Think twice about that second holiday cookie

Just in time for holiday indulging, a Danish study of 55,000 middle-aged men and women monitored for an average of 10 years showed a clear association between healthy lifestyle and a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to a study published in a recent British Medical Journal.

“Colorectal cancer is predominantly a disease of Westernized countries, indicating that components of a Western lifestyle may contribute to risk,” researchers wrote in the journal. Yet only three prospective studies had been done—in which people without cancer were monitored over a period of time to see who developed colorectal cancer, and how lifestyle actions compared in those who did and didn’t develop it. And the three previous studies used different lifestyle factors. This study was one of the first to study the impact of five basic healthy behaviors, rather than just one. Read the rest of this entry »

Although we know that KRAS tumor mutations limit benefit from Erbitux, about six out of ten colorectal cancer patients have normal or wild type KRAS. Yet Erbitux doesn’t work for many of them either.

There may be a simple way to predict early in treatment whether Erbitux is going to help to not.

Significantly more patients whose blood levels of magnesium dropped more than 50 percent after their first treatment with irinotecan and Erbitux had their tumors shrink. It also took longer before their cancer got worse, and they lived longer. Read the rest of this entry »

You can buy DCA (sodium dichloroacetate) online.  But should you?

Touted as a simple, inexpensive cure for cancer, DCA kills some cancer cells when there is lots of oxygen.  But when oxygen levels are low — a condition called hypoxia— DCA may actually increase growth of colorectal cancer tumors.

Dr. Brenda Coomber and her team at the University of Guelph in Canada found that in areas of tumors without much oxygen, DCA actually protected colorectal cancer cells from dying rather than killing them and tumors in mice grew. Read the rest of this entry »

If you use Rolaids for occasional heartburn or gas, watch out for the Extra Strength Softchews.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare has voluntarily recalled all lots of ROLAIDS® Extra Strength Softchews, ROLAIDS® Extra Strength Plus Gas Softchews, and ROLAIDS® Multi-Symptom Plus Anti-Gas Softchews being sold in the United States and Canada.

Consumers have reported bits foreign material in the Extra Strength Softchews, including metal and woodchips.  While McNeil investigates the problem, they have suspended production of these products and issued a recall. Read the rest of this entry »

Miss last week’s webinar?  It’s right here.

Listen to Dr. Henry Lynch talk about his early experience with families with unusually high numbers of colorectal and other cancers.  Hear what he has to say about finding families at risk and preventing cancer deaths.

Lynch syndrome survivor, Kate Murphy, shares her own story and that of her family.

Read the rest of this entry »