A study presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research concluded that a low intake of lycopene in the diet may be a risk factor for lung cancer. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and is most readily found in tomatoes.

In the study, researchers collected blood samples from 93 patients with non-small cell lung cancer and matched with 102 controls. The blood samples were tested for levels of micronutrients that included retinol, lycopene, and Beta-carotene. The found significant differences in the two groups in the level of lycopene, that is, there was much lower levels in the lung cancer patients.
After adjusting for age, race, gender, drinking and smoking habits, use of vitamin supplements, exposure at work, and the season, they found that the lung cancer group who had the lowest levels of lycopene had an almost a threefold increased risk of lung cancer than the group with the highest level of lycopene. In addition, when evaluating current smokers they found that those with the lowest levels of lycopene had four times the risk of lung cancer than those with the highest levels. The researchers concluded that although their results are preliminary they add to the growing body of research that shows a relationship between lycopene and cancer risks.

In a new study reported in Cell, the researchers concluded that by reversing muscle wasting (cachexia) in mice with cancer they can extend their life even as the tumor continues to grow. Nearly 30% of cancer deaths have been attributed to cachexia. Knowing that activin is secreted by tumors and another protein, myostatin, when deficient or blocked grows bigger muscles, they decided to treat mice with cancer that were exhibiting cachexia with a kind of molecular decoy that potentially prohibits both activin and myostatin thereby reversing muscle loss and extending the life of the mice by several weeks. They said “in tumor-bearing mice with profound cachexia, blocking this pathway not only prevents muscle wasting but completely reverses the loss of muscle, strength and anorexia.” Results show that by combating cachexia it may be possible to extend life of those with cancer but clinical trials and further research is needed.

In a study that appeared in the August 1 issue of Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed journal, researchers reported that pancreatic cancer cells use sugar fructose to activate a cellular pathway that drives cell division and helps the cancer cells grow more quickly. They stated “In this study, we show that cancer cells can use fructose just as readily as glucose to fuel their growth.”

The researchers used pancreatic cells from patients and cultured and grew them in petri dishes. Then they added glucose to one set of cells and fructose to another. They were able to determine what the sugars were being used for by following the carbon-labeled sugars in the cells using mass spectrometry. They found that even though the glucose and fructose sugars are similar in structure they were metabolized in very different ways. The pancreatic cancer cells used the fructose in the transketolase-driven non-oxidative pentose phoshate pathway to generate nucleic acids that are the building blocks of RNA and DNA needed by the cancer cells to divide and proliferate.

The researchers quoted an article that stated between 1970 and 1990 the consumption of fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) increased over 1,000 percent in the United States. It is added to foods and beverages and is the sole sweetener used in American soft drinks. They believe there should be a federal effort to reduce the use of fructose in the United States.

In a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, researchers reported that meat related compounds in the processing methods may increase the risk of bladder cancer. In this prospective study-the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study- the researchers used data gathered from 300,000 men and women aged 50 to 71 years on questionnaires that assessed the type of meat consumed, and how it was prepared and cooked. At the beginning of the study in 1995 to 1996 the subjects completed dietary and lifestyle questionnaires about their usual consumption of foods and drinks. Followed over 8 years 854 of the subjects developed bladder cancer.
Those whose diet was highest in total dietary nitrite from all sources and those who had the highest amount of nitrate and nitrite from processed meats had a 28 to 29% increased rate of developing bladder cancer compared with those who consumed the lowest amount of nitrate and nitrite. Further studies are recommended and more information is available in the original article.

A research report in the journal Clinical Cancer Research reported finding genetically abnormal cells in blood of non-small cell lung cancer patients that match abnormal cells found in tumor cells and these increase as the disease progresses. Lung cancer patients also had many more of these circulating in the blood than in the blood of closely matched controls. The researchers believe further research will show that these circulating abnormal cells are circulating non-small cell lung cancer cells. They said “Blood tests of these circulating tumor cells could be used to diagnose lung cancer earlier, monitor response to therapy and detect residual disease in patients after treatment.” To detect the abnormal cells the researchers used a technique called fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and believe this is the first time this technique has been used this way.
Using 12 biomarker probes that target aberrations previously connected to lung cancer they analyzed 59 cases of non-small cell lung cancer and 24 controls including smokers and non-smokers. Findings showed 1) a highly significant difference in the average number of abnormal cells in the blood of cases and controls. 2) abnormal cells were significantly associated with the stage of the disease with cells increasing as the disease progressed. 3) Eight of the biomarkers had a strong overall correlation between the circulating abnormal cells and tumors. More information can be found in the above named journal.

Research presented at the 2010 Institute od Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo concluded that as many as 1 out of 3 cancer deaths in humans and dogs could be prevented by cutting calories and reducing Omega-6 fatty acids. They stated that too much Omega-6 from fats found in corn-oil, vegetable oil, and grain fed red meat can lead to inflammation that in turn creates an environment conducive to cancer. In addition, to reducing Omega-6 fats they suggested reducing calories especially sugar that causes obesity and also feeds and encourages the growth of cancer cells. Obesity has been shown to limit the production of adiponectin, a hormone that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Research published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology concluded that men who suffered from eczema had a lower risk of lung cancer and those having a history of asthma had a lower risk of stomach cancer. The researchers believe the hyper-reactive immune system of these sufferers may have enabled the elimination of the abnormal cells more efficiently.

Data were collected on 3,300 men ages 35 to 70 between August 1976 and March 1986 who had been diagnosed with cancer and a control group of 516 people who did not have cancer. Using group data researchers determined whether there was a link between allergies such as asthma and eczema and the incidence of eight most common types of cancer. Although they were unable to identify which factors related to asthma and eczema were responsible for reducing the risk of cancer, the findings offered new possibilities for research involving immunological and molecular mechanisms that may eventually provide opportunities for prevention.

In a study reported in the journal The Prostate researchers found that a high fat diet resulted in activation of NF-kB in the abdominal cavity, thymus, spleen, and prostate in mice studies and concluded “Our studies provide evidence that a high-fat diet increases the activation of NF-kB along with elevated levels of NADPH oxidase components which might lead to intraprostatic inflammation” and this strengthens the link between a high-fat diet and possible prostatic disease including BPH and prostate cancer. In the study non-obese
NF-kB reporter mice were provided a high fat diet for 4, 8 and 12 weeks and a second group were fed a regular diet. The high fat diet group had a significant increase in prostate weight, and prostate expression of markers of oxidative stress and increased inflammation. This provided evidence that a high fat diet causes proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress that can lead to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), prostatitis, and cancer of the prostate.

Research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention concluded that regular use of fish oil may reduce the risk of breast cancer. Researchers asked over 35,000 post-menopausal women who did not have breast cancer to complete a questionaire about their use of non-vitamin. non-mineral “specialty” supplements in the Vitamins and Lifestyle cohort study. Following 6 years there were 880 cases of breast cancer. Those who regularly used fish oil supplements with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA had a 32% reduced risk of developing breast cancer. Other supplements commonly taken by post menopausal women did not show an association with breast cancer risk. The researchers cautioned that these findings should not be considered final without replicated studies. Further studies are planned by the researcher.

Research published in the May/June issue of the journal Gut Microbes suggests that a shift in the balance of the good and bad bacteria in the gut could be associated with colon cancer. Using molecular methods that have evolved to the point where all bacteria in the gut can be identified and characterized the researchers studied biopsies from 45 patients undergoing colonoscopies. They found that there was a higher bacterial diversity and richness in individuals found to have adenomas than in those without these colorectal cancer precursors. A particular group called Proteobacteria was higher than in the controls but it is not clear whether these follow the development of the adenoma or were the cause of the adenoma. Further research is planned in animal models to see if these or other bacteria promote cancer growth. Additional samples from up to 600 patients will be analyzed. The researchers stated “What a great way to address colon cancer–you could know your risk and lower it by eating your yogurt every day.”