Herbal Health » Cancer

TUMOR RECURRENCE AND TAMOXIFEN RESISTANCE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THE DOCTOR SAYS MY BREAST CANCER IS NOW DRUG RESISTANT?

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:46:26 +0000

Drug resistance is a term used to describe a condition in which cells are able to survive despite drug therapy. There are at least two forms of resistance. In the first variety, called innate resistance, tumor cells are resistant even before any drugs have been given. This kind of resistance is usually not typical of breast cancer but is apt to be found in cancers of the kidney or lung. The second type is called acquired resistance, a condition whereby the cells actually “acquire” resistance following exposure to drugs. The cancer cells are very sensitive to the drugs at first, then become progressively less so. This sort of resistance is most often found in breast cancer. Although patients may at first respond very well to agents such as methotrexate or adriamycin, eventually the drugs stop working because of drug resistance.*39\320\2*

THE CAUSE OF CANCER: ANALYTICAL STUDIES

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:18:35 +0000

In the performance of analytical studies epidemiologists move from the demanding chores of collecting accurate information into the realms of designing studies that seek to answer important individual questions about the causes of cancer. In this area they will usually have an idea to test – a hypothesis about some possible causative factor. The focus shifts from whole nations or whole regions to a much more closely defined group of individuals. By collecting a great deal more information about a rather smaller number of people (but not so small that our conclusions might be based on pure chance), it is possible not only to demonstrate links between particular factors and particular cancers but also to look carefully to see if there are any possible alternative links which have to be considered or excluded by careful work. A number of methods of performing analytical epidemiology are recognized and are worth mentioning to give the general flavour of this sort of work: cohort studies, case-control studies and intervention or experimental studies.
Cohort Studies. A group of people (usually hundreds or even thousands) are identified who have either been exposed 10 a particular risk factor or who may become exposed to some risk during the study. They arc then followed up carefully and the development of the particular cancer or cancers under study is recorded and compared to that in a similar group of people who have not suffered any exposure to the relevant risk. Although this sounds like a simple operation, collecting together the information on an adequate number of people and following them up for a long enough period is difficult, laborious and expensive. These studies may look at groups of people who are known to have been exposed to a risk already – workers exposed to a chemical for instance. On the other hand, they may take a group of people in a job and then look at their exposure to a risk as it develops. Further follow-up then checks for cancer incidence. This second kind of study – called a prospective cohort study – can be particularly accurate.
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BREAST FEEDING AND HORMONE DISRUPTERS – INVISIBLE DANGERS

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:11:34 +0000

To sum it all up, the womb experience is now fraught with many invisible dangers. The undeniable toxic exposure in utero to synthetic hormones, petrochemicals, organochlorines found in pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides, along with the new members to the club such as phthalates, nonylphenol and bisphenol-A, pose a grave risk to the developing fetus. The effects to the fetus’ developing brain, immune system, reproductive system, endocrine system and behavioral development may not be observed until puberty or beyond. These man-made chemicals tweak the genes into mutations that can possibly lead to numerable health problems, some of them life-threatening. Certainly, the quality of a person’s life can be seriously jeopardized.
The other tricky bit is that it’s not only the introduction of these hormone-disrupting chemicals into a fetus’ world, but also the timing of exposure that is crucial.
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THE ONGOING CONTROVERSY OVER THE TAMOXIFEN CHEMOPREVENTION TRIAL: WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON THE STUDY?

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:19:07 +0000

In testimony before several congressional subcommittees formed in October 1992 to review the safety of the tamoxifen trial, opponents expressed their concerns about both the design of the research and the ethics of performing such a study in healthy women. After the first round of hearings, anxiety was expressed over the informed-consent process which is intended to notify patients of potential hazards. Both state and federal law requires that participants completely understand all risks involved in a given study, and sign a consent form acknowledging that they fully comprehend those risks. There were complaints that many of the medical centers involved in the tamoxifen trial utilized consent forms that did not adequately inform women of all the potential risks that they might encounter.

After reviewing the information on the consent forms, members of the congressional staff found that, in general, the potential benefits to the study were presented in an overly optimistic way and crucial information concerning the risks was lacking. They noted that in 62 percent of the centers conducting the study, information on the patient consent forms concerning the risk of blood clots was either misleading or nonexistent. When this risk was described, many of the consent forms merely mentioned that the prediction was for three instances of blood clots. Yet this particular side effect is known to occur in 1.5 percent of women taking tamoxifen and is a potentially life-threatening event. Thus, of the 8,000 women taking tamoxifen, 48 are expected to experience some degree of clotting and as many as 8 to 21 women may develop fatal blood clots.

During the congressional hearings it became evident that those testifying felt there was a tendency of the medical community to downplay the side effects of tamoxifen. When the side effects of other anticancer agents are compared, tamoxifen does seem a rather benign drug; however, as one woman who had been treated with tamoxifen testified, “While the side effects were not life threatening, they certainly threatened the quality of my life.”

After hearing hours of testimony, the chair of the hearings, Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), expressed his concern about new data that had emerged since the start of the study. He cited a 1992 report from the Royal Marsden Hospital in London (73). In it tamoxifen was shown to effectively prevent the recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; but in the group of premenopausal patients taking tamoxifen, the incidence of breast cancer was greater than expected.

Earlier, in July 1991 a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee evaluating the tamoxifen study separately had recommended that premenopausal women not be admitted. The National Cancer Institute felt that this restriction would significantly limit the number of individuals recruited to the study and make it difficult to achieve the desired enrollment of 16,000 women. Although the FDA finally allowed the study to proceed as planned, many of the FDA committee members remained opposed to the inclusion of premenopausal women.

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THE ONGOING CONTROVERSY OVER THE TAMOXIFEN CHEMOPREVENTION TRIAL: WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON THE STUDY?In testimony before several congressional subcommittees formed in October 1992 to review the safety of the tamoxifen trial, opponents expressed their concerns about both the design of the research and the ethics of performing such a study in healthy women. After the first round of hearings, anxiety was expressed over the informed-consent process which is intended to notify patients of potential hazards. Both state and federal law requires that participants completely understand all risks involved in a given study, and sign a consent form acknowledging that they fully comprehend those risks. There were complaints that many of the medical centers involved in the tamoxifen trial utilized consent forms that did not adequately inform women of all the potential risks that they might encounter.After reviewing the information on the consent forms, members of the congressional staff found that, in general, the potential benefits to the study were presented in an overly optimistic way and crucial information concerning the risks was lacking. They noted that in 62 percent of the centers conducting the study, information on the patient consent forms concerning the risk of blood clots was either misleading or nonexistent. When this risk was described, many of the consent forms merely mentioned that the prediction was for three instances of blood clots. Yet this particular side effect is known to occur in 1.5 percent of women taking tamoxifen and is a potentially life-threatening event. Thus, of the 8,000 women taking tamoxifen, 48 are expected to experience some degree of clotting and as many as 8 to 21 women may develop fatal blood clots.During the congressional hearings it became evident that those testifying felt there was a tendency of the medical community to downplay the side effects of tamoxifen. When the side effects of other anticancer agents are compared, tamoxifen does seem a rather benign drug; however, as one woman who had been treated with tamoxifen testified, “While the side effects were not life threatening, they certainly threatened the quality of my life.”After hearing hours of testimony, the chair of the hearings, Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), expressed his concern about new data that had emerged since the start of the study. He cited a 1992 report from the Royal Marsden Hospital in London (73). In it tamoxifen was shown to effectively prevent the recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; but in the group of premenopausal patients taking tamoxifen, the incidence of breast cancer was greater than expected.Earlier, in July 1991 a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee evaluating the tamoxifen study separately had recommended that premenopausal women not be admitted. The National Cancer Institute felt that this restriction would significantly limit the number of individuals recruited to the study and make it difficult to achieve the desired enrollment of 16,000 women. Although the FDA finally allowed the study to proceed as planned, many of the FDA committee members remained opposed to the inclusion of premenopausal women.*66\320\2*

YOUR CANCER YOUR LIFE – STAGES OF CANCER

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:08:14 +0000

Doctors have developed a sort of shorthand method for describing how extensive a cancer seems to be. We call this the stage of the cancer. For most cancers there are four stages. Here are the essential things which determine the stage of a cancer. I won’t go into details, but for each type there are carefully worked out rules.

Stage I cancer seems to be confined to the organ it started in. There must be no indication that it is even growing out of this organ directly into neighbouring tissues. There is only the one primary growth and, usually, this must be less than a certain size.

Stage II cancers have spread to the lymph nodes which normally drain the organ in which the cancer started. They have apparently not spread to more distant lymph nodes or through the blood. They must be confined within the nodes, not extending out of them to stick to each other or to neighbouring tissues like skin.

Stage III cancers are those which have not yet apparently spread through the blood, but have extended out of the organ of origin and/or the nearby lymph nodes directly into neighbouring tissues.

Stage IV cancers are those known to have already spread through the bloodstream.

The accuracy of the assessment of your stage of cancer obviously depends on how carefully you have been examined and tested. A cancer which seems to be Stage I when you have only been examined by the doctor may prove to be Stage IV after blood tests and X-rays. A cancer which seems to be only Stage II after extensive tests could still be found to actually be Stage IV when it is operated on and the surgeon can see inside.

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