Tag Archives: Breast Cancer

Tests Help in Cancer Treatment

July 25, 2014

Certain Cancer Tests Such As Greek Test, Chemosensitivity and Biofocus Tests Help In Cancer Treatment

testCancer is a disease that is multi-faceted and so needs to be approached with broad knowledge and treatment options to be treated effectively. The time when all cancer patients were treated with one chemotherapy drug is all gone and new treatments has recognized that everybody need to be treated in a special way as genetic composition as well the bodies reaction to medicine are different with every patient. One of the major problems with just giving a drug to all patients without testing the ability of the drug killing the cancer cells is that the cancer cells may develop resistance to the chemotherapy drugs hence will not be killed even if the chemo is repeated. To help avoid this situation and come up with better treatment of the patient, there are tests that may help in determining the best way to treat a patient. These tests include;

Genetic Testing genes

Genetic testing can be used to determine whether someone has certain changes in their genes that may increase a person’s risks of getting certain cancers. It involves taking pints of blood, tissues or cheek cells that are then used to analyze a person. These tests are often called predictive tests. Can also be used to test the likelihood of a person getting cancer if his lineage has a history of the disease.

Some of the genes that are commonly involved in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are the BRCA1 and BRCA2. Testing can be done on either the cheek swab or the blood to show if a person has these BRCA mutations. The genetic tests do not show whether a person has cancer or not, neither is it intended for that. It shows whether one has gene mutations that might increase his chances of getting cancer.

Genetic testing is helpful in cancer treatment as it tells whether a person has some gene mutations that may increase his chances of getting cancer. This will help in giving drugs or better yet helping the doctors to give the patients the best life he can adapt to in order to reduce his chances of getting cancer.

Genetic testing helps to verify if a person has a gene mutation as the rest of the family. This is in case of hereditary cancer in the family. The gene testing may help to confirm a suspected gene mutation in a person or family and hence help in early treatment.

Chemosensitivity testing

Chemosensitivity testing helps the doctors to know which drugs are good for your type of cancer. It involves extraction of the individual’s cancer cells and testing the cancer cells in lab to see which drug they are most responsive to. The chemosensitivity testing offers a guide to the doctors on which treatment methods to implement when treating the patient.

Chemosensitivity is more strategic and not haphazard and so is most effective as the drugs and the treatment procedures the patient is subjected to are pretested to know how effective they will be in treating the patient’s type of cancer.

RGCC Chemosensitivity testing may use blood or tissues and it is used to test the viability of the chemotherapy drugs in treating the cancer. It also involves genetic profiling of the cancer cell that will help the doctors decide on which treatment best suits the patient. It also checks on viability of other treatment methods that may be used alongside chemotherapy in killing the cancer.

Greek test

Greek test may help doctors with valuable information about the cancer cells ability to resist drugs especially the circulating tumor cells that are known to wreak havoc as they fuel metastasis. Through the Greek test precise treatment methods can be reached as the doctors will be testing the reactions of the cancer cells to the drugs in the Petri dish in the lab before the patient is treated. The most effective agent in inhibiting the growth of the cancer cells is then used to treat the patient.

The Greek test helps the doctors to; discover genes which trigger the growth of tumor cells, find a better alternative treatment that can improve recovery, asses the reasons to why the body may resist chemotherapy drugs and come up with better drugs that can work on the cancer cells. Finally the Greek tests help the doctors to know which nutrients can cause cancer cell apoptosis as well as those that will encourage the growth of cancer cells.

Biofocus tests

 

Biofocus helps the doctors to get a better treatment for cancer patients. It involves testing blood for the presence of the Circulating Tumor hormones (CTCs) in the body. If the CTCs are detected, the next process will now test the reaction of the CTCs on the chemotherapy drugs. The doctors can analyze the reactions of the CTCs to the drugs after which they will choose the best drug for the treatment.

TestBiofocus tests help the doctors in availing better ways to kill the cancer cells that have broken away from the main tumor. As known the circulating tumor cells are able to spread the tumor to other body parts and therefore a better strategy is necessary. It helps doctors to decide on the best drug for the treatment of the disease.

To know more about cancer you need to find access to up to date information about cancer. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) runs a website that equips people with relevant information about cancer. Check on her website regularly to benefit from her wealth of health knowledge.

Certain Cancer Tests Such As Greek Test, Chemosensitivity and Biofocus Tests Help In Cancer Treatment

Related articles

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Targeted Cancer Therapies

July 23, 2014

 

  Targeted Cancer Therapies are effective in cancer treatment

Targeted cancer therapies are drugs designed to interfere with specific molecules necessary for tumor growth and metastasis. Conventional chemotherapy is a treatment that targets cell division. It kills rapidly dividing cells hence affecting their spread. However as known conventional chemotherapy has side effects as healthy cells are also affected. The aim of target therapies is to fight cancer more strategically with few side effects.

The target therapies are always pre tested before they are used on a patient. This is mostly done on animals like mice. However in some cases it may be tested on humans. The target therapies are mostly used with other treatment methods such as chemotherapy. They help in killing the culprits behind the uncontrolled cancer cell growth and metastasis making such treatments more effective.

Typically the body cells grow and divide to give rise to new cells that will replace them when they grow old and die. However this circle maybe broken and that is where all problems begin, new cells may come up earlier before the body requires them while the old cells may refuse to die and leave space for new cells. The many cells may initiate a growth which divides without control. Eventually these cancerous cells will break away from the parent tumor and spread to the rest of the body causing damage to healthy tissues.

The growth and division of cancer cells is not controlled. The growth of healthy body cells is controlled by the certain enzymes, chemicals and molecular signals that issue instructions to the cells to divide when they ought to. Genes are also involved in cell growth. Hormone proto-oncogenesis is involved in cell growth and division. Changes in these genes may result in formation of cancer cells. The change otherwise known as oncogenesis promotes excessive cell growth and division. To help save this situation, tumor suppressor genes need to stop the cell from dividing rapidly but in case they don’t work as needed the tumor growth begins.

If the changes in the genes are not corrected appropriately by the cell, abnormal proteins may be produced. Proteins help the cells to accomplish some of their duties. The growth factors are and growth factor receptors help in growth and division of cells. In some cases case of abnormal proteins may over respond to signals or may not respond at all. The cancer cells are the result of abnormal proteins that have signaled the cells to reproduce excessively.

Therefore changes in the genes may play a very important role in the formation and growth of tumors. By use of target therapy, the excessive growth of cells can be inhibited and hence put a control to the rise of cancer cells.

How can target cancer therapies help in cancer treatment?

Target cancer therapies are useful in cancer treatments as they work in a number of ways to inhibit the growth and division of cancerous cells at various stages in cancer cell development, growth and metastasis. These therapies interfere with the signals that are sent to the cancer cells to divide. These signals are sent by the abnormal proteins. The target therapies may do away with these proteins completely blocking the signals that trigger excessive cell division and spread of the cancer cells.

By interfering with the signals that promote growth and division of the cancer cells, the target therapies help in controlling cancer. These therapies are always pre tested for effectiveness and so they are precise in executing their intended duties.

Target cancer therapies provide doctors with a better means to personalize cancer treatments. With unique molecular targets produced the treatment of a cancer patient can be individualized hence avoiding the standard treatment where cancer patients are given the same drugs that may not work well in treating the patient. Another advantage of target cancer therapies is that they are more selective hence few healthy cells are affected. It also has few side effects as well as enhances the effectiveness to cancer treatment. It is also convenient to the patients as it may save the patient from repeat chemotherapies that is always the case with haphazard cancer treatment.

Examples of target cancer therapies

Small Molecule Inhibitors

Small molecule inhibitors typically interrupt cellular processes by interfering with the intracellular signaling of tyrosine kinases which are enzymes that transfer phosphate groups from adenosine triphosphate to tyrosine amino acid residues in proteins. Tyrosine kinase signaling initiates a molecular surge that can lead to cell growth, proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in normal and malignant tissues. EGFR, HER2/neu, and VEGF receptors are tyrosine kinases.

The small molecule inhibitors are therefore very helpful in controlling the spread of cancer. One of the most powerful small molecule inhibitors is Imatinib which was approved in 2002 for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Monoclonal antibodies

Targeted cancer therapy

Monoclonal antibodies  can help in fighting cancer through many ways. Monoclonal antibodies may trigger the natural body killer cells to fight the cancer cells. They help in interrupting the cancer cell growth process by binding ligands and receptors. They may also use toxins or radioisotope to harm the cancer cells. Monoclonal has a denatured protein structure and are administered intravenously, they are subject to drug interactions as they do not undergo hepatic metabolism. Their ability to interact favorably with drugs allows them to be used alongside other treatment methods.

To be cancer free you need updates on cancer to know more about cancer. Dr. Dalal Akoury runs a website that equips people with relevant information about cancer. Check on her website regularly to benefit from her wealth of health knowledge

            Targeted Cancer Therapies are effective in cancer treatment

 Related articles

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Chemosensitivity Testing

July 20, 2014

RGCC chemosensitivity testing in cancer treatment

ChemosensitityTreatment of cancer involves the doctors analyzing some of the research findings and drug test results to give a patient a preferable cancer treatment that is thought of as the best for the type of cancer he or she has. The essence of personalized cancer treatment has attracted the attention of many doctors and the Research Genetic cancer center have  adopted a test; chemosensitivity testing that may help them know which treatment is good for a patient depending on the state and type of his cancer.

Chemosensitivity testing helps the doctors to know which drugs are good for your type of cancer. It involves extraction of the individual’s cancer cells and testing the cancer cells in lab to see which drug they are most responsive to. The chemosensitivity testing offers a guide to the doctors on which treatment methods to implement when treating the patient.

Chemosensitivity is more strategic and not haphazard and so is most effective as the drugs and the treatment procedures the patient is subjected to are pretested to know how effective they will be in treating the patient’s type of cancer.

RGCC testing may use blood or tissues and it is used to test the viability of the chemotherapy drugs in treating the cancer. It also involves genetic profiling of the cancer cell that will help the doctors decide on which treatment best suits the patient. It also checks on viability of other treatment methods that may be used alongside chemotherapy in killing the cancer.

CTCs and cancer stem cells

The circulating tumor cells (CTCs) plays a major role in metastasis. Scientists have established that metastasis can never take place without circulating tumor cells. They work as the single haematological neoplasias hence are a necessity for metastasis.

Tumor initiating cells are generally known as the cancer stem cells. They refer to tumor cells that have stems and are responsible for tumor progression. The circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells have similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.

The circulating tumor cells are very effective in spreading cancer in the body and helping in its growth. It has the ability to divide asymmetrically and give rise to many cancer cells. They can also circulate as non-proliferating tumor cells hence becoming resistant to chemotherapy however they can change from this state to proliferating pluripotent progenitor cancer cells due to dissemination.

 

To effectively treat cancer and avoid metastasis, the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells needs to be targeted and eliminated. Treatment that is not strategic in targeting the circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells may not yield long term health benefits.

What information can be found by identification and analysis of CTCs

The study of the circulating tumor cells provides very valuable information in tumor growth and progression as well as an insight of the long term prognosis. It will also give information to whether a specific patient will be able to respond to the treatment to be offered. The doctors will study CTCs to find out the possibility of the cancer cell reoccurring after treatment.

The doctors are finding CTCs identification and analysis as an effective tool in the diagnosis, monitoring cancer cell progression as well as cancer treatment.

Some of the information that doctors find through the identification and analysis of the CTCs include;

v  Possibility of long-term prognosis

v  Avails information that helps in identifying treatment method that a patients can positively respond to treatment

v  Possibility of the disease reoccurring after treatment

v  Evaluation of tumor regression at the right time

Chemosensitivity testing of CTCs and cancer stem cells

Chemosensitivity is a very effective way of cancer treatment. It is more personalized to fit an individual’s condition hence offer the best treatment. Chemosensitivity of CTCs is done by exposing monocultures of enriched CTCs to the available cancer therapy agents. The reaction of the cells to the treatment is analyzed. The doctors will choose the best treatment by checking on which cancer therapy agent induced apoptosis of cultured cells by a great extent. The pathologists can also learn the resistance ability of the CTCs to the cancer therapy agent by checking on how long they maintain normal behavior even after exposure to the cancer therapy agent.

Chemosensitivity helps the doctors in giving effective cancer treatments to patients as the tumor cells ability to resist certain drugs are tested before the drugs are given to the patients. The ability of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells to be resistant to the treatment offered makes treatment of cancer very difficult and this explains why some cancer patients have to go through numerous chemotherapies. Through testing in labs the doctors will be able to know the cancer treatment that will wipe out all the Circulating cancer cells as well as the cancer stem cells.

For individualized cancer treatment to be effective, the identification and analysis of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells helps a great deal. Haphazard administering of cancer drugs without testing the CTCs and the stem cells resistance ability to the drug will not work well.

Chemosensitivity testing of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells is an effective approach to cancer treatment as the CTCs and the cancer stem cells are responsible for cancer cell formation and metastasis hence must be dealt with if the disease is to be effectively treated. It also hastens the recovery process as opposed to the cases where drugs given are rendered ineffective due to the CTCs resistance. Dr. Dalal Akoury runs a website that equips people with relevant information about cancer. Check on her website regularly to benefit from her wealth of health knowledge.

RGCC chemosensitivity testing in cancer treatment

Related articles

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

High Cholesterol Levels and The Connection with Cancer

July 15, 2014

High Cholesterol Levels Beckons Cancer

Cancer is a disease that is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in certain areas. It is however fostered by many different factors and up to now doctors as well as other medical researchers are still finding new factors that encourage the formation as well as the growth of the cancer cells. Cancer cells majorly get nutrients from the foods you eat just like the other normal healthy body cells however with slight difference in preference.

High cholesterol levels in the body have been linked to many health complications in the past. High cholesterol levels have been linked to heart related diseases, stroke and atherosclerosis. However, recent research findings have revealed that high cholesterol levels may increase risks to cancer. The low density lipoprotein are the worst forms of cholesterol also known as the bad cholesterols, they host major health problems hence should be gotten rid off before they cause a major health challenge to an individual.

Cholesterol though known for many health problems has not been easy to avoid especially to the lower class citizens. This is because most of the fats and oils used in food preparation are high in cholesterol content. These are the cheapest cooking fats in the market and with the rising costs of living especially in the 3rd world countries it becomes hard to avoid them. For this reason people have been victimized by the low density lipoprotein.

High cholesterol

A new study specialized in signaling pathways, which is typically used by cells to carry out their activities explains that a pathway called canonical Wnt signaling fosters cell growth and division, an important function for development in body cells. However there is danger in case there is over activity in this pathway as it encourages cancer cell formation.

The question to whether high cholesterol levels is a risk factor to cancer did not erupt yesterday, doctors and researchers have been trying to find out why women who had heart disease risk factors in most cases developed breast cancer. It is on the sought for this answer that drove many cancer researchers to try and find out the possible link between cholesterol and cancer development. The current research findings prove that high cholesterol levels especially the low density lipoproteins (LPD) commonly known as the bad cholesterol play an important role in cancer formation and metastasis.

A research study done in 2008 by Philip Shaul who is a pediatrician and biologist at the University of Texas and Donald McDonnell who a cancer biologist at the Duke University is showed how a cholesterol product known as 27HC promotes the growth of cancer cell in the human breasts. This according to the research happens because the estrogen hormone normally binds to proteins called receptors inside tumors promoting its growth.

The two scientists went further to demonstrate to the masses how high levels of cholesterol can improve the growth of cancer cells. In an experiment where mice were used, it was found that 27HC improved the growth of cancer cells through collaboration with the estrogen receptor. The study also found out that the 27HC levels were higher in the healthy breast tissues of women with breast cancer than women that were not suffering from breast cancer. The levels of 27HC were also found to be high in tumor cells.

Shaul further found out that the absence or low levels of enzymes that help in breaking down of 27HC in tumors reduced the chances of survival of cancer patients. Working with his cancer patients, shaul realized that patients who had low level of the enzyme that helps in breaking down of the 27HC had slim chances of survival. Collaborating in the same experiment Mc Donnell fed mice with high cholesterol and high fat diet. The mice became more likely to die of cancer than other mice on normal diet. Sergio Dias endorses the findings that high cholesterol levels promote cancer cell growth. Dias is a biologist at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Lisbon.

High cholesterolDespite the many research studies that have been done to prove the contribution of high cholesterol levels in cancer formation and growth, it is still not clear how blood cholesterol levels may affect breast cancer risk this is so because the findings did not prove any consistency in link between 27HC levels in human tumors  and blood cholesterol levels.  However, Shaul advises that women with high cholesterol levels were at higher risk of breast cancer.

This research will help in cancer treatment. Other previous researches had found out that drugs that are used in lowering levels of cholesterol could be used in cancer treatment. Today there are women with breast cancer but have refused to respond positively to drugs that inhibit the production of estrogen. Shaul opines that in that case the growth of the cancer cells may be promoted by something else other than the estrogen hormones.

In Conclusion

Cancer is a lifestyle disease that has caused hurt to the world population. It is however controllable when you take the necessary measures. With the recent research findings pointing out the risks associated with high levels of cholesterol especially the low density lipoproteins (LDP). It is better to reduce or better yet stop eating foods that are rich in cholesterols as they will expose you to high risks of cancer. Substitute meat with vegetables and fruits. Increase the number of vegetable servings as you decrease the amounts of meat as even the lean meat still has high levels of cholesterol. When you buy cooking fat, go for the cholesterol free fats.

You also need to get frequent updates on cancer so as to adopt a healthier lifestyle that is cancer free. Dr. Dalal Akoury has a website that provides you with reliable information about cancer that can help you stay cancer free. Contact her and be empowered to live a cancer free life.

High Cholesterol Levels Beckons Cancer

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Peach Compounds and Cancer Treatment

July 12, 2014

PEACH COMPOUNDS INHIBIT BREAST CANCER GROWTH

Breast cancer is a worldwide catastrophe’ distressing most women. The condition is quite dangerous and has affected a large number of females, in serious situations it has claimed lives of very many people each year. There are several factors that may enhance occurrence of this disease and currently global campaigns are held globally each aiming at urging women to go for breast cancer checkups. A famous old adage goes, prevention is better than cure and true it is. There are many ways to rid yourself of the ailment. Paramedics have carried out all day and night research seeking for ways through which women can prevent the disease before it encroaches and develops to irreversible stages in their bodies. This piece of writing gathers accurate information from different sources aiming to prove that peach compounds can help a great deal in preventing growth of cancer cells.

The best drugs are natural, any doctor advices their patients to go for vegetables and fruits for a healthy living. The same applies here. It is agreeable that almost if not all fruits are yummy and nutritious. Well, that is not disputable. Nonetheless, the peak of curative fruits lies at the peach. These sweet simple fruits can work wonders in your body. Laboratory tests from leading cancer specialists have clearly confirmed with no doubts that compounds contained in these fruits aid in inhibiting development of breast cancer.

Peach Compounds

A food scientist from Washington State University and his contemporaries at Texas A&M have confirmed that peaches contain compounds that can inhibit growth of cells that cause cancer of the breast and their ability to multiply throughout the body. They laid emphasis on the significance of good quality nutrition in preventing cancer.

More gripping research that featured in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry proved that the compounds could as well be recommended as a new addition to therapies that help in reducing the risk of metastasis commonly known as spread of carcinogens. However they insisted that it does not have to come from a supplement or compound.

Peach Compounds Can help you fight breast cancer

“Just 2-3 peaches a day, which could easily be achieved with a blender, juicer or blaster – can result into an astonishing result” says a cancer specialist. “Do three peaches a day.” Adds the WSU assistant professor for food science, Giuliana Noratto. In addition, she insisted that other foods are equally important. She said, “Having enough veges and fruits can provide our bodies with these compounds, consequently, they might have a similar preventive effect.” Another word of hope she mentioned was that “there exist a variety of traditional plants with medicinal values and a perfect well-balanced diet can that can lead you the right way in getting rid of such ailments.”

Peach CompoundsCurrently the doctor is researching on compounds in barley, wheat, apples and other dairy products that could play an ardent role in preventing obesity-related diseases. In 2009, medical investigations showed that plum and peach extracts concealed breast cancer cells grown in Petri dishes.  For the new study, the panel of researchers implanted cells leading to breast cancer beneath the skins of the mice under scrutiny. The technique, referred to as a xenograft, is often used to study the growth of cells causing breast cancer in a living animal demonstrating the process by which tumors start and progress. After one week, they fed mice with doses of peach polyphenols, which secures plants from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The “internal sunscreen” upshot of green veges and fresh fruits have been noted over and over. Noratto and his colleagues intended to see if these compounds would have a ‘killing’ effect in carcinogens. 12 days later, mice that had fed high levels of polyphoenols had smaller tumors with few blood vessel formations that could assist cancer cells spread to other body parts. These tumors also had less evidence of enzymes that take part in the spread of carcinogens and invasion of cancer.

Being the author of all the studies, Noratto released a statement saying that there are several studies that showed peach compounds as antioxidants and as a result can protect DNA against damage that can lead to cancer related diseases. According to her, Different researchers have experienced the same phenomenon and concluded the same. Noratto added that and her colleagues wanted to know if the compounds might have started as a torrent of signals that could encourage the growth of cancer cells to “kill themselves”.

During their research, the team never had metastasis in mind, the whole realization came as a surprise as they went on with the analysis of lungs and the fact that the peach compounds repressed the growth of cancers. The panel found out that these compounds also inhibited the levels of metastasis on the lungs which is important in reducing growth of cancer. Now you know how to prevent it before it advances to its worse stages, go peaches and stay healthy.

PEACH COMPOUNDS INHIBIT BREAST CANCER GROWTH

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories