What You Need to Know About Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (also called CLL) is a blood and bone marrow disease that usually gets worse slowly. CLL is the second most common type of leukemia in adults. It often occurs during or after middle age; it rarely occurs in children.
Normally, the body makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that become mature blood cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell.
A myeloid stem cell becomes one of three types of mature blood cells:

Read More

All About Esophageal Cancer

Learn who is at risk for esophageal cancer and how to recognize the signs of this relatively uncommon cancer.

As you eat, you probably don't think much about how your food will get from your mouth to your stomach. But all the while, your body is at work in the fairly complex process that is digestion, and it all starts with your esophagus — the tube that carries the food into your stomach. And like many other parts of the body, the esophagus is susceptible to cancer.
There are two main types of esophageal cancer, squamous cell esophageal cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Squamous cell esophageal cancer, the most common type, affects the cells that form the interior lining of the esophagus. Esophageal adenocarcinoma develops in the tissues found in the base of the esophagus, nearest the stomach.
Risk Factors for Esophageal Cancer

Read More

What is Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer?

Oral, head, and neck cancer is a broad term that describes many different cancers that start in the head and neck. Learn about the different types and some common risk factors.

Most oral, head, and neck cancers begin in the cells that make up the moist tissues (mucosal surfaces) of the head and neck, including in the mouth, nose, and throat. Like other cancers, oral, head, and neck cancers occur when abnormal cells begin to grow and divide uncontrollably and form a mass, called a malignant tumor.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that 85 percent of oral, head, and neck cancers are linked to tobacco use. Men (age 50 or older) who use both tobacco and alcohol are at the highest risk.
Cancers of the brain, eye, thyroid, as well as the skin, bones, muscles and nerves of the head and neck are not included under the heading of "oral, head and neck" cancer.

Print a Coupon for Fortify™ Probiotics

Read More

What You Need to Know About Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer Cells

Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues make up the pancreas and the other organs of the body.
Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells grow old or get damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes, this process goes wrong. New cells form when the body doesn’t need them, and old or damaged cells don’t die as they should. The buildup of extra cells often forms a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.

Print a Coupon for Fortify™ Probiotics

Read More

Learning About Different Types of Skin Cancer

Get an overview of common forms of skin cancer, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma as well as the potentially more deadly melanoma.

Many people know that skin cancer is something they should be concerned about, especially as it's becoming increasingly common. But while most have probably heard about the dangers of skin melanoma, they may not be as aware of the other skin cancer types, which can also be harmful and require prevention, screening, and treatment.
Skin Cancer Types
The most common forms of skin cancer are:

Read More

Physical activity linked to lower death risk in men with localized prostate cancer

A Round 1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. But a new study suggests men with localized prostate cancer could reduce their risk of all-cause and prostate cancer-specific mortality simply by exercising more.

Walking or cycling for 20 minutes a day or more was found to lower the risk of death for men with localized prostate cancer.

The researchers - including Stephanie Bonn of the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden - publish their findings in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer will have been diagnosed this year, and almost 30,000 men will have died from the disease.

Past studies have suggested that physical activity may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. But Bonn and colleagues say very few studies have investigated the effects of exercise following a prostate cancer diagnosis.

"The aim of this study," the researchers explain, "was to investigate the effect of physical activity after a prostate cancer diagnosis on both overall and prostate cancer-specific mortality in a large cohort."

Read More

New cancer report shows need to reduce disparities and address growth in patient numbers

A new report on cancer incidence and mortality in Australia highlights the urgent need to address disparities in treatment outcomes and prepare for an increasing number of cancer patients, Cancer Council has said.

Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Ian Olver, said Cancer in Australia 2014, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, showed a continuation of recent trends, with improved overall survival mixed with barriers for specific groups.

"The report shows that around 67% of Australians diagnosed with cancer can expect to be alive in five years, which reflects improvements in prevention, early detection and treatment," Professor Olver said.

"While this is good news, the report also highlights the relatively slow progress in improving outcomes for specific population groups. For example, Indigenous Australians are far more likely to be diagnosed with cancers of the cervix, liver and lung than non-Indigenous Australians.

"To close that gap in the cancer burden, we need to reduce the impact of hepatitis infection on liver cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, help to ensure Indigenous women benefit more from the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer and do a lot more to cut smoking rates in Indigenous communities."

Read More

CDC: indoor tanning among American youth is decreasing

A New report by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds there has been an overall reduction in indoor tanning among American high school students between 2009 and 2013. Last year, however, more than a fifth of female high school students still engaged in indoor tanning - a major risk factor for skin cancer.

Between 2009 and 2013, the percentage of female high school students who engaged in indoor tanning reduced from 25.4% to 20.2%.

The research team, including Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD, of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), publish their findings in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

Skin cancer accounts for almost half of all cancer cases in the US, making it the most common form of cancer in the country. Each year, more than 3.5 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer. Of the 13,000 skin cancer deaths annually, melanoma - the most severe form of the disease - is accountable for more than 9,700.

Read More

2 knock-out punches delivered to glioblastoma cells by orphan receptor proteins

Two related proteins exert a lethal double whammy effect against glioblastoma cells when activated with a small molecule, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The scientists say when activated, one protein, called the short form, stops glioblastoma cells from replicating their DNA, and the other, called the long form, prevents cell division if the DNA has already been replicated, explains Rebecca Riggins, PhD, assistant professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi. The study was posted online recently in the journal Cell Cycle.

Both proteins are produced by the estrogen-related receptor beta (ERRβ) gene. They are known as "orphan receptors" because they don't bind to any substances naturally produced by the body. ERRβ proteins are similar in shape to the receptor that binds the hormone estrogen -- hence their name -- but they do not bind estrogen and are not otherwise related. Both men and women have ERRβ genes.

Read More

Claims of a universal cure for cancer 'misleading'

"A cure for all cancers is on the way" was the frankly bizarre claim on the front page of the Daily Express, not least because the study it was "reporting" on involved blind mole rats, not humans.

Admittedly, the blind mole rat (Spalax) is an intriguing creature worthy of study. It spends its life underground, is tolerant of very low oxygen levels, has a lifespan of more than 20 years, and, most importantly, doesn't seem to develop cancer.

In this study researchers gave blind mole rats potent cancer-causing chemicals either through injections or applied directly to the skin, but the animals didn't develop cancer.

Remarkably, connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) taken from the blind mole rat even prevented the growth of human cancer cells when they were grown together in the laboratory.

Read More

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking'

Two new studies conclude that low protein intake may hold the key to a long and healthy life, at least until old age. They also emphasize the need to examine not only calories when deciding what constitutes a healthy diet, but also where those calories come from - such as whether protein is animal or plant-based.

Another key finding is the suggestion that while a high-protein diet may in the short term help people lose weight and body fat, in the long term it may harm health and reduce lifespan.

Both studies are published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The first study was led by Valter Longo, a professor at the University of Southern California, who counts longevity and cell biology among his areas of expertise.

He and his colleagues showed that high protein consumption is linked to increased risk of cancer, diabetes and death in middle-aged adults, although this was not the case for older adults who may benefit from moderate protein consumption. Also, the effect is much reduced when the protein comes from plant sources.

The second study was led by Stephen Simpson, a professor at the University of Sydney in Australia, whose group works at the interface of physiology, ecology, and behavior. From studying mice, he and his fellow authors concluded that diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates are linked to the longest lifespans.

Both studies suggest it is not just calories, but also diet composition - particularly in terms of amount and type of protein - that may determine the length and health of a lifespan.

Prof. Longo says:

"We studied simple organisms, mice and humans, and provide convincing evidence that a high- protein diet - particularly if the proteins are derived from animals - is nearly as bad as smoking for your health."

Read More