Cancer Risk an Unfortunate Truth
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Breast Cancer May 2013 Issue 30 RO F ACTs, MYTHs, VI N Cancer Risk N M an E E CHOICEs N and T unfortunate(excerpts from truth P Anand et al, 2008) GENES diet is linked to cancer deaths in as many as 70% of colorectal cancer cases. How diet contributes to cancer is not fully understood. Most carcinogens that are ingested, such as nitrates, nitrosamines, pesticides, and dioxins, come from food or food additives or from cooking. INDEX Various phytochemicals have been identified in RESEARCH PARTNERS fruits, vegetables, spices, and grains that exhibit chemopreventive potential, and numerous studies Cancer risk.....................................1 have shown that a proper diet can help protect Addictive junk food......,..................7 against cancer. Although all cancers are a result of multiple COMMUNITY PARTNERS mutations, these mutations are due to interaction with the environment. Coffee Talks..................................8 Sunchokes.......................................9 Up to 10% of total cancer cases may be Crossword puzzle.........................10 induced by radiation, both ionizing and nonionizing, typically from radioactive substances and ultraviolet Nutrient Density............................12 (UV), pulsed electromagnetic fields. Yoga Pose......................................13 Junk food and brain activity......14 Heavy consumption of red meat is a risk factor Just 4 fun.......................................15 for colorectal, prostate, bladder, breast, gastric, pancreatic, and oral cancers. Contacts Inflammation may be a link between the [email protected] agents/factors that cause cancer and the agents that [email protected] prevent it. In addition, they provide evidence that Breast cancer: Windows of Susceptibility. cancer is largely a preventable disease that requires NIH grant 1U01ES019480 major (MAJOR ed,) lifestyle changes. [email protected] Cancer is caused by both internal factors (such PINK RIBBON GIRLS as inherited mutations, hormones, and immune conditions) (about 31 genes are known to be involved our MISSION in cancer risk) and environmental/acquired factors (such as tobacco, diet, radiation, and infectious TO PREVENT the occurrence of BCa organisms (numbering in the many 1000s). through RESEARCH and EDUCATION TO ENCOURAGE "this looks like a formidable read, but it underscores that and SUPPORT science is making progress in determining the health effects BCa survivors, of our biggest environmental interface, our food. It is not necessary to understand how each ofthe factors wor to appreciate that they affect vital cellular regulatory Visit our activities." Website 1 90–95% of cancers have roots in the Resveratrol (stilbene): grapes, peanuts, and environment and lifestyle. The lifestyle factors berries include cigarette smoking, diet, drugs (alcohol), Resveratrol exhibits anticancer properties sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, against a wide variety of tumors, including stress, obesity, and physical inactivity. Almost lymphoid and myeloid cancers, multiple myeloma, 25–30% of cancer deaths are due to tobacco, and cancers of the breast, prostate, stomach, 30–35% are linked to diet, 15–20% are due to colon, and pancreas. The growth-inhibitory effects infections, and the rest are due to other factors: eg of resveratrol are mediated through cell-cycle radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental arrest; induction of apoptosis via Fas/CD95, p53, pollutants etc. ceramide activation, tubulin polymerization, mitochondrial and adenylyl cyclase pathways; up- Obesity: According to an American Cancer regulation of p21 p53 and Bax; down-regulation of Society study, obesity is associated with increased survivin, cyclin D1, cyclin E, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and mortality from many cancers (accounting for cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins; activation of between 15-20% weight or obesity. Various caspases; suppression of nitric oxide synthase; cancers have been linked to obesityand could suppression of transcription factors such as NF- account for 14% of all cancer deaths in men and kappaB, AP-1, and early growth response-1; 20% in women. inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and The common denominators between lipoxygenase; suppression of adhesion molecules; obesity and cancer include neurochemicals; and inhibition of angiogenesis, invasion, and hormones such as insulin like growth factor 1, metastasis. insulin, leptin; sex steroids; adiposity; insulin resistance; and inflammation. Quercetin (flavinoid): vegetables, onions, apples, and beverages such as tea and wine Good News The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and apoptotic effects of the More than 25,000 different phytochemicals molecule have been largely analyzed in cell have been identified that may have potential culture models, and it is known to block NF- against various cancers. These have advantages kappaB activation. In animal models, quercetin because they are safe and usually target multiple has been shown to inhibit inflammation and cell-signaling pathways. Major chemopreventive prevent colon and lung cancer. A phase 1 clinical compounds identified from fruits and vegetables trial indicated that the molecule can be safely include: carotenoids, vitamins, resveratrol, administered and that its plasma levels are quercetin, silymarin, sulphoraphane and sufficient to inhibit lymphocyte tyrosine kinase indole-3-carbinol. activity. Quercetin may increase resistance to strand breakage in lymphocytic DNA and Carotenoids: beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, decreased levels of some oxidative metabolites in lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, the urine. fucoxanthin, astaxanthin, capsanthin, crocetin, and phytoene Silymarin (flavinoid) silybin, isosilybin, silychristin, Lycopene is one of the main carotenoids silydianin, and taxifolin: present in fruits (watermelon, apricots, pink guava, grapefruit, rosehip, tomatoes). The anticancer Antioxidant and hepatoprotective agent, activity of lycopene has been demonstrated in anticancer, anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin both in vitro and in vivo tumor models as well as in are mediated through suppression of NF-kappaB- humans. The proposed mechanisms for the regulated gene products, including COX-2, anticancer effect of lycopene involve reactive lipoxygenase (LOX), inducible NO synthase, TNF, oxygen species scavenging, up-regulation of and IL-1. Numerous studies have indicated that detoxification systems, interference with cell silymarin is a chemopreventive agent in vivo proliferation, induction of gap-junctional against various carcinogens/tumor promoters, communication, inhibition of cell-cycle including UV light, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a) progression, and modulation of signal transduction anthracene (DMBA), phorbol 12-myristate 13- pathways. 2 acetate, and others. Silymarin has also been chemoprevention trials is available. Green tea shown to sensitize tumors to chemotherapeutic derivatives have shown some benefit against agents through down-regulation of the MDR cervical, prostate, and hepatic malignancies. protein and other mechanisms. It binds to both estrogen and androgen receptors and down- Curcumin is well studied for inhibition of regulates prostate specific antigen. inflammation and cancer prevention, with almost 3000 published studies. Curcumin inhibited NF- Indole-3-carbinol (flavinoid): cabbage, broccoli, kappaB and NF-kappaB-regulated gene brussels sprout, cauliflower, daikon artichoke expression in various cancer cell lines. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that this phytochemical Indole-3-carbinol and 3,3'- inhibited inflammation and carcinogenesis in diindolylmethane exert a variety of biological and animal models, including breast, esophageal, biochemical effects mostly modulation of nuclear stomach, and colon cancer models. Curcumin may transcription factors, and inducing phase 1 and inhibit ulcerative proctitis and Crohn’s disease. phase 2 enzymes that metabolize carcinogens, Another study evaluated the effect of a including estrogens. Indole-3-carbinol has also combination of curcumin and piperine in patients been found to be effective in treating some cases with tropical pancreatitis and possibly familial of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and may adenomatous polyposis. Curcumin may inhibit have other clinical uses. constitutive activation of NF-kappaB, COX-2, and STAT3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Sulforaphane (isothiocyanate): broccoli, multiple myeloma patients. Curcumin down- brussels sprouts, cabbage other cruciferous regulated the expression of NF-kappaB, COX-2, veggies and phosphorylated STAT3 in peripheral blood Its chemopreventive effects have been mononuclear cells from patients in overweight established in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The patients. mechanisms of action of SFN include inhibition of phase 1 enzymes, induction of phase 2 enzymes Diallyldisulfide: garlic to detoxify carcinogens, cell-cycle arrest, induction Diallyldisulfide inhibited the growth and of apoptosis, inhibition of histone deacetylase, proliferation of a number of cancer cell lines modulation of the MAPK pathway, inhibition of NF- including colon, breast, glioblastoma, melanoma, kappaB, and production of reaction oxygen and neuroblastoma cell lines. Recent studies species. Preclinical and clinical studies of this showed that this compound induces apoptosis in compound have suggested its chemopreventive vitro, in human colon cancer cells by inhibiting effects at several stages of carcinogenesis. COX-2, NF-kappaB, and ERK-2.