World of Health

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.

The chance of contracting ovarian cancer is enhanced greatly, scientists have discovered, by a gene that is faulty. The gene, RAD51D, can increase the risk of ovarian cancer six times, making the odds one in eleven for a woman developing the disease. It was described by Cancer Research UK as a landmark discovery, stating that their findings will help with an early diagnostic exam which may be available in the next two years.

Those women that have the faulty gene should be able to benefit from a new type of preventive cancer drug said the London Institute of Cancer Research. The drugs are known as PARP inhibitors and are amidst clinical trials. They target the BRCA 1&2 breast and ovarian cancer genes.

There are other existing genes that are known to contribute to the cancer but not to the extent that the gene RAD51D does. The author of the study, Professor Nazneen Rahman, said they were excited about the discovery and with this we enter into a new gene sequencing era and a great deal more destructive genes will be found like these in future studies.

A charity claims that, on the average, more Britons develop cancer than is the average across Europe. Figures indicate that close to a fifth more British women develop cancer before they reach 75 than the rest of the continent. The data was unearthed by the World Cancer Research Fund, and they fear the difference is that women in Britain eat and drink much more than is necessary. At the same time, the World Health Organisation says that over 25% of British women will develop Cancer before the age of 75.

Dr. Rachel Thompson, the Deputy Head of Science for the WCRF, says that an average UK woman is more likely to be overweight, and to consume more alcohol than the average European woman, and the concern is that these two factors are increasing the risks of developing cancer.

There are also many other reasons that could cause the cancer rates to differ so greatly, and there is also new evidence that suggests the risk of developing cancer is increased by consuming large quantities of alcohol, as well as by having excess fat on your body.

For these reasons, one of the public health service’s biggest challenges is to reduce the alcohol consumption across the nation, as well as getting to grips with the obesity problem that is careering out of control. To lower their chances of developing Cancer before 75, women should consider a healthier lifestyle including taking more exercise, cutting down on alcohol and lowering their intake of red and processed meats.

In general, it is estimated that 33% of the cancers that are the most common in women could be avoided by eating a more healthy diet, remaining physically fit and keeping your body weight at a healthy level. For breast cancer, close to 40% could be prevented with lifestyle changes, and recent data suggests that 40% of Britons at some point will develop cancer.

The Offices for National Statistics last month reported that over 130,000 women were diagnosed for the first time in England with the disease in 2009, an increase of close to 3% over 2008. The most common by far among females is breast cancer, with over 40,000 new cases in 2009. Close to 25% of those developing breast tumours will eventually die from the disease, despite there being increased screening and better drugs having been developed in the past couple of decades.

The hormone oestrogen “fuels” a large proportion of breast cancer cases, and overweight women tend to have higher levels of oestrogen, heightening their risk of developing and dying from breast cancer, according to Will Williams, scientific advisor for the All About Weight organisation.

Mr Williams was commenting on an Oxford University study funded by Cancer Research UK, involving thousands of post-menopausal women, which has revealed “just what a huge influence your weight has on your risk of developing breast cancer”.

Mr Williams warned that the study “quantifies obesity as being the most important of the three modifiable risk factors for breast cancer – the other two being alcohol and smoking”.

In the British Journal of Cancer the study researchers explain that one in eight women in the UK develop breast cancer during their lifetime, and it has been ascertained that in most cases the cancer is down to hormone levels. Women with high levels of oestrogen and testosterone have a far higher risk of breast cancer – and the levels of these hormones are increased if there is too much fat stored in the body.

“It was found that women with a BMI (body mass index) of 25 or more had higher levels of hormones and also a higher risk of certain breast cancers,” said Mr Williams.

It is not only overweight women at risk, according to Mr Williams. The excess fat carried by men also disrupts hormones, reducing levels of testosterone, and therefore overweight men are also at higher risk of developing breast cancer.

“Scientists now accept that fat tissue is not a benign energy store, as was previously believed. When you carry a lot of fat it functions as a very active endocrine organ, which means it produces hormones and other signalling molecules that promote inflammation. This not only contributes to a variety of health problems, but also can make it easier to keep gaining weight, and ever harder to lose it.”

Losing potentially deadly fat is, however, possible at any age, and the benefits extend into all realms of life beyond improving health and lowering the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease according to  Mr Williams.

“To lose weight you must consume fewer calories than you expend. This means a low calorie diet has the largest effect on weight loss initially, but exercise also has a vital role to play,” said Mr Williams, who is a registered dietitian.

He explained that the best approach to losing weight was to keep motivated, and this needs a structured programme balancing a low calorie diet with supportive mentoring and appropriate physical activity.

“As the pounds drop off, so motivation and health improves – it’s a win-win situation,” he said. “I hope the latest breast cancer research will encourage all those people at risk to take that first step towards a healthier future.”

For more information about how to lose weight quickly, safely and successfully visit www.allaboutw8.co.uk.