Stand Up To Cancer

This week brings the news that obesity now accounts for one in twelve cancer deaths, positioning it to be the leading cause of the disease. NCI data indicates that obesity is now the cause of 14% of cancer deaths in men and 20% in women; possible causes could include more hormone production in the overweight. "Obesity is catching up at a rate that makes it possible it could become the biggest attributable cause of cancer in women within the next decade," says one University of Manchester cancer expert.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/09/24/2009-09-24_obesity_is_now_the_leading_cause_of_cancer_beating_out_smoking_and_hormone_repla.html

A new experimental cancer drug has the ability to dramatically shrink advanced melanoma tumors, according to research out of Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York. Paul Chapman, MD, describes the results as "unprecedented"; in one case, the drug - which blocks the activity of the gene BRAF -managed to completely heal a tumor within three weeks. Chemotherapy for melanoma generally only works on 15% of tumors, Chapman noted.
http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/news/20090923/new-drug-shrinks-skin-cancer-tumors

In other encouraging news, researchers out of Naples, Italy, have developed a pill that makes pancreatic cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. The greatest current challenge in treating pancreatic cancer is its resistance to treatment; the drug inhibits the action of the protein TAK-1, leaving cancer cells more vulnerable. "The drug increased the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs 70-fold," the study's head researcher said.
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/news/20090924/new-drug-may-treat-pancreatic-cancer

This disturbing article out of Tampa, Florida, looks at 20 men who once lived or were based at Camp Lejeune, the US Marine Corps training base in North Carolina. The men have all developed breast cancer, a common disease in women that only strikes 2,000 or so US men a year. Government records indicate that the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contamined with high levels of toxic chemicals for three decades between the '60s and '80s. Worst of all, the Marine Corps has directed the men to the VA for treatment, and the VA says it cannot treat the men for a condition that has not been shown to be service-related.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/24/marines.breast.cancer/

Finally, fresh research out of Newcastle University in the UK indicates that taking a daily dose of aspirin could cut the risk of developing colon cancer in half for people with a genetic susceptibility to the disease. In a study of more than 1,000 people with Lynch syndrome - which makes them more vulnerable to cancers in the colon, rectum, stomach, brain, liver and more - only six people from the aspirin group got cancer compared with 16 in the control group. Previous studies have indicated that patients who are being treated with chemo for colorectal cancer can reduce their chance of dying by 30% with a daily dose of aspirin.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iS-vbWx4Zw1xYzGFS7abo1Dfgf4gD9ARMBVO0

That's all for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more news you can use!

--Cat