Stand Up To Cancer

Ruh-roh. Right off the bat we've got some controversial news: a South African businessman thinks his cell phone is the cause of a newfound tumor near his right ear. He says at one point a few years ago his job required him to use his cell more than 50 times a day, adding that "the growth developed precisely where the middle of my phone is positioned when I talk on my cell phone." Yowza. (Share your thoughts on the cell phone issue over in the forums.)

http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2371374,00.html

In other creepy news, a Harper's article from April (we were slow on the uptake on this one) reports on the phenomenon of "contagious cancer," which is apparently spreading like crazy among Tasmanian devils in - where else? - Tasmania. "Cancers, like species, evolve," the article says. "And one way they can evolve is toward the capacity to be transmitted between individuals."

http://harpers.org/archive/2008/04/0081988

Can positive thinking improve cancer patients' odds of survival? Nope, says a real downer of a study in this month's issue of Cancer. Contrary to what many believe, the researchers found that a patient's outlook had no impact on his or her cancer. I guess that's good news for pessimists?

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977414211&grpId=3659174697246155&nav=Groupspace

On a demi-related note, Cancer also has an article this month about complementary methods of treating cancer - CMs, to those in the know. New research shows that the vast majority of cancer patients use some form of CM; the most common were prayer/spiritual practice, relaxation, faith/spiritual healing, and nutritional supplements/vitamins. No word yet on whether the use of CMs improves survivorship, but one of the researchers did note that acupuncture has been shown to work, while vitamins are basically a total crock. What are some CMs you or your loved ones have tried? Did they seem to work? Share your experiences in the forums.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL56315920080805

Popping vitamins in pill form may not have any impact on cancer, but new research does show that intravenous vitamin C shrinks tumors in mice. More research is definitely needed, but one day vitamin C might be a common supplement to more conventional, drug-based therapies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080501297.html

If you've ever spent a week commuting between your bed and the bathroom thanks to salmonella poisoning, you're probably not interested in getting anywhere near that nasty little bacteria again. But salmonella could have uses beyond giving you a permanent aversion to Alouette cheese. (Fall of 2004 . . . I'll never forget that horrible week as long as I live.) Turns out tumors are one of salmonella's favorite treats. Oh, and don't worry - the version used by the researchers behind this study is totally non-toxic.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121807520302719319.html

You know how much I love ending on a nice note, so here's your happy thought for the day. It's easy for adults to steel themselves for the misery of cancer treatment, but kids have a harder time processing the connection between today's pain and tomorrow's recovery. So a few hard-working folks at the University of Texas Health Science Center developed Re-Mission, which calls itself "an epic battle raging deep in the realms of the human body." Adorable and clever. Know of some other fun resources for kids with cancer? Share them with others over in the forums.

http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=&article=4051451

That's it for this week, but comment with anything exciting or informative that we missed, and we'll see you next Thursday!

--Cat Vasko