Synthetic Molecules Based on Curcumin Show Promise Against Cancer

Centuries of anecdotal (and more recently, scientific) evidence shows that curcumin—a chemical found in the spice turmeric—is capable of protecting against multiple diseases, including cancer. When ingested, however, curcumin is not absorbed well by the digestive system, instead being mostly eliminated before it can be useful to the body.

Now scientists at Ohio State University have created synthetic compounds based on curcumin that, in the lab at least, kill cancer cells and stop cancer from spreading. The compounds have been tested in computer simulations and, in some cases, in human cells in the lab. The computer-based predictions indicate that the most effective compound developed so far by the Ohio State lab may be effective in up to 50 percent of all breast and prostate cancers. Some of the compounds also show potential to kill pancreatic cancer cells and inhibit cancer cell migration.

The team is planning to continue refining the compounds before advancing to animal studies to test their effectiveness. The scientists hope to develop a chemotherapeutic agent available in pill form.

Vitamin C Injections Shown to Inhibit Cancer in Mice

Thirty years ago, a novel idea for cancer treatment was presented: vitamin C. But, it turned out, it was impossible to consume enough vitamin C to raise ascorbate concentrations to pharmacologically-active levels.

Now a new study funded by the U.S. Government shows that injecting high concentrations of vitamin C stops the spread of cancer and slows growth of tumors by 50 percent—in mice, at least.

The results were positive over a wide variety of cancers, but more research will be needed before human trials can begin.

First Clinical Trials of Engineered Nanoparticles for Treatment of Cancer

The Houston Chronicle reports that clinical trials of gold nanoshells have begun in human patients in an attempt to treat a patient with head and neck cancer. The shells—which are about 120 nanometers in diameter and feature a gold shell over a glass core—are injected into the body intravenously over the course of a day. A small amount—about 1 percent—become embedded in tumors. The rest wash out of the body harmlessly.

The nanoparticles that become lodged in the tumors are then excited by infrared light, which causes the shells to heat up and burn away the tumor without damaging healthy cells nearby.

This trial marks the first time engineered nanomaterials have been tested on humans. I find this research to be truly exciting, and I hope the clinical trials go well as it could have promise for treatment of many kinds of tumors. It is not, however, a cure for cancer, as Congressman John Culberson once called it. Hopefully, though, it will bring us a step closer and improve survivability of some types of cancer.

New Prostate Cancer Treatment Works Wonders

The Los Angeles Times is running a story today about a prostate cancer study conducted in Britain that resulted in a dramatic shrinkage in prostate tumors, resulting in a survival rate that more than doubled for 70% to 80% of patients in the trial with aggressive cancers. The drug used in the study, called abiraterone, should be available by 2011.

The drug works by blocking an enzyme called cytochrome P17, which helps convert cholesterol to testosterone. By doing so, the drug blocks the ability of the body to produce testosterone, which fuels prostate cancer. The drug also blocks the production of estrogen.

The initial study consisted of only 21 patients, but a new study is underway involving 250, and early results seem to show the same progress. A study is also underway to evaluate the drug's use for breast cancer, but no results have been released yet.

Most patients diagnosed with prostate cancer die within six months. Some of the patients in the original study have been on the treatment for as long as 32 months and are still doing well, with smaller tumors and less pain. And considering that the patients used in these trials were at the end stage of the disease, with aggressive tumors in the worst stage of cancer, and for whom normal treatments such as chemical castration were ineffective, these results are spectacular.

When the drug is released to the market, I suspect that it will quickly become a first-line treatment for prostate cancer, replacing chemical castration. If that happens, the survival rate for prostate cancer should improve greatly.

Can Gardasil Cause Medical Problems?

Could the HPV vaccine Gardasil^TM be causing medical problems ranging from nausea to death? Maybe, says the CDC, which is investigating. Over the past two years, 7,802 "adverse event reports" have been filed related to Gardasil. Fifteen of them claimed that the vaccine caused the death of the patient. Only ten of those cases were confirmed, and none of them were actually linked to the vaccine.

But what about the other symptoms? In one case, a girl developed fever and pain shortly after receiving the Gardasil injection. She was admitted to the hospital where she underwent two surgeries for pancreatitis and spent weeks recovering. But were her symptoms related to the vaccine or not? Could it be a coincidence? Did she just happen to get the shot as she was developing pancreatitis?

It's hard to say. Scientists and doctors are looking into it now to try to make a determination.

In the meantime, though, I feel I should point out that more than 8 million women and girls in the U.S. alone have received the injection over the past two years, which puts that 7,802 "adverse event reports" at a frequence below 0.1 percent. So even if they all do turn out to be related to the vaccine—which is highly unlikely—the likelihood of a negative reaction is extremely low, and must be weighed against the risk of HPV and cervical cancer. In some cases, the treatment can be worse than the condition it's meant to treat, but I don't believe this is one of those cases.

Colon Cancer Vaccine May Be Possible

A protein found in the intestines may lead the way to a vaccine that can treat colon cancers, and perhaps other tumors, too, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University. The protein, called Guanylyl cyclase C protein, or GCC protein, is normally only expressed in the intestinal lining and in colorectal cancer cells when they are spreading.

The researchers injected mice with colorectal cancer cells, some before immunization with GCC and some after. Unvaccinated animals had an average of 30 new tumors in the lungs and liver. Vaccinated animals had an average of three—not total immunity, but a considerably lower rate. The vaccinated mice also lived longer.

These results will need to be duplicated before human trials can begin, but this could be good news for the 1.2 million patients a year diagnosed with colon cancer globally.

Body's Own Immune System Used to Wipe Out Cancer

New research reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that researchers have succeeded in using a patient's own immune system to destroy late-stage malignant tumor cells. The researchers, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, say that this is the first time that immunotherapy has worked on its own, without assistance from drugs or chemotherapy.

The researchers used CD4+ infection-fighting blood T-cells from a patient and cloned them in vitro. Once they had about five billion of the cloned cells, the infused them back into the patient. Two months later, the patient's PET and CT scans revealed that the patient was tumor free. Two years later, he remained free of cancer.

Lead study author Cassian Yee says that the process has only been tried on a single patient so far. Another trial involving between 10 and 20 patients will begin soon and, if that test and subsequent trials are successful, this therapy could become a viable treatment option within five years.

Lifestyle Changes Can Alter Gene Expression

A recent pilot study conducted at UCSF examined the effects of dramatic lifestyle change on gene expression within the prostate, New Scientist reports. The lifestyle changes included healthy eating, moderate exercise, stress management, and psychotherapy. For the study, biopsies were taken before a lifestyle change, and again three months later.

Many genes, including several involved in tumor formation, were less active following the lifestyle changes, while others—including some genes involved in fighting diseases—were more active. The results suggest the mechanism that allows healthier lifestyle choices to help slow the progression and reduce the risk of cancer.

This pilot study will almost certainly lead to newer, larger studies that will determine over longer periods of time whether these changes are actually effective in slowing or preventing cancer, but the results are promising and they open the door to a new wave of research.

Tumor Suppressor Genes Affect Aging

On Friday the Mayo Clinic announced that its researchers had shown that—in mice, at least—a pair of tumor suppression genes had a significant impact on aging. Their findings were published in the online issue of Nature Cell Biology.

The researchers discovered that when the tumor suppression gene p16 was over-expressed, tissues in their mice models started aging rapidly. But when the p19 gene was overexpressed, it counteracted the effects of p16, retarding aging.

Whether these results will have any implications for humans is yet to be determined.

Nanotubes May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times are running articles today highlighting a study reported in Nature Nanotechnology about the possible dangers of carbon nanotubes. These nano-scale structures, discovered in 1991, have potential for a massive number of industrial and commercial uses in the decades to come, but apparently come with some risks.

The researchers conducted a pilot study by injecting both long (20 micron) and short (5 micron) nanotubes into the abdominal cavities of mice. While the short nanotubes had little or no effect, the longer nanotubes caused lesions similar to those caused by asbestos, which the researchers believe would likewise cause mesothelioma, a form of cancer commonly caused by asbestos.

The results are preliminary, and the investigators point out that they did not study how easily nanotubes can become airborne or whether they become lodged in the lungs if inhaled. More research is needed into the harmfulness of nanotubes.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

From the L.A. Times and Mount Sinai Hospital comes a report that breast cancer patients who had below-normal levels of vitamin D when diagnosed were a staggering 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize, and 73% more likely to die within 10 years of diagnosis.

These results are preliminary and it is far too early for doctors to begin advising women to take vitamin D to help combat cancer. That said, striving for 100% of the daily recommended amount would be wise anyway. Vitamin D has a number of beneficial effects on the body, although taking too much can also cause problems. The best form of vitamin D, D₃, is produced naturally in the body due to exposure to sunlight, and is considered the most useful form.

So spending more time in the sunlight may have beneficial effects for helping fight breast cancer or preventing its spread. But be careful not to get skin cancer from over-exposure!

Advances in Cancer Research

Some good news this week for people who are concerned about cancer (which is pretty much everyone, I would imagine). Over the past few days, a number of news articles have come out announcing the latest advances in treating and preventing cancer.

An Apple a Day
First, last Friday, researchers at Cornell University announced that they had found a dozen compounds, called triterpenoids, in apple peel that either inhibit or kill cancer cells in laboratory cultures. Three of the compounds had not previously been described in the literature.

Brush on the Marinade, Hold Off the Cancerous Compounds
Then yesterday, the Food Safety Consortium at the University of Arkansas announced that seasoning grilled meat with certain combinations of marinades and spices could not only improve the flavor, but could help fight cancer. Marinades containing rosemary and thyme had the greatest effect on reducing Heterocyclic amines (HCAs), but two other marinades with different herbs seasonings were tested and found to be almost as effective. The rosemary/thyme marinade also contained pepper, allspice and salt. Another marinade included oregano, thyme, garlic and onion. A third marinade had oregano, garlic, basil, onion and parsley.

Liver Cancer Breakthrough Found
Finally, also yesterday, the AP had an article about a breakthrough in treatment of liver cancer. For the first time, doctors said they have found a pill that improves survival for people with liver cancer, a notoriously hard to treat disease diagnosed in more than half a million people globally each year. Patients on the treatment, sorafenib, survived 10.7 months versus almost 8 months for those on dummy pills.

So good progress on the cancer front from all sides.

A Better Way to Deliver Chemotherapy

Reuters reports on an article from the May issue of Cancer Cell Magazine about Australian company EnGeneIC's plans to more precisely target chemotherapy.

The method involves using antibodies on their surface of bacteria-derived nano-cells to target and latch on to cancer cells. Once attached, the nano-cell is engulfed and the chemotherapy drug is released directly inside the cancer cell. This has the advantage of ensuring that the chemotherapy drugs don't affect any bodily tissues other than the tumor(s).

The EnGeneIC delivery vehicles have proven safe in primate trials and resulted in significant cancer regression, and the company hopes to carry out human trials later in 2007 if it gained approval from Australian, U.S., European and Japanese regulatory authorities.

This is good news for all cancer sufferers. Current chemotherapy techniques involve flooding the body with toxic chemicals, much of which poisons the healthy body tissues instead of the tumor. Additionally, current methods use more chemotherapy drugs than would otherwise be necessary due to the fact that only a portion of the drugs reach the tumor site(s).

Researchers Identify New Target for Blocking Cancer Cell Metastasis

Last week, the Van Andel Institute announced that its researchers have identified a protein involved in cancer cell metastasis, called DIP. DIP binds to and inhibits the activity of mDia2, a protein that works to control tumor cell metastasis, or the development of secondary tumors away from the primary cancer site.

When DIP binds to mDia2, it causes the affected cells to change shape and bubble, or bleb. This cell blebbing inhibits the control mDia2 has over tumor cell metastasis and may lead to development of secondary tumors.

If researchers can find a compound that will inhibit DIP, they believe it could prevent cancer cells from metastasizing, vastly improving the survivability of many forms of cancer.

The Debate on the HPV Vaccine

A lot of fuss has been made recently about Merck's new vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), GARDASIL®. Legislation has been proposed in several states mandating the HPV vaccine, which has caused an uproar for various reasons.

One of the concerns is that making a vaccine mandatory is a big decision that the government would be making for people, leaving them no choice. I can't, personally, think of any reason why a woman might decide that she'd rather just take her chances with cancer, but I suppose there are people who would make that decision. The question becomes, should we let them? Or should we put together a program where the vaccine is freely available, but make it an opt-in situation?

Another major reason people have objected is because, it turns out, the main group pushing these legislative actions has been a lobbying firm employed by Merck, who stands to make a sizeable profit off this vaccine, even if it doesn't become mandatory... but an even bigger profit if it does.

My feeling on this latter reason--Merck making huge profits--is this: good for them. Why should we care if somebody makes a profit? They put a lot of time and resources into developing this vaccine. And let's keep something else in mind here: they developed a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer in many cases. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, in 2002 nearly 4,000 women died from cervical cancer and more than 12,000 others were diagnosed with the disease. Merck has invented a product with the ability to save thousands of lives every year, with three separate shots costing about $120 each.

So think about any girl or young woman you know between the ages of 9 and 26 and ask yourself this... is $360 a fair price to pay for a 70% chance of preventing HPV and reducing the risk of cervical cancer?

New Synthesized Compound Shows Promise as Cancer Treatment

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have synthesized a new compound--similar to one produced naturally by a species of sea squirt--that shows exciting results in tests as a cancer treatment. The compound, called AB-5, is a variant of diazonamide A, a toxin produced by Diazona angulata.

What's truly exciting about AB-5 was that, in the initial tests, the compound worked as effectively as existing cancer treatments (paclitaxel and vinblastine) without their side effects of weight loss or reduced white blood cell counts. The AB-5 appears to be very selective in how it affects cells, attacking only cancerous cells.

The reason, the researchers say, is that in cancerous cells, an enzyme known as OAT is necessary for cell mitosis, but the enzyme is not necessary for regular, healthy cells. The AB-5 somehow interacted with the OAT, preventing it from being uses as part of cell mitosis for cancer cells, and thus blocking the cancer cells from reproducing.

The results are preliminary so far, and only tested in mice, but the researchers felt strongly enough about the results to license the research from UT Southwestern and start their own pharmaceutical company, Joyant Pharmaceuticals. I'll be watching this development closely, so stay tuned for future updates.

Two Studies Suggest New Cancer Treatment Path

A pair of studies conducted by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have uncovered a regulatory mechanism for the PTEN gene, a commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene. The regulator, NEDD4-1, controls protein stability in cells, and is found in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus.

The first study found that NEDD4-1 is a key component in eliminating PTEN from cells by adding a molecular tag, ubiquitin, to PTEN causing degradation in the cellular machinery called proteasome. The second study found that the ubiquitination of PTEN by NEDD4-1 also regulates another important aspect of PTEN, its cellular localization.

Both studies showed that the PTEN mutation in patients prevented the addition of ubiquitin by NEDD4-1, providing a molecular mechanism for the detrimental effect of the mutant PTEN protein. They showed that the single ubiquitin tagging is necessary to import PTEN into the cell nucleus where it is protected from degradation and cancer is initiated.

The researchers say that the uncovered key role of PTEN degradation provides a potential route to new therapeutic strategies. They believe that a class of drugs, the proteasome inhibitors, that selectively block the degrading effects of ubiquitination, should now be studied as possible treatments for cancers with PTEN mutations.