Stand Up To Cancer

It's astonishing how much exciting new cancer research can emerge in a week (and imagine how much more there could be with more funding, hint hint . . .) Much of it is too preliminary to hit the mainstream news, but you'd be amazed at everything you can learn with a quick Google search. For instance, did you know that coffee - sweet, delicious coffee - has been shown to protect against liver cancer? Perk up!
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/06/26/coffee-liver.html

And scientists at Stanford have actually found a way to reverse the growth of every single type of cancer in mice. If this method proves viable in humans, we could be looking at a whole new ballgame.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083529.htm

Meanwhile, another exciting cancer treatment is finally ready for a human trial. It involves transfusing cancer-fighting granulocytes from healthy young donors into cancer patients, and in mice it worked not 80%, not 90%, but a full 100% of the time.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/06/30/promising-cancer-treatment-ready-for-human-trial.html

In case you hadn't heard, you might want to think twice before firing up the grill this summer. Turns out cooking meats at high temperatures can produce carcinogens, which you then swallow with a nice coating of A1 sauce. But there is some good news: marinating meat before grilling not only makes it taste delicious, it also reduces the formation of cancer-causing agents.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703035.html

Here's the story on Gardasil: IT CURES CERVICAL CANCER. That should be all anyone needs to know, right? So why are the same problems that plagued the introduction of the vaccine in the US persisting in Australia? If ever there were an example of the need for more comprehensive public health education, this is it.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fear-campaign-over-cancer-vaccine/2008/07/01/1214678038236.html

On a cheerier note, I'm inspired yet again by the stories of those touched by cancer who've gone on to do incredible things. This week the NY Times Well blog alerted me to a fascinating section of the Journal of the American Medical Association called "Poetry in Medicine."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/the-poetry-of-cancer/

Well, that's it for this week. Have a happy and safe Fourth and we'll be back next Thursday with more recommended reading!

--Cat Vasko, associate editor of SU2C Mag