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    Researchers from Boston College have developed a new class of small molecule receptors capable of detecting a lipid molecule that reveals the telltale signs of cellular death, particularly cancer cells targeted by anti-cancer drugs, the team reports in the current electronic edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society .
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    We know that there are couple factors which can cause cancer, but unfortunately some people are taking them exaggeratedly and later cause several myths about the causes of this disease. Some of these myths even make some people overly worried about their own health or those who live around them. To avoid the panic caused by those myths, here are some explanations related to them as revealed in MayoClinic.com, by a cancer specialist of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Timothy Moynihan, MD. Deodorants or antiperspirant products can cause breast cancer Although such products contain harmful substances like parabens and aluminum compounds that can be absorbed through the skin or enter the body through shaving nicks, there is no clinical study yet which proves whether these products can cause breast cancer or not. So, these kinds of statements are actually myths. However, if you are still worried about using such products and yet concerned about your body odors, you better opt for products that contain no worrying chemical. Microwaving plastic containers and wraps release harmful and cancer-causing substances into the food they kept Plastic containers and wraps which are microwave-safe can be safely used in the microwave. But of course, the regular plastic containers which are not intended for microwave use could possibly melt and potentially leak chemical compounds into your food. So before putting the plastic containers inside your microwave, you better check whether it is labeled ‘microwave-safe’ or not. People with cancer shouldn’t consume sugary foods, since it can make the cancer grow faster. Although all cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy, it doesn’t make those cells grow faster. So even though you cut your sugar intake, it won’t slow the growth of those cancer cells either. Good people don’t get cancer We realized that in ancient times there was a belief that certain diseases are the punishment for being bad or having bad thoughts. So what about the newborns or kids at young age who have cancer, are such punishments applied to them as well? Therefore, you should agree that those beliefs are truly myths. Cancer is contagious There is no way for cancer to be contagious. The only trigger that could pass diseases which can lead to the development of cancer is virus. Viruses like Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis C can be transmitted through sexual intercourse or the use of infected IV needles. HPV can later cause cervical and other forms of cancer, while Hepatitis C can cause liver cancer. So other than avoiding people who have cancer, better you talk to your doctor about ways to protect yourself from those viruses.cancer.womendiary.net


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    The most common bowel cancer treatment is surgery. The surgeon removes the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes guts. This is necessary to prevent the spread of tumors. Typically, the surgeon removes the part of colon and connects formed ends with each other. When this is impossible, intestine is being exteriorized on the front abdominal wall. In most cases, this is only the first stage of operation; in the second phase the ends of intestine are connected with each other, restoring the continuity of intestinal tubes and normal way of allocating stool. However, approximately 10% of patients are living with withdrawn intestine. Sometimes, after the surgery, radiotherapy (radiation) or chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs) is appointed to destroy the remaining cancer cells. Treatment success depends largely on the characteristics of an organism, bowel cancer symptoms and the timing of diagnosis of cancer. If the cancer does not extend beyond the intestine, the chances of survival are 99%. They are reduced to 85% if invasion to the wall occurred, up to 66% – with the involvement of local lymph nodes and up to 35% – in the distribution to distant lymph nodes.bowelcancersymptoms.org


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    Tumor hypoxia is an inherent impediment to cancer treatment that is both clinically significant and problematic. In this study, we conducted a cell-based screen to identify small molecules that could reverse the apoptotic resistance of hypoxic cancer cells. Among the compounds, we identified were a structurally related group that sensitized hypoxic cancer cells to apoptosis by inhibiting the kinases GSK-3? and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 1. Combinatorial inhibition of these proteins in hypoxic cancer cells and tumors increased levels of c-Myc and decreased expression of c-IAP2 and the central hypoxia response regulator hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1?. In mice, these compounds augmented the hypoxic tumor cell death induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy, blocking angiogenesis and tumor growth. Taken together, our findings suggest that combinatorial inhibition of GSK-3? and CDK1 augment the apoptotic sensitivity of hypoxic tumors, and they offer preclinical validation of a novel and readily translatable strategy to improve cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 71(15); 5265–75. ©2011 AACR. cancerres.aacrjournals.org


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    Cancer cells are defined by their ability to invade through the basement membrane, a critical step during metastasis. While increased secretion of proteases, which facilitates degradation of the basement membrane, and alterations in the cytoskeletal architecture of cancer cells have been previously studied, the contribution of the mechanical properties of cells in invasion is unclear. Here, we applied a magnetic tweezer system to establish that stiffness of patient tumor cells and cancer cell lines inversely correlates with migration and invasion through three-dimensional basement membranes, a correlation known as a power law. We found that cancer cells with the highest migratory and invasive potential are five times less stiff than cells with the lowest migration and invasion potential. Moreover, decreasing cell stiffness by pharmacologic inhibition of myosin II increases invasiveness, whereas increasing cell stiffness by restoring expression of the metastasis suppressor T?RIII/betaglycan decreases invasiveness. These findings are the first demonstration of the power-law relation between the stiffness and the invasiveness of cancer cells and show that mechanical phenotypes can be used to grade the metastatic potential of cell populations with the potential for single cell grading. The measurement of a mechanical phenotype, taking minutes rather than hours needed for invasion assays, is promising as a quantitative diagnostic method and as a discovery tool for therapeutics. By showing that altering stiffness predictably alters invasiveness, our results indicate that pathways regulating these mechanical phenotypes are novel targets for molecular therapy of cancer. Cancer Res; 71(15); 5075–80. ©2011 AACR. cancerres.aacrjournals.org


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