5 replies to this topic

[Bruce Klein]

CANCER
Focus of the Immortality Institute's Chat Discussion
Sunday Sept. 15, 2002

Feel free to reply with ideas and information... thanks.






[>] Link BBC Article

The human body is made up of hundreds of different types of cell, all of which behave differently.

A cell in the kidney, although it contains the same genetic information as a brain cell, performs a completely separate role.

Cancer happens when a tiny part of the cell's mechanism goes wrong.

And just as there are hundreds of types of cell, there are hundreds of types of cancer, none of which can be treated in the same way.


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A benign, or non-cancerous tumour shares this uncontrolled growth, but will not generally invade neighbouring tissues and damage them.
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Treatment:


Removal:
RadioTherapy: uses radiation to destroy cancer cells, can only be given to small areas of the body or it will cause damage to too many healthy cells
Chemotherapy: Drug treatment -- different cancer cells respond to different drugs

[Bruce Klein]

THE FUTURE OF CANCER TREATMENT



[>] Link To Article

Highly unpleasant and damaging cancer therapies may be consigned to the history books by huge advances over the next 20 years, say experts



Cancer Survival Rates

MEN
Lung 77 %
Prostate 77 %
Colorectal 56 %
Bladder 49 %

WOMEN
Breast 97 %
Colorectal 33 %
Lung 35 %
Ovary 17 %
Uterus 11 %

[Bruce Klein]

This was new to me,
A technique to vaccinate the body againast cancer...


Cancer Vaccines
The idea of "immunizing" people against cancer by injecting substances that rouse the body's anticancer defenses has intrigued researchers for more than a century. Many cancer vaccines being developed and tested aim to prevent already-treated cancer from recurring or to protect high-risk individuals. Other potential vaccines mark tumor cells for destruction or force them to produce self-destructive cytokines. A vaccine tested by Jeffrey Schlom combined an antigen-producing gene found in many types of cancer with a vaccinia virus, an established immune stimulant. While still experimental, human cancer vaccines remain a real possibility.

New York, NY, April 25 – Tomorrow Nature will publish a breakthrough article authored by Robert D. Schreiber, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, in collaboration with Lloyd J. Old, M.D., of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. The resulting laboratory work conclusively demonstrates the concept of immunosurveillance, namely that the immune system can innately recognize developing cancer and eliminate it, and goes on to expand and redefine this process as “immunoediting.”

   Contrary to the wide-spread perception that the immune system protects against cancer, the concept of immunosurveillance has remained controversial for some forty years, because it lacked clear-cut experimental support. Data presented in the current report unambiguously show that the immune system can and often does prevent tumors from developing, and thus plays a strong protective role against cancer. The researchers also uncovered important new insights regarding the immune system and tumor development.

http://www.cancerres...rg/nature3.html





http://www.cancerresearch.org/

The Cancer Research Institute was founded in 1953 to foster the science of cancer immunology, which is based on the premise that the body's immune system can be mobilized against cancer. This field, which CRI helped pioneer and develop, has been recognized throughout the world as offering great hope for the ultimate prevention and treatment of human cancer.

[Bruce Klein]

The Promise of P53
By 1996 the p53 tumor suppressor gene and the powerful protein it encodes emerged as the darling of the biochemical world. Mutated or crippled versions of p53 had been implicated in 52 human cancers. Thousands of scientists have focused their research on this gene, hoping to use p53 as a tool for early diagnosis; as a guideline for varying treatment of cancer patients with disabled copies of p53 and those with working copies; and as a method of tracking a tumor back to its origin—the corruption of a cell by a specific carcinogen.



Laser capture microdissection
Laser capture microdissection is a new technique that allows researchers to capture tumor cells in seconds, while the cell still expresses genes as it would inside the body.

[Chip]

Just finished reading one of the most enthralling, entertaining and moving books of my entire life. At least the first part is a good read, the second being doctor case study reports about the author and references. The thing that may have captivated me the most was the author's analysis of doctor and therapy recommendations using logical analysis of their use of words. It is called

Living Proof; A Medical Mutiny by Michael Gearin-Tosh

Here's a review, http://www.bolenrepo...les/angier.html

What's the message? Get multiple opinions while you figure things out for yourself.

[Chip]

Must mention ellagic acid. I get mine from

http://www.intohealth.com/ellagic.asp

which also describes it briefly. This is a retail site so you don't find many links to other information that might detract from a sale. I suggest doing some other searching and research for yourself as I did. It wasn't until looking elsewhere that I did a search for the best priced source and came upon the above.

I found myself wondering recently, since ellagic acid seems to have a general curative and prevention ability by getting cancer cells to regain apoptosis, the ability to grow old and die as normal cells, maybe it could be rendered more effective by improving its delivery by external introduction with DMSO close to cancers that would not come in contact with the substance solely through oral use. Perhaps it would be more effective for more forms of cancer (than the many that are currently claimed as responsive) if its delivery were improved. I really don't know if this is feasible at all.

It's possible the research into ellagic acid and its benefits were/are flawed and I'm just throwing my money away. Formulate your own opinion.

Oh, by the way, ellagic acid is said to reinstate functioning of the P53 gene.