Christine
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Click on link for article and video:
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http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/534895/
Newswise — A novel mechanism to predict survival in older women with early stage lung cancer has been uncoverecd by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, a discovery that may have significant implications for new treatment approaches.
For the first time, UCLA researchers linked higher levels of aromatase, an enzyme that naturally makes estrogen from another hormone called androgen, to more aggressive disease and lower survival rates in women over 65 with Stage I or II lung cancer. The discovery not only gives physicians a possible new tool to predict survival, it also may provide a target for therapy using aromatase inhibitors, already approved for the treatment of breast cancer.
The study, conducted as part of the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in lung cancer at UCLA, appears in the Nov. 1, 2007 issue of Cancer Research.
“All indications suggest that this is a very powerful prognostic marker that lets us predict which patients have a higher likelihood of prolonged survival versus death from lung cancer,” said Lee Goodglick, an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and senior author of the study. “If doctors know that a woman has a higher probability of longer-term survival, they may choose a more strategic course of action compared to a woman with a more aggressive form of lung cancer, where doctors might choose a more aggressive course of therapy. Another notable finding from this study is that we’re able to predict survival at a relatively early stage of the disease, when we have more treatment options.”
Based on research done in Jonsson Cancer Center labs, scientists knew that estrogen played a role in lung cancer growth, much like it does in breast cancer. In animals models, researchers showed that either estrogen or aromatase triggered the growth of human lung cancer tumors. They then looked retrospectively at lung cancer tumor samples from more than 750 men and women seen at UCLA or M.D. Anderson Cancer Center using a novel high throughput technology called tissue microarray. Aromatase levels were measured and correlated with disease aggression and survival rates.
Researchers found that, in women 65 and over, higher aromatase levels were associated with more aggressive disease and a greater risk of death.
“We were surprised at what we found,” said Goodglick, who also serves as co-director of UCLA Early Detection Research Network and is an investigator in the lung cancer SPORE program. “Pioneering work done by Richard Pietras' group here at UCLA had shown that the hormone estrogen had a major impact on lung cancer, analogous to what is seen in breast or ovarian tissues. But we didn’t know this enzyme, aromatase, would be so important, and we certainly didn’t anticipate that it would play a seemingly bigger role in women than in men. At the start of this study, we basically put these data into an unbiased black box and discovered these novel correlations.”
Goodglick said it is an important question why aromatase levels work as predictors only in women and, equally as intriguing, why they work best in those over 65. It does not appear to be related to menopause, since the average age of onset is about 51. Instead, it may have more to do with levels of another family of hormones, androgens, which steadily decrease in women over 65. Aromatases use certain androgens as starting material to make estrogen. The cancer may be devising ever-changing strategies to, in effect, feed itself so it can grow and spread more rapidly.
About 98,000 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year alone, and more than 70,000 will die. Incidence of lung cancer in women has been increasing for decades, and the disease causes the most cancer-related deaths in females. New treatments are desperately needed, Goodglick said, as conventional therapies aren’t effective.
“This was a true multidisciplinary team effort" Goodglick said. “Each person was critically important.”
The study included researchers from the departments of Pathology and Medicine, the UCLA Lung SPORE Program and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as experts in biostatistics. The next step for researchers will be to continue their work with an even larger patient population at multiple cancer centers nationwide. This will help determine the framework by which physicians could use this test effectively in the clinic. Defining the role that estrogen and the estrogen pathway play in lung cancer, and devising way to intervene at each step tailored to a specific patient, will also be key, Goodglick said.
“We need to figure out all the strategies that a lung cancer cell uses to trigger and amplify the estrogen pathway. In women over 65, one trick the cancer cells appear to use is increasing aromatase - it remains an interesting mystery what strategy the cancer cells are using in women under 65 and in men,” he said. “Identifying which branch of the estrogen pathway is hijacked by cancer cells,will allow us to specifically attack that branch on a person-by-person basis. I think this study is one important step in that direction.”
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http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14553954
New York: A derivative of vitamin A may help cut down the risk of lung cancer in former smokers by reducing the growth of lung cells, a new study has found.
Former smokers remain at elevated risk for lung cancer as lung cells that were damaged during years of smoking may continue to grow and evolve into cancer even after a person has quit smoking.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. It kills 1.3 million people worldwide annually.
Researchers from the University of Texas studied about 225 former heavy smokers and found that retonic acid, a vitamin A derivative, reduced lung cell growth in them, reported health portal Medical News Today.
Vitamin A can be found in cheese, eggs, oily fish such as mackerel, milk, fortified margarine and yogurt.
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I am so sorry.
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Congratulations Don! 4 years is certainly something to celebrate. Wishing you many more Halloweens.
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In April 2005 a lung screening CT showed I had a couple of small nodules (2mm & 3 mm). Each follow-up scan I had was taken without contrast.
So... my question is, should I ask for my final scan to be with contrast, and in your experience, does it really make a difference in what is actually seen on the scan?
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It's a wonderful thing that you're doing Nick. You are an inspiration to many.
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Oh crap. You're right, if it's not one thing...
Well, I'm glad to hear John is feeling a bit better and hope he continues to improve so he's home soon.
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Treatment with a derivative of vitamin A called retinoic acid may help to cut former smokers' risk of lung cancer, research suggests.
It is suspected that lung cells damaged during years of smoking may continue to grow and evolve into cancer even after that person has quit.
Scientists found the therapy reduced growth among those lung cells.
The University of Texas study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Tobacco smoking accounts for 90% of the attributable risk for lung cancer, but the risk of the disease remains elevated for many years after people give up and never decreases to the level of that for non-smokers.
Nearly half of newly-diagnosed lung cancers occur in former smokers.
The researchers, from the university's MD Anderson Cancer Center, work focused on 225 people who were once heavy smokers, but who had quit the habit.
The volunteers either received a three-month treatment combining a form of retinoic acid with vitamin E; a different form of retinoic acid in isolation; or a placebo.
The researchers examined samples of lung tissue taken from all the volunteers before and after treatment.
They measured proliferation of the cells by recording levels of a tell-tale chemical "biomarker" called Ki-67.
Both treatments reduced cell proliferation in one layer of the lung cells - the parabasal layer.
But the researchers were surprised that neither reduced cell growth in a second, the basal layer.
They say more work will be needed to tease out the exact effects of retinoic acid treatment.
But writing in the journal, they said decreased proliferation of lung cells should slow tumour development by reducing the number of cells in which things could go wrong, and minimising the potential for uncontrolled cell growth.
Dr Eva Szabo, of the US National Cancer Institute, agreed that more research was needed before the therapy could be tested in more advanced clinical trials.
She said: "We do not have a full understanding of the effects of these agents on [lung cells] or their effects during the full spectrum of carcinogenesis."
Josephine Querido, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "The effect of vitamin derivatives and supplements on lung cancer is unclear - so giving up smoking is by far the best way for smokers to reduce their risk of the disease.
"These early results are intriguing, but much more work is needed before we know for sure whether these chemicals could prevent, or slow, lung cancer growth."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/h ... 068715.stm
Published: 2007/10/31 00:29:51 GMT
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http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health ... 09579.html
TUESDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- While most people associate viruses with human illness, a new study suggests that at least one virus might have cancer-fighting abilities that could be used to treat some metastatic cancers.
Reporting in the Nov. 7 issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers explained that the virus, Seneca Valley Virus-001 (SVV-001), was effective in treating lines of cells from small-cell lung cancer and some pediatric cancers, as well as lung cancer and eye cancer in immune-deficient mice.
"In animal studies, we found complete eradication of small-cell lung cancer," said the study's lead author, Paul Hallenbeck, founder, president and chief scientific officer of Neotropix, in Malvern, Pa. "This is a promising new, yet old, approach to a very serious disease," added Hallenbeck, noting that people first noticed that viruses had some effect on cancer as long as 100 years ago.
However, at least one expert advised caution when interpreting these findings about the virus and metastatic cancer, which is cancer that has spread from one site in the body to another.
"These initial results look promising and warrant further investigation, but this is a very early study done in cell lines and an animal model," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology and oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. Brooks said there are still many questions that need to be answered about this virus, such as what are the long-term effects in humans, how expensive is it, will it continue to work in the long run, and would you have to be on it for the rest of your life?
Hallenbeck and his colleagues hope to answer the safety question shortly. They're in the midst of a phase I clinical trial that includes 18 people. Phase I trials are designed solely to look at whether or not a product is safe to administer in humans; they are not designed to assess effectiveness.
For the new study, Hallenbeck and other researchers reported on their results with cell lines and mice. Hallenbeck said he originally discovered the virus while working at a subsidiary of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, called Genetic Therapy. He said the virus is a previously undiscovered strain from the Picornaviridae family of viruses.
Previous viruses have shown cancer-fighting (oncolytic) ability. But, because the human immune system is primed to fend off viruses, oncolytic viruses may have trouble surviving until they reach their intended target -- the spreading cancer cells. To avoid this, researchers have been directly injecting viruses into tumors. But, according to Hallenbeck, if you're able to access a tumor well enough to inject the virus into it, that tumor can probably be well treated with surgery or radiation.
The SVV virus appears to be able to reach metastatic cancer cells without being inactivated by the immune system cells present in blood. With this virus, Hallenbeck is hoping to be able to track down metastatic cancer cells that can't easily be detected.
And, in cell lines, the virus appears to be effective at treating small-cell lung cancer and some pediatric cancers, without being inactivated by the immune system. The researchers also tested the virus in mice with deficient immune systems and found it was able to eradicate small-cell lung cancer in 10 out of 10 mice tested and knock out eye cancer in five out of eight mice tested.
"It is unclear whether these results from immune-deficient mouse models would be similar to those of patients with metastatic cancer. In particular, it is unknown whether the patients' immune system would reduce the effectiveness of SVV-001," the study authors wrote.
Hallenbeck said the phase I trial is expected to be completed some time next year. If all goes well in that trial, testing of the virus will move on to trials designed to measure effectiveness, he said.
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http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health ... 09513.html
TUESDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Quality of life is the most important predictor of survival for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, U.S. researchers report.
"In the past, we've considered the stage of disease or tumor size along with other empirical data to predict how long a patient will survive, but now we know quality of life is a critical factor in determining survival," lead author Dr. Nicos Nicolaou, an attending physician in the radiation oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement.
The study of 239 patients found that those with a quality of life score less than the median (66.7) had a 69 percent higher death rate than patients with a score greater than the median.
"We conducted two different statistical analyses including all the usual prognostic factors and, either way, quality of life remained the strongest predictor of overall survival. What's more, if a patient's quality of life increased over time, we saw a corresponding increase in survival," senior author Dr. Benjamin Movsas, chairman of the radiation oncology department at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, said in a prepared statement.
The researchers also found that married patients or those with a partner had the highest quality of life scores.
"We found a significantly lower quality of life score for single, divorced and widowed patients, which deserves further study," Nicolaou said.
Overall, the study findings "underscore the importance of helping out patients improve the quality of life where we can in order to help them live longer better."
The study was expected to be presented Tuesday at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology annual meeting, in Los Angeles.
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That's wonderful news Jamie. Congratulations!!
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http://www.reuters.com/article/inPlayBr ... EL20071030
Co announces that Intae Lee with the University of Pennsylvania has reported that Alfacell's Onconase could be a promising radiation sensitizer for lung cancer treatment. Lee presented the pre-clinical in vivo data at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology 49th Annual Meeting. Lee provided pre-clinical evidence that Onconase significantly increased the radiation-induced tumor growth delay of lung tumors in vivo without increases in skin reaction compared to radiation alone. Additionally, Lee and his team of researchers identified non-invasive imaging biomarkers that can potentially be used as a therapeutic predictor for Onconase in non-small cell lung cancer patients. "Onconase significantly reduced the tumor hypertension that is the major physiological barrier of therapeutic delivery to solid tumors," said Lee. "As a result, Onconase increased tumor penetration and selectively increased tumor blood flow. This investigation suggests that Onconase may be a new and promising drug in the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma patients as a radiation therapy enhancer."
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TORONTO/ON/MEDIA RELEASE--(Marketwire - Oct. 29, 2007) - Early screening for lung cancer using non-invasive, low-dose CT scanning detects early stage cancers long before symptoms ever appear, according to results of a clinical study with 1,000 high-risk Canadian smokers.
The findings of the study led by radiologist Heidi Roberts at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), University Health Network are published in the October issue of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal.
"It is often too late to save lives when people become aware of symptoms. This is why early detection is so important," says Dr. Roberts. "The sooner lung cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat, often less invasively, and certainly more cost- effectively."
Beginning in 2003, the study enrolled 1,000 Canadian smokers aged 55 and older, who had smoked at least a pack a day for 10 years. The study found that 26% of participants needed further testing, and 2.2% had cancer, which was treated in the meantime. A total of 3,600 Canadians have now been screened at PMH, the only Canadian site involved in the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program. The study oversees more than 35,000 participants worldwide.
Low-dose CT scanning takes 30 seconds, and shows several hundred, 1-mm thin cross-sectional images of the lungs from top to bottom, whereas a conventional X-ray only shows two views of the chest.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among Canadians. However, when caught early, it can be cured.
The PMH screening program was made possible by a donation from the friends and family of Lusi Wong, dedicated to the early diagnosis of lung cancer
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Thinking of you now. Hope everything is going well.
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Hi Everyone. My father completed three rounds of chemo (Carboplatin/Taxol/Avastin) and was scanned last week. We received the results this morning and the mass is measuring smaller, from 4.3x3.6 to 2.2x2.2. Additionally, the "soft tissue prominence" which is the return of his esophageal cancer, is "less prominent".
This is so encouraging, and I am so happy for my father.
Since he is beginning to experience some mild neuropathy, his oncologist is going to take it one treatment at a time from this point forward, but he's hoping to get in three more rounds. My fingers are crossed!!
Christine
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http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news ... ung_cancer
Sunday, October 28, 2007 – Porter Wagoner, 80, died tonight at 8:25 at Alive Hospice in Nashville after being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this month.
The Missouri native, known for his rhinestone suits, had a long career, which included a series of hits with Dolly Parton. His most recent disc was released in June and produced by Marty Stuart.
"The Grand Ole Opry family is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our dear friend, Porter Wagoner. His passion for the Opry and all of country music was truly immeasurable. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time," said Pete Fisher, vice-president and general manager of The Grand Ole Opry.
Born in West Plains, Mo. in 1927, Wagoner was first a local radio fixture on his way to becoming a pillar of the Grand Ole Opry, a hit recording artist, television icon and a Country Music Hall of Fame member.
Beginning in the early 1950s, Wagoner had more than 80 charting singles, including more than 25 top 10 hits. Hits including "Misery Loves Company," "I've Enjoyed As Much of This As I Can Stand," "The Cold Hard Facts of Life," "The Carroll County Accident" and "A Satisfied Mind" were considered hard-country classics.
The Porter Wagoner Show ran for 21 years, beginning in 1961, and reached more than 100 TV markets. It was on the show that Wagoner introduced fans to Parton. Their duets yielded many hits, winning a Grammy and three CMA Duo of the Year Awards.
On May 19, the Opry honored Wagoner for his 50 years as an Opry member and celebrated with him the acclaim of what would be his final recording project, "Wagonmaster."
Wagoner is survived by three children, Richard, Debra and Denise. Visitation and funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.
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My thoughts and prayers are with Jeffrey, his family and friends.
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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 68/OPINION
As a pulmonary physician and scientist who researches lung cancer, I find the inaccuracy that breast and colon cancers are the leading killers as profoundly frustrating as it is unsurprising ("Cancer death rates fall even faster," Oct. 15). On many occasions, I have seen the look of surprise or incredulity when I share the facts with friends, patients, even colleagues in the medical field.
The fact is that the No. 1 cancer killer in this country and in the developed world is lung cancer. Nothing else even comes close. Lung cancer kills more people in the United States than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined.
It is time for our society to wake up to this truth and do something about it. The most common response I get when pointing this out is: "Yes, but isn't that due to cigarette smoking?" Well, of course it is. However, also omitted from public discourse is the fact that even in the absence of cigarette smoking, lung cancer in never-smokers would still be the third-leading cause of cancer deaths.
Let us just suspend, for the moment, the issue of whether it is ethical to blame the still smoking victims. Are we also to ignore the suffering of the thousands of nonsmokers and former smokers who will die painful, agonizing deaths as a result of lung cancer? This is precisely what our current public policies are doing.
As a scientist who studies lung cancer, I compete with my colleagues for a very small pot of money earmarked for this most lethal of cancers. For every dollar available to lung cancer researchers in this country, my colleagues who study prostate cancer can divide up $6. The disparity is even greater for breast cancer, where $9 is spent by the government for every one spent on lung cancer research.
Yet, for the 20th consecutive year, more women will die of lung cancer this year than of breast cancer.
The disparity between funding and mortality is consistent with a lukewarm commitment from the scientific community to study lung cancer as well. The number of investigators studying rare cancers such as those derived from bone marrow far exceeds the number studying lung cancer. State governments also miss the boat on this issue, as many use their tobacco settlement money to balance their budgets -- or worse -- and not to address the tobacco-related illnesses this money was intended to combat.
Lung cancer advocates have learned one thing from our colleagues in the breast cancer field. We have a ribbon, too. It is not pink, but a clear, see-through ribbon, to signify the invisible epidemic that is lung cancer.
It is long past time for a change. We need more public focus on this insidious killer. We need research on early detection, screening and better treatments. We need to use the tobacco settlement funds on tobacco control and lung cancer research, not on merit scholarships for the least needy of our high school students, and we need the few lung cancer survivors out there to band together and make their voices heard.
Douglas Arenberg, MD
Associate professor of medicine
Pulmonary and critical care
Ann Arbor
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Hi Kasey,
The lecture as seen on Oprah is also on You Tube. This link should work for you
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You're welcome Connie. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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The "lady on Oprah" is Kris Carr, a 31-year-old actress/photographer (now a film-maker and author) diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer in 2003.
Her documentary, "Crazy Sexy Cancer" will be rebroadcast as follows:
Discovery Health Channel
October 8th @ 8pm & 11pm
October 14th @ 12pm
TLC (The Learning Channel)
Wednesday, October 24 @ 8pm& 11pm
ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN TIME; PLEASE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS
To check out Kris' website, follow this link http://www.crazysexycancer.com/
The Facts About Smoking Tobacco and Lung Cancer
in LUNG CANCER IN THE NEWS
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http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNo ... eId=142333
Smoking has been found to account for 90 per cent of lung cancers.The rate of lung cancer in non-smokers rises significantly with frequent exposure to secondhand smoke, such as living with a smoker.
10 separate studies have shown an increase of up to 30 per cent in the risk of lung cancer among non-smokers living with smokers, compared with non-smokers living with non-smokers.
Once someone has smoked the equivalent of 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years, their chances of getting lung cancer rises with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the number of years smoking.
Smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 40 years increases your risk of getting lung cancer 55-fold.
The risk of getting lung cancer does not lower substantially until a smoker has quit for 12 years.
Female smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer than male smokers.
Smoking has been identified as the most significant cause of preventable disease and premature death in the UK.
One third of cancer deaths are linked to tobacco smoking.