Cancer Options Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Lots of interesting news this edition, new cancer retreats, ways t o

make cells explode, a brilliant new course for practitioners (I would

day that) and an expert resource on the ketogenic diet.

Another dietary approach for cancer that turns a lot of the original

thinking on its head. Not more contradictions I hear you cry! I

know tell me about it, keeping up with new thinking is a full time

job.

I know how frustrating it is for people when looking for a clear

answer they instead come across lots of people having different

opinions and lots of approaches available.

It is so important to remember that all these things are tools to be

used to forming your own programme which suits you physically,

socially, psychologically and emotionally. Put yourself in charge,

don’t put someone in charge of you!

Patricia and Hayley

Anti-Psychotic Meds Offer Hope Against Brain Cancer

The Power of Essential

Oils - PLANTS vs CANCER

Fast, effective

mechanism to combat

an aggressive cancer

Prostate cancer advance

could improve

treatment options

Natural plant

compounds may assist

chemotherapy

Personalized medicine best way to treat cancer ?

www.canceroptions.co.uk

Dates for your diaries:

Nutrition and Cancer

Expert Series

19th to 21st May

Surrey

www.ion.ac.uk/

events

Back to Health

Conference June 6th – 8th 2014

Bristol, UK

http://www.back2healthevents.com/

Regular cancer

news, follow us on

January—April 2014

Cancer Options Newsletter

Anti-Psychotic Meds Offer Hope Against Brain Cancer University of California, San Diego Health Sciences

FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumour-killing activity against the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, glioblastoma, new research indicates. "The anti-glioblastoma effects of these drugs are com-pletely unexpected and were only uncovered because we carried out an unbiased genetic screen," said the lead author.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumour-killing activity against the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, glioblastoma. The finding was published in this week's online edition of Oncotarget.

The team of scientists, led by principal investigator, Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD, vice-chairman, UC San Diego, School of Medicine, division of neurosurgery, used a technology platform called shRNA to test how each gene in the human genome contributed to glioblastoma growth. The discovery that led to the shRNA technology won the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 2006.

"ShRNAs are invaluable tools in the study of what genes do. They function like molecular erasers," said Chen. "We can design these 'erasers' against every gene in the human genome. These shRNAs can then be packaged into viruses and introduced into cancer cells. If a gene is required for glioblastoma growth and the shRNA erases the function of that gene, then the cancer cell will either stop growing or die."

Chen said that one surprising finding is that many genes required for glioblastoma growth are also required for dopamine receptor function. Dopamine is a small molecule that is released by nerve cells and binds to the dopamine receptor in surrounding nerve cells, enabling cell communication.

Abnormal dopamine regulation is associated with Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Because of the importance of dopamine in these diseases, drugs have been developed to neutralize the effect of dopamine, called dopamine antagonists.

Following clues unveiled by their shRNA study, Chen and his team tested the effects of dopamine antagonists against glioblastoma and found that these drugs exert significant anti-tumour effects both in cultured cells and mouse models. These effects are synergistic when combined with other anti-glioblastoma drugs in terms of halting tumour growth.

"The anti-glioblastoma effects of these drugs are completely unexpected and were only uncovered because we carried out an unbiased genetic screen," said Chen.

"On the clinical front, the finding is important for two reasons," said Bob Carter, MD, PhD, chairman of UC San Diego, School of Medicine, division of neurosurgery. "First, these drugs are already FDA-cleared for human use in the treatment of other diseases, so it is possible these drugs may be re-purposed for glioblastoma treatment, thereby bypassing years of pre-clinical testing. Second, these drugs have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, a barrier that prevents more than 90 percent of drugs from entry into the brain."

The abstract of the article can be found at: http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=view&path[]=1801

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences

University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. "Anti-Psychotic Meds Offer Hope Against Brain Cancer." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 March 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/

Nutrition Choices

Patricia Daly has been researching and working on meal plans/recipes for cancer patients for a long time. She specializes in ketogenic diets that are characterised by severe carbohydrate reduction, moderate intake of pro-tein and high consumption of healthy fats. They are successfully used in the treatment of epilepsy, obesity-related disorders and also diabetes. Recently, thanks to the hard work of some very dedicated researches and doctors in the oncology world, research from the 1920s has received a lot of attention: The fact that most cancer cells are heavily dependent upon a constant supply of blood sugar to thrive. And by sugar we mean anything that is ultimately broken down to glucose like carbohydrates and, to some extent, also protein.

Following a ketogenic diet is not easy and requires lots of support and monitoring. Research is still preliminary but larger randomised, controlled trials are currently underway. For cancer patients who seek to implement this diet, it can be challenging to find recipes and meal plans that are specifically geared towards cancer and that don’t include foods that have been shown to potentially fuel tumour growth.

A good year ago, Patricia started to collect a database of nutrient-dense, whole-food based recipes that are suita-ble for the ketogenic diet and that are lactose and gluten free. In January, she then published her first eBook called “Practical Keto Meal Plans for Cancer”. With the use of a software, she designed meal plans that cover a total of 14 days and can easily be adapted and individualised. Over the 14 days, carbohydrate levels decrease from an initial 38g to 12g to ensure patients get a good feel for what a typical day at different carbohydrate levels might look like. For more information or to buy a copy of Patricia’s ebook please follow the link below http://www.nutritionchoices.ie/ketogenicdiet.html

The Adventures of a Cancer Maverick You may remember that in October’s Newsletter Nina Morton Brook shared her story, her plan and her posi-tivity with us. Here she is again with the release of her new book.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I took the decision that I would be very open about what I was going through, as I knew that I would need the support of my family and friends to get me through. For this reason, I started a blog (at ninajoy.com). This kept everyone up to date with my medical situation, and also helped others to understand how it feels. Although the subject matter is quite serious, I am not. My blog became quite well read, and I was asked many times "when are you going to do a book". I have always loved books, am a prolific reader, and had always said that one day I would write a book. So I decided that "one day" had come!

My book is The Adventures of a Cancer Maverick, and it tells my story from diagnosis through to present day. It tells why I turned down chemotherapy and went a totally different route, concentrating on well-ness. And then why I eventually did decide to have chemotherapy and how I sailed through it to get to where I am today - healthily and happily living with cancer.

I hope that my book helps other "Incurables" like me, to see that there is hope and there are options.

It can be ordered from www.oodlebooks.com/ninajoy or the kin-dle version can be ordered from Amazon http://amzn.to/1iwKQtJ

Natural Alternative to Sunscreen

A specially adapted extract from 'Imperfectly Natural Woman - getting life right the natural way' Janey lee

Grace Crown House books

Sunscreen...The natural alternative - keep out or cover up....

I think the sun has become such an ‘emotive’ topic in recent years. Everywhere you turn we are being

told to wear protective moisturisers with sun factor 15 all through the winter months, mothers who send

their children to school or on any kind of organised outing without a tube of sunblock are seen as pari-

ahs and yet sunbeds have never been more popular and tanning centres are popping up everywhere of-

fering us quick tan sessions or spray on fake tans. Enough already - if you're serious about natural anti-

ageing, there is a natural alternative to sunscreen.

There’s no doubt most of us like a suntanned look, somehow that bronzed beach babe looks healthier

than that pale and interesting figure huddled in the shade. You know what I think – its time to go back to

basics again. Let s go back in time to when the sun was not ‘the enemy’ Heliotherapy was the order of

the day and the sun was ‘worshipped’ for its healing properties and the incredible beneficial effects of

vitamin D – essential for our immune system and increasing our oxygen levels and for a feeling of well-

being not to mention strong teeth and bones. Some exposure to the sun even unprotected is good for us

as you’ll find documented in Richard Hobdays book ‘The Healing Power of the sun’

Now before you swing from the rafters with disgust and try and suggest that I am wholly irresponsible

telling mad dogs and Englishmen to go back out into the midday sun, lets remember that time has

moved on and we have a different environment now – literally. None of us know for certain now the real

state of the ozone layer but we do know that even in April or May an unexpected heatwave can result in

some very burnt and sore skin.

It’s the word ‘burn’ added to sun that changes everything, if your skin is naturally dark you probably

find you can be out and about in even quite strong sunshine and you aren’t affected. Paler skins like

mine though have to be extremely careful. I’m also covered in moles so I realise I’m prime target for

malignant melanoma. I wouldn’t for one minute be so daft as to suggest that anyone should go and lie

flat out to ‘sunbathe’ for hours at a time unprotected in hot sunshine for the sake of a ‘tan’, but by the

same token I don’t buy into this idea that its all alright if we slap on lots of high factor sunscreen and

reapply often.

Sunscreens can claim to block over 90 per cent of the sun’s harmful rays, the synthetic chemical type

absorb UV rays (allegedly) and the ‘barrier’ type disperse the sun’s rays.

So what should we do ? Well keep moving – be active – not static. Wherever possible if you know your

skin is likely to burn cover up.

Lets start with the kids, I’ve no idea why its so hard in this country to buy long sleeved lightweight tops

for kids, it seems to be either T shirts with short sleeves or sweat shirt style tops with long sleeves that

are too heavy for a warm summers day but if you know you’re headed for the beach get into ‘protective

clothing’ I'm a big fan of ethical fabrics and Bamboo is fantastically sun protective,

Cancer Options Newsletter

THE POWER OF ESSENTIAL OILS – PLANTS vs CANCER

Vicky Palmer shares with us her Father’s journey back to health

The plant world must surely be the very best place to look for new approaches

to treating cancer. Plants were mankind’s first medicines, hyssop, spikenard,

myrrh and frankincense are some of the many healing plants mentioned in the Bible and the Egyptians used

plants widely. Despite being used in traditional medicine for centuries and by many cultures, it is believed that

less than 1% of all plant species have been comprehensively studied for their medicinal properties.

Excitingly, essential oils are now being studied by many researchers for potential cancer treatments.

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts

of plants.

Science is only just beginning to understand the power of essential oils and there is mounting evidence that

they have the potential to fight cancer. Popular essential oils that have been studied so far include frankin-

cense, lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, rosemary and sandalwood. Many essential oils are highly antibac-

terial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-cancerous, antiviral and chemo preventive as well as providing immune

system support.

My father is currently undergoing treatment for Prostate Cancer. For the first 17 months following his diagno-

sis he followed the orthodox route and had hormone therapy. He experienced numerous unpleasant side

effects and for each one there was, of course, another toxic drug to combat it which caused another equally

unpleasant side effect for which there was yet another synthetic, toxic drug and so on, aargh! By the 17

month stage he was very ill and his quality of life was poor. I then went to see Patricia Peat on behalf of my

father and will never, ever forget that first meeting. She was calm, positive and had a list as long as your arm

of all the options and possibilities that could be used alongside the orthodox treatment. I wish I could have

bottled up her positivity and taken it home for Mum and Dad. To cut a long story very short, Dad, with Mums

amazing support, followed all Patricia’s advice (and that from Rolph Gordon of Dulwich Health). It is now 6

months since Patricia became a very important part of ‘Dads Team’.

Incredibly, he now goes for 5 mile walks, is gardening again, back singing in The Male Voice Choir and Choral

Society, yesterday got the ladders out of the garage and went into the loft to check the water tanks and is a

huge part of my teenage boys life, and that’s no mean feat I can tell you. Dad is still having orthodox treat-

ment whilst also implementing complementary and alternative treatments and, crucially, he now has a very

positive frame of mind. This holistic approach has turned Dad’s quality of life around.

In the CancerOptions October newsletter last year I read about the Health Creation Mentor Training Course being

offered by Dr Rosy Daniel, an internationally renowned holistic cancer consultant, in Bath. I am now on the

course and continually being inspired by the amazing people I have met and everything I am learning about the

holistic approach to health and wellbeing. It was during the first weekend of the course that I was introduced to

doTERRA Essential Oils by Denise Schwendeman, also on the course, from New Jersey in the USA. At 13 years old

her son Luke is a two time survivor of cancer. Denise firmly believes that using the doTERRA Essential Oils gave

him the edge and helped him get through the gruelling treatment second time around. Dr Daniel is now incorpo-

rating the use of doTERRA Essential Oils in her treatment plans for Clients.

doTERRA (CPTG) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils represent the safest, purest and most beneficial

essential oils available today. doTERRA, meaning “Gift of the Earth” in Latin, works closely with a global network

of essential oil chemists and growers to select plants of the correct species, grown in the ideal environments and

carefully harvested at the right time. The aromatic compounds of the plants are gently extracted by skilled and

experienced distillers and are subjected to rigorous chemical analysis to ensure purity and potency in every

batch. They are naturally safe and have few, if any, undesirable side effects when used as directed. Denise always

says they have many ‘side benefits’. Essential oils are used for a wide range of emotional and physical conditions.

They can be used singly or in complex blends and doTERRA Essentail Oils can be used in three ways: diffused aro-

matically, applied directly to the skin, or taken internally as dietary supplements. I feel comfortable telling you

that the oils can be used in these ways because they are CPTG and doTERRA have 100% control of the supply

chain. The oils are purely aromatic compounds and so I feel confident to use the oils in these ways with my fami-

ly.

As Dad is having ongoing treatment for Prostate Cancer the very mention that these essential oils are natural and safe and have so many health benefits, and no awful side effects, immediately caught my attention. Mum and Dad started using them straight away and I am so grateful that they have these ‘tools’ at their fingertips. Dad ap-plies frankincense oil (to build and maintain a healthy immune system and to promote cellular health) twice daily to his feet, takes 2 Novo Prime capsules, a blend containing clove, thyme and orange with limonene, frankin-cense, lemongrass summer savory and niaouli (to promote healthy cellular response, repair and regeneration) three times per day, and uses lavender oil (for its calming and relaxing qualities) on his feet at bedtime. Mum and Dad diffuse regularly throughout the day, On Guard Protective Blend (wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary) to kill any bacteria and viruses in the air and to support their immune systems, wild orange oil to uplift and energise and peppermint oil for healthy respiratory function and clear breathing. As Dad’s main carer, Mum is also getting huge benefits from the oils. In fact, she used melaleuca oil recently with rapid effect, when she had suspected shingles. We now all use the oils as part of our daily lives, even my teenage boys, sshhh! We are having lots of fun sharing them with friends and family and getting some amazing results. If you would like to know more about doTERRA Essential Oils and how they could help you and your family please do contact me at vickylp@btinternet.com or ring me on 0790 350 6167. If I don’t know the answer I can put you in touch with somebody who does. Some useful sites you may like to look at are www.doterraeveryday.com and www.aromaticscience.com.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by Praisaeng

Cancer Options Newsletter

Researchers enhance anti-cancer benefits, increase shelf life of broccoli

While researching methods to increase the already well-recognized anti-cancer properties of broccoli, re-

searchers at the University of Illinois also found a way to prolong the vegetable's shelf life.

And, according to the recently published study, the method is a natural and inexpensive way to produce broc-

coli that has even more health benefits and won't spoil so quickly on your refrigerator shelf.

Jack Juvik, a U of I crop sciences researcher, explained that the combined application of two compounds, both

are natural products extracted from plants, increased the presence of cancer-fighting agents in broccoli while

prolonging the post-harvest storage period.

"We had figured out ways to increase the anti-cancer activity in broccoli, but the way we figured it out created

a situation that would cause the product to deteriorate more rapidly after application," Juvik said. "For fresh-

market broccoli that you harvest, it's not too big a deal, but many of these products have to be shipped, fro-

zen, cut up, and put into other products. Usually the idea is to get it from the

farm to at least the distributor (grocery store) within two to three days.

"If we could figure out a way to prolong the appearance, taste, and flavor long

after harvest and maintain the improved health-promoting properties, that's al-

ways of great interest to growers," he added.

The researchers first used methyl jasmonate (MeJA), a non-toxic plant-

signal compound (produced naturally in plants) to increase the broccoli's anti-cancer potential, which they

sprayed on the broccoli about four days before harvest. When applied, MeJA initiates a process of gene activi-

ty affiliated with the biosynthesis of glucosinolates (GS), which are compounds found in the tissue of broccoli

and other brassica vegetables (such as cauliflower, cabbage, and kale).

Glucosinolates have been identified as potent cancer-preventative agents because of their ability to induce

detoxification enzymes, such as quinone reductase (QR), that detoxify and eliminate carcinogens from the hu-

man body.

However, during this process, MeJA also signals a network of genes that lead to plant decay by inducing the

release of ethylene, Juvik explained. "While we can use MeJA to turn on phytochemicals like the glucosin-

olates and dramatically increase the abundance of those helpful anti-cancer compounds, MeJA also reduces

the shelf life after harvest," he said.

So the researchers tried using the recently developed compound 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which has

been shown to interfere with receptor proteins in the plant that are receptor-sensitive to ethylene. They ap-

plied the compound after harvesting the same broccoli that had already been treated with MeJA before har-

vest.

.

"Ethylene will move and bind to ethylene receptors and that binding process initiates decay. What this

compound does is that it more competitively lands on the protein and binds to or pushes out ethylene,"

Juvik explained. "It basically stops or dramatically slows down the decay associated with ethylene.

"The combination is good," he said.

Like MeJA, 1-MCP is also a non-toxic compound naturally produced in plants, although Juvik said synthetic

forms can be produced. He stressed that both the MeJA and 1-MCP treatments required very small

amounts of the compounds.

"It's very cheap, and it's about as toxic as salt. It takes very little to elevate all the desirable aspects. It's

volatile and disappears from the product after about 10 hours," he said.

The use of these treatments could make a great impact on important global dilemmas such as food securi-

ty issues and health-care costs, Juvik said.

"It's a fairly cheap way to maintain quality, but it provides a preventative approach to all the medical costs

associated with degenerative diseases. These are not pills that go in and take away or change damaged

tissues, but it's a way to protect people by reducing the risk they currently have to different diseases. It

won't take it away, but it could prevent further damage," he said.

As for its impact on impending global food security concerns, Juvik said any mechanisms that will improve

people's health, especially later in life, will benefit food security.

"We need to look at what mechanisms we can use to improve not only food security but the functioning of

people later in their life spans. When you look at how much the United States spends on medical costs as-

sociated with these diseases, you see it's a huge burden on the economy, which is the same in all coun-

tries. It basically takes away resources that could be used to improve food security," Juvik said. "Also, pro-

moting and prolonging food stability with quality after harvest means less waste, which is a big issue in

terms of food security."

FreeDigitalPhotos.net satit_srihin

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Cancer Options Newsletter

Follow-up care for older breast cancer survivors needs to be

all-encompassing (Don’t we all agree with that!)

Older women who have overcome breast cancer are likely to struggle with heart disease, osteoporosis and

hypertension further on in their lives. Whether these conditions occur or not is influenced by the treatment

that patients received to fight cancer, their overall weight and their age. Breast cancer survivors therefore

should watch their weight and get regular exercise so that they can enjoy a high quality of life.

These findings, by lead author Nadia Obi of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, who collabo-

rated with the group of Prof. Chang-Claude from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, were

published in Springer's Journal of Cancer Survivorship.

Obi's research group set out to identify risk factors that could trigger the development of heart disease, osteo-

porosis and hypertension in breast cancer survivors. They therefore assessed the health status of 2,542 breast

cancer patients between 50 and 74 years old who were part of the Mamma carcinoma Risk factor Investiga-

tion (MARIEplus) study in the city and state of Hamburg and the Rhine-Neckar Karlsruhe region in Germany.

Patients were asked about their health conditions before and after being diagnosed with breast cancer. De-

mographic information, lifestyle factors, the type of treatment they received and their levels of education

were also noted.

It was found that known risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as being overweight, also play a role in

the health of breast cancer survivors. Older women with a higher body mass index (BMI) and patients who

received trastuzumab to reduce the risk of cancer relapse had an increased risk for hypertension. (A BMI of

>30 kg/m2 almost doubled the risk ratio.) In addition, women with higher educa-

tion levels had less hypertension.

Women with a lower body weight were more likely to develop osteoporosis, hav-

ing a two-fold higher risk when they had a BMI of <22.5 kg/m2. The findings sup-

port those of previous research that showed that treatment with aromatase in-

hibitors could trigger the development of osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseas-

es in breast cancer survivors. These inhibitors are generally used to prevent the

reoccurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Obi's research team advised that the follow-up health care that breast cancer sur-

vivors receive should include screening for any treatment-related health prob-

lems. Cancer survivors should especially be monitored for signs of cardiovascular

disease and osteoporosis.

"New health problems can be prevented by advising the older, less educated breast cancer survivor and those

with higher body weight indexes to lose weight and perform regular physical activity," said Obi. "The higher

risk for osteoporosis in low weight patients may be balanced by the use of medications that prevent the loss

of bone mass."

Springer Science+Business Media

FreeDigitalPhotos.net scottchan

Protein could be used to treat alcohol effects on pancreas

A Cardiff University-led study has discovered that a protein provides protection against the effects of alco-

hol in the pancreas.

The findings of the study, funded by the Medical Research Council, could lead to the development of new

treatments to reduce the chances of people developing pancreatic cancer.

The protein, calmodulin, is involved in the basic processes that take place in all cells, the building blocks of

the body. This study reveals that when calmodulin is missing from cells in the pancreas, alcohol has a much

greater toxic effect as a chain reaction which causes cells to self destruct speeds up. This can lead to in-

flammation (pancreatitis), which in the long-term significantly increases the risk of developing pancreatic

cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of death through cancer, and only three per cent

of patients survive beyond five years.

The study team, led by Professor Ole Petersen in the MRC Group at Cardiff University's School of Biosci-

ences, found that calmodulin protects pancreatic cells against alcohol's toxic effects when it is activated by

another small protein, CALP-3.

Professor Petersen said: "There is still much uncertainty about how alcohol damages cells in the body.

However, we have found a new and unexpected way that pancreatic cells protect themselves. We suggest

that activation of the calmodulin protein protects against the development of pancreatitis. There is a

strong correlation between alcohol intake and incidence of pancreatitis, and we hope that our new find-

ings will eventually lead to the development of drugs to combat this. This is a key step forward."

Professor John Iredale, Head of the University of Edinburgh/MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, re-

marked: "This is a really important finding. Acute pancreatitis, which is currently untreatable, remains an

important cause of death. It is important also to recognise that this disabling disease may result from

binge drinking. The MRC is committed to understanding inflammation -- especially in examples with seri-

ous implications like this. We focus on driving the translation of discoveries from basic science into bene-

fits for human health."

The study is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesand was carried out in

collaboration with researchers from the University of Liverpool, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan

and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency.

Source:

Cardiff University

Cancer Options Newsletter

Fast, effective mechanism to combat an aggressive cancer

A new strategy to tackle an aggressive subtype of ovarian cancer using a new nanoscale drug-delivery system

designed to target specific cancer cells has been developed. A research team has devised a cluster of nanopar-

ticles called gagomers, made of fats and coated with a kind of polysugar. When filled with chemotherapy

drugs, these clusters accumulate in tumours, producing dramatically therapeutic benefits. The objective of the

research is two-fold: to provide a specific target for anti-cancer drugs, and to reduce the toxic side effects of

anti-cancer therapies.

Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths of American women than any other cancer of the female reproduc-

tive system. According to the American Cancer Society, one in 72 American women will be diagnosed with

ovarian cancer, and one in 100 will ultimately die of the condition.

Now Prof. Dan Peer of Tel Aviv University's Department of Cell Research and Immunology has proposed a new

strategy to tackle an aggressive subtype of ovarian cancer using a new nanoscale drug-delivery system de-

signed to target specific cancer cells. He and his team -- Keren Cohen and Rafi Emmanuel from Peer's Labora-

tory of Nanomedicine and Einat Kisin-Finfer and Doron Shabbat, from TAU's Department of Chemistry -- have

devised a cluster of nanoparticles called gagomers, made of fats and coated with a kind of polysugar. When

filled with chemotherapy drugs, these clusters accumulate in tumours, producing dramatically therapeutic

benefits.

The objective of Peer's research is two-fold: to provide a specific target for anti-cancer drugs to increase their

therapeutic benefits, and to reduce the toxic side effects of anti-cancer therapies. The study was published in

February in the journal ACS Nano.

Why chemotherapy fails

According to Prof. Peer, traditional courses of chemotherapy are not an effective line of attack. Chemothera-

py's failing lies in the inability of the medicine to be absorbed and maintained within the tumour cell long

enough to destroy it. In most cases, the chemotherapy drug is almost immediately ejected by the cancer cell,

severely damaging the healthy organs that surround it, leaving the tumour cell intact.

"

But with their new therapy, Peer and his colleagues saw a 25-fold increase in tumour-accumulated medi-

cation and a dramatic dip in toxic accumulation in healthy organs. Tested on laboratory mice, the gagomer

mechanism effects a change in drug-resistant tumour cells. Receptors on tumour cells recognize the sugar

that encases the gagomer, allowing the binding gagomer to slowly release tiny particles of chemotherapy

into the cancerous cell. As more and more drugs accumulate within the tumour cell, the cancer cells begin

to die off within 24-48 hours.

Tumours become resistant very quickly. Following the first, second, and third courses of chemotherapy,

the tumours start pumping drugs out of the cells as a survival mechanism," said Prof. Peer. "Most patients

with tumour cells beyond the ovaries relapse and ultimately die due to the development of drug re-

sistance. We wanted to create a safe drug-delivery system, which wouldn't harm the body's immune sys-

tem or organs."

A personal perspective

Prof. Peer chose to tackle ovarian cancer in his research because his mother-in-law passed away at the age

of 54 from the disease. "She received all the courses of chemotherapy and survived only a year and a half,"

he said. "She died from the drug-resistant aggressive tumours.

"At the end of the day, you want to do something natural, simple, and smart. We are committed to try to

combine both laboratory and therapeutic arms to create a less toxic, focused drug that combats aggressive

drug-resistant cancerous cells," said Prof. Peer. "We hope the concept will be harnessed in the next few

years in clinical trials on aggressive tumours," said Prof. Peer.

Source:

American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Prostate cancer advance could improve treatment options

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have made an important advance in understanding genetic changes associated with terminal prostate cancer. Findings published today in the British Journal of Cancer, and funded by the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR), show how a genetic mutation in untreated patients is linked to aggressive cancer later in life. It was previously thought that the mutation only occurred in response to therapy. The research highlights why relapses could occur in some men following hormone therapy. And it could help

identify those patients that will develop fatal prostate cancer much earlier for life-extending therapy.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases diagnosed every

year. Treatment options for patients diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer vary from "watchful waiting" to

hormone-withdrawal therapy, radiotherapy or surgery.

Additional tests for indicators of aggressive cancer are necessary to help categorise patients so that those with a

low-risk of the disease spreading can avoid unnecessary treatment, and those diagnosed with a high-risk can be

targeted for more aggressive first line therapy.

Hormone-withdrawal therapy often results in a dramatic remission, however the disease invariably relapses with

a resistant form of the cancer. A third of these are due to an increase in copy number of a particular gene called

the 'androgen receptor'. The gene is on the X-Chromosome and so there is normally only one copy of this gene

present in men. Prostate cancer thrives on male hormones, and one way that they develop to grow better is to

increase the number of copies of the androgen receptor gene. This also enables the cancer to resist therapy.

Lead researchers Dr Jeremy Clark and Prof Colin Cooper from UEA's school of Biological Sciences carried out the

research at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and at UEA.

Dr Clark said: "By the age of 60, the majority of men will have signs of prostate cancer. However, only a small

proportion of men will die of the disease. The question is - which of these cancers are dangerous and which are

not? Deciding which cancers are going to progress and kill the patient is key to effective patient treatment."

"Prostate cancer thrives on male hormones, and cutting the supply of hormones to the cancer is a main avenue of therapy. Prostate cancer only kills the patient when it becomes immune to these therapies. A third of these killer cancers are immune to therapy because they have boosted the number of male hormone receptor (AR) genes in their DNA. This gene boosting, also known as amplification, has been thought to be a response of the tumour to the hormone reduction therapy itself. "Our research has shown that an early form of this hormone-gene boosting is present in a number of prostate

cancers that have never been treated with hormone reduction therapy. We think that it is these cancers that will

grow and kill the patient.

"This discovery can be used to identify these killer cancers in patients much earlier than is currently possible. Pa-

tients could then be selected for more aggressive therapy before the cancer has developed full immunity."

The research team looked at biomarkers from almost 600 patients prior to hormone-withdrawal therapy. But the

method of identification used was labour intensive and time consuming. Developing ways of identifying patients

for early therapeutic intervention will be key to implementing this discovery in the clinic. The research team are

currently looking at more rapid ways of identifying patients that will develop aggressive cancer.

Source Medical news today

Cancer Options Newsletter

High-tech glasses help surgeons see cancer cells

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, have developed a way of visual-

izing cancer cells using high-tech glasses designed to make it easier for surgeons to distinguish between can-

cerous and healthy tissue.

Cancer cells are notoriously difficult to see, even when highly magnified, and the hope is the special glasses will help surgeons remove all of the tumour tissue and avoid leaving behind any stray cancer cells. Viewed through the glasses, cancer cells appear to glow blue under a special light, thanks to a fluorescent

marker injected in the tumour that attaches only to cancerous and not to healthy cells. Also, the lighter the

shade of blue, the more concentrated the cancer cells are.

Dr. Julie Margenthaler, a breast surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Washington University, recently

carried out the first operation to use the wearable technology, which has not yet been officially named.

She says the technology is still in its early stages and needs to undergo more development and tests, but they

are encouraged by the benefits it may offer to patients. She adds:

"Imagine what it would mean if these glasses eliminated the need for follow-up surgery and the associated pain, inconvenience and anxiety."

Current tumour surgery often requires further operations

At present, when operating to remove a tumour, surgeons are expected to remove the cancerous tissue and

also some neighbouring tissue that may or may not include cancer cells.

Samples of the tissue are then sent to the lab to be examined under a microscope, and if cancer cells are

found, the patient often has to have a second operation to remove more tissue, which is then also sent to the

lab.

According to Dr. Margenthaler, about 20-25% of breast cancer patients who undergo lumpectomy need to

come back for a second operation.

In 2012, British researchers writing in the BMJ describe how one fifth of women with breast cancer who

choose breast conserving surgery instead of mastectomy eventually need another operation because the

first operation fails to remove all of the tumour.

If the new wearable technology proves successful, it would eliminate the need for further procedures and

reducestress for patients, as well as save time and money.

'Goal to make sure no cancer is left behind'

Samuel Achilefu, professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Washington University led the team

that developed the device. In a paper that was published in a November 2013 issue of the Journal of Bio-

medical Optics, they described how the new technology helped detect tumours as small as 1 mm in diame-

ter.

"This technology has great potential for patients and health care professionals," says Prof. Achilefu. "Our

goal is to make sure no cancer is left behind."

Another surgeon, Ryan Fields, an assistant professor of surgery at Washington University, is planning to wear the glasses when he removes a melanoma from a patient later this month. Prof. Achilefu is currently seeking FDA approval for a molecular agent to use with the glasses that specifi-

cally targets and stays longer in cancer cells than the one he and his colleagues used in pilot studies on

mice, which is already approved by the FDA.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Source Medicalnewstoday.com

Cancer Options Newsletter

Skin reactions during radiation therapy preventable

Severe skin reactions during radiation therapy could be prevented by applying a thin transparent silicone

dressing to the skin from the first day of treatment, clinical research from New Zealand shows.

Although many skincare products have been tested in clinical trials over the years, until now none have been

able to completely prevent severe skin reactions, says senior lecturer Dr Patries Herst of University of Otago

Wellington's Department of Radiation Therapy.

Dr Herst and her team of radiation therapists, oncology nurses and medical physicists have completed five

randomized controlled clinical trials in public hospitals in Dunedin, Wellington, Palmerston North and Auck-

land Radiation Oncology over the past five years, all focusing on side effects caused by radiation therapy.

Their most recent trial was a close collaboration with Dunedin Hospital, and demonstrated it is possible to

prevent skin reactions from developing in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Skin reactions are common in these patients, ranging from mild redness to ulceration with symptoms of pain,

burning and itchiness, Dr Herst says.

"This can impact negatively on day-to-day life for patients who already have to cope with being diagnosed

with and treated for cancer."

She is delighted with the results, and identification of a product that really works.

"This is fantastic news for cancer patients and it has put New Zealand firmly on the world map as a leader in

clinical research into radiation-induced acute side effects."

The dressings work by adhering closely to the small folds in the skin without the use of adhesives, so do not

stick to open wounds. By protecting the radiation-damaged skin from friction against items of clothing or oth-

er parts of the body, they allow the stem cells of the skin to heal from the radiation damage in an undisturbed

environment. The dressings are also free of chemicals that could react with the skin.

Dr Herst is currently setting up a trial that will test the dressings in head and neck cancer patients.

Source:

University of Otago

Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy

Researchers at Plant & Food Research have identified plant compounds present in carrots and parsley that

may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments.

Scientists at Plant & Food Research, working together with researchers at The University of Auckland and

the National Cancer Institute of The Netherlands, have discovered specific plant compounds able to inhibit

transport mechanisms in the body that select what compounds are absorbed into the body, and eventually

into cells. These same transport mechanisms are known to interfere with cancer chemotherapy treatment.

The teams' research, recently published in the European Journal of Pharmacology, showed that falcarinol

type compounds such as those found in carrots and parsley may support the delivery of drug compounds

which fight breast cancer by addressing the over-expression of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/

ABCG2), a protein that leads to some malignant tissues ability to become resistant to chemotherapy.

"It's very exciting work," says Plant & Food Research Senior Scientist, Dr Arjan Scheepens. "Our work is un-

covering new means to alter how the body absorbs specific chemical and natural compounds. Ultimately we

are interested in how food could be used to complement conventional treatments to potentially deliver

better results for patients."

Source:

New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Grant Cochrane

Cancer Options Newsletter

News of a new cancer retreat in France A ruined medieval chateau close to Toulouse in South West France has been transformed into a retreat for people with or recovering from cancer. Taking the name of the chateau, Puyssentut (pronounced pwee-sen-toot) is offering 4 retreats this year from 10-17th May, 14-21st June, 13-20th September and 4-11th October. During a retreat guests can: rest and relax in the beautiful, tranquil surroundings; take daily yoga and meditation classes; enjoy complementary treatments such as massage, reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Rei-ki; participate in workshops such as how to minimise stress in your life and respond to it better, how to think, feel and live positively, creative writing, art therapy and nutrition; enjoy delicious, nutritious food to help detoxify the body and boost the immune system. Guests are welcome at any stage of their treatment or recovery. The founders – Angela Wood and Dirk-Karel de Geus – hope after staying at Puyssentut guests will leave feeling in better physical, emotional and mental health; more relaxed, confident and focussed; inspired about life and clear about their priorities; and equipped with tools to live a healthy, stress free life. In turn they hope this will translate into better treatment outcomes, fewer side-effects, shorter stays in hospital and quicker recovery. The medieval chateau has been renovated with great care to maintain its rustic charm while a modern interior adds interest and provides maximum comfort. Puyssentut boasts 10 en-suite bedrooms, comfy lounges, a charming dining room, an inviting kitchen which guests are encouraged to help in, soothing treatment rooms and a light, airy yoga and workshop studio. In the large, flower-filled garden there is plenty of space to find a quiet spot to unwind and enjoy the views or guests can soak up the sun on one of the terraces or by the pool and socialise at the juice bar. If you would like to find out more about the retreats and what is on offer at Puyssentut visit the website at www.puyssentut.org, email in-fo@puyssentut.org or telephone +33-5-62600863.

Y-90 provides new, safe treatment for metastatic breast cancer

A minimally invasive treatment that delivers cancer-killing radiation directly to tumours shows promise in

treating breast cancer that has spread to the liver when no other treatment options remain, according to

research being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 39th Annual Scientific Meeting. In

the largest study of its kind to date, researchers reviewed treatment outcomes of 75 women (ages 26-82)

with chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer liver metastases, which were too large or too numerous to

treat with other therapies. The outpatient treatment, called yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization, was

safe and provided disease stabilization in 98.5 percent of the women's treated liver tumours.

"Although this is not a cure, Y-90 radioembolization can shrink liver tumours, relieve painful symptoms,

improve the quality of life and potentially extend survival," said Robert J. Lewandowski, M.D., FSIR, asso-

ciate professor of radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "While

patient selection is important, the therapy is not limited by tumour size, shape, location or number, and it

can ease the severity of disease in patients who cannot be treated effectively with other approaches," he

said.

Approximately 235,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed each year. Of these, approxi-

mately half of patients who develop metastatic disease will have cancer spread (metastasize) to the liver,

explained Lewandowski. While chemotherapy is the standard treatment for these women, many will ei-

ther have progressive liver disease despite multiple different treatment regimens while others will not

tolerate the side effects from toxic agents. Currently, patients are considered for Y-90 radioembolization

when they have no other treatment options, he said.

"The value of Y-90 radioembolization in treating patients with non-operative primary liver cancer and

metastatic colon cancer has been demonstrated," said Lewandowski. Given the low toxicity and high dis-

ease control rates, this therapy is expanding to other secondary hepatic malignancies, he said. "We're

looking to gain maximal tumour control while minimizing toxicity and preserving quality of life," he add-

ed.

Y-90 radioembolization is a minimally invasive, image-guided therapy where an interventional radiologist

inserts a small tube, or catheter, through a tiny cut in the groin and guides it through the blood vessels

and into the artery that supplies the liver. Micro beads are administered into the blood stream, float out

to the smaller vessels that feed the tumour and emit cancer-killing radiation from inside the tumour. Be-

cause Y-90 is targeted directly to the tumour, radiation damage to healthy surrounding tissues is mini-

mized.

In this study, imaging follow-up was available for 69 of the 75 women treated. In all of these women, liver

tumours were growing prior to treatment. Following radioembolization, there was disease control in 98.5

percent of the liver tumours, with more than 30 percent reduction in tumour size for 24 women. The

treatment had few side effects.

Source:

Society of Interventional Radiology

Cancer Options Newsletter

New approach makes cancer cells explode

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that a substance called Vacquinol-1 makes cells from glioblastoma,

the most aggressive type of brain tumour, literally explode. When mice were given the substance, which can be given in tablet form,

tumour growth was reversed and survival was prolonged. The findings are published in the journal Cell.

The established treatments that are available for glioblastoma include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But even if this treat-

ment is given the average survival is just 15 months. It is therefore critical to find better treatments for malignant brain tumours.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and colleagues at Uppsala University have discovered an entirely new mechanism to kill tumour

cells in glioblastoma. Researchers in an initial stage have exposed tumour cells to a wide range of molecules. If the cancer cells died,

the molecule was considered of interest for further studies, which initially applied to over 200 kinds of molecules. Following exten-

sive studies, a single molecule has been identified as being of particular interest. The researchers wanted to find out why it caused

cancer cell death.

It was found that the molecule gave the cancer cells an uncontrolled vacuolization, a process in which the cell carries substances

from outside the cell into its interior. This carrying process is made via the vacuoles, which can roughly be described as blisters or

bags consisting of cell membranes. The process is similar to what was behind last year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, the

discovery that describes how cellular vesicles move things from the interior of the cell to its surface.

When cancer cells were filled with a large amount of vacuoles, the cell membranes (the outer wall of the cell) collapsed and the cell

simply exploded and necrotized.

"This is an entirely new mechanism for cancer treatment. A possible medicine based on this principle would therefore attack the

glioblastoma in an entirely new way. This principle may also work for other cancer diseases, we have not really explored this yet,"

says Patrik Ernfors, professor of tissue biology at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers made mice that had human glioblastoma cells transplanted in-

gest the substance for five days. The average survival was about 30 days for

the control group that did not receive the substance. Of those who received

the substance six of eight mice were still alive after 80 days. The study was

then considered of such interest that the scientific journal wanted to publish

the article immediately.

"We now want to try to take this discovery in basic research through preclini-

cal development and all the way to the clinic. The goal is to get into a phase 1

trial," says Patrik Ernfors.

The study has been funded with money from the Swedish Research Council,

the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research,

the Brain Foundation, Hållsten's Research Foundation, the Torsten Söderberg

Foundation, and Wallenberg Scholar.

Source:

Karolinska Institutet

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dream designs

Personalized medicine best way to treat cancer

A new study found evidence that assessing the route to cancer on a case-by-case basis might make more

sense than basing a patient's cancer treatment on commonly disrupted genes and pathways.

The study found little or no overlap in the most prominent genetic malfunction associated with each indi-

vidual patient's disease compared to malfunctions shared among the group of cancer patients as a whole.

"This paper argues for the importance of personalized medicine, where we treat each person by looking

for the etiology of the disease in patients individually," said John McDonald, a professor in the School of

Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. "The findings have ramifications on how we

might best optimize cancer treatments as we enter the era of targeted gene therapy."

The research was published February 11 online in the journal PANCREAS and was funded by the Georgia

Tech Foundation and the St. Joseph's Mercy Foundation.

In the study, researchers collected cancer and normal tissue samples from four patients with pancreatic

cancer and also analyzed data from eight other pancreatic cancer patients that had been previously re-

ported in the scientific literature by a separate research group.

McDonald's team compiled a list of the most aberrantly expressed genes in the cancer tissues isolated

from these patients relative to adjacent normal pancreatic tissue.

The study found that collectively 287 genes displayed significant differences in expression in the cancers vs

normal tissues. Twenty-two cellular pathways were enriched in cancer samples, with more than half relat-

ed to the body's immune response. The researchers ran statistical analyses to determine if the genes most

significantly abnormally expressed on an individual patient basis were the same as those identified as most

abnormally expressed across the entire group of patients.

The researchers found that the molecular profile of each individual cancer patient was unique in terms of

the most significantly disrupted genes and pathways.

"If you're dealing with a disease like cancer that can be arrived at by multiple pathways, it makes sense

that you're not going to find that each patient has taken the same path," McDonald said.

Although the researchers found that some genes that were commonly disrupted in all or most of the pa-

tients examined, these genes were not among the most significantly disrupted in any individual patient.

"By and large, there appears to be a lot of individuality in terms of the molecular basis of pancreatic can-

cer," said McDonald, who also serves as the director of the Integrated Cancer Research Center and as the

chief scientific officer of the Ovarian Cancer Institute.

Though the study is small, it raises questions about the validity of pinpointing the most important gene or

pathway underlying a disease by pooling data from multiple patients, McDonald said. He favors individual

profiling as the preferred method for initiating treatment.

he cost of a molecular profiling analysis to transcribe the DNA sequences of exons -- the parts of the genome that carry instructions for

proteins -- is about $2,000 (exons account for about two percent of a cell's total DNA). That's about half the cost of this analysis five

years ago, McDonald said, and a $1,000 molecular profiling analysis might not be far off.

"As costs continue to come down, personalized molecular profiling will be carried out on more cancer patients," McDonald said.

Yet cost isn't the only limiting factor, McDonald said. Scientists and doctors have to shift their paradigm on how they use molecular pro-

filing to treat cancer.

"Are you going to believe what you see for one patient or are you going to say, 'I can't interpret that data until I group it together with

100 other patients and find what's in common among them,'" McDonald said. "For any given individual patient there may be mutant

genes or aberrant expression patterns that are vitally important for that person's cancer that aren't present in other patients' cancers."

Future work in McDonald's lab will see if this pattern of individuality is repeated in larger studies and in patients with different cancers.

The group is currently working on a genomic profiling analysis of patients with ovarian and lung cancers.

"If there are multiple paths, then maybe individual patients are getting cancer from alternative routes," McDonald said. "If that's the

case, we should do personalized profiling on each patient before we make judgments on the treatment for that patie

Cancer Options Newsletter

The cost of a molecular profiling analysis to transcribe the DNA sequences of exons -- the parts of the genome

that carry instructions for proteins -- is about $2,000 (exons account for about two percent of a cell's total

DNA). That's about half the cost of this analysis five years ago, McDonald said, and a $1,000 molecular profil-

ing analysis might not be far off.

"As costs continue to come down, personalized molecular profiling will be carried out on more cancer pa-

tients," McDonald said.

Yet cost isn't the only limiting factor, McDonald said. Scientists and doctors have to shift their paradigm on

how they use molecular profiling to treat cancer.

"Are you going to believe what you see for one patient or are you going to say, 'I can't interpret that data until

I group it together with 100 other patients and find what's in common among them,'" McDonald said. "For

any given individual patient there may be mutant genes or aberrant expression patterns that are vitally im-

portant for that person's cancer that aren't present in other patients' cancers."

Future work in McDonald's lab will see if this pattern of individuality is repeated in larger studies and in pa-

tients with different cancers. The group is currently working on a genomic profiling analysis of patients with

ovarian and lung cancers.

"If there are multiple paths, then maybe individual patients are getting cancer from alternative routes,"

McDonald said. "If that's the case, we should do personalized profiling on each patient before we make judg-

ments on the treatment for that patie

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