CPAA: Information on Cancer Chemotherapy, Side Effects of Chemotherapy. CPAA: Information on Cancer Chemotherapy, Side Effects of Chemotherapy.
About Us
Activities
Casefile
Info Centre
Resource
Directory
Contribute
Contact Us
Sitemap
Frequently Asked Questions
Articles
Reports
Useful Links
Book Review
Clipping Files
Cancer Brochures  
Chat Transcripts  

Clippings

The following are extracts of recent cancer-related news items from local daily newspapers.
Do you see something you want to know more about? Would you like to be sent the whole article? Please contact us.

 

General


Asia's Cancer Rate May Pose Threat to Economic Growth ( Yahoo News - 23/04/2008) 
Exercise Combats Cancer Fatigue (HealthDay News - 18/04/2008)
Roche, Novartis Cancer Drugs Too Expensive for Asian Countries ( Yahoo News - 23/03/3008)
Fears over NHS cancer drug costs ( Health News)
Cancer, Western habits expected to surge in Asia - (AP)
Tobacco and poverty drive cancer in developing world By Maggie Fox-  (Reuters- 20/12/2007)

10 MILLION SMOKING DEATHS

Cancer Docs' Bedside Manner Often Lacks Empathy -( HealthDay - 19/12/2007)

Cancer Care Advances in 2007 Offer Hope- (HealthDay - 18/12/2007) 
Over 12 million cancer cases in 2007: study- (AFP- 17/12/2007) 
Cancer Patients Hold Fast to Belief That Opioids Mean Death - (HealthDay- 12/12/2007)
Officials backpedal on Pa. cancer study- An abstract making an environmental link to the disease was released by mistake, they say. -(Associated Press)

High-risk cancer patients benefit from new image-guided radiotherapy system(ANI- 9/12/2007) 
NRI creates mice resistant to cancer( Yahoo News- 30/11/2007)

Organizing cancer care after diagnosis Cancer survivors share tips for moving from shock to action (MarketWatch- 21/11/2007)                                         PET Scans Useful For Some Cancer Treatment, But How Do Patients Fare?- (ScienceDaily 18/11/ 2007)                                                                      Breast cancer survivors face another battle as patients live longer, they face heart complications caused by the cure (Reuters- 10/11/2007)                  
Off-target in the war on cancer (Reuters- 08/11/2007)                                 Breast cancer rates surge in China (Yahoo News- 31/10/2007)         
The Asterisk on Cancer Deaths- (Yahoo News- 21/10/2007)           
Cancer death rates dropping fast ( AP Medical- 15/10/2007)
WHO seeks better care for cancer victims in developing world( AFP- 5/10/2007)                                                                                                 Post traumatic stress hits kids of cancer patients- (Reuters- 26/09/2007)  
Nanoparticles may aid cancer diagnoses- (UPI- 1/08/2007)
Inherited cancer fear 'unfounded' -(Yahoo News- 30/07/2007)
Cancer Research- (Yahoo News- 27/07/2007)
Top Five Cancer Misconceptions- (26/07/2007)
HEALTH-INDIA: Novartis Patents Case Far From Dead-(Yahoo News)      
Cancer Care Seeks to Take Patients Beyond Survival. RECOVERY Tanya Saunders survived cancer but suffers effects of her treatment.  ( The New York Times - 22/05/2007)
Psychosocial support for cancer survivors needs strengthening (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - 14/05/2007)
Cancer drug withdrawn from market-(Yahoo News- 15/12/2006)               American Cancer Society focuses on health reform (Reuters- 17/09/2006)    Herbs, Massage or Hypnosis? Cancer Patients Get Advice- (Yahoo News- 11/09/2006)                                                                                  
Experts to Create Genetic Map of Cancer-(Yahoo News)                            Targeted' cancer treatment effective in older patients-(USA TODAY)             Patients confused by cancer care- (Yahoo News- 15/11/2005)                 
Unaddressed psych disorders common with cancer (Reuters- 14/11/2006)   Debating Cancer Screening: Too Old to Test? (Yahoo News- 15/10/2005)    Cancer Survivors May Not Get Needed Care (AP Medical - 7/10/2005)         U.N. Adds Hormone Pills to Cancer List-(Yahoo News-29/07/2005)  
Combo scanner pinpoints cancer cells-(Yahoo News-26/07/2005) 
Lifestyle changes reduce cancer risk-(American Cancer Society-17/07/2005)  
Dilemma over costly cancer drugs-(Times of India-13/07/2005) 
Aspirin, vitamin E fail in cancer prevention-(USATODAY.com-06/07/2005) 
US Review Board Believes Chemical Used in Teflon Causes Cancer-(Asia Pulse 04/07/2005)  
Small Cancer Risk from Low-Dose Radiation-(HealthDay News-28/06/2005)  
Survey: Many believe cancer myths-(Reuters-28/06/2005)  
Cancer patients find comfort online-(Yahoo News-12/06/2005) 
Saving Fertility When Cancer Strikes-(Yahoo News-11/06/2005)  
WHO to Tackle Cancer With Global Effort-(Yahoo News-07/07/2005)  
Risks outweigh benefits of shark cartilage as anti-cancer treatment-(Yahoo News-06/07/2005)  
Measuring Enzymes At End Of Cancer Pathway Predicts Outcome Of Tarceva, Taxol-(Yahoo News-11/06/2005)
New Cancer Drugs Fight Tumors Many Ways-(Yahoo News-13/05/2005) European Cancer Patients Using Alternative Therapy-(Yahoo News-02/02/2005)
New Advance in Gene Therapy for Cancer-(HealthDayNews-31/01/2005)
Link Between Personality and Cancer Ruled Out-(HealthDayNews-24/01/2005)
Viruses Added to List of Cancer Causes-(AP-31/01/2005)                          Rural Australians have low cancer survival-(UPI-02/01/2005)
Study Shows PET/CT Imaging Can Help Diagnose And Define Occult Recurrent Cancer-(Yahoo News-29/12/2004)
Inflammation Plays Role in Starting, Stopping Cancer- (HealthDayNews- 20/09/2004)
Cancer survivors' comorbid conditions often ignored-(NT Online Clinical News- 14/09/2004)
IBD (Crohn's, Colitis) 'joins' cancer, anti-inflammatory diseases in associated blood vessel growth-(Yahoo News-13/09/2004)
Hypnosis 'reduces cancer pain'-(Yahoo News-09/09/2004)
Cancer Patients Expect Many Treatment Side Effects-(Reuters Health- 03/09/2004)
Too Much Radiation From Full-Body CT Scans?-(Yahoo News-31/08/2004)
Cancer Can Ruin a Life, Even if You Survive -- Study-(Reuters-31/08/2004)
Scientists Establish Database of Genes Associated With Cancer Drug Resistance-(Yahoo News-24/08/2004)
Daffodils help fund cancer research-(Yahoo News-17/08/2004)
Doctor's cancer cure challenged-(Yahoo News-16/08/2004)                               Some Programs To Increase Exercise Have Lasting Effects-(Yahoo News- 13/08/2004)
Cancer cells destroyed by designer virus that leaves good cells alone-(Yahoo News-25/07/2004)
The Body, Not the Mind, Predicts Cancer Survival- (HealthDayNews-26/07/2004)
Research Discovery May Increase Effectiveness of Monoclonal Antibody Therapies for Cancer Recruitment of Innate Immune Cells Provides Additional Killing Mechanism-(PRNewswire-15/07/2004)
Bangladesh gets cancer hospital-(Yahoo News-10/07/2004)
One in ten cancer patients die of severe sepsis-(Yahoo News-05/07/2004)
Diabetes appears to increase the risk of death from a number of types of cancer-(Yahoo News-04/07/2004)
Cancer myths on way out-(Yahoo News-05/06/2004)
Cancer gene MYC emerging as key research target-(Yahoo News-01/07/2004)
New Treatment Boosts Cancer Patient's Energy Drug Normally Prescribed For Hyperactivity-(EDT-01/07/2004)
More Than 20 Million Die of Cancer Annually-(Yahoo News-25/06/2004)
Osaka Pref. faces highest risk of cancer due to polluted air-(The Daily Yomiuri-18/06/2004)
Pfizer Buys Cancer Drug Rights from Sanofi (Reuters-18/06/2004)
Research on the potential oral delivery of a current intravenous cancer drug using polymeric nano-delivery systems technology-(Yahoo News-16/06/2004)
Inflammatory Enzymes Linked to Cancer-(HealthDayNews-15/06/2004)        Age, race and sex disparity found in cancer research trial participation-(Yahoo News-08/06/2004)
Patients living longer as progress is made in fight against cancer-(ET-03/06/2004)
Smuggling cancer drugs into the body-(Yahoo News-02/06/2004)
Do We Need Cancer Checks At 80?-(CBS News-17/05/2004)
Drug trials put focus on older people with cancer-(Yahoo News-09/05/2004)
Cancer treatments will be tailored to patients' genes-(Yahoo News-27/04/2004)
Blood screen may help cancer patients thwart radiation side effects, say Stanford researchers-(Yahoo News-19/04/2004)
Center Uses Laser Method to See Cancer-(Yahoo News-19/04/2004)
Breathalyser could detect cancer-(Yahoo News-05/04/2004)
Discoveries on genomic instability have moved cancer prevention in new directions-(EurekAlert-25/03/2004)
Mushrooms Play a Role in Cancer Research-(Yahoo News 23/03/2004)
Hope For Infertile Women After Cancer Therapy-(PTI-19/03/2004)
Combo Therapy Could Tackle Drug-Resistant Cancer-(ET-17/03/2004)        Yoga Helpful to Some Fighting Cancer-(ET-13/03/2004)
Study Slams Some Alternative Cancer Treatments-(HealthDayNews- 12/03/2004)
Cancer Deadlier for Poor, Minorities-(HealthDayNews-11/03/2004)
A Vaccine Against Cancer?-(ET-01/03/2004)
New Tumor Marker Found-(HealthDayNews-01/03/2004)
Greek Scientists Find Way to Weaken Cancer Cells-(Reuters-01/03/2004)
New Target for Tumor-Killing Drugs Found-(HealthDayNews-26/02/2004)
Cancer Tumors Clamp Blood Vessels Shut- (HealthDayNews-18/02/2004)        Study Finds Familial Link in Many Cancers-(HealthDayNews-16/02/2004)
Radiowave Treatment Provides Cancer Pain Relief-(ET-10/02/2004)
Better Care Urged for Kids Who Survive Cancer-(ET-09/02/2004)
Optimism No Help Vs. Cancer, Study Says-(Associated Press-09/02/2004)     Many Cancer Patients Have Untreated Depression-(Reuters Health-06/02/2004)
UK Cancer Death Rate Falls 12 Percent -Scientists-(Reuters-03/02/2004)
Veggies May Offer Cancer Cure-(HealthDayNews-13/01/2004)                     Synthetic Venom May Relieve Cancer Pain-(ET-06/01/2004)
Adults don't eat enough fruit, veggies to fight cancer: Ontario survey-(CP- 16/12/2003)
Exercising More After Cancer Boosts Quality of Life-(Reuters Health-28/11/2003)
Study of Testosterone and Elderly Urged-(AP-12/11/2003)                              IIT WAGES NEW BATTLE AGAINST CANCER-(Times of India-11/11/2003) Second Cancer Risk After Skin Cancer High in Blacks-(Reuters Health- 31/10/2003)
Bone Drugs Delay Problems of Cancer Spread-(ET-30/10/2003)
Freedom From the Pain of Cancer-(HealthDayNews-16/10/2003)
Soothing the Nausea of Chemotherapy-(HealthDayNews-15/10/2003)
Study: Cancer Deaths Down-(Yahoo News-11/10/2003)
Experimental Cancer Drug Found Less Toxic Than Taxol-(ET-24/09/2003)
Screening Expected to Cut British Cancer Deaths-(Reuters-15/09/2003)
N.Y. Issues First Cancer Prevention Plan-(ET-09/09/2003)
"Smart Bomb" Treatment Hones in on Cancer Cells-(HealthDayNews- 08/09/2003)
Bone Drugs Stop Cancer-Related Fractures-(Reuters Health-29/08/2003)       Common Gene Implicated in Many Cancers-(HealthDayNews-28/08/2003)
Wrist Bands Can Ease Cancer Nausea, Especially for Patients Who Expect Them to Work-(ET-28/08/2003)
Hispanics Have Unique Cancer Risks-(HealthDayNews-19/08/2003)
Cancer Rates Decline in European Countries-Study-(Reuters-28/07/2003)
UIC Researchers Pinpoint Genes Involved in Cancer Growth-(ET-23/07/2003)
New Test May Improve Cancer Detection-(Reuters Health-17/07/2003)
Modified Tetracycline May Help Prevent Cancer Recurrence-(ET-15/07/2003)
More Evidence Chemo During Pregnancy Can Be Safe-(Reuters Health-01/07/2003)
Help for the Fatigue of Cancer-(HealthDayNews-25/06/2003)
The Single-Minded Sleuth-(ET-20/06/2003)
New Compounds Trigger Cancer Cell Suicide-(Reuters Health-10/06/2003)         Cancer Patients Can Beat Depression-(ET-08/06/2003)
Americans Confused About Cancer Prevention: Survey-(Reuters Health-04/06/2003)
The Best Offense Against Cancer-(ET-03/06/2003)
Personality Doesn't Influence Cancer Risk: Report-(Reuters Health-03/06/2003)
Data Demonstrate the Predictive Role of Bone Marker in Identifying Patients at High Risk of Cancer-Related Bone Complications-(ET-02/06/2003)
Next Era of Cancer Therapy Aims to Separate Cancer From Blood Supply -(M.D. Anderson Cancer Center-16/05/2003)
Study: Radiation Starves Cancer While Killing It-(HealthScoutNews-15/05/2003)
Study Links Obesity To Certain Cancers-(ET-23/04/2003)
WHO: Cancer May Rise 50 Percent by 2020-(ET-04/04/2003)
Making sure the chemo isn't worse than the cancer-(Seattle Post Intelligencer Reporter-31/03/03)
Eating Less Meat Boosts Longevity, Report Says-(Reuters-10/03/2003)
Study suggests stress before cancer diagnosis can raise death risk-(USA TODAY-11/03/03)
U.S. To Adopt Stricter Cancer Guidelines for Kids-(Environment News Service-04/03/2003)
Gene Found for Cancer's Spread-(HealthScoutNews-28/02/2003)                 New Molecule May Help Enhance Cancer Treatments-(Reuters-26/02/2003)   Possible cancer causer appears in nutritious food as well as in fast food-(AP-25/02/2003)
Delaying Radiation Treatment Leads To Cancer Recurrence-(ET-25/02/2003)
Some Cancer Patients Benefit from Online Support-(Reuters Health-19/02/2003)
Breaking the Bad News When the Word Is 'Cancer'-(Reuters Health-18/02/2003)
Developing World Has Most Cases of Child Cancer-(Reuters-14/02/03)
Older Cancer Patients Fare Well with Chemotherapy-(Reuters Health-07/02/03)  Group to Focus on Cancer, Genes' Function-(Reuters04/02/03)
Genetic Switch Discovery Offers New Cancer Hope-(Reuters-31/01/03)
Genetic Switch Discovery Offers New Cancer Hope-(Reuters-31/01/03)         Study Doubts Acrylamide in Food Causes Cancer-Reuters-28/01/03)   
Targeting Cancer Cells-(HealthScoutNews-27/12/2002)
EU Experts Confirm Safety of Aspartame-(Reuters Health-24/12/2002)
Dignity Crucial During Last Months of Life: Report-(Reuters Health-20/12/2002)
Detecting Cancer's Spread (HealthScoutNews-05/12/2002)
Painkillers May Be Source of New Anti-Cancer Drugs-(Reuters Health- 05/12/2002)
Possible Cancer Chemical Varies in Foods-(AP-04/12/2002)                        Austrian Scientists Working on Cancer 'Vaccine'-(Reuters Health-25/11/2002)
Wisconsin Research Sheds New Light on Cancer Metastasis-(cancerpage.com- 07/11/2002)
Chemotherapy for Pediatric Cancer Does Not Affect Subsequent Pregnancy- (Reuters Health-06/11/2002)                                                                         Red Wine Component to Be Studied Against Cancer-(Reuters Health- 05/11/2002)
Thalidomide-Like Drugs Have Anti-Cancer Properties-(Reuters-29/10/2002)
Chinese Herbs for Cancer Care Put to 'Western' Test (Reuters Health-21/10/2002)
Studies show elderly can tolerate strong cancer drugs (AP Medical Writer-20/10/2002)
Study finds positive thinking does not improve cancer survival, but feels better (AP Medical Writer-19/10/2002)
Cancer Survival Rates Better Than Thought (HealthScoutNews-10/10/2002)
Chemotherapy-Cell Death Link Studied (HealthScoutNews-08/10/2002)
Green Group Says Diesel Soot Is Big Cancer Risk-(Reuters-03/10/2002)
Scientists find clue to cause of possible carcinogen in french fries, other foods-(Associated Press-29/09/2002)
Cancer Survival Might Be Matter of Race (HealthScoutNews-23/09/2002)
Being Overweight Shown to Raise Cancer Risk (Reuters-18/09/2002)
Herbal Remedy May Be Effective Against Cancer (Reuters Health-18/09/2002)
Swedish review of cell phone studies finds no 'consistent evidence' of cancer link (Associated Press-18/09/2002)                                                      Patents to Expire on Cancer Drugs (Reuters Health-16/09/2002)
Cutting Copper to Combat Cancer (HealthScoutNews-13/09/2002)
Preserving Fertility After Radiation Treatment (Cancer Page-02/09/2002)
EPA: Diesel Exhaust Can Cause Cancer (Associated Press Writer-01/09/2002) Report Cites 'Dangerous' Cancer Advice on Web (Reuters Health-20/08/2002)
Third Parties Helpful During Doctor-Patient Visits (Reuters Health-19/08/2002)
Scientists Find Potential New Cancer Therapy (Reuters-07/08/2002)
Green Tea Cancer Benefits Detailed (HealthScoutNews-09/07/2002)
Britain Has World's Largest Drop in Cancer Deaths-(Reuters-03/07/2002)
Couch Potatoes Court Cancer-(HealthScoutNews-02/07/2002)
Scientists begin urgent meeting on cancer fears from acrylamide in food-(AP Writer-25/06/2002)                                                                              Personality Not a Cancer Risk Factor-(HealthScoutNews 11/06/2002)
Energy Drink Gives Cancer Patients a Boost (Reuters-11/06/2002)
Rich Nations Have Higher Cancer Prevalence (Reuters-06/06/2002)
More Fiber, Later Periods (HealthScoutNews-10/06/2002)
Post-Cancer Childbirth Findings 'Reassuring': Report-(HealthScout News Service-28/05/2002)
Prozac Scientist Plays Down Cancer Fears-(Reuters-26/03/2002)
Study: Farmworkers More Diseased-( Associated Press Writer-17/03/2002) Research gives hope to cancer patients-(The Age-05/03/2002)
Cancer patients have to wait too long in UK: Report-(Times of India Online-04/03/2002)
Nuclear testing caused 11,000 cancer deaths-(Times of India Online-03/03/2002)
Pranayam has scientific basis, says US expert-(Times of India Online-03/03/2002)
Scientists mull on ways plants protect against cancer -(Times of India Online-27/02/2002)
Chemotherapy may prove fatal-(Times Of India Online-26/02/2002)
Pregnant Cancer Patients Can Be Treated Without Harming Fetus-(Cancer Page-23/01/2002)
Ovary experiment gives hope on cancer, transplants-(Times of India Online-21/01/2002)
Modern medicare transcends space-time barriers : Expert-(Times of India Online-17/01/2002)
Mouse to help detect tumour, heart trouble-(Times of India Online-10/01/2002)
Cancer panacea long way off -(Times of India Online-09/01/2002)
Tea helps prevent cancer, arthritis: Study-(Times of India Online-07/01/2002)
Viruses to tackle cancer-(Cancer Info-06/01/2002)
Human trial for the first DNA vaccine soon -(Times of India Online-06/01/2002)
Anti-cancer protein may play role in ageing-(Times of India Online-01/01/2002)
Scientists claim anti-cancer drug -(times of India Online-31/12/2001)
Physical exercise can prevent cancer -(Times of India Online-31/12/2001)
Cancer Drugs Induce Premature Aging In Tumor Cells-(Cancer Info-20/12/2001)
Study looks at cancer group therapy-(Times of India Online-14/12/2001)
West finds its roots in Ayurveda -(Times of India Online-13/12/2001)
More children surviving cancer, experts say-(Times of India Online-04/12/2001)
Scientists hope 'protein fingerprint' will lead to tailored chemotherapy for cancer patients-(Cancer Info-28/11/2001)
Korean root spawns riches, claims cancer cure-(Times of India Online- 22/11/2001)
'Smart bomb' can kill cancer cells: Study –(Times of India Online-18/11/2001)
US researchers unravel effects of arsenic-(Times of India Online-15/11/2001)
'Be vegetarian and keep cancer away'-(Times of India Online-12/11/2001)
Nobel prize for cancer pioneers-(The Guardian-09/10/2001)
New gene technology's big impact on medicine-(Times of India Online-03/10/2001)
A giant leap for cancer research-(Times of India Online-03/10/2001)
Panel urges pain relief for kids –(Times of India Online-07/09/2001)
Patient expectations may influence recovery-(Times of India Online-05/09/2001)
Human cloning may be easier: Study –(Times of India Online-15/08/2001)
Wine drinkers healthier, wealthier: Study –(Times of India Online-13/08/2001)
Burning incense may cause cancer-(Times of India Online-02/08/2001)
Bush supports ban on human cloning –(Times of India Online-31/07/2001)
Rules broaden use of medical marijuana in Canada-(Times of India Online-31/07/2001)
Armstrong: From near death to glory-(Times of India Online-29/07/2001)  Experts studying proteins and cancer –(Times of India Online-23/07/2001)
Bush ally supports stem cells –(Times of India Online-20/07/2001)              Drug Destroys Only Oxygen-Starved Cells Within Tumors –(Cancer Info- 19/07/2001)
Candidates debate stem cells-(Times of India Online-18/07/2001)
Malaysia withdraws soy sauces on cancer fear-(Times of India Online- 13/07/2001)
Lab harvests human stem cells-(Times of India Online-12/07/2001)                    Panel to track Appalachian health –(Times of India Online-08/07/2001)
Stem cell cloning flawed: Study-(Times of India Online-07/07/2001)
Eat curry to beat cancer: CSIRO-(Times of India Online-07/07/2001)
Questions, answers about stem cells-(Times of India Online-06/07/2001)
Cannabis good on nausea, poor on pain –(Times of India Online-06/07/2001)
Non-smoked nicotine aids blood flow-(Times of India Online-30/06/2001)
Never before seen look deep inside cancerous tumours - (Cancer info-30/06/2001)
New South Wales to consider legalising marijuana-(Times of India Online-30/06/2001)
Low calorie diet 'could halt cancer'-(Cancer Info-29/06/2001)
Blood cells 'deliver cancer drugs'-(Cancer Info-29/06/2001)
Scientists show health-giving secrets of honey –(Cancer Info-25/06/2001)
Gene Activation Protein May Lead To Cancer Therapies-(Cancer Info-25/06/2001)
Study ranks preventive measures-(Times of India Online-24/06/2001)                Families Demand Access to Experimental Drugs-(Cancer Info-22/06/2001)
Soy sauce cancer warning –(Cancer Info-22/06/2001)
Scientists propose a protein as anti-tumour drug-(Times of India Online-21/06/2001)
Docs not candid with patients: Study-(Times of India Online-20/06/2001)           Cancer-stricken boy leaves $50,000 to actress-(Times of India Online- 19/06/2001)
Cancer drug made from bark –(Cancer Info-18/06/2001)
Ayurveda looks to metals for ancient cures-(Times of India-15/06/2001)
Vitamin C produces gene-damaging compounds, test-tube study in Science reports-(Yahoo News-15/06/2001)
Quest goes on for all-round platinum cancer drug –(Cancer Info-13/06/2001)       Cancer rates declining: Experts-(Times of India Online-07/06/2001)
Genzyme Licenses Patent Rights from BruCells for Method of Fusing Dendritic and Tumor Cells –(Cancer Info-06/06/2001)
Landmark cancer screening for test tube embryos-(Times of India Online- 05/06/2001)
Scientists differentiate cancers-(Times of India Online-01/06/2001)
Study shows flaws in health sites-(Times of India Online-24/05/2001)             Plants harnessed for cancer fight-(Cancer Info-23/05/2001)
Cancer will be beaten in 21st century: Researchers-(Times of India Online- 18/05/2001)
New targeted drugs give hope in cancer battle-(Cancer Info-16/05/2001)
US court rules against marijuana use-(Times of India Online-16/05/2001)
Cancer Pill-(Times of India-15/05/2001)
New cancer drugs disappointing-(Times of India Online-15/05/2001) Chemotherapy used unjustifiably at times: Study-(Times of India online- 14/05/2001)
How safe are herbal products?-(Times of India Online-28/04/01)
Coke Light: No threat to humans-(Times of India Online-19/04/2001)
Placentas said to offer stem cells-(Times of India Online-13/04/2001)
Study: Fat may be stem cells source-(Times of India Online-12/04/2001)
Researchers developing stealth anti-cancer drugs-(Times of India Onluine-07/04/2001)
Cancers linked to fat, inactivity-(Times of India Onluine-07/04/2001)
Screensaver helps fight against cancer-(Times of India Online-04/04/2001)
Research finds other cancers linked to AIDS-(Times of India Online-04/04/2001)
New technology may aid cancer diagnosis-(Times of India Online-03/04/2001)
Alternative medicine used worldwide for cancer-(Times Of India Online-31/03/2001)
Court considers medical marijuana-(Times Of India Online-30/03/2001)
Pregnancy soon after chemotherapy may be riskier-(Times of India Online)
Amgen's Cancer-Cell Discovery Opens New Treatment Possibilities-(Cancer Info-28/03/2001)
Child cancer survivors at risk later-(Times of India Online)
Six reasons to get more calcium-(Times of India Online)
From vaccine research to commonsense, the anti-cancer battle is being fought on many fronts-Excerpts from a conference on "Molecular Targets in Cancer Cells" organised by the Siro Research Foundation, the Geneva based Union Internationale Contre le Cancer and the Institute of Immunology in Germany (Times of India-19/02/2001)
National Cancer Institute finds tomato sauce to have very high anti-cancer properties.-(Cancer Info-10/12/2000)
Inventions: Easier Cancer Therapy-(Time-04/12/2000)
Inventions: Cancer Free Calling -(Time-04/12/2000)
Therapy for Cancer-(Times of India-22/11/2000)
Cancer trials on the web-(Cancer info-15/11/2000)
Bacterial protein offers hope for cancer vaccines-(Cancer Info-07/09/2000)
Cell Architecture-(Times Of India-23/08/2000)
Reinventing Life-(Times of India-23/08/2000)
Cloning humans for research-(Times of India-14/08/2000)
Is raw food the secret to staying young?-(Times of India-14/08/2000)
Proton-delivery technology gains FDA approval-(Cancer Info-12/08/2000)
Tears may signal cancer-(Times of India-08/08/2000)
New Mitosis Checkpoint Gene Linked To Cancer-(Cancer Info-31/07/2000)
Champs Inspiring a Whole Nation-(MidDay Sports-26/07/2000)
Cancer? Blame it on heredity-(TOI-15/07/2000)
Cell death protein structure discovered-(Cancer Info-10/07/2000)
New Way to Spot Pre-Cancer Cells-(Nature-06/07/2000)
Scientists will be able to pinpoint causes of cancer-(Asian Age-27/06/2000)
Apple a day keeps tumours at bay-(Times of India-23/06/2000)
Between the Lines (Time-19/06/2000)
80 pc of cancer patients try alternative therapy-(Cancer Info-12/06/2000)
Two More Potential Cancer Fighting Proteins Found-(Cancer Info-26/05/2000)
Purdue "Stealth Compounds" Attack Cancer Cells-(Cancer Info-18/05/00)
New Cancer Report Removes Saccharin, Adds Alcohol-(Cancer Info-17/05/00)
US Cancer Rates Keep Dropping-(Cancer Info-17/05/00)
Ginkgo may protect brain against stroke damage-(Cancer Info-02/05/00)
Antioxidants May Help Make Radiation-Based Immune Treatment Safer, More Potent -(Cancer Info-26/04/2000)
Cama Hospital to start cobalt unit for free cancer treatment-(Bombay Times-26/04/00)
Saliva, urine tests for cancer developed in US- (Times of India-19/04/2000)
Universal Cancer Vaccine Under Development at UCSD-(Cancer Info- 07/04/2000)
What Should Children Be Told About Their Cancer-(Cancer Info- 07/04/2000)
Ointment to protect hair from chemotherapy-(Times of India-07/04/00)
Cancer vaccine in the making-(Times of India-05/04/00)
Shark Cartilage. Another bite-(Cancer Info-05/04/00)
Chemotherapy can dull mental ability-(Times of India-31/03/00)
Doctors advise against Vitamin C with cancer therapy-(Times of India-29/03/00)
Cancer cure one step closer –(Times of India-28/03/00)
Mutations not the only gene defect that leads to cancer-(Cancer Info-21/03/00)
Saliva, urine tests may detect cancer – (Cancer Info-16/03/00)
Revolutionise your health with ‘Green Juice’ - (Bombay Times -15/03/00)
Traditional healers find natural drugs – (Cancer Info-19/02/00)
Website of the week-(Bombay Times-15/02/2000)
Cutting copper halts tumor growth – (TOI-08/02/00)
Prevention is key to curbing cancer – (TOI-07/02/00)
Researchers Discover new Vein of Cancer-fighting Agents-(Journal of Biological Chemistry-07/01/00)
Scientists-We can beat Cancer-(Cancer Research Campaign-04/01/00)
Cells that Fight Cancer Can turn on the Brain- (Annals of Neurology-03/01/00)
The Best Sports of 1999 – (Time-20/12/99)
The Best People of 1999 – (Time-20/12/99)
Nature can heal cancer- (Bombay Times-18/12/99)
Medical revolution is under way on the net (TOI-17/12/99)
Yoga speeds up and improves healing (TOI-17/12/99)
Two drug combination (Reuters Health- 17/11/99)
No cancer risk from test-tube fertilization (Medivision-November, 99)
It's Stockholm Calling. Oslo Too (Time- 25/10/99)
Tobacco can help stop hair loss from cancer drug (TOI-21/10/99)
When the cancer gene runs wild, it hits immunity : study - (Reuters-26/9/99)
From the sick bed to medal podium-(TOI-30/8/99)
Elixir for the new millennium-(Sunday Review-8/8/99)
US team discovers new way to combat cancer-(TOI-7/8/99)
Cancer study reveals link with traffic fumes-(TOI-6/8/99)
Medical Cyclotron to treat cancer site-(Medivision, August 1999)
Hot Air Balloons Make Cancer Surgery Easier-(TOI 28/7/99)
Cure for Cancer-(Mid-Day 28/6/99)

[Top]

Panel urges pain relief for kids –(Times of India Online-07/09/2001)

Infants usually cry when they get circumcised. Children often wince when they get shots. Some young cancer patients dread giving blood samples. Children feel pain as much as adults, and doctors should do more to relieve their pain from injuries, illnesses and medical procedures, the American Academy of Paediatrics and the American Pain Society declared.

``Children are needlessly suffering,'' said Dr Michael Ashburn, APS president and director of pain programmes at the University of Utah. ``Poorly treated pain following a procedure can lead to prolonged healing and make children at a higher risk for adverse side affects.''

Doctors need to re-evaluate their routines to better anticipate and assess pain in children, create a soothing environment in their offices and involve parents in preventive measures, the statement said. It also recommended that pediatricians press for child-specific research in pain management and urge the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate pain relievers for children.

Even during minor procedures such as getting a shot, most children do not have the same ability as adults to calm themselves when they feel pain, Ashburn said. ``If you wait until you start poking the child with needles, it's too late,'' he said.

While there is extensive literature describing how to evaluate and treat acute pain in children, doctors have not done as much as they should to prevent or relieve that discomfort for several reasons, including a misconception that youngsters don't feel pain as adults do, the statement says. Other factors cited include doctors' lack of training to evaluate pain in children, fears about side effects of pain medication, and the belief among some health care workers that pain builds character. The two groups began working on the statement in 1995, after health care professionals realised children's pain was undertreated and after new techniques to assess pain were developed, said Dr Joseph Hagan, a Vermont pediatrician and chairman of the AAP committee that wrote the statement.

Pain in children with long-term illnesses can cause stress that weakens their immune systems, resulting in a slower recovery, said June Dahl, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and a pain specialist. But when a youngster has cancer, for example, the focus often is on keeping the child alive, she said. ``The pain gets lost in the shuffle,'' Dahl said.

A child who needs blood drawn weekly, for example, would feel less pain if a cream were used to numb the skin and if the youngster were reassured by parents and doctor during the procedure, Ashburn said.

Doctors are treating pain more frequently than they were about 30 years ago, said Dr Joseph Zanga, chairman of pediatrics at Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital of Loyola, which is part of Loyola Medical Centre in Maywood, Illinois. He said children who were cut with a piece of glass in the 1970s might have been given a shot of an anesthetic before stitches. Today, doctors have more options, such as thinner needles that hurt less, lollipops that release anesthetics when sucked and glue that can be used instead of stitches.

``By simply telling a child, `We're not going to have to sew that. We're going to glue it back together,' you can see the fear melt off their faces,'' Zanga said. Also, he said most paediatricians' offices and hospitals are now decorated with images such as clowns to entertain and distract children in pain. Still, Zanga also said paediatricians have been hampered because the FDA has not approved potent pain relievers for youngsters. ``That's a terrible indictment in this country for the treatment of pain in children,'' he said.

[Top]

Patient expectations may influence recovery-(Times of India Online-05/09/2001)

Optimism may be good for your health, according to a review of scientific studies on the topic. Patients who had positive expectations about their recuperation usually had a good recovery, researchers report. "There is scientific evidence that when patients have positive thoughts and expect to recover well, they usually do," said study author Dr. Donald C. Cole of the Institute for Work and Health in Ontario, Canada. "(This) suggests that physicians should ask their patients about their expectations of recovery," he added.

Cole and his colleagues reviewed 16 studies published between 1966 and 1998 that addressed the relationship between patient expectations and recovery. The investigators report their findings in a recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Results from 15 of the 16 studies showed that when patients had positive expectations about their recovery, they tended to have a better recovery, even when psychological and social factors were taken into consideration. The effect was small in four of the studies, medium in five studies, and large in six studies. The remaining study was experimental rather than observational, the report indicates.

The largest effects tended to be found in studies of medical conditions, such as obesity, while smaller effects were more common in studies of psychological conditions such as social phobia. Reasons for the relationship between patient expectations and outcome may be that patients' expectations triggered a physical response or that their expectations conditioned them psychologically to ignore certain symptoms, the authors speculate. Or it may be that the patients' expectations motivated them to achieve better recovery results, they suggest.

[Top]

Human cloning may be easier: Study –(Times of India Online-15/08/2001)

It may be safer to clone humans than sheep, new research contends, because people don't have a genetic defect implicated in producing oversized offspring. However, cloning experts cautioned that the finding does not mean cloning would necessarily be easier in humans. Scientists don't know all the factors that determine whether cloning succeeds or fails, or how important each factor is. The gene, insulin-like growth factor II receptor (IGF2R), is a suspect in some of the problems in cloned animals, but it is not the only one, said Ian Wilmut, a professor at the Roslin Institute, the home of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult. "I hope this will not be used to give encouragement to those who wish to clone humans," Wilmut said from his lab in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The research, by scientists at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., involved the working of the IGF2R gene, which suppresses tumors and regulates fetal growth. "There are going to be other things that potentially go awry. You're not home free, assuming that you wanted to do this (cloning), but you're getting closer," said Randy Jirtle, one of the Duke researchers.

Jirtle, a radiation oncologist, and Keith Killian, a molecular evolutionist, found that humans, other primates and their closest relatives have two activated copies of the gene. People get one functional copy from each parent. However, sheep, pigs, mice and nearly all non-primate mammals receive only one working copy of the gene. The other copy, from the father, is intact, but permanently switched off. That is caused by a phenomenon known as gene imprinting, where the gene carries chemical markings that turn off its function.

With one copy of the gene knocked out, the animals are more prone to developing cancer and, if cloned, to suffer from complications like overly large offspring, underdeveloped lungs and enlarged hearts, the scientists said. "You hear over and over that we've cloned sheep, mice, cows, pigs and they've all had this problem of large offspring syndrome and therefore you will have these problems in humans. This shows that you don't necessarily have these problems," Jirtle said.

Wilmut, who was not involved in the research, said the interpretation that human cloning would be easier because of this particular genetic advantage, is flawed. Failure of placental development is very frequent in cloned livestock, and this probably reflects errors in the working of other genes specifically involved in making the blood vessel network of the placenta, Wilmut said. Also, oversized cow fetuses are apparently the result of overactivity in the IGF2 gene itself, not underactivity of the receptor, he said.
"It seems that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and the authors have allowed themselves to over-interpret their interesting findings," Wilmut said.

Lee Silver, a molecular biologist at Princeton University, added that the IGF2R gene is just one of many genes that get silenced in animals and could potentially cause problems in cloning. Until scientists discover whether those other genes are switched on or off in humans and how important a role they play in the overall success of cloning, it will remain unclear whether cloning will be safer in humans than in other animals. Killian said the findings also could revive several potential drugs that were discarded after being tested in mice and other animals. "Clinical development of hundreds of potential disease-treating drugs have been abandoned after rodent studies have shown them to be potential carcinogens — studies that might have had a different outcome if rodents possessed two functional copies of the tumor suppressing gene, Killian said.

[Top]

Wine drinkers healthier, wealthier: Study –(Times of India Online-13/08/2001)

A daily glass of red wine has been shown to help stave off heart disease and even cancer, but a Danish study said the grape's salutary effects may be due to imbibers' sense of well-being. The study of nearly 700 Danish adults aged 29 to 34 drew comparisons between wine drinkers and beer and liquor consumers and found the former had generally healthier habits and psyches, and were less likely to abuse alcohol.

Wine drinkers also tended to have a higher socioeconomic status and score higher on intelligence tests than beer or liquor drinkers, which the study speculated had ramifications for physical health.

Previous studies have shown that light to moderate red wine consumption relieves stress and improves blood circulation, both deterrents to heart disease, and is linked to good self-perceived health. Ingredients in red wine are also believed to lower the risk of several health problems, including stroke, upper digestive tract cancer, lung cancer and hip fracture. Overall mortality rates among wine drinkers are lower than for those who drink beer or alcohol, or for those who abstain, according to previous research.

[Top]

Burning incense may cause cancer-(Times of India Online-02/08/2001)

Burning incense could cause cancer according to a scientific study conducted by researchers from Taiwan, who found high levels of carcinogens in the smoke of incense burned in Buddhist temples.

"We truly hope that incense burning brings only spiritual comfort, without any physical discomfort, but there is a potential cancer risk," Ta Chang Lin, who led the study, says in the report. "We just cannot say how serious" the risk is, he adds in the study, which appears in the latest edition of New Scientist magazine.

The team from Taiwan's Cheng Kung university analysed smoke from a Taipei temple and found that it contained high levels of chemical compounds blamed for causing lung cancer and that levels of pollutants were higher than would normally be expected at a city road junction.

Comparing air samples from the temple with those from the traffic intersection, the researchers found the temple air to contain high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The highly carcinogenic compounds are given off when certain substances, including tobacco, are burned. Air analysis revealed levels of PAHs inside the temple to be 19 times higher than in normal outside air, and slightly above the concentration found at a traffic intersection. In particular, researchers found levels of benzopyrene - a particularly carcinogenic compound - to be 45 times higher than in a household with cigarette smokers and 118 times above houses with no source of combustion, such as a cooker.

"During some major ceremonies, hundreds or even more than a thousand sticks are burnt at the same time. Sometimes the visibility is so low you can't see clearly across the room. We are concerned for the health of workers or keepers in the temples," the report's authors said.

[Top]

Armstrong: From near death to glory-(Times of India Online-29/07/2001)

If you had a friend who had cancer, what would you suggest he do? If Lance Armstrong had this friend, he would have a simple formula. Take your medicine and ride a few bicycle races. Not your ordinary run-of-the-mill bike races. More like 4,000 km. variety with a few mountains added to the daily diet. Add to that a 250 km. World Championship and repeat the performance at least three years in a row. In the craze for everyone's favourite sport a superhuman is not being given his due. It is time to set this right.

A few years ago Lance Armstrong, an American cyclist, was showing promise. In a country where the average world-vision borders within national boundaries and sports myopia is baseball and basketball-centric, `Lance WHO?' was the refrain. The Colossus was beyond their ken.

Enter the villain of the piece -- The Big C. Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In the under thirties it is invariably rampant and virulent. The disease spread to the chest and the brain. It took on the ominous form of a dozen or so golf-ball sized lumps. Chemotherapy and surgery reduced the cyclist to a physical shadow of himself. Great cyclists, present and past, came visiting. Some of the best took it upon themselves to attend to the ailing patient in a final show of camaraderie.

True champions are made of sterner stuff. They can bat on any pitch and bowl a deadly delivery on crafted surfaces ... all weather is fair weather to them. What distinguishes the best from the rest is the ability to take on every eventuality. And win. Lance beat the odds. He also beat the rest. Moreover he did it in style.

The Tour de France is not a tour. It is a cycle race. The anomaly lies in the French word for circuit. The race goes around the country. About 4,000 kms. in three weeks, a couple of `rest' days included. That is close to 200 kms. every racing day, at average speeds of around 40 kms. per hour. Definitely not for the faint hearted nor the weak kneed. The mountains at 1,500 metres do not contribute to a pleasant day's outing. For Lance, it was just what the doctors ordered.

That brought on the Continental journos, that peculiar breed whose sole purpose in life is to create a story where none exists. If a man wracked by cancer can ride the Tour, and win it, annihilating the European demi-gods ... well, there has to be something fishy. One, with an especially gifted imagination suggested that the drugs taken to fight the C-curse must have some performance enhancing stuff. God forbid, a sick man winning the Tour, and an American at that! Fortunately, he stopped short of recommending the disease as a solution.

By the time you read this, Lance will be spending his last few hours in bed before taking to the French roads one last time en route to Gay Paree. Yet another saga in the never-ending story of man's victory over just about everything fate and nature throws at him will be written. A third consecutive victory will place him in the elite group of six others and just two short of Spaniard Miguel Indurain's record five consecutive victories. God give him the strength. He deserves it.

[Top]

Bush supports ban on human cloning –(Times of India Online-31/07/2001)

President George W Bush supports a ban on human cloning, as proposed by a group of Republican lawmakers, the White House said. "The administration supports a ban on the cloning of human beings by somatic cell nuclear transfer," said a statement of administration policy. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, in 1997.

The statement said the administration does approve of the development of cell and tissue-based therapies based on research involving the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants or animals. "To date, these scientific methods have enabled researchers to develop innovative drugs to treat research, such as breast cancer, or aid in treatment techniques for injury, such as cloning skin cells for skin grafts," it said.

[Top]


Rules broaden use of medical marijuana in Canada-(Times of India Online-31/07/2001)

Canadians suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions such as arthritis can legally grow and smoke marijuana, or designate someone else to grow it for them, under new regulations. The new rules are part of the first system in the world that includes a government-approved and paid-for supply of marijuana, now being grown in a former mine in northern Manitoba.

The new rules permit drug possession for the terminally ill with a prognosis of death within one year; those with symptoms associated with specific serious medical conditions; and those with other medical conditions who have statements from two doctors saying conventional treatments have not worked. Eligible patients include those with severe arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

More than 500 new applications are pending, and more are expected, according to the federal health ministry. The Canadian Medical Association, which represents tens of thousands of doctors, opposes the new regulations because they make physicians responsible for prescribing a substance that lacks significant clinical research on its effects. Without the cooperation of doctors, patients cannot get medical marijuana exemptions.

[Top]

Experts studying proteins and cancer –(Times of India Online-23/07/2001)

Researchers for the first time will conduct studies directly linking cancer patients with the new science of proteomics, a study of all the proteins in living cells. Federal officials announced that the Food and Drug Administration and the National Cancer Institute are establishing a joint research lab designed to develop cancer therapies and diagnosis systems based on the study of proteins.

The effort, called the Clinical Proteomics Programm, ``holds the potential to revolutionise cancer detection and care,'' said Tommy G Thompson, the secretary of Health and Human Services, the parent department of both FDA and NCI. ``With this expanded collaboration, the FDA and NCI are employing powerful new technologies they developed jointly."

The new program will be funded at $1.1 million a year for three years, the agencies announced. Experts say proteomics offers the hope of identifying, on a molecular scale, the proteins produced in a cell that may relate to cancer, its diagnosis and its treatment.

[Top]

Drug Destroys Only Oxygen-Starved Cells Within Tumors –(Cancer Info-19/07/2001)

University of Ulster cancer research scientists in the UK have developed a revolutionary tumor-busting drug that destroys tumor cells that other anti-cancer treatments can't reach. The new drug -- called AQ4N -- has just gone into clinical trials in England. The drug works by destroying only the oxygen-starved (hypoxic) cells that exist within tumors. These cells are difficult to destroy by conventional treatment methods -- yet form up to 30% of any tumor. And the higher the percentage of hypoxic cells in a tumor, the worse the prognosis for the patient.

AQ4N is the result of ten years of work by Dr. Stephanie McKeown of the University of Ulster's Radiation Science Research team, based at the Jordanstown campus. "Laboratory tests indicate that AQ4N is likely to be effective against hypoxic cells in any solid tumor," said Dr. McKeown. "We are confident that AQ4N will enhance the effectiveness of contemporary anti-cancer treatments, as it can reach and destroy hypoxic tumor cells that are resistant to radiation and existing chemotherapy techniques." And there is a double advantage: according to Dr. McKeown, the oxygen-starved cells targeted by AQ4N are also prime suspects in the development of more malignant and aggressive cancers -- including secondary cancers. "When oxygen-rich cancer cells are killed using radiotherapy or conventional chemotherapy, the previously dormant hypoxic cells may then cause regrowth of the tumor into a more malignant, aggressive and treatment-resistant tumor. That's why it's so important to kill off hypoxic cancer cells, and why we're so excited about the potential of AQ4N," she said.

AQ4N was originally designed by Professor Laurence Patterson of the University of London (previously based at De Montfort University, Leicester). Development and implementation of the new drug was carried out by the Bioreductive Development group (part of the Radiation Science Research Unit led by Prof. David Hirst) at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. Dr. McKeown's R&D effort was primarily funded by the Ulster Cancer Foundation and has recently received a funding commitment from the UK Cancer Research Campaign. Clinical trials are now under way, organized by the Cancer Research Campaign and funded by BTG plc (British Technology Group). The initial trials are being carried out by Prof. Will Steward, (Leicester Royal Infirmary) and Dr. Dennis Talbot (Imperial Cancer Research Fund's unit at Churchill Hospital, Oxford).

AQ4N is fundamentally different from other standard chemotherapy agents since it is administered as the non-toxic prodrug (AQ4N) and only becomes toxic when reduced in hypoxic cells. This allows specific targeting of tumor tissue since hypoxic cells are rarely found in normal tissue. Indeed, they are only found in tumors, due to the poorly formed chaotic vessels, which develop inadequately in the tumor to meet the needs of the fast growing tumor cells. This specific difference provides an opportunity to target a therapy directly to tumors while sparing normal tissues.

The presence of a significant proportion of hypoxic cells in a wide range of human tumors has only recently been confirmed with the development of sensitive oxygen electrodes. The importance of tumor hypoxia is twofold. First, it is known to protect cells from the cytotoxic effects of standard chemotherapy drugs (hypoxic cells are dormant (i.e., non-cycling) and therefore are less susceptible to cytotoxic agents. Also, oxygen significantly enhances the cytotoxic effects of radiation. Secondly, it has recently been shown that increasing levels of hypoxia can predict for poor prognosis and may also be instrumental in selecting cells within the tumor that are stress-resistant and of a more malignant phenotype.

Dr. McKeown's group has shown that the inclusion of AQ4N in a range of treatment regimens, both radiation and standard chemotherapy, enhances the anti-tumor effect of these agents. Standard therapies primarily target better-oxygenated cells, leaving the hypoxic cells to repopulate the tumor; for complete tumor control, it may be essential to kill this more malignant subpopulation.

The current Phase I clinical trial is being funded by British Technology Group and organized by the Cancer Research Campaign. It is being carried out by Prof. Will Steward, University of Leicester, at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, and Dr. Dennis Talbot at the Churchill Hospital Oxford. It is designed to evaluate the toxicity of the drug and its efficacy with palliative radiotherapy for head and neck tumors. It is hoped to start a second trial in the near future of AQ4N in combination with a standard cytotoxic agent.

[Top]

Bush ally supports stem cells –(Times of India Online-20/07/2001)

The Senate's only physician, who also is a close ally of President Bush, added new momentum to the drive for federally financed medical research with embryonic stem cells. Senator Bill Frist, said he opposed abortion but felt compelled to support research that could save lives. The senator who has often transformed the president's views into Senate proposals also proposed several limits to the new funding. Namely, he'd limit the number of sets of cultured stem cells to come from a single embryo. Frist offered a compromise that he said would allow stem cell research to progress ``in a manner respectful of both the moral significance of human embryos and the potential of stem cell research to improve health.''

Bush, also an abortion opponent, is considering whether to allow federal funds to pay for research on stem cells taken from human embryos.

Stem cells are master cells that can generate body tissue. Scientists believe the cures for many diseases could be unlocked from research using stem cells. Abortion opponents say harvesting the stem cells requires the death of an embryo, which many regard as human life. A federal health research report said scientists should be free to pursue all avenues of research, including that involving human embryos. Supporters also embraced the 200-plus-page report from the National Institutes of Health, though it did not specifically call for federal funding. Opponents favour research using ``adult'' stem cells, which are taken from mature organs and then manipulated in the lab. The federal researchers said embryonic stem cells can develop into all types of cells and tissue, a flexibility that may be lacking in adult stem cells.

"I strongly believe that we have measured the question carefully, and that it is time to move on," said Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, whose Senate panel oversees federal health spending and held the hearing where the report and Frist's opinion were made public. He added he will push for legislation allowing the stem cell funding if Bush doesn't approve it. "The NIH report is clear on this important point: Embryonic and adult stem cells are different and both present immense research opportunities for potential therapies."

Scientists believe they can learn to direct the development of embryonic stem cells to grow mature cells or tissues that could be used to treat disease. Some estimate that stem cells could benefit more than 100 million patients with such disorders as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, diabetes and spinal cord injuries.

Most of Frist's points are consistent with the NIH guidelines. He would also ban cloning of embryos for research. House lawmakers plan to take up that issue. Some research scientists have rejected certain restrictions, especially the limits on stem cell lines.There currently are approximately one dozen embryonic stem cell lines. But researchers say it will take experiments with scores, perhaps hundreds, of embryonic stem cell lines for scientists to be confident that basic biological discoveries are universal and not characteristics that are unique to the limited number of cell lines.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said Frist's statement ``carries great weight and has a great deal of respect'' because of his medical expertise. A key abortion opponent, Senator Orrin Hatch, also supported federal funding for stem cell research. But he added that he is troubled that some companies would create embryos in order to conduct this research.

[Top]

Candidates debate stem cells-(Times of India Online-18/07/2001)

Virginia's two candidates for governor expressed alarm that researchers had created human embryos in the lab solely to harvest their stem cells. News that the embryos had been created by the private Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, sparked national debate. Scientists had previously been known to derive stem cells only from excess embryos donated from infertility treatments.

``I was troubled at the idea of creating stem cells,'' Democrat Mark Warner said. ``I have asked for a briefing on it, but we need to hear this issue out before we rush to judgment.'' Warner, who has a daughter with diabetes, said stem cell research offers enormous potential for cures for such diseases.

Republican Mark Earley, while not condemning all stem cell research, attacked the use of embryos. ``You ought to be more than troubled, Mark, if there is a place in Virginia that on its own basically without public discussion begins to create human embryos for the sole purpose of experimentation and destruction,'' Earley said it was possible to research the lifesaving possibilities of stem cells by using the bone marrow of adults.

Interest in embryonic stem cells centres on their ability to generate other tissues of the body. Doctors hope using stem cells could possibly cure diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer.

Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore has called for an ethics investigation into the research. President Bush has said he will soon decide whether to allow taxpayer dollars to be used for embryonic stem cell research. He is under pressure from patient groups that favour the research and opponents who feel the work is inherently unethical.

[Top]

Malaysia withdraws soy sauces on cancer fear-(Times of India Online-13/07/2001)

Malaysia has ordered soy sauce and seasoning products from several countries off food shelves for fear they cause cancer, a health official said. Twenty-two soy sauce and seasoning products from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore were found to have excessive levels of 3-MCPD, a cancer-causing chemical, and were withdrawn from supermarkets, local newspapers said.

A Malaysian health official confirmed remarks by Malaysian Health Minister Chua Jui Meng, who said banned products did not comply with the 20 parts per billion level set by the European Union for food products. "Any food product found contravening this will be seized and destroyed immediately," Chua said in the New Straits Times daily.

The British Food Standards Agency warned last month that several brands of Chinese soy sauce contained 3-MCPD, which could cause cancer if taken daily.

[Top]

Lab harvests human stem cells-(Times of India Online-12/07/2001)

Virginia scientists have become the first researchers to create human embryos in the lab for the sole purpose of harvesting their stem cells. Until now, scientists had derived stem cells only from excess embryos donated from infertility treatments. In this case, the scientists approached donors and informed them that their eggs and sperm would be used to develop embryos for stem-cell research. The work, conducted by researchers at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, drew criticism from religious conservatives opposed to embryo research.

"I think this is a cautionary tale against starting down the slope," Richard Doerflinger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops told The Washington Post in Wednesday's edition.

"It's still killing a human being," Mary Petchel, president of the Tidewater chapter of the Virginia Society for Human Life, told The Virginian Pilot of Norfolk, Va.

Scientists who conducted the work said several review panels had assessed the ethical implications and concluded that the approach was at least as ethical as using spare frozen embryos.

The group extracted eggs from 12 women, who signed consent documents and were paid $1,500 to $2,000 each, according to William Gibbons, a reproductive endocrinologist who was not involved in the work. Of the 162 eggs collected and inseminated by donor sperm, 50 embryos were successfully created. The researchers destroyed 40 of those to get the stem cells that resided inside. The work was done with private funds. The results appear in the July issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility, published Wednesday. The study began in 1997 and concluded last July.

Interest in embryonic stem cells centers around their ability to generate other tissues of the body. Doctors hope using stem cells could possibly cure diseases as Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injuries.

President Bush has said he will soon decide whether to allow taxpayer dollars to be used for research on embryonic stem cells. He is under pressure from patient groups that favour the research and opponents who feel the work is inherently unethical.

[Top]

Stem cell cloning flawed: Study-(Times of India Online-07/07/2001)

Experiments show that genes used in cloning often fail to work properly, causing serious abnormalities in mice, a finding that confirms the belief of many researchers that the method used to clone Dolly the sheep should not be used on humans. In a study appearing on Friday in the journal Science, researchers said even the use of embryonic stem cells in cloning did not assure the creation of normal mice. The study comes as the Bush administration considers whether to allow federal funds for non-cloning embryonic stem cell research.

"This study confirms the suspicions of many of us that cloning of humans would be really dangerous," said Rudolf Jaenisch, senior author of the study and a researcher at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

David Humpherys, first author of the study, said that many of the mice cloned in the experiment appeared to be normal, including having normal genes, but there was evidence that during embryonic and fetal development the genes did not work properly.

"It is quite likely that just the animals that are most nearly normal make it to birth (in cloning), but our study shows that doesn't mean they are completely normal," said Humpherys. "There may be changes in gene expression that could affect them later in life." In cloned humans, Jaenisch said the gene expression flaws could affect personality, intelligence and other human attributes.

Humpherys said there was no evidence that the genes in the cloned animals were altered, but that the way in which the genes made proteins was flawed and unstable. In effect, the researchers found that even though the biological blueprint was intact in the cloned animals, the way that the blueprint was read and interpreted was flawed. This could result in abnormal tissues and organs, they said. Humpherys and Jaenisch said that a number of scientists doing cloning experiments with mice, pigs, sheep and cattle have reported that even apparently normal animals develop disorders later in life. Jaenisch said that extreme obesity has developed in many cloned animals, including Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

Dr. David A Prentice, an Indiana State University professor of life sciences, said the MIT-Whitehead study shows the hazards of the current cloning technology. "Development is a finely orchestrated ballet of cells forming tissues and organs at the right place and time," said Prentice. "It takes only one going awry at the wrong time and place to have a seriously flawed individual."

In the study, the researchers made the mouse clones using embryonic stem cells, the primordial cells known to be able to form virtually any tissue in the body. The DNA from the cells was removed and inserted into a mouse egg that had been stripped of its DNA. The resulting embryos were then implanted in mother mice and allowed to grow to birth.

The researchers monitored the expression, or action, of genes that play a role in embryo and fetal development. They found that the genes, even from nearly identical stem cells, worked differently. In fact, said Humpherys, stem cells are unstable in gene expression even in the laboratory dish.

This instability raises the possibility that using stem cells to treat health disorders may not work as well as some scientists have suggested, said Dr. Joann A. Boughman, vice president of the American Society of Human Genetics.

"When we grow (embryonic stem) cells for a curative situation, we will need to precisely control the process," she said. "This paper shows that we've got a very long way to go to fully understand this whole process."

Some researchers have suggested that embryonic stem cells could be cloned from a patient and used to grow cells that could be used to restore that patient's ailing heart or liver or other organs.

Jaenisch said that it is unlikely that genetic instability would block the curative use of embryonic stem cells. He said in developing cells for therapeutic use, researchers would harvest and inject into patients only those cells that are normal.

During cloning, he said, no such selection is possible because an embryo must use the DNA provided and cannot select only that which is perfect.

Regulations that would permit federal funding of embryonic stem cell research has been delayed by President Bush who ordered a review of the whole issue. Some in Congress oppose embryonic stem cell research because obtaining the cells involves the death of a human embryo. Many scientists, however, believe that embryonic stem cell research could relieve suffering for millions of patients with a variety of disorders.

[Top]

Eat curry to beat cancer: CSIRO-(Times of India Online-07/07/2001)

If one goes by the number of Indian restaurants in each and every sizable Australian suburb, the antipodeans have a great liking for spicy curries. The love affair is likely to grow even more with a finding made by an Australian research institute to the effect that spices and herbs, like curry leaves, go a long way towards keeping deadly diseases like cancer at bay.

Nutrition scientists of CSIRO, Australia's largest scientific and industrial research organisation, have found that herbs and spices not only taste good but are also good for health. "Across the world, some varieties of herbs and spices have been investigated in relation to cancer and heart disease risk, improving memory and alleviating nausea," research nutritionist Lynne Cobiac said in a media report.

Traditional Asian cuisine has long been appreciated in this country for both taste and the variety that it offers. Now scientists have also added a health perspective to these cuisines.

"French emperor Charlemagne, in the eighth century, is quoted as saying 'a herb is a friend of the physician and the praise of cooks' while ancient civilisations in India and China were also aware of many of their culinary and medicinal properties," CSIRO scientist Cobiac said.

Though ancient medicine in India and other older civilisations had identified the medicinal and nutritional values of spices and herbs thousands of years back, skeptical Western experts have been a bit slow in extending their acknowledgment. But it's obvious that the world's vast majority has been waiting for any such approval as, according to CSIRO figures, 80 per cent of the global population continues to depend upon centuries old medicinal systems for their health requirements.

"Recent research from CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition in Adelaide has proved the anti-oxidant properties of curry leaves, while work is continuing to assess scientifically the antioxidant properties of ginger," Cobiac further said in the media release. "Researchers are working to ascertain how much of each herb and spice we need to consume to gain their beneficial effect, but some quantities are already known," she said.

Besides curry leaves and ginger, the scientists have also mentioned garlic as a good insurance against cholesterol if consumed daily. Garlic, CSIRO media release says, can thus help in fighting heart disease in a very positive manner. Garlic, often detested for its smell, has also garnered appreciation from Australian scientists for its anti-carcinogenic properties.

Another ingredient used extensively in Asian cooking, Gingko biloba, is also under the CSIRO microscope, as it is said to be helpful in improving memory and cognitive function.

With the identification of the medicinal properties of some of the herbs and spices intrinsic to Asian cuisines, now CSIRO scientists are trying to identify the active beneficial components and find the best way to optimise their effects. But there is still a gray area as far as this process is concerned as the scientists are not sure whether a component, if separated, would retain its potency or not.

[Top]

Panel to track Appalachian health –(Times of India Online-08/07/2001)

A database will be created to track details on health care and mortality in the Appalachian Mountains, where cancer, heart disease and infant mortality rates have been infamously high. The Appalachian Regional Commission began asking universities last week to bid on the job of compiling the data on what behaviours might be worsening residents' health, their accessibility to health care providers and insurance and any relevant socio-economic factors.

``We've never done anything this encompassing,'' said Duane DeBruyne, a commission spokesman in Washington. ``There have been some spotty, state-based examinations of health care disparities, but this is our first top-to-bottom review.''

Health care has long been a concern for Appalachia's 22.2 million residents in the 199,000-square-mile region that stretches from Mississippi to New York. White Appalachian women have a higher rate of cervical cancer than women elsewhere in the country, while white Appalachian men suffer more from lung cancer, according to documents the commission made available to research institutions. The commission also plans to study the financial conditions of the region's hospitals and clinics and identify which facilities are struggling. Policy makers would have access to the database when deciding on health care spending, research and education. The target date for completing the study is September 2002

``If a substantial number of states all recognise there is a problem common to them all, they would have more national political clout if they came together and said, 'This is something that needs to be addressed,''' said Roger Hagler, consultant for the North Carolina Office of Rural Health.

The federally funded commission was created in 1965 after a study sponsored by the Kennedy administration found that, in addition to the region's crushing poverty, death from infectious disease was 33 percent higher in Appalachia than in the rest of the nation. The study also found the region had 30 percent fewer doctors per 100,000 residents than elsewhere, and infant mortality rates were twice as high in some Appalachian counties than in other parts of the United States. Last year, a study by a consortium at the University of Virginia found that adults ages 35 to 64 in the western toe of Virginia die 30 per cent faster than the same population statewide. The study also found that people in the mountains are 50 per cent more likely to die of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 26 per cent more likely to die of heart disease, 53 per cent more likely to die of pneumonia or flu, and 60 per cent more likely to commit suicide.

``There's a consensus that the regional picture might be a more dramatic picture than the picture of any individual state,'' Hagler said.

[Top]

Questions, answers about stem cells-(Times of India Online-06/07/2001)

Many scientists believe that stem cells hold the promise of dramatic new treatments for disease, offering hope to millions of patients. But some groups oppose using stem cells taken from embryos because this results in the death of the embryo. Instead, they favour research limited to stem cells taken from mature tissue. US President Bush has ordered federal funding of embryonic stem cell research delayed while the policy is reviewed. A decision by the administration is expected later this month.

Here are questions and answers on this issue:

Q: What are stem cells?

A: Stem cells are the fundamental building blocks for all the tissues in the body. They can develop into bone, brain, muscle, skin and all the other organs.

Q: What kinds of stem cells are there?

A: There are three types totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent, each representing a different stage in development.

Q: What are totipotent stem cells?

A: Totipotent stem cells form when a fertilised egg first divides. Totipotent stem cells can develop into a complete individual.

Q: What are pluripotent stem cells?

A: After a few days, totipotent stem cells form a blastocyst, a ball of cells. The inner layer contains pluripotent stem cells which are capable of developing into any tissue in the body. Pluripotent stem cells, however, cannot become a complete individual. Pluripotent stem cells are also called embryonic stem cells.

Q: What are multipotent stem cells?

A: Multipotent stem cells are found in mature tissue and are formed by the body to replace worn out cells in tissues and organs. Stem cells from the bone marrow, for instance, form the various kinds of blood cells. Neural stem cells can form nerve and brain cells. Multipotent stem cells are sometimes called somatic or adult stem cells.

Q: How are stem cells useful in medicine?

A: Researchers believe that stem cells have great promise in the treatment of many illnesses from brain disease to diabetes to heart failure. Experts believe they can learn to direct the development of stem cells into various types of new cells that can rejuvenate or even replace ailing organs. For instance, some believe it may be possible to grow insulin-producing cells to cure some forms of diabetes, or nerve cells to restore function for patients paralysed by spinal injury.

Q: Which type of stem cell is best?

A: That is unknown. Some researchers believe embryonic stem cells are best because they are the most versatile. Also, embryonic stem cells can grow vigorously, forming colonies that will expand virtually forever. But research has shown that adult stem cells also are capable of forming many different types of cells. For instance, some mouse experiments have shown that neural stem cells from the brain can be coaxed into growing muscle, liver and heart cells. Adult stem cells, though, are more difficult to grow and do not survive in the lab as long as embryonic stem cells. Many researchers believe that both embryonic and adult stem cells should be studied because it is unclear now which will ultimately be the most useful in medicine.

Q: Why is embryonic stem cell research controversial?

A: An embryo is killed when the pluripotent stem cells are extracted. Many people are ethically opposed to killing human embryos for any purpose. A 1995 law specifically forbids federal funding of research in which a human embryo would be destroyed, injured or placed at risk.

Q: Does that mean federal money cannot be used for embryonic stem cell research?

A: Not necessarily. In 1999, the National Institutes of Health established regulations that would permit federal funding provided the embryonic stem cells were harvested by privately funded laboratories. Federal money would be used to study the stem cells, but not to harm the embryos from which cells were taken.

Q: Have any embryonic stem cell studies been funded by the federal government?

A: No. Two research projects have been proposed, but NIH consideration has been halted on orders of President Bush who asked that the 1999 regulations be reviewed.

Q: Who opposes embryonic stem cell research?

A: Some members of Congress have proposed legislation that would forbid federal funding of such research on moral grounds. Some anti-abortion groups oppose the research because extracting the stem cells requires the death of a human embryo. Pope John Paul II has said injury or death of a human embryo ``is not morally acceptable'' even though it may advance research that would cure or treat disease.

Q: Who favours federal funding for embryonic stem cell research?

A: The majority of research organisations in the US Eighty Nobel Prize winners have signed a petition endorsing the research. Scores of scientific societies have announced their support. Many members of Congress also support the research, citing potential benefits for millions of patients.

[Top]

Cannabis good on nausea, poor on pain –(Times of India Online-06/07/2001)

Cannabis is better than conventional drugs at combating nausea among cancer patients but less effective at easing acute pain, and in any case is prone to side effects. Two studies assessed nearly 40 medical trials involving cannabis, with the goal of getting an overview of the drug's potential role in the hospital. More than 1,300 chemotherapy patients were enlisted in 30 trials in which they were given cannabis tablets or injections to fight nausea and vomiting.

In every trial, the cannabis was found to be more effective than conventional anti-sickness drugs. However, the cannabis also had more side effects, ranging from beneficial (euphoria) to harmful (depressions and hallucinations). Even if it were only taken for a short while, this problem is likely to limit its clinical use, the study said.

In separate research, more than 200 patients, most of them cancer sufferers or people in post-operative care, took part in nine trials to see cannabis' effectiveness for treating acute or chronic (long-term) pain. In eight of these nine trials, the cannabis was no better than codeine, and also had more side effects. The cannabis was likewise administered by tablets or intra-muscular injections, rather than by smoking.

"Cannabinoids are no more effective than codeine in controlling pain and have depressant effects on the central nervous system that limit their use," the study said. "Their widespread introduction into clinical practice for pain management is therefore undesirable. In acute post-operative pain, they should not be used," it added bluntly.

The first study was conducted by a team led by Martin Tramer of the department of anaesthesiology at Geneva University Hospital; the second was led by Fiona Campbell of the Pain Management Centre at Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, England. The work is published in the weekly British Medical Journal.

[Top]

Non-smoked nicotine aids blood flow-(Times of India Online-30/06/2001)

Nicotine given to animals in water or by injections stimulate the growth of blood vessels. The finding surprised researchers and could have implications for some medical treatments and the long-term use of nicotine patches. ``This was totally a shock to us. We expected just the opposite,'' Dr John P Cooke, director of vascular medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a telephone interview.

Encouraging the growth of blood vessels can be good or bad depending on circumstances, said Cooke, whose findings were reported in Friday's issue of the journal Nature Medicine. It's beneficial in cases where a patient has circulation problems, he explained. But the process, called angiogenesis, can also result in encouraging the growth of tumours, which need blood vessels to grow, and plaque which can clog larger blood vessels, he said.

``Cardiologists are very enamoured now of angiogenic therapy to treat poor blood flow to the heart, to treat poor blood flow to the legs,'' Cooke said.

But he cautioned that in this type of treatment it will be important to deliver the agents that encourage vessel growth directly to the place where needed. ``If they are given systemically it can have unwanted consequences,'' he said. But he was quick to add that people should still use nicotine patches to stop smoking, just not for long periods.

``That is a very good therapy, nicotine p