Cancer Prevention
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Cancer prevention should be priority one in the war against cancer followed by early detection. This is where the bulk of cancer funding should go but, unfortunately, just the opposite is the rule. Most cancer funding is going to treatments and drug development.

Prevention means that we don't get cancer; there is nothing to detect. However, cancer screening is smart, necessary and should be part of everyone's health program and the earlier, the better; more on screening to follow.

It has been estimated that 80% of cancers are self-inflicted and it that is the case, then 80% of cancers should be completely avoidable. Let's see how smart lifestyle choices can be your personal cancer prevention program.

From the American Cancer Society (ACS), we learn that the use of tobacco products accounts for 30% of all cancer deaths. The ACS describes cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals produced by the burning of tobacco and its additives.

The smoke contains tar, which is made up of more than 4,000 chemicals, including over 60 known to cause cancer. Some of these substances cause heart and lung diseases, and all of them can be deadly.

Most people are surprised at some of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke. The more dangerous include:

cyanide - insecticide, gas chambers

benzene - carcinogenic industrial solvent

formaldehyde - embalming fluid

methanol - antifreeze, windshield washer

acetylene - fuel used in welding

ammonia - toxic and hazardous fertilizer, refrigerant, fuel

Cigarette smoke also contains the poison gases nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. The active ingredient that produces the effect people are looking for is nicotine, an addictive drug.

Cigarettes and other tobacco products cause cancer, pure and simple and these cancers are all self inflicted.

Still feel like "lighting up"?

From "Preventative Medicine", we read that evidence suggests a connection between heavy alcohol consumption and increased risk for cancer, with an estimated 2 to 4 percent of all cancer cases thought to be caused either directly or indirectly by alcohol.

And from the American Cancer Society, a strong association exists between alcohol use and cancers of the esophagus, pharynx, and mouth; with highly likely links between alcohol and liver, breast, and colorectal cancers.

Alcohol caused cancers are associated with abuse of alcohol, not the casual one or two drink a day user. Nevertheless, that 2 to 4 % is another class of avoidable, self-inflicted cancers.

A recent report estimated that, in the United States, 14 percent of deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of deaths in women were due to overweight and obesity.

In 2001, experts concluded that cancers of the colon, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium (the lining of the uterus), kidney, and esophagus are associated with obesity. Some studies have also reported links between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas.

Here are another 3.2 percent of self-inflicted cancers that could be avoided by keeping ones weight within the guidelines for height and weight in the BMI chart. It seems that cancer prevention has many faces.

Starting with Carbohydrates, AKA Sugars

There are numerous articles stating that cancer thrives on sugar. So how can sugar play a role in cancer prevention? It depends on the sugar...not all sugars are the same.

As far back as April 2000, Dr. Stanley Lefkowitz, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Texas Tech School of Medicine, writing on the anti-cancer effects of glyconutrients, went on to say, "Studies in our own laboratory have demonstrated that proteins which have mannose sugars on their surface can activate the macrophage, one of the most important cells involved in fighting cancer.

Binding of mannose to their cell surfaces not only activates the macrophages, but also induces these cells to secrete substances which stimulate other cells of the immune system.

For example, macrophages will secrete interferons which will activate natural killer cells, another white blood cell involved in elimination of cancer cells. Recognition of the importance of mannose in the regulation of the immune system has been reported by others.

Fast forward to August 2006 and the National Institute of General Medical Science's (NIGMS) publication "The Chemistry of Health". On page 26 under the heading "Sweet Therapy" is an account of the research done on mannose by Dr. Hudson Freeze, a biochemist at the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, California.

He found that an absence of mannose gives rise to a collection of diseases known as Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation and supplementing the diets of such people with mannose returned them to normal function.

In the intervening years, thousands of research papers have been published on the science of sugars (glycobiology) and the health benefits they provide, especially in cancer prevention and treatments.

Also from the same NIGMS publication, we read about Chemist Laura Kiessling of the University of Wisconsin. She is researching sugars to down regulate inflammation and prevent cancer cells from sticking together.

Others are using sugars to block the signaling processes inside the cancer cell, and altering the surface of a cancer cell with sugar structures to make it more attractive to cancer killing cells in the immune system.

The latter research flows from Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi at the University of California, Berkeley. Sugars just may turn out to be the magic bullet against many forms of cancer.

Photo: Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi of the Bertozzi Research Group at UC Berkeley and Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Her lab focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

In addition, her group develops nanoscience-based technologies for probing cell function and for medical diagnostics. Dr. Bertozzi is emerging as one of the giants in the field of applied glycobiology.

Mannose and other glyconutrient sugars are commercially available as supplements and should be a routine part of everyone's diet. Whether for cancer prevention or just keeping the immune system in peak shape, it's a smart choice.

Cancer prevention has many facets and this seems to be an ideal place to introduce Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, M.D. PhD and his book, Anti-Cancer, A New Way of Life. He covers all the facets.

The introduction is the seven minute U-Tube video below featuring Dr. Servan-Schreiber speaking about his personal experience with brain cancer and how all of us can both prevent and treat existing cancers through nutrition and by adopting an anti-cancer lifestyle.

His book is a must read and can be purchased from Amazon by clicking the link below.

Anticancer, A New Way of Life, New Edition

By now most people are aware of antioxidants and that they work to protect the body from free radical damage. Free radicals are atoms that have lost an outer shell electron thus giving them the ability to react with or damage molecules that they come in contact with.

Unless our body gets rid of the charged free radicals or neutralizes them, we face the risk of having the DNA in affected cells damaged, leading to uncontrolled replication and the beginning of cancer tumors.

Numerous clinical trials have been conducted or are underway testing whether or not antioxidants are effective in cancer prevention or retardation. The results have been conflicting, raising more questions than they answered.

One problem is that the tests used beta-carotene, vitamins A and E as well as selected minerals in the form of supplements. This approach was taken in order to tightly control the supplement dosages.

In the real world, it is always better to get vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (lycopene, beta-carotene, etc.) from real whole foods. Many tests have confirmed that when a micro-nutrient is separated from its whole food complex, it tends not to work.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably organic, definitely un-processed and eaten raw when possible, are the best sources of the micro-nutrients and fiber our body needs to give us full protection from free radicals.

Nutrition from food, especially the Superfoods, does provide some degree of protection against cancer. So thinking of cancer prevention, what should we be eating to maximize our intake of antioxidants?

The major micro-nutrient antioxidants are Vitamins A, C and E, Selenium, Zinc, Lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein. In general if we eat fresh fruits and vegetables (heavy on the tomatoes), whole grains, nuts (especially almonds and walnuts), and fish, poultry and meats (especially liver).

The fresh fruits and vegetables should include the dark green leafy vegetables; the cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and the like; and colorful produce including berries (especially blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries), apples, mangos, oranges, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and similar.

One problem discussed in the nutrition section of this site is that most commercially farmed fruit and vegetables are deficient in many essential nutrients and supplementation is mandatory. The caveat is that the choice of supplements should be from natural plant sources, not artificially made in a laboratory.

There is mounting evidence that Vitamin D affords some degree of cancer prevention and helps patients undergoing cancer treatments fare better.

A study conducted at the University of Toronto with 512 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients showed that only 23% of the women had adequate vitamin D levels. The rest were either deficient (38%) or insufficient (39%). The study tracked the progress of these patients for 12 years.

The findings were that those with the lowest levels of vitamin D had double the risk of their disease progressing and a 73% greater risk of death.

It seems that all such studies involving any type of natural substance or micro-nutrient usually caveat their conclusions by saying "more studies need to be done". This one is no exception.

Vitamin D is somewhat of a rare vitamin and supplementation is mandatory to maintain sufficient levels. In natural food, it comes from fatty fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks and some fortified foods such as milk, cereals and orange juice.

The expert opinions on how much vitamin D is needed are all over the map. Dr. Pamela Goodwin, MD, who led the study cited above, recommends 200 IU for women up to age 50, 400 IU for ages 51-70 and 600 IU for women 71 and older. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends 1000 units a day in the winter. Excessive level of vitamin D can have some harmful results so care should be taken.

Cancers arising from poor choices in nutrition fall into that self-inflicted 80% mentioned above. We can choose burgers, fries, deep fried chicken and other fast food junk or the fresh produce covered above. Either way, we will live or die from the consequences.

Even when we do all the right things, eat right, exercise, manage stress, don't smoke and get good sleep; life is imperfect and "stuff" happens.

For example, the images below show a polyp discovered during a routine colonoscopy and complete removal of the polyp. If this polyp had not been found and removed it likely would have developed into full blown colon cancer.

It just makes good sense to get screened for certain cancers at periodic intervals as part of a cancer prevention program. After all, it's good feedback to let us know how well our personal prevention program is working.

Also, as we saw in the prior page on cancer stages, the earlier a cancer is detected, the easier and cheaper the cure and the longer the survival rate.

Recommended screening tests according to the American Cancer Society for men and women are itemized below.

For men and women, screening for colon and rectal cancer are desirable and should include: One of several tests to detect cancer and polyps such as a flexible sigmoidoscope every five years, a colonoscopy every ten years, a double contract barium enema every five years or a CT colonoscopy every five years. A fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test each year are good tests for colon cancer.

Women should have annual cervical screenings after age 21 or within three years of having intercourse. Such screenings would be the regular Pap test each year or the newer liquid-based Pap test every two years. After menopause, women should also be alert for signs of uterine cancer.

Men should prostate exams every year after the age of fifty and such screening should include both a digital exam and a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test.

The National Cancer Institute has an excellent website on screening and testing for specific cancers with links to volumes of addtional information and details on each screening technology. Click on NCI Cancer Screening to see the extent of their data files.

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