NCC - Can-Help News

1.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) , April 20, 2005

- A diet containing lots of processed meats, like hot dogs and sausages, raises the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a large multiethnic study unveiled on Wednesday.

The researchers found that heavy consumers of processed meats -- 40 grams a day or more -- were 67 percent more likely to develop cancer of the pancreas than study participants with the lowest intake.

In addition, a diet rich in pork and red meat -- 70 grams a day or more -- also increased pancreatic cancer risk by about 50 percent, according to the survey-based study. This seven-year study examined the relationship between diet and pancreatic cancer in 190,545 men and women of African-American, Japanese-American, Caucasian, Latino and Native Hawaiian descent.

The results were reported a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California.

2.

Cure for cancer 'in 10 years'

DEATH from cancer will be a thing of the past within 10 years, a world expert claims. New screening techniques and knowledge can transform it from a killer to merely a complaint, according to the director of the US National Cancer Institute.

Andrew von Eschenbach, 63, a urologist who has survived three bouts of cancer, made his assertion to the American Association of Cancer Research in Anaheim, California.

"This is something you've never heard before," he told 16,000 leading cancer specialists.

"By 2015, we can eliminate cancer suffering and death."

Dr von Eschenbach conceded that taming cancer might seem like an unreachable goal. But he pointed out that when American cycling hero Lance Armstrong was born in 1971, there was virtually no chance of surviving testicular cancer which had spread to the brain, lymph nodes and lungs. When Armstrong was diagnosed in 1996, he was not only able to survive it but went on to win the Tour de France for the sixth time last year, where Dr von Eschenbach stood at the finish line with Armstrong's mother.

Scientists now understand the genetic mechanisms that cause cancer and can develop treatments to interrupt these. Half of men and a third of women would develop cancer in their lifetime, the conference was told.

Cancer is made up of 200 diseases. In the past 20 years, survival rates have doubled to 64 per cent, scientist Anna Barker said.

Reported in The Courier-News, Queensland 19 April 2005

3.

Chilli and Brocolli Help Prevent Cancer

WASHINGTON (Reuters), 19 Apr 2005 - Broccoli and red chili peppers may help fight cancer by slowing the growth of cancerous tumor cells, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

They may be especially helpful in hard-to-treat cancers such as pancreatic and ovarian cancer, the team at the University of Pittsburgh said.

"In our studies, we decided to look at two particular cancers -- ovarian and pancreatic -- with low survival rates, to ascertain the contribution of diet and nutrition to the development of these cancers," said Sanjay Srivastava, who led the study.

"We discovered that red chili pepper and broccoli appear to be effective inhibitors of the cancer process."

Speaking to a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California, Srivastava said he and colleagues tested capsaicin, which makes peppers hot, against pancreatic cancer cells in a lab dish.

The compound caused the cancer cells to self-destruct in a process called apoptosis, while not affecting normal pancreatic cells.

"Our results demonstrate that capsaicin is a potent anticancer agent, induces apoptosis in cancer cells and produces no significant damage to normal pancreatic cells, indicating its potential use as a novel chemotherapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer," Srivastava said.

His team also examined phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a constituent of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, on ovarian cancer cells.

PEITC interfered with a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor, which is involved in the growth of ovarian and other cancerous tumors.

The studies may help explain why people who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of cancer, Srivastava said.