Breakthrough on Cause of Asbestos Related Cancer

News reaches us from Asbestos.com that researchers have made a breakthrough in further understanding how Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma.

In a study funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, several researchers from around the world have potentially found how the naturally occurring mineral asbestos causes cancer.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer almost exclusively triggered by asbestos exposure. The specific way of how mesothelioma develops has eluded doctors and researchers for decades. Similar to other asbestos-related diseases, mesothelioma has a severe latency period in terms of the development of symptoms. In most cases, patients with mesothelioma will not experience symptoms until at least 20 years have passed since their initial exposure to asbestos. During this latency period, a number of biological reactions occur to stimulate the development of mesothelioma cancer.
Researchers analyzed how asbestos fibres, which kill cells, could cause cancer since a dead cell should not be able to develop into a tumour. They learned that asbestos kills a cell through a process called "programmed cell necrosis." This process causes the release of a molecule known as high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1). The presence of HMGB1 starts an inflammatory reaction that causes tumour growth.

Researchers found that those who have been exposed to asbestos have elevated levels of HMGB1 in their serum. Because of this, they believe HMGB1 may become a target in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma. The researchers propose that interfering with the inflammatory reaction between asbestos and HMGB1 may decrease the risk of cancer development among those exposed to asbestos. For patients already diagnosed with mesothelioma, this interference may slow tumor progression.

Authors of the study report, "Our findings identify the release of HMGB1 as a critical initial step in the pathogenesis of asbestos-related disease, and provide mechanistic links between asbestos-induced cell death, chronic inflammation, and carcinogenesis. Chemopreventive approaches aimed at inhibiting the chronic inflammatory response, and especially blocking HMGB1, may decrease the risk of malignant mesothelioma among asbestos-exposed cohorts."

Drs. Haining Yang and Michele Carbone, lead authors of the study and physicians at the University of Hawaii Cancer Research Centre, plan to test their research through a clinical trial in Cappadocia, Turkey. In this region, more than 50 percent of the population dies from mesothelioma cancer. If positive results are reported, the treatment approach will be extended to clinical trials in the United States with hopes of improving mesothelioma life expectancy.

The results of the study illuminate the role of inflammation in causing different types of cancer. The press release from the University of Hawai'i explains, "The researchers question if it will be possible to prevent mesothelioma, like colon cancer, simply by taking aspirin or similar drugs that stop inflammation. They are about to test this hypothesis."

Additional information on mesothelioma and current forms of treatment may be found through Asbestos.com which published this report.

Sirius

Contributing blogger

Nutrition's Role in Cancer Prevention

For some years I have subscribed to Care2.com, following a number of its Animal Welfare and Environment causes, and enjoying the use of its e-card facilities when celebrating a friend’s birthday.

Two recent Care2.com articles by Canadian author and Natural Medicine columnist Michelle Schoffro Cook on cancer prevention struck me as worthy of repeat here.

The author reminds us that we can help ourselves to reduce the risk of cancer by adopting a lifestyle to prevent it. She stresses that vitamin nutrient-rich food is an essential part of any anti-cancer or, for that matter, a healthy living plan.
Michelle notes 5 vitamins in particular that help to support such a lifestyle and protect against cancer.

1. Beta carotene
Found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables. There are indications that it helps to protect the lungs against toxins linked to lung cancer. Ex-smokers who daily eat green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene will decrease their risk of stomach and lung cancer caused by their smoking habit.

2. Vitamin B6Essential for the maintenance of a healthy immune system, this helps protect the respiratory tract from pollution and infection. Find this vitamin in carrots, apples, offal, bananas, leafy green vegetables, and sweet potatoes.

3. Vitamin COne of the most well-researched nutrients, Vitamin C is a proven bonus in the fight against cancer, both in prevention and disease-management. Michelle quotes a recent American study in which forty patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix received large doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and other vitamins. Another sixty-one patients with other kinds of cancer followed the same regime, while thirty-one patients received no vitamin supplements and served as the control group. The control group lived an average of 5.7 months. Of the others, 80 percent of the patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix had a mean survival time of 122 months; patients with other forms of cancer lived an average of 72 months. That translates into a length of life 13 to 21 times longer in those who used vitamin therapy.

4. Folic AcidKnown as vitamin B9, Folic Acid helps protect against cervical cancer and is necessary for the proper formation of the body’s own genetic material – DNA and RNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, citrus fruits, and most types of fish.

5. Vitamin EIn addition to protecting against bowel cancer, Vitamin E works as a powerful antioxidant that reduces the damage caused by ozone and pollutants on the cells. It is found in eggs, wheat germ, liver, unrefined vegetable oils, and dark green vegetables.

In a follow-up article Michelle Cook lists the 5 most important minerals in cancer prevention.

1. Calcium: A proven protector against colon cancer, this mineral is integral for maintaining the health of bones and teeth, blood clotting, and cellular metabolism. Excellent sources include: nuts and seeds, carrot juice, dark green vegetables, salmon and sardines.

2. Iodine: This mineral is found in sea vegetables like kelp, dulse, and Celtic sea salt. It helps protect the body from breast cancer and is required for energy and the growth and repair of healthy tissues.

3. Magnesium: This mineral protects against cancer in general, maintains the pH balance of the blood, as well as aids the formation of your body’s genetic material–RNA and DNA. While damaged genetic material can put you at risk for cancer, magnesium helps with the repair work. It is found in many foods, including: nuts, fish, brown rice, whole grains, and green vegetables.

4. Selenium: This mineral helps the body manufacture glutathione, an enzyme required for proper detoxification of the body. Because toxic build-up in the body is linked to cancer, assisting your body with its natural, ongoing detoxification processes helps lessen your risk of cancer. In research, low dietary levels of selenium have been correlated with higher cancer incidence. Supplementation with selenium is a valuable cancer prevention tool.

5. Zinc: A powerful protective agent against prostate cancer, this mineral is also necessary for the formation of RNA and DNA and a healthy immune system. And, you guessed it: a healthy immune system is better able to kill cancer cells. Zinc is found in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, seafood, whole grains, soybeans, and onions.

I should perhaps declare an interest in Michelle Schoffro Cook’s writing on Intent.com. On the wrong side of 75, I am overweight and suffering too many disabilities that come with overweight and old age, (many of them interlinked). I have decided to follow her precepts of a Life Force Diet in pursuit of increased energy, a healthier, slimmer body and a sharper mind.


Michelle Schoffro Cook, is a noted author and broadcaster and has Doctorates in Natural Medicine and Acupuncture. She is a registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner. Michelle writes regularly for Care2.com and Intent.com, (where you can join me in following her Life Force Diet). She lives in Canada.

Sirius
Contributing Blogger

Press Release of Caring Cancer Trust Funded Research

We thought we would post this article published recently in the Manchester Evening News on some of our work which has been supported by funds provided by the CCT. It is early days but we think the potential for the treatment of early stage disease is exciting! We are delighted with the publicity it has provided for charities like Caring Cancer Trust which funded this work. We could not have done it without them!

Dr's Ian & Lynne Hamposn

Also see

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161923.php

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=4980

Animal Testing; the issue

Dr Ian Hampson writes: The debate on animal testing in medical research is extremely controversial due mostly to the wide spectrum of viewpoints on this subject. For example, there are the infamous extremists who carry out illegal forms of terrorism in the name of this cause and which actually do more harm than good. Indeed it is quite clear that this type of activity will polarise the viewpoint of most of society against their beliefs. Yet there is a case to be made for restricting animal testing to the bare minimum that is needed and that is the underlying principle of the Caring Cancer Trust. This viewpoint is not without precedent as the Medical Research Council, The Home Office, The Wellcome Trust and several large multinational drug companies now support the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction (NC3R’s) of the use of animals in research. Clearly there are real concerns over this practice and the Caring Cancer Trust have seen in the forefront of the campaign to eliminate animal tested research for the past decade for both moral and scientific reasons.

The development of new human organ and tissue culture laboratory methods provides a viable alternative to animals for early stage testing of new cancer therapies. Indeed they may even be more accurate as it is undisputed that many prospective cancer drugs which work well in animals, do not work in humans. It is important to realise that this new technology is not based on human embryo stem cells but rather the culturing of human cells obtained with ethical consent from adults.

In the foreseeable future it is regrettably quite clear that nobody is going to put a drug into humans that has not been through some animal testing but the Caring Cancer Trust simply believes that this should be kept to a bare minimum until it can be phased out altogether.

Ian Hampson