Meat increases kidney cancer risk

Eating red meat increases a person's risk of developing the most common type of kidney cancer, while eating vegetables has a protective effect.
Previous studies on diet and renal cell carcinoma (which accounts for 85 percent of kidney cancers) have shown inconclusive results. Therefore, researchers from America compared 335 patients with renal cell carcinoma with 337 healthy controls to investigate whether certain types of foods or food groups influenced the risk of renal cell carcinoma. The study participants reported how frequently they ate a variety of different foods.
It was found that people who ate lots of white bread and white potatoes had a higher risk of the disease than their peers who ate these foods less frequently. The relationship was particularly strong among women. While eating spinach and other greens, as well as tomatoes, reduced cancer risk in all the participants, especially men, white potatoes (including both fried and non-fried) increased it with the strongest effects seen in women. White bread also increased the cancer risk, with the strongest association seen in women.
Those who ate white bread five or more times a week were three times more likely to develop renal cell carcinoma than women who ate white bread less than once a week.
The researchers found no relationship between fruit and dairy food consumption and renal cell carcinoma. However, both men and women who ate red meat five or more times a week were more than four times as likely to develop the disease as compared to people who consumed red meat less than once a week.
Foods that affected the cancer risk did so due to their high glycaemic index. Glycaemic index indicates how quickly the blood glucose level rises after eating a particular food. Foods with a high glycaemic index are known to affect insulin resistance and also insulin-like growth factors.
The researchers concluded that meat consumption increased the risk of renal cell carcinoma and vegetables provided the protective effect. However, fruits and dairy products had no such relationship.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association
April 2009

Cancer Education & Prevention

Our target & motto is :

Conducts health education talks at community clubs, corporations, institutions and schools. Promotes Cancer Awareness Month and Smoke-Free Day. Organizes public symposia to raise cancer awareness. Disseminates general cancer information via Internet webpage and Can-Tel, the cancer telephone information services. Supplies cancer education printed materials to hospitals and specialists clinics. Conducts quit-smoking talks & counseling sessions to support smoker who want to quit the habit.

Cancer Screening

Provides free Pap Smear test (Cervical Cancer), clinical breast examination(Breast Cancer), faecal occult blood test (Colorectal Cancer) to members of the public.

Cervical cancer, a major killer in India

In low-resource settings, testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) might be the most effective method of cervical cancer screening. Compared with cytologic testing and visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA), a single round of HPV testing significantly reduced the incidence of advanced cervical cancer and related mortality among women in rural India. About 1.3 lakh new cases of cervical cancer (a quarter of the 5 lakh cases globally) are reported every year in India. Cervical cancer is a malignant cancer of the cervix (the neck of the uterus). It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages. Lack of awareness, multiple sexual partners and unhygienic living conditions are mainly attributed for the rise of cervical cancer, which causes the largest number of deaths among women worldwide. Researchers surveyed the incidence of cervical cancer and the associated rates of death in the Osmanabad district in India. In this cluster-randomized trial, 52 clusters of villages, with a total of 131,746 healthy women between the ages of 30 and 59 years, were randomly assigned to four groups of 13 clusters each. In all, 34,126 women underwent screening by HPV testing, 32,058 underwent cytologic testing or VIA (Visual Inspection of the cervix with Acetic acid - 34,074 women) against 31,488 women in the control group who received standard care. Women who had positive results on screening underwent colposcopy and biopsies, and those with cervical precancerous lesions or cancer received appropriate treatment. There were 34 deaths from cancer in the HPV-testing group, as compared with 64 in the control group. No significant reductions in the numbers of advanced cancers or deaths were observed in the cytologic-testing group or in the VIA group, as compared with the control group. This indicates that a single round of HPV testing was associated with a significant reduction in the numbers of advanced cervical cancers and deaths from cervical cancer. PTI April 2009 NDTV DOCTOR

THE GIVEN ARTICLE IS BASED ON TRUE FACTS!

Please do not turn on A/C immediately as soon as you enter the car. Open the windows after you enter your car and turn ON the air-conditioning after a couple of minutes. 

According to a research done, the car dashboard, sofa, air freshener emits Benzene, a Cancer causing toxin (carcinogen - take note of the heated plastic Smell in your car). In addition to causing cancer, it poisons your bones, causes anemia, and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer. May also cause miscarriage. Acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft.. A car parked indoors with the windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene. If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level... & the people inside the car will inevitably inhale an excess amount of the toxins.

It is recommended that you open the windows and door to give time for the interior to air out before you enter.

Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidney and liver, and is very difficult for your body to expel this toxic stuff.

'When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.' - Chinese Proverb.

Diet can cut ovarian cancer risk

Women who eat larger amounts of plant-based foods and drinks with the naturally occurring flavonoid - apigenin may have a low risk for ovarian cancer.
Flavanoids are compounds with antioxidant properties that protect cells against damage by oxygen molecules. Apigenin, found in celery, parsley, red wine, tomato sauce, and other plant-based foods may be particularly beneficial.
Researchers from United Kingdom assessed 1,141 women with ovarian cancer and 1,183 matched controls to evaluate the association between dietary flavanoid intake and ovarian cancer risk. Intake of 5 common dietary flavanoids - myricetin, kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin (frequently obtained by drinking tea or red wine, or eating apples, lettuce, blueberries, oranges, celery, or tomato sauce) and their total intake was calculated for over a period of one week in all the participants.
There was no association found between total flavonoid intake and ovarian cancer risk in analyses that allowed for factors potentially associated with ovarian cancer risk such as age, oral contraceptive use, childbirth, breastfeeding, history of tubal ligation, and physical activity. However, on comparing flavonoid intake among women with and without ovarian cancer, women who reported the highest apigenin intake had a borderline significant decrease in ovarian cancer risk over women reporting the lowest apigenin intake.
The women had similar characteristics except that women with ovarian cancer reported more known risk factors for the disease and had slightly greater body mass and daily calorie intake. In contrast, the disease-free controls had a slightly healthier overall diet.
The findings support an association between flavonoid intake and ovarian cancer risk, but more studies are needed for confirmation.

International Journal of Cancer
April 2009

Cervical cancer : Hindi

You can also find some information related to CERVICAL CANCER in Hindi.
Click on Link :
http://www.healthed.govt.nz/uploads/docs/HE2036.pdf

Cervical cancer afflicts 1.30 lakh Indian women annually

Despite the claim that cervical cancer is preventable, WHO estimates that each year over 1.30 lakh Indian women are diagnosed with it and over 74,000 lose their lives due to it.
"This makes cervical cancer the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in India and represents approximately one-fourth of the world's total cervical cancer cases and mortality," according to a paper released by Qiagen, the German global market leader in sample technology and CNCI, a state-run Cancer Research Institute .
Quoting WHO, it said that in India, cervical cancer was the most common type of cancer affecting women. Worldwide, it was the second-most common cancer after breast cancer.
The human papillomavirus, also called HPV, was a common pathogen predominantly affecting women. Approximately 80 per cent of women get one or more types of virus by the age of 50, the paper, released at a press conference to announce strategic partnership in the fight against cervical cancer, said.
there were more than 100 types fo HPV. Of these, about 15 high-risk types were known to cause virtually all cases of cervical cancer. "Two of these types (16 and 18) are believed to cause 70 per cent of these cases (76.7 per cent in Indian women).
The report said that there is evidence that other factors may increase the risk of cervical cancer when combined with HPV, such as smoking and illnesses that reduce the body's ability to fight infections (such as HIV/AIDS).
"While HPV cannot be treated, the abnormal cells caused by the virus that may eventually evolve into cervical cancer, can be treated. This makes early detection essential."
It said that clinical trial findings from WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and published in 'New England Journal of Medicine' (April 2, 2009) indicated that HPV DNA testing was the most effective way to reduce incidence of cervical cancer compared to either Pap (cytology) testing or visual inspection with ascetic acid (VIA).

Reference : The Hindu

Changing trends in breast cancer biology

According to a new research by Scottish researchers, lifestyle changes and increased awareness towards screening have resulted in a marked shift in the types of breast cancers.The results of the research show that women are likely to have hormone-dependent and slow-growing tumors, as suggested by a comparative study of tissue samples from 1980s and 1990s.The findings of the study in the British Journal of Cancerdefine reveal a significant improved survival among breast cancer patients.Breast cancer is the most common types of cancer in women, especially younger women. Every year, at least 40,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United Kingdom alone.Lifestyle changes are playing a vital role in increasing the incidence of hormone-dependent tumors in the young women. Current trends reveal an increase in the estrogen-receptor positive cancers as it has been found that these tumors respond well to show good response to hormone therapy and prevent the disease from re-occurring. Over the last decade, estrogen-receptor positive cancers showed a rise from 64.2 percent to 71.5 percent.The exposure to estrogen increases breast cancer risk. In fact, most known risk factors for breast cancer can be attributed to some form of excess estrogen exposure.Also, there has been an increase in grade one slow-growing tumors but a decline in the number of grade three fast-growing tumors, as per the findings of the study.However, there has been no significant change in the numbers of progesterone or Her-2 positive cancers, the researchers maintained.“It's plausible that lifestyle changes could be influencing the types of breast cancers that women are developing but we will need much larger studies to find out whether this trend is real,” states Dr. Alison Ross, Cancer Research UK's senior science information officer.The researchers at the Crosshouse Hospital in Aryshire pointed out that it could be quite possible that an increasing awareness towards screening was detecting more cases of estrogen-receptor positive cancers.However, the role played by changing lifestyle factors could not be ruled out. Lifestyle changes including change in hormone levels, late marriage, postponement of childbearing, late menopause resulting in obesity and use of hormone replacement therapy after menopause are well known risk factors for developing hormone-dependent tumors. “There is evidence that the percentage of all children being born to mothers aged 35 years and over is increasing in Scotland and that means BMI and prevalence of obesity are increasing,” the researchers, led by Dr Sylvia Brown at Crosshouse Hospital in Ayrshire stated. Results from the previous studies, too, have pointed towards an increase in the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancers, as compared to the past. However, it has been unclear whether there has been an actual increase in the number of breast cancer cases, considering the fact that increased awareness might have led to detection of these types of tumors in the recent times.“And it's also not clear whether these results reflect a shift in breast cancer biology or indicate that screening is better at detecting certain cancers,” wrote Dr Alison Ross.“If the trend identified in this interesting study is confirmed and continues, it could have an impact on the way doctors apply results from breast cancer studies done decades ago to the treatments in use today,” she clarified.
By Harleen Kaur
www.themedguru.com

Breast cancer

What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the uncontrolled malignant growth of cells in the breast tissue. There are many types of breast cancers, those that form in the milk glands, in the ducts that carry milk, in the fatty area or in the connective tissue of the breast.
Cancer of the milk ducts is the most commonly occurring form of breast cancer. Usually only one breast is affected. There is a rare type of breast cancer in which the breast becomes red and swollen and resembles infection of the breast.
How is it caused?
The exact reason for the cancerous growth of cells is not known. There are certain factors that do not cause cancers by themselves, but make a person more at risk for the development of cancer. These risk factors may be genetic or environmental in nature: Cancer tends to run in families. The risk for cancer increases for a person if one or more of his family members suffer from the disease.Genetic predisposition that is, a person may carry genes that make certain normal cells cancerous.Women who begin menstruating before the age of 12 years or stop after 55 years are more at risk for developing breast cancer.Women who have not borne children or have had children late in their life (usually after the age of 30) are also more at risk.Obesity or overweight is a condition that is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.Other factors like excessive drinking of alcohol and lack of exercise are also risk factors for breast cancer.Environmental factors like exposure to harmful radiation, cigarette smoke over a long period of time and pesticides also increases the risk.In some cases, women who undergo hormone replacement therapy have an increased risk of cancer of the breast.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of cancer of the breast is the presence of a lump in the breast. The patient herself often detects the lump either accidentally or during a routine self-examination. The lump is usually painless and hard. Sometimes, there may be changes in the shape and size of the breast and the nipple.
A dimple in the skin overlying the breast accompanied with dryness and scaling should be a cause for concern. There may be discharge of blood stained fluid from the nipple along with dryness and cracking of the skin of the nipple.
How is it diagnosed?
A breast lump is usually first detected by a woman on self examination. This procedure should be regularly done by all women over the age of 40 years. In this procedure, the woman lies down, raises the arm on the side of the breast and feels the breast with the other hand. Any difference from in the normal feel of the breast is noted. The woman may then look at herself in the mirror and note any changes in the shape and size of her breasts. Any change should be brought to the doctor’s notice.
The doctor may palpate or feel the breast for any unusual lumps or any other signs. In case a lump is detected by the doctor, mammography may be done. This is a special X-ray of the breast. It can detect early breast cancers and gives a fairly accurate picture of any changes in the breast. Any spots that show up in the mammogram are then further analysed by a biopsy. In this procedure, a small part of the lump tissue is taken for laboratory testing. The biopsy can also be done in many ways. In some cases, a small needle may be inserted into the lump and a small portion of the fluid may be taken.
In another form of biopsy, a small cut may be made on the breast to get to the lump, a piece of which is then taken for testing. In some cases, the entire lump may be removed. The procedure followed is decided by the doctor keeping in mind the patient’s history.
In case cancer of the breast is confirmed, other tests may be done to look for spread of the disease. These include blood tests, X-rays and ultrasound scan of the abdomen. In some cases a bone scan may be done.
What is the treatment?
Since the breast is not an organ that is necessary for survival, it is generally removed by a surgical procedure called mastectomy. In some cases only the lump is removed, in others the whole breast is removed.
Later, the patient may be given radiotherapy. This procedure helps to destroy the cancerous cells without harming the neighbouring tissue. If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body as well, chemotherapy using drugs like vincritine, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide is done. In some cases, hormonal treatment using tamoxifen is advised. Usually a combination of all of these procedures is followed for complete treatment. In most cases, if the cancer is detected early and treated appropriately, breast cancer patients can usually lead a cancer free life. Written by: DoctorNDTV team
Checked by: Dr. N. Ananthakrishnan
Head of Department of SurgeryJIPMER, Pondicherry

'Cyberknife' to treat cancer

Doctors in Britain will for the first time use a robotic radiotherapy machine to treat cancer .
The machine called Cyberknife is said to be worth 2.5 million pounds.
It maps the movement of a patient's breathing so that tumours can be targeted with greater accuracy than is currently possible.
The novel device uses a robotic arm to deliver multiple beams of high-dose radiation from a wide variety of angles
The patient's breathing is monitored with the aid of X-ray cameras, and the radiotherapy beam is repositioned accordingly to minimise damage to surrounding tissues.
This, in turn, makes the therapy so accurate that even tumours in difficult positions and dangerous to operate on, such as near the spinal chord, can be treated safely.
Ten people are lined up for treatment in the Harley Street Clinic in London, at a cost per patient of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds.
Dr. Nick Plowman, a consultant oncologist at St Bartholomew's hospital, who will oversee the treatment.
"If you get a discreet little tumour in an awkward place, under the liver or next to the kidney, then there's really nothing better than the Cyberknife," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.