The Surgeon

A high consumption of lignans is associated with better survival in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Although the dietary intake of lignans did not have any effect on breast cancer survival in premenopausal women, postmenopausal women with a high intake of plant lignans were approximately 70% less likely to die from their breast cancer, according to study data presented here at the American Association for Cancer Research 2008 Annual Meeting.
(more…)

Starving the body of food for a couple of days could help in the fight against cancer, according to new research.

Scientists have discovered that a 48-hour fast seems to protect the body’s healthy cells against the toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs.

The breakthrough could provide a solution to a problem that has confounded cancer experts for years – how to target chemotherapy so it destroys cancer cells but leaves healthy ones intact.
(more…)

Not a day goes by without a new story about the environment. Although we often consider the environment on a global scale, cells in our body also have to contend with environmental factors. New studies from a team of researchers from the Research Institute of the MUHC and McGill University show that the environment surrounding breast cancer cells plays a crucial role in determining whether tumor cells grow and migrate or whether they fade away. Their study is the first to identify the genes behind this environmental control and correlate them with patient outcome. Their findings are published in this week’s issue of Nature Medicine.
(more…)

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers published a study in The American Journal of Human Genetics identifying the hereditary components of colorectal cancer (CRC.) “Identification of Susceptibility Genes for Cancer in a Genome-wide Scan: Results from the Colon Neoplasia Sibling Study” is the first large linkage study of families with CRC and colon polyps in the country. Because only five percent of CRC cases are due to known gene defects, this NIH-funded study is designed to identify the remaining CRC-related susceptibility genes. The team built on a previous study which identified a specific region on chromosome 9q that harbors a CRC susceptibility gene. Upon review of a whole genome scan of all chromosome pairs in 194 families, the researchers were able to identify additional CRC gene regions on chromosomes 1p, 15q, and 17p.
(more…)

Although fewer of them undergo surgery, lung cancer patients in their 80s fare equally well following surgery as their younger counterparts, researchers report. The findings offer doctors potentially valuable guidance in treatment options for elderly patients, according to researchers.

A research team from the Hoag Cancer Center in Newport Beach, California, observed 1,293 patients with lung cancer, 482 of whom underwent surgical treatment. The oldest patients were more likely to be male. Older patients were also more likely to have localized disease.
(more…)

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 66 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Faced with conditions of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, many Americans are shopping for bariatric surgery to help manage these conditions and, in some cases, cure them.
(more…)

Administration of omega-3 fatty acid supplements did not appear to improve the rate of relapse in patients with Crohn’s disease, according to a study released on April 9, 2008 in JAMA.

Crohn’s Disease is a gastrointestinal disorder which is indicated by chronic inflammation of the wall of the digestive tract, usually in the ileum or large intestines. The disease involves constant cycles of flare-ups and remission throughout the life of the patient, and without proper treatment, must be addressed surgically. It is considered an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), similar to ulcerative colitis. Therapy to induce remission in Crohn’s disease is an unmet medical need, usually attempted with the use of certain immunosuppressive drugs, which are associated with infection and other risks. Many Crohn’s patients turn to alternative medications in the face of disappointing overall results.
(more…)

According to research from a team of Mayo Clinic scientists, smoking puts older women at significant risk for loss of DNA repair proteins that are critical for defending against development of some colorectal cancers.

In a study being presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the researchers found that women who smoked were at increased risk of developing colorectal tumors that lacked some or all of four proteins, known as DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins. These proteins keep cells lining the colon and rectum healthy because they recognize and repair genetic damage as well as mistakes that occur during cell division.
(more…)

Researchers report the fallopian tube fimbria rather than ovarian surface cells may be the site of origin for over 50 percent of sporadic and hereditary serous carcinoma, the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer. The new knowledge may enable earlier detection, better treatment and potential prevention of the most lethal gynecologic malignancy in Western countries.
(more…)

No simple blood test exists to determine which of the millions of people infected with hepatitis C virus will develop cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. Now, researchers are developing new technology to find blood proteins that herald the earliest signs of chronic liver disease. If successful, they hope to extend the use of the technology, and to do the same for many other diseases and to make it commercially available for broad clinical use.
(more…)