Cancer cells have a voracious appetite for glucose, a form of sugar, and consume it in much greater amounts than normal cells do. The knowledge of cancer cells’ zest for sugar has led some people to wonder if eating less sugar would restrain tumors’ growth.
While cancer cells do rely on a large intake of glucose to fuel their growth and proliferation, reducing sugar in your diet won’t curb tumors. Read more
For many women who enjoy a glass of wine, research showing that relatively small amounts of alcohol can raise their risk of breast cancer are disconcerting, to say the least. And confusing, too.
How much drinking is OK? Isn’t a glass of red wine a day good for your heart — and couldn’t that be more important?
In the past five or 10 years, knowledge about alcohol and breast cancer has been changing as studies produce new results and are publicized, sometimes over-dramatically, in the media. At the same time, there’s growing evidence that moderate drinking can be healthy for the heart.
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If you’re over 50, have you been screened for colorectal cancer? If not, the month of March would be a great time to talk about screening with your doctor.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in men and women in theUnited States. In 2012, an estimated 141,210 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 49,380 will die of the disease.
But it’s also a very curable cancer when it’s caught early. A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February that tracked patients as long as 20 years shows that colonoscopy screening slashed the colorectal cancer death rate by more than 50 percent.
During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, organizations across the country are holding events and sharing information about the disease, and are encouraging all men and women age 50 to 75 to have a screening test – usually a colonoscopy.
A colonoscopy involves examination of the colon and rectum using a camera-tipped instrument. This method can diagnose cancers early; the test also can prevent cancer from developing, by detecting and removing pre-cancerous polyps.
Though many people dread colonoscopies, with appropriate sedation they are relatively painless. And for people who aren’t at high risk, a colonoscopy every 10 years is sufficient, says Dr. Charles Fuchs, director of Dana-Farber’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center. “Beyond our continuing efforts to define better treatments for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, we continue to focus on the importance of primary prevention through diet and exercise and early detection through regular screening colonoscopies.”
Here are just two leads researchers at the center are looking at:
Sunscreen shouldn’t be packed away just because it’s winter. Your skin can be exposed to harmful rays all year long. So before you hit the slopes, build a snowman, or head off to a tropical beach, take time to protect yourself, say skin cancer specialists at Dana-Farber.
According to the American Cancer Society, snow, ice, and water can all reflect the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn, which in turn increases the risk of developing skin cancer. Some experts say winter sports enthusiasts face just as much risk of getting sunburn as summer sunbathers. Read more
The Super Bowl this weekend is the result of a lot of training and planning (and luck) on the part of the two competing teams. Players have to know their roles and everyone needs to work to the same game plan — and be ready to change tactics in an instant.
In the same way, the specialists overseeing your cancer treatment and long-term care have their own areas of expertise, and you’re an important player on the team. Here’s why:
Know your team
Medical oncologists call the plays, determining the best options for treatment and guiding the care team. They work closely with radiation oncologists and surgical oncologists, ensuring that you get the best care, at each step in your treatment plan. Learn about the important players on your cancer care team.
Know your game plan
But when you’re finished with all of your treatment regimens, oncologist appointments, and follow ups, what’s next?
Here’s where you make the call: Ask for an end-of-treatment summary. This is a document that maps out what you and your doctors already know, summarizing your cancer diagnosis and the steps included in your treatment. This information is important because it can help your primary care physician understand your medical history and better map out a plan for the future. Dana-Farber has created a Survivorship Toolkit (PDF) to guide you through the steps.
Avoid incomplete passes
Since your oncologist won’t be regularly involved in your health care once treatment is over, it’s important to bring your primary care doctor up to speed on any follow-up tests or potential long-term side effects that may arise in the future. This will form the basis of your care plan going forward. Learn more about setting up a care plan after cancer treatment.
Focus on the end zone
Making healthy changes in the way you eat, exercise, and live your life won’t necessarily prevent your cancer from coming back, but it can help you feel better and may also lower your chances of developing other health problems in the future. Find out more about creating a wellness plan that works for you.
Do you have a game plan for wellness after treatment? Tell us in the comments!
There are a lot of good reasons not to gain too much weight, but you might not be aware of this one: Growing evidence links obesity to a higher risk of developing cancer, and being overweight may worsen a cancer patient’s outlook.
Although more and more studies are finding this connection, scientists haven’t uncovered the biological mechanisms by which excess pounds make normal cells more likely to turn cancerous. But they are pursuing a large number of leads, some of which may uncover new ways of fighting cancer – including losing weight.
Sarah Knauss, famous for being among the oldest people in the world until her death at the age of 119, might have had more than just “good genes.” Dana-Farber’s Wayne Marasco, MD, PhD, says that adult stem cells – known for their healing and regenerative properties – might hold the key to a long and healthy life.
Marasco shared his expertise on the subject at the recent International Vatican Conference on Adult Stem Cells in Vatican City, Italy, an event attended by a select group of cardinals, clergy, and leading researchers and physicians from around the world.
“We have learned in the past 10 years that there are all kinds of stem cells that circulate in the blood – they aren’t just found in bone marrow,” said Marasco, of Dana-Farber’s Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS. “There are dozens of studies that support the fact that this is a large and dynamic population of cells that might help us keep our bodies healthy for a longer period of time.” Read more
Traditionally, patients with oral cancers tended to be older individuals with a long history of smoking and heavy alcohol use. In the past decade, however, that picture has changed dramatically.
Today, infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer in the U.S. and Western Europe. Oropharyngeal cancers affect the back of the throat (i.e. the tonsils and base of the tongue). HPV is the same virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer in women.
Patients with HPV-related head and neck cancers are often relatively young, not heavy drinkers or smokers, and come from all segments of society.
Activated by sunlight and present in some foods and supplements, vitamin D has been associated with healthy bones and reducing the risk of diabetes and cancer.
But a new study says that the recommended dose of vitamin D needed to reap these health benefits remains unclear. To help shed some light on the topic, we talked to Dana-Farber’s Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, who has been studying the connection between cancer and vitamin D use, as well as other lifestyle factors.
What is the connection between cancer and vitamin D?
There is a large amount of scientific and observational data that links higher blood levels of vitamin D with a decreased risk of developing cancer, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer. It has also been found to improve cancer survival.
How do I know if I’m getting enough vitamin D?
Physicians can use a blood test, called a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test, to measure how much of the nutrient is in the body. While many consider a vitamin D level of around 30 ng/ml or higher sufficient, we’ve found that the protective effects come from 35-40 ng/ml.
What is the recommended vitamin D dose for an adult?
The Institute of Medicine recommends between 600 – 800 IU. We don’t know what the optimal doses of vitamin D are for cancer prevention and treatment, although we suspect that they’re much higher than this recommendation. It is important to ask your doctor about how much vitamin D is best for you.
Is it better to get vitamin D from a pill or other sources?
Supplements are the best way to take vitamin D. Diet accounts for only 20 percent of vitamin D. A glass of fortified milk, for example, only contains 100 IU of vitamin D and isn’t enough to raise your blood levels. And while spending 10 minutes in the sun without sunblock provides 20,000 IU of vitamin D, there are other health risks to consider, like skin cancer.
Learn more about cancer and vitamin D deficiency.
Are there any vitamin D and cancer clinical trials?
We hope to begin enrolling metastatic colorectal cancer patients in early 2012 for a clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of high doses of vitamin D in combination with chemotherapy. We will be comparing the differences between a standard dose of 400 IU of vitamin D3 with chemotherapy, versus a higher dose of 8,000 IU of vitamin D3 for two weeks, followed by a maintenance dose of 4,000 IU vitamin D3 with chemotherapy.
Walk down the vitamins and supplements aisle of a pharmacy or grocery store, and you’ll see a mind-boggling array of options. It can be hard to know which one is best. And if you’re a cancer patient looking for the right dietary supplement, there are even more issues to take into account. How do you know what’s the best – and safest – choice?
Whether you are a cancer patient or survivor, these tips can help you avoid unforeseen side-effects:
If you’re going through cancer treatment, you may have special dietary restrictions, or you may need help managing side effects that make eating a challenge. Find out more about meal planning for cancer patients and survivors. Or, talk to a nutritionist or registered dietitian to explore options for healthy eating. Learn about Nutrition Services at Dana-Farber.
By Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN. Kennedy is a senior clinical nutritionist for Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and a Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition.
