Stand Up To Cancer

First off, some really awesome news. A new cancer-related test is hitting the market this week, and it's desperately needed: OVA1, which can help doctors distinguish benign ovarian growths from tumors. In a study of 27 hospitals, doctors' office and clinics, OVA1 was found to correctly flag 92% of cancers when used along with radiological imaging and a standard patient workup. Without OVA1, the detection rate was 72%. The one downside to the test? You guessed it: false positives, which can lead to unnecessary biopsies and plenty of anxiety.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704869304575109703066893506.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

According to a new American Cancer Society study, the decrease in cancer deaths in the US since 1990 is the result of reduced tobacco use, increased cancer screening and improvements in treatment. In other words: we're doing something right, and lifestyle changes and better awareness do make a big difference! However, the researchers behind the statistical analysis were sure to warn against complacency, concluding that "Continued and increased investment in cancer prevention and control, access to high quality health care and research could accelerate this progress."
http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/03/11/us-chalks-up-victories-in-war-on-cancer.html

Researchers in British Columbia have made a breakthrough in lymphoma treatment, discovering a way to predict which patients will fall in the 15 to 25% who experience a poor prognosis if not treated aggressively from the time of diagnosis. Although the majority of lymphoma patients are cured the first time around, the rest relapse; now an easy test for a high number of CD68-positive microphages (a type of white cell) can predict whether relapse is likely. In a glowing New England Journal of Medicine piece, the test was referred to as "the breakthrough we have been looking for."
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/cancer+researchers+make+lymphoma+breakthrough/2670456/story.html

In other lymphoma news, new research out of Hashemite University in Jordan indicates that compounds derived from seaweed could be used to treat the disease. After scientists had previously discovered that a compound called fucoidan, found in seaweed, seemed to kill tumor cells in mice and humans, research took the next step and tested human lymphoma cells with a type of seaweed extract that is sold commercially. They found it inhibited the growth of cancerous cells without impacting healthy ones.
http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/03/11/seaweed-may-help-treat-lymphoma.html

Finally, since I always love a good food story, I thought I'd wrap up this week's research round-up with the news that papaya can be an effective anti-cancer agent against cervical, breast, liver, lung and pancreatic cancers. Papaya leaf extract apparently boosts the production of chemicals that regulate the immune system, bolstering the body's ability to fight off disease; the study's lead researcher added that the results suggest that papaya extract can induce tumor cell death. "Based on what I have seen and heard in a clinical setting, nobody who takes this extract experiences demonstrable toxicity; it seems like you could take it for a long time as long as it is effective," he said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7414067/Papaya-helps-fight-cancer-find-scientists.html

That's all for this week, but check back next Thursday for more news you can use!

--Cat