancer-fighting compound,” said Dwayne G. Stupack, associate professor of pathology at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. “We envision it will be perfect for emerging technology, particularly nanotechnology, which is being developed to target cancerous tumors without toxic side effects.”

Vaccination Of Adolescent Girls Is An Effective Strategy Against Cervical Cancer, Report Says (a pdf file)

A scientific report published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) finds that vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is an effective prevention strategy against cervical cancer. Available HPV vaccines protect against two high-risk HPV types that are estimated to be responsible for 73% of cervical cancer cases in Europe, and are spread by sexual contact.

The report identifies young adolescent girls who have not yet become sexually active as the key group to be vaccinated, though “catch-up programmes” for slightly older girls could be helpful in bringing forward the benefits of the vaccine. The report nonetheless stresses that vaccination is complementary to cervical cancer screening and that a strong emphasis on national screening programmes must be maintained.

Well…that’s all for now, folks. Hope your Monday is great! Mine is almost over.

Stay tuned.

Post from: Blisstree

Cancer Commentary Links 3-March-2008

Early cancer detection increases response to treatment, the chance of curing the cancer and patient survival. Most especially, it may prevent the patient from undergoing surgery.

As we know, however advanced procedures there may have, surgery doesn’t come with no risks.

As I was searching for prostate cancer, I found this YouTube video entitled: Close-up View of Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer (embedding is disabled, so i just link to the video).

Post from: Blisstree

YouTube Video: Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer

As the researchers reported in New England Journal of Medicine:

Researchers found that a man with four of the five variants has an increased risk of 400 to 500 percent compared to men with none of the variants. The researchers then added a family history of prostate cancer to the equation – for a total of six risk factors. A man with at least five of the six factors had increased risk of more than 900 percent.

The scientists say each variant was independently associated with prostate cancer risk and that the variants are fairly common in the population. Together, these five variants and a family history accounted for almost half (46 percent) of prostate cancer patients.

The study involved analyzing DNA samples from 2,893 men with prostate cancer and 1,781 healthy individuals of similar ages – all participants of a prostate cancer study in Sweden.

First, saliva test to detect breast cancer, now blood test determine a man’s prostate cancer risk.

Recently, the developments so that cancer can be detected early has really been very promising.

Find more details from Wake Forest University Medical Center.

Post from: Blisstree

Blood Test for Prostate Cancer Risk?