3 articles on cancer

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Public release date: 17-Mar-2009

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/bc-fo031609.php

Contact: Charlotte Webber

charlotte.webber@...

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BioMed Central

incense oil -- a wise man's remedy for bladder cancer

Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil

has been found to have many medicinal benefits. Now, an enriched extract

of the Somalian incense herb Boswellia carteri has been shown to

kill off bladder cancer cells. Research presented in the open access

journal, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, demonstrates that

this herb has the potential for an alternative therapy for bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is twice as common in males as it is in females. In the

US, bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men,

whilst in the UK it is the seventh most common cause of death amongst males.

HK Lin and his team, from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences

Center and Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, set out to evaluate

frankincense oil for its anti-tumour activity in bladder cancer cells.

The authors investigated the effects of the oil in two different types

of cells in culture: human bladder cancer cells and normal bladder

cells. The team found that frankincense oil is able to discriminate

between normal and cancerous bladder cells in culture, and specifically

kill cancer cells.

Gene expression analyses were performed to determine how frankincense

oil affects bladder cancer cell survival. The team found that the oil

suppresses cancer cell growth by arresting cell cycle progression and

induces bladder cancer cell death by activating multiple cell death

pathways.

Dr Lin said, " incense oil may represent an inexpensive alternative

therapy for patients currently suffering from bladder cancer. "

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Notes to Editors

1. incense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell

specific cytotoxicity

Mark Barton , Qing Yang, Jeanette Osban, ph T Azzarello, Marcia

R Saban, Saban, A , Jan C Welter, Kar-Ming Fung

and Hsueh-Kung Lin

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (in press)

During embargo, article available here:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/imedia/9378358372323491_article.pdf?random=433357

After the embargo, article available at journal website:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmccomplementalternmed/

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for

the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of

charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request at press@...

on the day of publication

2. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine is an open access journal

publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in interventions and

resources that complement or replace conventional therapies, with a

specific emphasis on research that explores the biological mechanisms of

action, as well as their efficacy, safety, costs, patterns of use and/or

implementation. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ISSN

1472-6882) is indexed/tracked/covered by PubMed, MEDLINE, CAS, Scopus,

EMBASE, Cinahl and Google Scholar.

3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an STM (Science,

Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access

publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by

BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and

are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part

of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the

STM sector.

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Public release date: 18-Mar-2009

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/uhn-rsb031809.php

Contact: Jane Finlayson

jane.finlayson@...

University Health Network

Research shows biopsy of recurrent breast cancer can alter treatment

(Toronto – March 18, 2009) – For women with recurrent breast cancer, the

treatment the doctor chooses is usually based on the properties of their

original breast cancer. A group from Toronto has recently completed the

world's first study that compared original breast cancer tumors with a

biopsy of suspected tumors that recurred elsewhere in the body.

Researchers found that the biopsy resulted in 20% of the women having a

significant change in their treatment. In some cases, this was a change

in drug treatment and in others, the biopsy showed the woman did not

actually have an advanced cancer, but a benign condition.

" The results show that cancers may change over time and not respond to

treatment that was appropriate for the original cancer, " says principal

investigator Dr. Mark Clemons, a medical oncologist specializing in

breast cancer in the Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program,

University Health Network (UHN).

" These early findings are leading us in a new direction as we understand

more about why some women don't respond to treatment. This knowledge

will help us in our quest to always deliver the right treatment, to the

right patient, at the right time. "

The findings are published online today in the ls of Oncology,

Oxford University Press (Doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp028).

Dr. Clemons's study -- funded by a $100,000 research grant from the

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region -- evaluated 29

biopsies of accessible, recurrent tumors taken from women whose breast

cancer had spread to bone, skin, lymph nodes, lung or liver.

Pathologists compared the results of the original cancer with the

results of the new biopsy by analyzing the predictive markers that

influence breast cancer tumor growth – estrogen, progesterone and Her2

status. The presence, absence and/or combinations of these markers

become the map oncologists use to determine the most effective treatment

for each patient.

In 15 cases, the diagnosis was unchanged; in 10 cases the markers in the

cancer changed; in three cases, women originally felt to have metastatic

breast cancer had benign disease, and in one case, the " recurring "

cancer was a different type of cancer, lymphoma which is treated in a

very different way to breast cancer.

Co-author Dr. says: " For some of the women in the

study, the findings dramatically altered their treatment and made a big

difference in their lives. "

Study participant le Lee couldn't agree more. Two years ago, the

then 30-year-old mother of a toddler and eight-month-old was coping with

a diagnosis that her breast cancer had spread to her spine. The results

of the new biopsy confirmed that there was no cancer in her spine.

" I was so grateful to be part of this study. It was a life-changing

event for me during a difficult, dark time when I was trying to accept

that I would die from breast cancer and my children would have to grow

up without me, " says Lee.

Beth Easton, Interim CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation -

Ontario Region says: " Dr. Clemons's important findings may alter care

for women with recurrent breast cancer, and ultimately save lives. With

the support of our donors, the Foundation is committed to finding and

funding groundbreaking research such as this, which will help to create

a future without breast cancer. "

Dr. Clemons says: " I am delighted that the CBCF – Ontario Region

provided the financial support for this study, and continues to support

our work in this important area of research. " A second study with more

women is under way.

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Public release date: 18-Mar-2009

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/eaou-psc031809.php

Contact: Lindy Brouwer

l.brouwer@...

European Association of Urology

PSA screening cuts deaths by 20 percent

Screening for prostate cancer can reduce deaths by 20%, according to the

results of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate

Cancer (ERSPC) published online 1700 hours CET, today 18 March (NEJM,

Online First*). ERSPC is the world's largest prostate cancer screening

study and provides robust, independently audited evidence, for the first

time, of the effect of screening on prostate cancer mortality.

The study commenced in the early 1990s involving eight countries –

Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and

Switzerland - with an overall follow-up of up to 12 years. Participants

totalled 182,000 but then narrowed down to 162,000 men in seven

countries, aged 55-69; only those who had not been screened could take

part. The findings are being unveiled at the 24th Annual Congress of the

European Association of Urology (EAU) in Stockholm, Sweden (17 - 21

March 2009).

By initially screening men 55 to 69 years with the PSA marker and

offering regular follow up, this led to an increase in early detection.

Deaths due to metastasized disease were then reduced. Exact data showed

that on average for every 1,408 men screened, 48 had cancer diagnosed

and received treatment, resulting in saving one life. Screening took

place on average every four years with a mean follow-up over nine years.

The cut-off value was a PSA level of 3.0 ng/ml or more. Men with this

reading were then offered a biopsy.

Prof Fritz Schröder, international coordinator of the ERSPC study

explained: " The study shows that PSA screening delivers a 20% reduction

in mortality from prostate cancer. This provides decision makers on

screening policies with important new data on the effectiveness of PSA

testing in preventing deaths. "

" However, the ERSPC is also near to completing additional studies on

quality of life and cost-effectiveness and these must be assessed before

making a decision about the appropriateness of a national prostate

screening policy. "

Worldwide, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death.

Separate ERSPC findings already confirm that approximately 30% of

detected cancers actually have non-aggressive features and are

'indolent' or slow growing. This overdiagnosis is an unavoidable effect

from all cancer screening procedures. With prostate cancer, a new, more

conservative form of monitoring, 'Active Surveillance', might be an

important method to help avoid early invasive treatment.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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