World of Health

Parabens are a type of preservatives that are commonly found in many food products, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. A recent study has examined tissue samples from women who are suffering from breast cancer and it was found that in these samples parabens were present. There are concerns over these chemicals as they have oestrogen properties which can play a role in the development of breast cancer.

These chemicals are found in a wide number of everyday products such as under arm deodorant. There has not been a link proved between these chemicals and the prevalence of breast cancer as of yet.

Parabens work by preventing microbial growth in cosmetic products as well as foods and this means they have a longer shelf life. Whenever a product contains these chemicals it must be stated on the label. They also found naturally in some foods, such as blueberries.

Parabens mimic the effects of oestrogen but are responsible for much smaller amounts of the chemical when compared to the amounts that are produced in the body naturally. Research out of the University of Reading has been led by Dr Philippa Darbre and it found that in 160 samples of tissues from breast cancer victims 99 percent of them contained the chemicals.

It had been previously speculated that the use of products such as underarm deodorant were responsible for putting parabens into the system, however the new research found that there was no difference in the level of parabens between the women who did not use underarm deodorant and those that did.

Also working on the study was Mr Leicester Barr and he commented, “Just because there are parabens found in this tissue samples does not mean that they are causing the breast cancer in these women. All we can take from this study is that there is a need for further investigation into these chemicals, currently there is no evidence to suggest that they do cause cancer.”

Dr Darbre stated, “Our study has shown that there are parabens present in the tissue of women who have breast cancer but there is no indication from this study that they are the reason why the breast cancer has developed. The results do, however, justify further investigation into the relationship between breast cancer and parabens.”

Catherine Priestly is a nurse at Breast Cancer Care and she said, “There has been an ongoing debate about whether parabens have a link with breast cancer and this report just highlights how there is a need for further research. There is no evidence currently that these chemicals have any link to the development of cancer but it is certainly worth investigating the issue further.

“Women who are concerned about breast cancer should look at more established indicators that we know to be suggestive of the likeliness of developing breast cancer. These include things such as age and family history. It is important that people are aware of these risk factors so they can make informed decisions about their lifestyle and health choices.”

Obesity has been revealed as one of the biggest causers of cancer in new research produced by Cancer Research UK. Smoking is currently believed to be the largest single contributing factor in cases of cancer, amounting to around 23% of male sufferers and in 15.6% in females.

Being overweight has been found to be a significant risk factor, surprisingly, even for the researcher Professor Max Parkin. “We found that eating fruit and vegetables was extremely important in warding off cancer in men,” he said. “And in women it was discovered that being overweight is more of a risk than excessive consumption of alcohol,” he said.

The British Journal of Cancer published the research showing that we can now pinpoint nearly a half of all known cancers as being caused by poor lifestyle choices. The study results are likely to be a wake up call for many who consider that they smoke, drink or eat too much, as the type of patients who make up 40% of cancer cases.

The research reiterated the belief that many people and health practitioners already hold, that the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables is essential to a healthy diet and helps protect against cancer. It also indicated that a person’s occupation and their exposure levels to the sun and sunbeds was also a contributing factor.

“It’s the belief of many people that getting cancer is a random piece of bad luck, fate or even down to a person’s genes. But more and more the research is demonstrating that this is not the case and the presiding factor is lifestyle. This is really important to understand, because it shows that largely, people have a choice,” Prof Parkin said.

The study indicated that in women, 6.9% of cancer cases were linked to obesity while around 3.7% were linked to infections such as HPV (cervical cancer). Statistics showed that 3.6% of cases were linked to sun/sunbed exposure and 3.4% to diets lacking fresh fruit and veg. Around 3.3% was linked to alcohol abuse. Similar risks were identified for men, but the fruit and veg aspect was more important as was occupation.

For those going for cervical screening 80% of units doing it across the UK have been sending out the test results within two weeks. This is a great increase in the speed at which the results came out in previous years. Only last year, only 40% of units were doing it in time.

Primary care organisations are responsible for sending out the results and the speed at which they have been sent out has been increasing significantly over the past few years. The improvement in speed of the results being released is because a new requirement has come into force stating that they must be released with this time.

Today’s NHS Information Centre report; Cervical Screening Programme, England, 2010-11, is used to inform policy and to monitor the quality, effectiveness and safety of screening services. It also shows that among women aged 25 to 64:

• 4.3 million women were invited for a screening test in 2010-11, compared to 4.1 million in the previous year.
• 3.4 million women were tested in 2010-11, compared to 3.3 million in the previous year.
• At 31 March 2011; coverage – the percentage of eligible women screened at least once in the last five years fell to 78.6 per cent from 78.9 per cent in the previous year and from 79.5 per cent five years ago (in 2006).
• Coverage varied between England’s 10 Strategic Health Authorities, with four achieving 80 per cent or higher, compared to six in the previous year. The highest reported coverage was in the East Midlands at 81.4 per cent, while the lowest was London at 74.0 per cent.

NHS Information Centre Chief Executive Tim Straughan said: “The statistics in our report, which shows 3.4 million women aged 25 to 64 were tested in 2010-11, are important to monitor the quality and effectiveness of cervical screening services in this country.

“It shows women in England are being sent their cervical screening results faster than before; with the percentage of results sent out within two weeks rising sharply in a year.”

The report can be accessed at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/cervscreen1011

In the past 40 years the contraception pill has seen a significant increase in use. This has lead to claims that a great deal more oestrogen has come into the water supply. Canadian researchers have recently speculated that this could be a reason why prostate cancer around the world is increasing.

The research has suggested that levels of the hormone in the environment have gone up and it is well known that excessive oestrogen amounts can cause different types of cancer. Dr David Margel was the lead researcher on the study and he said, “The amount of oestrogen that women excrete is tiny but if you consider how long the hormone has had a chance to build up it could be considered a significant addition to the environment.”

The report has recently been published in BMJ Open. With his colleagues Dr Margel looked at data from The International Agency for Research on Cancer. They compare data looking at the number of people with prostate cancer and that the rates at which the oral contraceptive was being used.

Dr Margel continued, “It seems that the highest levels of association were seen in European countries and there appears to be a link between the use of contraceptives and prostate cancer. I want to clearly state that this is nothing more than a hypothesis generating study. We have done nothing to prove cause and effect.”

It is expected researchers will be shortly conducting tests on water as well as people suffering from prostate cancer. They will look for the amount of oestrogen that is in the system as well as in the water supply. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the developed world, and the developed world is a place where the use of the contraception pill is most widespread.

Anthony D’Amico is a prostate cancer expert and has commented about the study, “This is just a study of association and there is no proof of cause-and-effect, therefore there is no proof right now as to whether it’s true and it needs to be investigated further. The hypothesis they have generated is itself questionable. The levels of oestrogen in the water are incredibly low and then, once they’ve been consumed by a person, most of oestrogen would be absorbed by the body. Therefore exposure will actually be incredibly low.

“For there to be any link between prostate cancer and oestrogen levels in the water, the oestrogen levels would have to be incredibly high. There are also many other problems associated with high oestrogen levels, and prostate cancer is just one of these, heart attack is another possibility. For me to accept the study is rather challenging because prostate cancer is a very small part of it all and I don’t see any link between oestrogen in the water and heart attacks.”

The male cancer charity  Orchid are trying to raise awareness of the symptoms and signs of the 3 male specific cancers – penile, prostrate and testicular,  in order that they seek advice as soon as possible.

Orchid have revealed in their latest research that almost half of all men would prefer to be checked by their partners for the signs of testicular cancer than their GP.

Testicular cancer most commonly occurs in young men aged 15-45 and affects almost 2000 men a year. If it caught early enough however, the common male cancer has a 95% cure rate, but will have spread in over 1/3 cases before its been diagnosed.
With this in mind, Orchid are keen to encourage women to get more involved in their loved ones health, especially as almost three quarters (62%) of the men questioned revealed that although they would prefer their partner to carry out these vital checks, they never do.

The new survey also found that ‘embarrassment’ is a key barrier that stops men from making potentially lifesaving appointments with their GP for a testicle check-up.
Testicular cancer sufferer William Gingell was diagnosed at 17, he says:

‘I really owe my life to my girlfriend, it was her who found the lump in my testicle and without her encouragement and support I know I would have been far too embarrassed to make an appointment with my GP to get it checked out. I think this campaign is a great idea and wholeheartedly encourage women to check their partners or at least encourage their partners to check themselves; they may just save a life.’

HIS HEALTH IN YOUR HANDS

In light of this new research, Orchid will be continuing ‘His Health In Your Hands’ campaign throughout 2012, which calls on women to be proactive in encouraging their man to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the three male specific cancers – testicular, penile and prostate – so they can seek advice as early as possible.

If you would like more information about Orchid, symptom advice and details on how you can help fight male cancer visit their website www.orchid-cancer.org.uk.

One of the best ways today of getting a message across is to release a hard hitting short video that is thought provoking, maybe slightly shocking but really gets the message across. Long used as a marketing medium, other ‘commodities’, such as charities, are also using videos to get their point across, and a new short video from Cancer Research UK certainly pulls no punches.

This animation deals with something most of us have, belly fat, aka a spare tyre. Most of us think nothing of it, despite moaning occasionally the majority of us have a flab on our bellies than any other part of out bodies. These fat cells are far from innocent though, as this video explains.

These seemingly innocent fat cells quickly turn into something called ‘active fat’ which can be very dangerous and the cause of such diseases as cancer, type 2diabetes and heart disease. Three leading health charities have got together to tell us how to beat these vicious active fat cells and this is the first video in a series.

The first step is to get an accurate waist measurement, and it explains exactly how to do this as many of us are confused as to where we should actually measuring. The video tells us that your waist should be measured between the bottom rib and the hip to achieve the most accurate measurement.

It also gives the website address www.activefat.org to check where our waist measurements place us in terms of health, and there are also lots of other help and advice on there regarding fighting back against active belly fat. This is video isn’t pretty, and its not meant to be, as it gets across the message of the possible results of carrying around this belly fat and not doing anything about it.

The first wholly accessible brain tumour tissue bank in the UK is to be launched on September 20^th, thanks to the amazing fundraising efforts of one of the brains trust’s most ardent supporters, Anita Smith. The tissue bank will be housed in Glasgow at the Southern General Hospital and will be the first of its kind that will act as a repository of all kinds of clinical info for all the academic, scientific and commercial UK researchers.

This effectively means that for the first time ever, a researcher from any organisation, irrespective of its location, will have direct access to tissue to test for things such as genetic links, the sensitivity to chemotherapy and for the identification of key markers that will, hopefully, increase future patient’s treatment options.

Anita Smith has done all her fundraising in memory of her daughter Charlotte, who died aged 16 from an aggressive brain tumour in 2008. It is her sterling work that has made this project a reality and she has spoken about the tissue bank. She said that this unique brain tumour tissue bank would allow a better translation of the complicated science to turn it into treatments for patients like Charlotte.

She added that they were thrilled that through their fundraising, along with the support of Brains Trust, that they were able to leave a legacy on behalf of Charlotte that would help future generations of British brain tumour patients.

Professor Anthony Chalmers, Chair of Clinical Oncology at the University of Glasgow, and the project lead, says, “We hope this resource will transform research into brain tumours and serve as a source of material for researchers in the community throughout the UK. The heterogeneity (lack of uniformity) of brain tumours means that we need to understand the challenges and possibilities of personalised medicine – this brain tumour tissue bank is one step on our way to achieving this.”

Brainstrust director, Helen Bulbeck, adds, “By choosing to invest the money that Anita Smith and her amazing ‘Charlotte Smith Fund of Hope’ has raised into the tissue bank, this unique resource will give patients across the UK an even better chance in the future of specific treatments for their brain tumour.

As there is no structured research base currently in existence for brain tumours, despite brain cancer killing more children than any other illness, all efforts to bring together research options are vital. We really look forward to working closely with the University of Glasgow and the Southern General Hospital as this project develops. We will be monitoring the outcomes of the tissue bank closely and will continue to distribute news as we receive it.”

Research into cancer treatments is a continual and ongoing process and the hope of an effective cure is the wish of every cancer research technologist. Recent research has highlighted the healing possibilities of an autumn flower, the crocus and researchers will start clinical trials with a new treatment derived from this flower. Cancerous tumours will be targeted specifically in the trials.

This new chemical treatment, known as colchicine, was used in the successful treatment of mice suffering from a number of different types of cancer. In most cases the cancer was completely eliminated.

The research has been carried out by a team from The Institute for Cancer Therapeutics, ICT, from Bradford University and the results published in the Cancer Research journal. The results have also been presented at the British Science Festival, held in Bradford.

The Autumn crocus, also known as naked lady and meadow saffron, had been used in early times for the treatment of inflammation. It contains a powerful chemical, colchicine, which has strong medicinal properties as well as cancer fighting agents. Colchicine is toxic to cancer but it is also harmful to other body tissue so its use has been limited until now.

The colchicine molecule has now been altered by the ICT researchers and it now remains inactive in the body until it reaches the tumour. Once it makes contact with the tumour, the chemical reactivates and causes the blood vessels feeding the tumor to break up, thereby starving the tumour.

Tumours produce enzymes which break down healthy cells around it. In this way the tumour spreads. The adapted colchicine molecule contains a protein that renders it harmless. The tumour enzyme attacks this protein and eradicates it thereby activating the colchicine and the starvation process of the cancer cells begins.

The drug will only be active in the tumour and will not damage any normal tissue. It may be possible to treat cancers with hardly any side effects to the body as the enzyme needed to activate the poisonous colchicines is only produced in solid tumours. Whenever the enzyme is produced the drug is activated.

The results of this research are most encouraging and only one dose of colchicine produced a very positive response. All the mice responded to the treatment and the majority of them were cured of cancer. Researchers hope the clinical testing at St. James Hospital  will commence within the next 12 to 18 months.

In an interview, Bradford University Spokesman, Professor Patterson, stated that caution should be exercised as everything done to date has been carried out in the laboratory but he is nonetheless optimistic about the treatment opportunities. The project is at an early stage but the results look promising.

A drug that has been hailed for lengthening the lives of sufferer’s of melanoma, the deadly skin cancer, has become a stage closer to becoming made widely available. This will bring some relief to the many people who suffer from the disease.

Ipilimumab, known by its brand name Yervoy, has been licensed for sale inside Europe. It is the only treatment that has been made available for treating advanced stage melanoma since the 1970s. The drug however is not yet approved for use by the NHS, but a trial revealed that the drug can increase survival rates significantly, nearly doubling the chances of survival for one year.

The drug is administered four times over three weeks through an infusion process. It works by encouraging the body’s immune system so that it can better fight the cancer. The cost of a single infusion is £18,000 with the entire cost of treatment averaging £75,000.

Dr Paul Lorigan, an expert in medical oncology who works at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, has said, “The approval of this treatment represents a major step forward for the patients with melanoma. It is the first drug that can extend their lives that has been approved in thirty years.”

Research says that a regular exercise routine that is followed every week for two and a half hours can be beneficial to those recuperating from cancer. A study that was performed on behalf of the Macmillan Cancer Support says that participation of moderate physical activity may help in preventing the disease from returning and minimise the treatments’ side effects.

Experts say the best thing would be for doctors to prescribe moderate activity for 150 minutes per week for both cancer survivors and patients per the recommendation of the Department of Health. Previously, the idea was for the cancer patient to rest after treatment but this new research, which includes the review of 60 studies, shows exercise will help in recovery from the disease and prevent other illnesses that are long term.

If patients are physically active it helps them to overcome the weight and fatigue issues of cancer. It may also help reduce the side effects common with cancer treatments like swelling in the arms, depression, anxiety, impaired mobility and fatigue. In the long term, it will help to recover physical function, improve quality of life, manage fatigue and control weight.