Hi all,
I am making a single thread for each and every medical topic, with news and research corresponding to it.
So this thread shall contain all oncological research news.
This one is specially for you Pearllysun, and all other Onco enthusiasts.
P.S. Please dont post Oncological research news anywhere else on the forum.
Most importantly : PLEASE POST A DISCLAIMER BEFORE YOU POST THE NEWS AND A RELEVANT FOOTNOTE AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE. THIS IS A NEW RULE THAT APPLIES TO ALL THE POSTS HERE. A FOOTNOTE MAY CONTAIN YOUR OPINION OR VIEWS OR REFERENCE TO OTHER RELATED NEWS ARTICLES.
And please quote the original source and author.
Sample Disclaimer "This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. This information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
Disclaimer :This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. The information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
Popular Supplement Also Appears to Boost Energy Levels
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDJune 4, 2007 (Chicago) -- The popular dietary supplement ginseng appears to relieve fatigue and boost energy levels in people with cancer, preliminary research shows.
The researchers studied 282 people with breast, colon, and other types of cancer. They were randomly assigned to take 750 milligrams, 1,000 milligrams, or 2,000 milligrams of American ginseng or placebo daily for eight weeks.
About 25% of those on the two highest doses reported their fatigue was “moderately or much better,” compared with only 10% of those taking lowest dose or placebo. Also, energy levels were about twice as high in those taking the 1,000-milligram dose as those taking placebo.
People taking the two highest doses also reported generally feeling better, with improvements in mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. And they said they were more satisfied with their treatment.
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Cancer-Related Fatigue a Common Problem
More than 90% of people with cancer suffer from extreme lethargy and low energy levels before, during, or after treatment, says researcher Debra Barton, PhD, an associate professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
“If the results are confirmed, our hope is that ginseng would help us to improve their quality of life,” she tells WebMD.
The researchers tested the Wisconsin species of American ginseng, which is different from Chinese ginseng and other forms of American ginseng sold in health food stores. The ginseng was powdered and given in capsule form.
Wisconsin ginseng is available only through the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, which monitors quality, according to Barton.
The ginseng was derived from a single crop, which was tested to confirm a uniform concentration of ginsenosides, the active compounds thought to offer health benefits.
Barton says that’s important because unlike drugs, supplements are not monitored by the FDA and can vary in consistency.
“You really don’t know what you’re getting,” she explains. “Some supplements may contain little or none of the active ingredient on the label, while others may have harmful contaminants.”
It is important to talk to your doctor about using supplements since there could be interactions with other medications or treatment.
Exercise Still Only Proven Option for Cancer Fatigue
Bruce Cheson, MD, a cancer doctor at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, says that while promising, it is too soon to recommend ginseng to people with cancer.
“We still don’t know whether it interferes with their cancer treatment,” he tells WebMD.
Cheson says that patients often “pull out big bags of this stuff from their bags and ask whether it will help me. Until we have more rigorous trials, we can’t answer their question,” he says.
Barton recommends that until the findings are confirmed, people suffering from cancer-related fatigue talk to their doctors about starting an exercise program. “Currently, the only intervention we know that works is exercise,” she says.
She believes that ginseng confers its benefits by helping the body to modulate the physiological stress associated with cancer and chemotherapy.
Her research team hopes to start a new trial next year, with the goal of confirming the results in a larger number of people over a longer period of time.
Disclaimer :This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. The information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDJune 5, 2007 -- Cancer may be rarer in aspirin users than in people who don't use aspirin, doctors note in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The doctors included Aditya Bardia, MD, of the internal medicine department at the Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. They studied data on about 22,500 postmenopausal women.
The women were enrolled in the Iowa Women's Health Study, a long-term health study of women living in Iowa. Starting in 1986, they completed surveys periodically about their medical history, diet, physical activity, smoking, and other factors.
In 1992, the women reported their use of aspirin and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.
The women were followed until 2002. During that time, 3,487 women were diagnosed with cancer. Women who reported ever using aspirin were 16% less likely to be in that group.
During the follow-up period, 3,581 women died of any cause, including nearly 1,200 cancer deaths and 734 deaths from heart disease.
Women who reported ever using aspirin were less likely to die of cancer or heart problems than those who never used aspirin.
Compared with women who never used aspirin, aspirin users were 13% less likely to die of cancer, 25% less likely to die of heart disease, and 18% less likely to die of any cause during the study.
Nonaspirin NSAIDs, in contrast, weren't tied cancer or heart disease death rates, for better or worse.
The study was purely observational, meaning that the researchers didn't directly test aspirin's ability to counter cancer. The study doesn't pinpoint the best aspirin dose to curb cancer.
If the findings are correct, aspirin may provide a modest but still important edge against cancer, cancer deaths, and heart disease deaths, note the researchers.
However, Bardia and colleagues caution that "these potentially positive benefits must be weighed against the potential risks associated with aspirin use, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke."
Disclaimer :This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. The information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
TUESDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Not only won't folic acid prevent colorectal cancer in people with a history of colon polyps, new research suggests that the vitamin supplement may actually help those cancers grow.
Three years after taking one milligram of folic acid daily, those with a history of polyps had a 32 percent higher risk of having an advanced adenoma (polyp) compared to the group taking a placebo pill daily, researchers are reporting. An advanced adenoma indicates that a polyp has undergone pre-cancerous changes in its cells that may later develop into colon cancer.
"We found that folic acid supplements were not useful for preventing adenomas and that this population tended to do worse on folic acid, which was a surprise," said the study's lead author, Bernard Cole, an associate professor of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School.
The findings are published in the June 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Each year, about 145,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about 56,000 die annually from the disease.
Previous observational studies had indicated that folic acid might be effective at decreasing colon cancer, and the polyps that eventually develop into the disease, because people with low levels of folate -- the natural form of folic acid, a B vitamin -- were more likely to develop colon cancer and polyps, Cole explained.
To better assess folic acid's cancer-prevention ability, Cole and his colleagues designed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial that included slightly more than 1,000 adults who had a history of recent adenomas. Their adenomas had been removed during a colonoscopy prior to the start of the study.
Half the participants were randomly selected to take 1 milligram of folic acid daily for the duration of the study, while the rest were given a placebo. The daily recommended amount of folic acid is 400 micrograms, less than half that given to the study participants, according to the National Institutes of Health. Pregnant women are advised to get 600 micrograms daily, because folic acid has been shown to reduce birth defects.
The study volunteers underwent two more colonoscopies, one after three years and then another after an additional three to five years.
After the first round of colonoscopies, the researchers found that the incidence of at least one adenoma was 44.1 percent for those on folic acid and 42.4 percent for those taking the placebo. Of more concern was that those taking folic acid had a 32 percent higher risk of having an advanced adenoma than the placebo group.
Only 60 percent of the study participants underwent the second follow-up colonoscopy. But in those who did, 41.9 percent of those taking folic acid had at least one adenoma, compared to 37.2 percent of those taking a placebo. The risk of an advanced adenoma was 67 percent higher for the folic acid group.
The researchers found no significant effect on the results when they factored in sex, age, smoking history, aspirin use, alcohol use, body mass index, and average folate levels.
Cole said that while the results were surprising, other studies may offer an explanation. "Some of these studies have shown that folate seems to have a dual effect on cancer development. High levels of folate tend to prevent cancer if there's no cancer in the system. On the other hand, other studies suggest that folate may feed undetectable microscopic lesions," he said.
Cole emphasized that this study's findings only apply to people with a history of polyps and not to the population in general.
Cornelia Ulrich, an associate member of the cancer prevention program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said, "This was an important trial that showed clearly there's no benefit from taking folic acid for patients with prior polyps, and possibly, there could be some harm."
Ulrich, who co-wrote an editorial in the same issue of the journal, said she's concerned that people who take supplements, eat fortified foods and eat or drink so-called health drinks or snack bars, may end up consuming as much folic acid as was used in this study.
"People who have had a polyp should carefully review how much additional folic acid they get from health bars and drinks," she said.
And, anyone getting treatment for colon and other cancer should discuss any use of supplements -- folic acid or others -- with their doctor, because they could interfere with their treatment.
Both Cole and Ulrich said the most important step anyone can take for colon cancer prevention is to follow whatever colonoscopy screening schedule their doctor recommends.
Disclaimer :This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. The information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking coffee appears to lower the risk of developing liver cancer, according to findings published in the medical journal Gastroenterology.
"Data on potential beneficial effects of coffee on liver function and liver diseases have accrued over the last two decades," Drs. Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk, from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, write. Several studies have found an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and liver enzymes levels that indicate a risk of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.
The researchers therefore conducted a large review, or "meta-analysis," of published epidemiological studies to look at the association between coffee consumption and the risk of liver cancer. The meta-analysis included 11 studies involving 2,260 liver cancer patients and 239,146 individuals without liver cancer who served as a comparison group.
An inverse association between coffee consumption and liver cancer risk was observed in all of the studies, and this association was statistically significant in six studies.
For every 2 cups of coffee per day, the investigators observed a 43-percent reduced risk of liver cancer.
"A protective effect of coffee consumption on liver cancer is biologically plausible," Larsson and Wolk point out. "Coffee contains large amounts of antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acids," which combat oxidative stress and inhibit the formation of carcinogens. Furthermore, experimental animal studies have specifically shown that coffee and chlorogenic acids have an inhibitory effect on liver cancer.
Hi all,
I am making a single thread for each and every medical topic, with news and research corresponding to it.
So this thread shall contain all oncological research news.
This one is specially for you Pearllysun, and all other Onco enthusiasts.
P.S. Please dont post Oncological research news anywhere else on the forum.
many thanks Monica for creating a new thread especially for me like Onco enthusiasts , this in a lot ways will surely help us in many ways . i too would put some info what ever i get on the way , but me being in preliminary course in medicine unable to perform well here in research section still i will surely put hard efforts to post a few articles sooner .
moreover i would like to request rxpg_team to create a separate button for research forum with revision tools ,or in zones section or else where so that public and emerging research doctors like me will be highly befitted in a lot way and all infos would reach us easily .
i wish and hope that rxpg_team would consider my request .
A Switzerland research survey says that the diagnosis of cancer not only affects the lives of patients but also the lives of their relatives. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and quality of life among wives of patients treated for head and neck cancer . When examined 31 wives of patients treated for head and neck cancer for 7 full years (meantime since diagnosis 3.7 years) by questionnaires with regard to quality of life , quality of the relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale), and affective symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ). Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was measured by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The results indicated that the quality of life and satisfaction with the relationship were comparable to the normal population. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale mean scores showed no clinically relevant levels of depression and anxiety. A high prevalence of psychiatric disorders (38.7%, particularly agoraphobia) was found in the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Wives diagnosed with an anxiety disorder reported significantly lower quality of life compared to those without. The results of the study suggest that agoraphobia is a frequent psychiatric disorder seen in wives of head and neck cancer patients . and moreover the study suggested that diagnosis of head and neck cancer can have a strong impact on the mental health of the spouse and they should be taken in account in counselling of head and neck cancer patients.
Disclaimer :This research news has been taken from a reputed news website. It has not been modified or recreated in way, as to preserve the authenticity of it. No Copyright Infringement is intended. The information is posted here for read-only basis. No part of this news is to be reproduced elsewhere, unless due credit is given to the original source and author.
TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian Cancer Society says all Canadian adults should take large doses of vitamin D during the sun-poor winter months, and says the elderly and those with dark skins should take the supplements year round.
The unusual recommendation to an entire adult population follows this week's release of a report that said large doses of vitamin D can cut the risk of cancer. People get vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, although some foods contain the vitamin and tablets are available as supplements.
"The sun is just not strong enough at our latitude to be able to produce vitamin D in the skin at those times (winter and fall)," said Heather Chappell, senior manager, cancer control policy, at the Canadian Cancer Society.
"This is a made-in-Canada
recommendation because our population is at greater risk because of its latitude."
The society recommends that adults take 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day during fall and winter, while the elderly, dark-skinned people, or those who don't go outside often, should consider supplements year round.
The latest study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three times the government's recommended daily intake saw a 60 percent lower incidence of cancer than women who were not taking the vitamin.
|
Topic Tags: 
