chemotherapy Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Researchers Admit: Chemo Worsens Quality of Life with No Benefit of Overall Survival in Advanced Stage Cancer

The AHA! Team — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:22:16 +0000

Dena Schmidt via NaturalHealth365 – Chemo, as a treatment for cancer, has always been controversial with many patients and healthcare providers doubting its efficacy and safety as a cancer treatment. Bottom line: chemotherapy does trigger more harmful effects than beneficial ones, in many cases. Now, researchers admit that chemotherapy can actually accelerate deterioration in cases of late-stage cancer who still have the mobility and energy for daily activities. Another study published in JAMA Oncology also showed that cancer patients with limited or moderate functioning ability feel worse when undergoing chemotherapy. Is chemo worth the effort? The risks and side effects exposed In the words of the study author and lead researcher, Dr. Holly Prigerson, cancer patients who feel good have “the most to lose and the least to gain” through undergoing chemotherapy. Prigerson is a palliative care researcher at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Weill Cornell Medical College. The side effects of chemotherapy are numerous and include loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, constipation, bladder issues, bleeding, bruising, edema, hair loss, fatigue, infections, neutropenia, lymphedema, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, throat and mouth issues, nerve issues, pain, sexual and fertility issues, insomnia, and more. Other medical professionals have expressed similar concerns regarding chemotherapy administered near a patient’s death. Doctors have long debated whether the strong, toxic chemicals used in chemotherapy bring enough positive effects to justify the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. Some have referred to this practice of administering chemo to clients with late-stage cancers as harmful at worst and wasteful at best. Cancer patient warning: Chemotherapy hazards outweigh gains and benefits The above study monitored the chemotherapy effects that 312 cancer patients experienced in their final week of life at six oncology clinics in the United States. Within this group, chemotherapy tended to be administered most often to those who were younger, more educated, receiving treatment at a university medical facility, had pancreatic or breast tumors, and presented additional issues besides cancer. They also were able to engage in their normal daily activities. To assess chemotherapy’s impact, caregivers were interviewed shortly after these patients died. Among those who had high functionality in their last week of life, chemotherapy was shown to reduce their quality of life dramatically, even beyond the impact of being in intensive care or on a ventilator. A lower quality of life was reported versus similar patients who didn’t receive chemo. Sound the alarm: Quality of life should be considered in end-stage cancer cases At the very least, clinical guidelines should be reviewed and revised to adjust for this potential harm from chemotherapy near the end of life. After all, quality of life matters in all cancer cases, and areas like pain control, addressing insomnia, and boosting mood, as well as the potential side effects of chemotherapy, should be given greater consideration. Clearly, chemotherapy isn’t helping patients feel better or live longer in many cases. While the objective is often to fight cancer and tumors with every option, terrible side effects and erosion of quality of life are a heavy price to pay. We would hope that medical professionals take a more cautious approach to prescribing chemotherapy, especially in late-stage cases. Editor’s note: Discover the best ways to avoid cancer cell growth naturally, own the Stop Cancer Docu-Class created by NaturalHealth365 Programs. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Jamanetwork.com Cancer.gov Reuters.com To read the original article click here.

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Adding Immunotherapy to Chemotherapy After Surgery Improves Survival in Colon Cancer

The AHA! Team — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 05:43:16 +0000

Mayo Clinic via News-Medical – Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and while screening has helped detect and prevent colon cancer from spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have lagged. Now, new research led by Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center found that adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery for patients with stage 3 (node-positive) colon cancer – and with a specific genetic makeup called deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) – was associated with a 50% reduction in cancer recurrence and death compared to chemotherapy alone. Approximately 15% of people diagnosed with colon cancer exhibit dMMR and, to date, these tumors appear less sensitive to chemotherapy. The results of the multi-center study were presented during a plenary session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. “The findings from our study represent a major advance in the adjuvant treatment of dMMR stage 3 colon cancer and will now change the treatment for this type of cancer,” says oncologist Frank Sinicrope, M.D., who led the study. “It’s extremely rewarding to be able to offer our patients a new treatment regimen that can reduce the risk of recurrence and improve their chances of survival.” Until now, the standard treatment after surgery for any stage 3 colon cancer has been chemotherapy. However, the researchers note that approximately 30% of patients experience cancer recurrence despite this treatment. The clinical trial enrolled 712 patients with dMMR stage 3 colon cancer that had been surgically removed and who had cancer cells in their lymph nodes. The immunotherapy given in this study was an immune checkpoint inhibitor, known as atezolizumab, which activates one’s immune system to attack and kill cancer cells, which are responsible for cancer recurrence and spread. The patients – who lived in the U.S. and Germany – received chemotherapy for six months along with immunotherapy and then continued with immunotherapy alone for another six months. Dr. Sinicrope and others previously studied patients with colon cancer whose cells are unable to repair errors during DNA replication that create a nucleotide mismatch, a condition called dMMR. They noted that these patients’ tumors showed a striking increase in inflammatory cells within the tumor, including those that express the target of immune checkpoint inhibitors. This sparked the idea of using immune checkpoint inhibitors to make the immune cells more effective in attacking and killing the cancer cells. Based on the data from this study, Dr. Sinicrope recommends this combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment to be the new standard treatment for stage 3 deficient mismatch repair colon cancer. The research team plans to approach the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit organization consisting of 33 leading cancer centers, including Mayo Clinic, with this recommendation. The study included patients with Lynch syndrome, the most common form of hereditary colon cancer, as these patients can have tumors that show deficient mismatch repair (dMMR). We’re changing the paradigm in colon cancer treatment. By using immunotherapy at earlier stages of disease, we are achieving meaningful benefits for our patients.” -Frank Sinicrope, M.D., Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Source: Mayo Clinic To read the original article click here.

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Chemotherapy May Fuel Cancer Regrowth: New Research Reveals Disturbing Findings

The AHA! Team — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 05:27:38 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – According to current statistics, about one million people a year (in the U.S. alone) undergo chemotherapy in an attempt to beat cancer. Yet this toxic treatment has a poor success rate in treating most kinds of cancer, and its benefits can be short-lived. Making the picture even grimmer is the fact that cancer recurrence after chemotherapy is frequently deadly. Now, from the front lines of cancer research comes the disturbing news that one particular type of chemotherapy can actually lead to cancer regrowth and recurrence. One approach to treating cancer creates a breeding ground for cancer stem cells Chemotherapy-induced senescence, often touted as a new weapon in cancer therapy, involves “putting cancer cells to sleep.” The protocol is intended to place cancer cells in a state of arrested growth, where they are alive but not dividing. While senescence is supposed to prevent further cancerous growth, new research shows that it can serve as a sort of “nursery” and safe harbor for cancer stem cells – the most dangerous and treatment-resistant type of cancer cells. A pair of recent studies reveal the consequences of therapy-induced senescence. In an explosive article published in Frontiers in Oncology, Markus Schosserer, Ph.D., wrote that there is ample evidence that senescent cancer cells can produce inflammatory molecules that promote a rich environment for cancer regrowth. In a breakthrough German study published in Nature, the team presented startling conclusions: senescence not only helps cancer cells avoid death but actually transforms them into cancer stem cells. This is very bad news, as stem cells – which can break from a tumor and metastasize throughout the body – are also the most resistant to treatment. Cancer cells can “outmaneuver” induced senescence In the German study, researchers examined human lymphoma cells treated with drugs to induce senescence and discovered they were developing “stemness.” In other words, the lymphoma cells started to express genes vital for maintaining stem cell function. When the team “released” the cancer cells from senescence, they discovered an alarming outcome. The cells began to multiply again – and more rapidly than those that had not become senescent. Although senescence is supposed to be irreversible, the team found evidence that cancer cells can escape it on their own – without the help of the genetic manipulation they used. Testament to this unfortunate possibility is that the scientists found more previously senescent stem cells in tumor patients after lymphoma recurred than had existed in the same individuals when they received their initial treatment. This demonstrated to the scientists that at least some cells had “figured out” how to outwit senescence. Noted professor of experimental oncology Dr. Jan Paul Medema commented, ‘There is compelling evidence … that … when cancer cells escape from senescence, they have an enhanced ability to drive tumor growth.’ Study leader Dr. Clemens A. Schmitt reported that switching off a specific cell signaling pathway could work to neutralize stemness in the previously senescent cells. However, there is no doubt that the study findings pose a definite setback for a formerly promising protocol. In addition, other studies have emerged showing that chemotherapy can do more harm than good. Chemotherapy for breast cancer can spread cancer cells A common protocol for breast cancer patients is to surgically remove tumors after chemo has been administered. The theory is that the chemo will help shrink the tumor while preventing the spread of cancer throughout the body. However, the treatment may accomplish the opposite effect. The toxic chemo drugs may actually switch on a repair mechanism – creating more blood vessel pathways and permitting tumors to grow back even stronger. In a study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, researchers found that chemotherapy triggered the circulation of more cancer cells throughout the lungs and the body. Chemotherapy features toxic side effects The American Cancer Society acknowledges that chemotherapy damages healthy cells – and reports that chemotherapy side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, hair loss, fertility problems, chronic fatigue, and infections. Neutropenia, the most serious side effect, involves the depletion of white blood cells needed to fight diseases and infections. Weight changes and mood changes – with depression, memory loss, and inability to concentrate – may also occur. Normal cells damaged by chemotherapy Normal cells most likely to be damaged by chemotherapy are cells in hair follicles, blood-forming cells in the bone marrow, cells in the mouth and digestive tract, and cells in the reproductive system. Experts report that in some situations – for example, the early stages of colorectal cancer – chemotherapy has been shown to provide some benefit, granting extra years of life. But on the whole, chemotherapy yields disappointing results and may even exacerbate cancer cell growth – as shown in this pair of startling studies. Editor’s note: Discover the many natural ways to stop cancer cell growth, own the Stop Cancer Docu-Class created by NaturalHealth365 Programs. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Medicalnewstoday.com Sciencedaily.com Cancer.org To read the original article click here.

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Black Cumin Seed Oil: Powerful Ally Against Breast Cancer & Chronic Inflammation

The AHA! Team — Wed, 07 May 2025 05:28:18 +0000

Lance D Johnson via Natural News – Long before Big Pharma dominated healthcare, ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Ayurvedic physicians prescribed black cumin seeds for ailments ranging from digestive disorders to infections. • Black cumin seed oil contains thymoquinone, a potent bioactive compound with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. • Research shows thymoquinone induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in breast cancer cells while protecting healthy cells. • Combining black cumin seed oil with conventional chemotherapy may enhance treatment efficacy and reduce drug resistance. • Historical use of Nigella sativa dates back thousands of years, but modern science is now validating its medicinal power. • Systemic inflammation drives chronic disease, and black cumin seed oil helps restore immune balance naturally. The science behind black cumin’s healing power For centuries, traditional healers have revered black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) as a cure-all, dubbing it “the remedy for everything but death.” Today, cutting-edge research confirms its extraordinary potential—particularly in combating breast cancer and taming the destructive inflammation underlying chronic disease. Unlike toxic chemotherapy drugs that ravage the body, black cumin seed oil offers a natural, scientifically backed alternative that targets cancer cells while fortifying overall health. Black cumin seeds are a treasure trove of bioactive compounds, with thymoquinone standing out as the most potent. Constituting 30–48% of the seed’s essential oil, thymoquinone has been shown in numerous studies to: • Trigger apoptosis in breast cancer cells (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T-47D) by up-regulating tumor suppressor genes like p53 and Bax while suppressing survival signals like Bcl-2. • Inhibit metastasis by blocking CXCR4, a protein that aids cancer spread, and reducing the activity of TWIST1, a gene linked to tumor progression. • Enhance chemotherapy by reversing drug resistance in doxorubicin- and tamoxifen-resistant cancer cells. A historical remedy validated by modern medicine Long before Big Pharma dominated healthcare, ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Ayurvedic physicians prescribed black cumin seeds for ailments ranging from digestive disorders to infections. The Prophet Muhammad reportedly called it “a cure for every disease except death.” Today, science is catching up: • A 2020 study found that Nigella sativa reduced tumor volume in mice by 67% and blocked liver metastasis. • When combined with paclitaxel (a common chemo drug), thymoquinone boosted apoptosis rates in triple-negative breast cancer cells. • Human trials show black cumin gel reduces radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients, proving its protective effects. Yet, despite these breakthroughs, mainstream medicine continues to ignore natural solutions in favor of expensive, patentable drugs. Why inflammation is the silent killer — and how black cumin stops it Chronic inflammation is the root of nearly all modern diseases—cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. As we age, the immune system loses its ability to regulate inflammation, leading to a dangerous imbalance. Black cumin seed oil restores equilibrium by: • Suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-?. • Boosting antioxidant defenses to neutralize free radicals. • Enhancing immune surveillance against cancerous cells. Chronic inflammation is the silent engine driving many degenerative diseases, from cancer to heart failure. While acute inflammation helps the body heal, unchecked systemic inflammation ravages tissues, accelerates aging, and primes the body for illness. Black cumin seed oil, rich in the bioactive compound thymoquinone, acts as a natural regulator, suppressing destructive inflammation while enhancing the immune system’s ability to fight infections and malignancies. Landmark study A landmark study published in Phytotherapy Research found that rheumatoid arthritis patients taking black cumin seed oil experienced dramatic relief—42.5% reported reduced joint swelling and stiffness. Another study in Experimental Biology and Medicine revealed thymoquinone’s ability to slow osteoarthritis progression by blocking enzymes that destroy joint tissue. Even more striking, research in the Egyptian Journal of Immunology showed the oil matched the anti-inflammatory effects of dexamethasone, a powerful steroid, without the harmful side effects. A natural cancer fighter hiding in plain sight Conventional oncology relies on toxic chemotherapy, but black cumin seed oil offers a gentler, yet equally aggressive, alternative. Studies demonstrate its ability to mobilize the immune system’s front line defenses: • Macrophages—cells that engulf and destroy cancerous invaders—become more active. • CD-8 T-cells, the body’s assassins of malignant cells, survive longer and attack more efficiently. • Natural killer cell function increases by 30%, while helper T-cells surge by 55%, orchestrating a stronger immune response. Beyond cancer, black cumin seed oil shows promise in cardiovascular care. By lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL, it may prevent artery-clogging plaque. It also appears to protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury—the tissue damage following heart attacks or strokes—offering hope for recovery where conventional medicine falls short. Allergy and asthma sufferers For allergy and asthma sufferers, the oil’s immune-modulating effects bring relief without the drowsiness or dependency of antihistamines. Patients report fewer nasal symptoms and easier breathing, thanks to its ability to calm hyperactive immune responses. With breast cancer rates climbing and conventional treatments often failing, the question isn’t whether natural therapies like black cumin seed oil work—it’s why they aren’t being embraced. If a drug demonstrated thymoquinone’s safety and efficacy, it would be fast-tracked by the FDA. Instead, patients are left to navigate the murky waters of Big Pharma’s profit-driven system. Sources include: NaturalHealth365.com MDPI.com Pubmed.gov Pubmed.gov To read the original article, click here

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Chemotherapy Linked to Persistent Nerve Pain in 4 in 10 Cancer Patients

The AHA! Team — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 06:33:48 +0000

BMJ Group via News-Medical – The drugs used to treat cancer damage healthy cells and tissues, including the nervous system. Worldwide, cancer chemotherapy is linked to persistent severe peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy) for around 4 in every 10 patients treated with these drugs, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. Notwithstanding wide regional variations, platinum based drugs, taxanes, and lung cancer seem to be associated with the highest rates of persistent painful neuropathy, lasting at least 3 months, the findings suggest, prompting the researchers to call for tailored approaches to pain relief. The drugs used to treat cancer damage healthy cells and tissues, including the nervous system. The effects can manifest in movement disturbances, such as loss of balance or coordination, and sensory disturbances, such as loss of sensation; numbness, tingling, “pins and needles”; or a burning sensation on the skin. Several factors influence the frequency and severity of chronic peripheral neuropathic pain, including type and dose of chemotherapy, pre-existing neuropathy, and the use of other drugs that can damage the nervous system, explain the researchers. The condition is thought to be caused by direct peripheral nerve cell damage which disrupts or rewires normal nerve signalling pathways, resulting in persistent pain, they add. Prompted by the growing number of cancer survivors and increasingly aggressive treatment of the disease, the researchers wanted to gauge the global prevalence of chronic painful peripheral neuropathy linked to chemotherapy. They scoured research databases for relevant studies published between 2000 and 2024, focusing on potentially influential sociodemographic, clinical, and methodological (study design, funding source, for example) factors. In all, they pooled the results of 77 eligible studies, involving 10,962 participants from 28 countries, all of whom had peripheral neuropathy that was associated with cancer drug treatment. In 4545 of these participants, this was painful and persistent, lasting for at least 3 months. The highest number of studies were carried out in the US (13) and Japan (10), and almost half were prospective observational studies. The cancers that featured most often were those of the bowel (25; 33%) and breast (17; 22%), while the largest proportion of studies focused on patients treated with either platinum based agents (13;17%), or taxanes (11; just over 14%), or both (6 ;8%), or the FOLFOX combination of folinic acid plus 5-fluorouracil plus oxalplatin (5; 6.5%). Pooled data analysis of the study results showed that the overall prevalence of persistent painful peripheral neuropathy was just over 41%. When stratified further, the analysis indicated that the highest prevalence was among patients treated with platinum based agents (40.5%) and taxanes (just over 38%). Prevalence was lowest among those treated with the FOLFOX combination (16.5%). Prevalence was also highest among those with primary lung cancer (just over 62%), possibly because of the complexities of treatment for this disease, suggest the researchers. Prevalence was lowest among those with primary ovarian cancer (31.5%) and lymphoma (36%). When stratified by continent, studies of patients in Asia reported the highest prevalence of persistent painful neuropathy (46.5%), while studies of patients in Europe reported the lowest (36%). Prevalence rates were similar in both men and women. The researchers emphasize that the design and methodology of the included studies differed substantially. And the overall certainty of evidence was considered to be low. Researchers emphasize that the design and methodology of the included studies differed substantially But they write: “Understanding the prevalence and predictors of chronic painful [chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy] is critical for promoting early diagnosis and developing personalized treatment strategies. “Our findings emphasize that chronic painful [chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy] represents a substantial global health challenge, affecting more than 40% of those diagnosed with [it].” And they conclude: “The wide variability in prevalence rates across different countries, continents, chemotherapy regimens, and primary cancer history underscores the need for tailored strategies to address this debilitating condition. “Future studies should focus on elucidating the mechanisms underlying these disparities and developing interventions that can reduce the burden of chronic painful [chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy] globally.” Source: BMJ Group Journal reference: D’Souza, R. S., et al. (2025). Global estimates of prevalence of chronic painful neuropathy among patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 28 countries, 2000–24. Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2024-106229 To read the original article click here.

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New Study Examines if ‘Inoperable’ Pancreatic Tumors Can Be Safely Removed

The AHA! Team — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:06:36 +0000

University of Utah Health via Newswise – A clinical trial from Keck Medicine of USC aims to provide a surgical solution for patients with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer previously considered inoperable. The study will investigate if chemotherapy followed by a novel type of surgery to remove the cancer is a safe and effective option for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, meaning that the cancer has not spread to other organs, but has grown into or close to nearby blood vessels that surround the pancreas. “Usually, these types of tumors cannot be safely removed with surgery because of the risk of damaging the blood vessels, which supply blood to the stomach, liver and other abdominal organs. However, due to recent advancements by Keck Medicine surgeons, we believe that patients with locally advanced cancer can be candidates for successful surgery, which could significantly improve outcomes,” said Steven Grossman, MD, PhD, co-lead investigator of the study. Grossman is a medical oncologist with Keck Medicine and deputy director for cancer services at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine. The challenge of treating pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer accounts for only about 3% of cancers in the United States, but it is one of the deadliest. People usually have no symptoms until the cancer has become very large or metastasized throughout the body, so the cancer is caught late, and patients have poor prognoses. Only 13% of pancreatic cancer patients survive five or more years after diagnosis. The life expectancy of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, which accounts for one third of all pancreatic cancer cases, has historically been about one year. For most forms of cancer, surgery is considered the most effective treatment for localized tumors that have not spread to other areas of the body. However, surgery has traditionally not been offered for tumors involving the blood vessels near the pancreas because if the blood vessels were to become damaged during the procedure, and the blood flow to organs interrupted, it could result in serious side effects or death. Therefore, typically the only treatment option for patients with locally advanced cancer is chemotherapy and/or radiation, both of which have limited effectiveness killing pancreatic cancer cells. “The situation is frustrating because research shows that in the rare cases where locally advanced tumors were safely removed, the progression of the disease was slowed and the patient’s length of survival on average increased from one year to 28 months, more than doubling life expectancy,” said Sandra Algaze, MD, a medical oncologist with Keck Medicine, a member of USC Norris and one of the study’s investigators. “Surgery, therefore, appears to strongly benefit a patient’s survival rate, which is why the medical field has been eager for a surgical solution.” How new surgical advances can benefit patients The clinical trial will use surgical protocols pioneered by Keck Medicine surgeons to safely remove locally advanced pancreatic tumors attached to arteries. The surgical team will be led by study co-lead investigator Yuri Genyk, MD, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon with Keck Medicine who is an expert in vascular reconstruction, which is the removal and reconstruction of blood vessels. Genyk has already successfully removed about 30 pancreatic tumors that were attached to adjacent arteries. “While this surgery is very complex, we have the skills and expertise to execute it and train other skilled surgeons in the procedure. If the trial results are positive, we envision that the technique could become the gold standard for how this stage of pancreatic cancer is treated in the future,” said Genyk. Patients in the clinical trial will first undergo chemotherapy to attempt to shrink the tumor. Two to eight weeks after completing chemotherapy, they will undergo a laparoscopic evaluation to determine the position and size of the tumor before the tumor is surgically removed and involved blood vessels are removed and reconstructed. Patients will be followed every three months for the first year post-surgery and then every six months for two years after that. The clinical trial will also examine if certain biomarkers, such as the tumor’s DNA, as well as a patient’s demographic factors such as age and gender, play a role in patient outcomes. The study hopes to enroll 20 patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer who have evidence of arterial involvement by their tumors. The surgeries will be performed at Keck Hospital of USC. “Pancreatic cancer is a devastating diagnosis, and Keck Medicine is committed to finding better solutions for the disease,” said Grossman. “Anything we can do to improve patients’ quality of life and extend life expectancy will be a huge milestone that could benefit countless patients and their loved ones.” Those interested in participating in the study can contact: Charlean Ketchens, RN, at (323) 865-3035 or ketchensc@med.usc.edu. For more information about Keck Medicine of USC, please visit news.KeckMedicine.org. To read the original article click here.

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A Potential New Treatment for Brain Tumors

AHA Publisher — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:00:11 +0000

University of Cincinnati via Newswise – A research question posed in Pankaj Desai’s lab has led to a decade of research, a clinical trial and major national funding to further investigate a potential new treatment for the most deadly form of brain tumors. Desai, PhD, and his team at the University of Cincinnati recently received a $1.19 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to continue research into the use of a drug called letrozole to treat glioblastomas (GBM). Research Progression GBMs are aggressive brain tumors that patients often are unaware of until symptoms emerge and the tumor is substantial. Current treatments include immediate surgery to safely remove as much tumor as possible, radiation and chemotherapy, but the tumor often recurs or becomes resistant to treatments. The average patient survives no more than 15 months after diagnosis. The medication letrozole was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for postmenopausal women with breast cancer in 2001. The drug works by targeting an enzyme called aromatase that is present in breast cancer cells and helps the cancer grow. In the fall of 2012, Desai and a doctoral student in his lab, Nimita Dave (now a senior pharmacologist at a biotech company in Boston), asked a question: Does aromatase play a similar role in GBM tumors, and if so, will letrozole work as an effective treatment? Early research in the lab found the enzyme was present in brain tumor cell lines, and further testing found a very high amount of aromatase at protein and mRNA levels in brain tumor samples from UC’s tumor bank. However, that did not guarantee that letrozole would be similarly effective in brain tumors like it is in breast cancer tumors. Desai explained a defense system called the blood-brain barrier only allows certain compounds into the brain based on their physical and chemical properties. “Otherwise any compound could come into the brain and cause havoc and neurotoxicity,” said Desai, professor and chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division in UC’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy and a University of Cincinnati Cancer Center member. “There are other compounds similar to letrozole, but we went with letrozole because we figured that based on its properties, this compound actually has the best chance of getting through into the brain from the blood circulation.” Studies in animal models showed that letrozole was effective, and Desai’s research group moved to test the compound in cells derived from human brain tumor tissues. In this phase of work, key contributions were made by current doctoral student Aniruddha Karve who will continue to work with Desai as a postdoctoral fellow on the new NIH grant. “What we saw in the patient-derived cells is that letrozole is very effective in killing the tumor cells in cell culture models,” Desai said. With funding support from the Cancer Center and the UC Brain Tumor Center, Desai’s team launched a phase 0/1 clinical trial testing what dosage of letrozole is appropriate to treat glioblastomas. This trial was led by Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, an expert in phase 1 oncology trials with contributions from several other neuro-oncologists and neurosurgeons. The trial is set to be completed soon, but Desai said early results have shown the drug is “unequivocally” reaching its target of the brain tumor tissue safely. Preliminary results also show that doses of letrozole higher than those needed for breast cancer treatment can be safely achieved in GBM patients. New Research While the body of research results has been encouraging so far, Desai said GBMs remain a complicated, aggressive form of brain cancer. As promising as letrozole is, it is still unlikely that the drug will be a singular cure for the disease. “We hope that would work, but it’s not necessarily rooted in reality. It’s going to be a combination of drugs,” Desai said. Supported by the new NIH/NINDS funding, Desai and his team will research the preclinical effectiveness of combining letrozole with other chemotherapy compounds. The three-year grant began Aug. 1. “It’s really exciting to get this sort of reassurance from a peer reviewed grant application,” Desai said. “And it’s an exciting time. I think finding a cure for a disease like GBM is like finding a needle in a haystack, and we hope that it’s going to really work, and that’s what we are all striving for.” Desai said the research has been and continues to be a collaborative effort between UC colleagues from the College of Pharmacy, Cancer Center and Brain Tumor Center. “It’s really a beautiful collaboration, and I’m most grateful for that,” Desai said. “This is a disease where an urgent breakthrough is absolutely needed, and our team along with others in the field are really striving to make a difference.” David Plas, PhD, professor and Anna and Harold W. Huffman endowed chair in glioblastoma experimental therapeutics in the Department of Cancer Biology in UC’s College of Medicine and a Cancer Center member, and his research group are joining the team as the new project launches. Plas said his lab has focused on tumors deficient in a tumor-suppressing protein called PTEN, and the new research may reveal how letrozole in combination with other therapies may lead to a suitable treatment for PTEN-deficient glioblastomas. “This new collaboration will combine my group’s experience in glioblastoma experimental therapeutics with Dr. Desai’s experience in GBM therapeutics and pharmacokinetics,” Plas said. “By investigating possible combinations with letrozole for GBM therapy, this new project has the potential for faster translation to clinical trial. It is exciting to work with Desai on this new project.” To read the original article click here.

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How Effective Is Chemotherapy for Colon, Lung, Breast, and Prostate Cancers?

AHA Publisher — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 07:00:01 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts– How effective is chemotherapy for colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers? “Over the last several decades…medicine has waged a major war against cancer, concentrating on earlier diagnosis and improved therapy. The war is not being won. Nevertheless, medicine shows few signs of admitting that its strategy may be flawed. In this it resembles a World War I general who stated: ‘Casualties: huge. Ground gained: negligible. Conclusion: press on.’” If you look at the contribution of cancer-killing chemotherapy to five-year survival in cancer patients, it’s on the order of only about 2 percent. As you can see below and at 0:50 in my video How to Win the War on Cancer, we’ve gotten pretty good at treating some pediatric cancers, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease. But, if you look at our most common cancers—that is, of the colon, lung, breast, and prostate—the success rate is only about 1 percent. That means out of nearly 14,000 colon cancer patients, for example, only 146 lived out five years, thanks to chemotherapy. The chance of survival benefit of chemo is about one in a hundred, but doctors don’t tell patients that. “Any new chemotherapy drug is still promoted as a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, only to be quietly rejected without the fanfare that accompanied its arrival.” Indeed, the “minimal impact on survival in the more common cancers conflicts with the perceptions of many patients who feel they are receiving a treatment that will significantly enhance their chances of cure…In view of the minimal impact of cytotoxic chemotherapy on 5-year survival, and the lack of any major progress over the last 20 years, it follows that the main role of cytotoxic chemotherapy is in palliation.” It can shrink tumors, relieving pain and pressure, but that doesn’t tend to translate into living any longer. “The failure of therapy, coupled with the realization that the overwhelming majority of cancer is related to environmental, particularly lifestyle factors, dictates that prevention should be our foremost aim.” Cancer is largely a preventable disease, but it does require major lifestyle changes. Of the millions of cancer diagnoses every year, as many as 90 to 95 percent of the cancers are caused by lifestyle factors, with only 5 to 10 percent caused by bad genes. We know this because of “enormous differences in the incidence of particular forms of cancer in differing geographical and socio-economic situations” around the world, which then change when people move from one place to another. For example, as you can see below and at 2:40 in my video, breast cancer rates differ by an order of magnitude, with the lowest rates in parts of Africa and Asia, until those Africans and Asians move and start eating and living like Americans, Argentinians, Europeans, or Australians. So, “there is need for a major reappraisal of how the problem of cancer is approached.” The key to winning the war on cancer is prevention, which not only works better, but “has the great advantage that it entails nothing worse than nicotine [or jellybean] withdrawal symptoms. On the other hand, cancer treatment, even when successful, often exposes the patient to much suffering, both physical and psychological. Indeed, some cancer treatments are considered worse than the disease.” Most importantly, a healthy lifestyle can nip cancer in the bud, whereas, by definition, early diagnosis and treatment don’t change the cancer rate or the number of people getting cancer in the first place. In terms of cancer prevention and treatment with nutrition, the “consumption of nutrients of animal-based foods were associated with increased cancer risk while nutrients of plant-based food were associated with decreasing risk.” It’s not enough just to avoid the bad stuff, though. Eating is pretty much “a zero-sum game.” Everything we put in our mouth is a lost opportunity to put something even more healthful in our mouth. It’s not just about avoiding foods with cancer-promoting properties. We need to eat foods with active cancer-suppressing mechanisms. By “wholistic nutrition,” we’re talking about whole foods, and we should get their nutrients not from extracts or pills, but from the whole foods themselves. Ultimately, “cancer development is primarily a nutrition-responsive disease rather than a genetic disease,” but, again, we aren’t talking about nutritional supplements; we’re talking about “whole, intact food.” I’m very excited to share some of Professor Emeritus Colin Cambell’s six new papers on redefining the role of nutrition in medicine. For an overview on the power of diet, see my How Not to Die from Cancer and The Best Advice on Diet and Cancer videos. I’ve produced hundreds of videos about the role of different foods and food consumption patterns on different cancers. Browse all of the titles through the search bar on my website NutritionFacts.org. Key Takeaways Despite a “major war against cancer,” chemotherapy only contributes about 2 percent to five-year survival in cancer patients. Although chemotherapy treatment is fairly effective for some pediatric cancers, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease, our most common cancers (of the colon, lung, breast, and prostate) only have about a 1 percent success rate, which means, for example, out of about 14,000 colon cancer patients, only 146 live for five years, thanks to chemo. Chemotherapy can shrink tumors and relieve pain and pressure, but does not tend to result in longer life. Up to 90 to 95 percent of cancers are caused by lifestyle factors, and bad genes are responsible for only 5 to 10 percent. The key to actually winning the war on cancer is prevention, not treatment. A healthy lifestyle can prevent cancer, whereas early diagnosis and treatment—by definition—do not change the cancer rate or number of people getting cancer to begin with. Animal-based foods are associated with increased cancer risk, while plant-based foods are associated with decreased risk. We should get our nutrients from whole, intact plant foods rather than extracts, pills, or supplements. To read the original article click here.

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Futuristic Tech Brings Healing Relaxation to Radiotherapy

AHA Publisher — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:00:58 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – The first day of cancer radiation therapy begins inside a simulator machine. The patient lies immobilized for up to 45 minutes while lasers and imaging scans pinpoint areas for treatment. From his office next to the simulator, Israeli radiation oncologist Dr. Ben Corn senses the anxiety attacks brewing in the waiting area. And he understands. He understands that patients are fearful of entering the simulator. He understands that people associate radiation with causing cancer (think Hiroshima and Chernobyl) rather than treating it. Corn knows the radiation oncology unit can cause stress and anxiety for patients, their families and even the medical workers. And he’s determined to tackle this problem. “I’m extremely interested in the emotional and psychological dimensions of cancer, both in terms of the consequences for patients and their caregivers and in terms of enhancing the potential of therapies I have available as an oncologist,” he tells ISRAEL21c. That’s why Corn is partnering with trailblazing neuroscientist Amir Amedi, head of the Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology at Reichman University. (Read about our recent visit to the lab here. ) The place nobody wants to be Amedi and his lab are inventing multisensory devices to infuse a feeling of emotional wellbeing into the waiting, treatment and staff areas of the Radiotherapy Center that Corn will head at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The lab’s new discoveries on the link between body and mind, and how that’s mapped in the brain, form the scientific basis for relaxation-inducing inventions such as: MRI-safe, whimsical-looking 3D glasses that immerse the patient in an entertaining movie or relaxing virtual environment. Chair and treatment tables embedded with tactile and auditory sensations that may relieve pain and focus attention away from the stressful environment. Breathing sensors with relaxing and soothing visual, sound and tactile feedback elements to encourage deeper, slower breaths that foster feelings of control and calm — and even enhance the clinical efficacy of imaging and radiotherapy. Relaxing auditory experiences created through in-ear recordings that aggregate how different people hear the same sounds coming from different parts of the room. “There are patients who cannot go through the simulation because they are so afraid, and I think this is a way to take the edge off that,” says Corn, noting that the procedure may never be pleasant but at least could be tolerable. Although music or videos inside the simulator can lower stress and anxiety, especially for children, Corn was seeking much more than that. When he read an article about Amedi’s groundbreaking multisensory technologies, he knew he’d found it. “I loved the disregard for boundaries that I saw in his work,” says Corn. “Imagine instead of just relying on sight alone or music alone – or tactile sensations, which nobody was even considering — we can begin to combine the three,” says Corn. “I contacted Amir and said, ‘This has to be imported into the place nobody wants to be, which is cancer medicine.’ And that appealed to him. So we’ve been designing all sorts of cool ways to do that.” The Shaare Zedek Cancer Center, set to open in the summer, will be the testing ground. “Medicine without data is voodoo,” says Corn. “I want to do things that not only sound nice but are proven, and part of the fun is the journey of proving these things in the context of clinical trials.” Training wheels “I feel everything we’ve done is preparing us for this project,” Amedi tells ISRAEL21c. “During the pandemic we started to work on reprogramming senses and combining them with sensory signals from the body to reduce stress and anxiety. I built a sophisticated multisensory room for this.” His lab created technologically upgraded versions of mindfulness meditation, body scan meditation and attention training technique (ATT). “If you do one of these techniques for a few minutes every day it works well, but if people are already highly stressed it just makes their symptoms worse,” Amedi explains. “They need ‘training wheels’ and that is what we try to provide.” Amber Maimon, Amedi’s academic lab manager, has been working on these technologies for her postdoc studies on the bidirectional link between mental and physical health. “We want to create a multisensory environment where the minute you walk in you are encompassed in relaxation,” Maimon tells ISRAEL21c. Pediatric patients are the primary focus of the project. “These technologies can capture their attention and take them out of the ‘dark bubble’ of treatment,” she says. “Everything we are doing has definitely never been done before. Some of the experiences, like body scan meditation and ATT, have been tested and validated but our implementation and technology are totally novel. Prof. Amedi’s neuroscience research itself is novel.” Hope heals Amedi, in turn, was intrigued by Corn’s research into “hope theory” — developed by University of Kansas Prof. Rick Snyder in 1989 – as a way to improve cancer patients’ recovery rates and longevity. Hope is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking, Corn explains. Rather, it’s a perception of what is possible. “Hope is a very active concept, and nobody needs it more than the cancer patient and the people surrounding that patient,” says Corn. “We have systematically pushed the concept of hopefulness into the clinical arena,” he says. Life’s Door, an Israeli organization he founded with his wife, family therapist Dvora Corn, teaches health professionals and patients strategies for finding hope, meaning and wellbeing throughout illness. “Three conditions allow hope to thrive: selecting a goal that is both meaningful and plausible; a pathway to get to that goal, recognizing there will be obstacles to circumnavigate on the way; and the agency – motivation — to set out on that pathway,” Corn explains. “In the world of cancer medicine, somebody might have a goal of curing their cancer. The pathway might be radiation treatment. But the obstacle is the anxiety of being exposed to radiation. We might find a workaround through Amir’s technology, and if we can temper the anxiety that will, in turn, unleash the third component, agency,” he says. Amedi saw the potential for promoting hope by stimulating the senses, especially from the perspective of kids facing that scary simulator. “We are doing imaging studies to understand why the body is so susceptible to feeling anxiety,” says Amedi. “My philosophy is to look at brain organization and plasticity to inspire new technologies, but it goes in the other direction as well.” He and Corn got a research grant from Israeli VC firm Joy Ventures, as well as support from Siemens, one of the manufacturers of radiotherapy simulators. The Helmsley Foundation is funding the purchase of the latest simulator model for the Radiotherapy Cancer Center. While older models used CT technology, the next-gen model uses MRI technology. “You can do all sorts of clever things with it, but you have the problem of MR-related claustrophobia,” says Corn. “When you add the issue of claustrophobia to the stigma of radiation, that’s quite a challenge. I think with Amir we can lick both problems.” Environment of hope The multisensory technologies would be used not only in the simulator, “which is the most stressful place for the cancer patient,” but also in treatment rooms. “Somebody who is very nervous about getting radiotherapy may get jittery. We have immobilization devices to make sure you don’t move but even small movements can be a problem because we always want to target the tumor and not the surrounding tissue. If you move even a few millimeters that can throw it off,” says Corn. “By finding out who you are and having you tell me what makes you feel good — like walking on a beach, or smelling the forest after it rains, or baking bread — we can virtually create that desired environment for you as part of your prescription,” he explains. “I hypothesize that it will make patients feel less stressed, less jittery and more cooperative. They will feel empowered because they are helping us help them and they will reclaim a sense of control.” Corn and Amedi want this “environment of hope” to extend to staff members. “There is a lot of burnout and even suicidal ideation for oncology healthcare professionals. Amir’s idea is to help them to contend with the stresses and actively reflect on hope and how to get there with the help of these technologies,” says Corn. “No one is doing that, not even close. We want to document our results in the medical literature for the critique of colleagues because we think it can be such a gamechanger.” Two research centers in the United Arab Emirates have expressed interest in developing a similar project, and Corn and Amedi have applied for a US government grant to facilitate that. “If we can use Amir’s technology to optimize cancer medicine,” Corn says, “it will expand our toolbox with things they don’t teach you in medical school.” To read the original article click here.

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