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US scientists have discovered a previously unknown way by which a cancer-causing version of the Myc gene speeds up the progression of the disease.

A faulty version of Myc is already known to interfere with the early stages of DNA activity in the nucleus of the cell. It prevents DNA from being 'transcribed' into RNA, which is an essential first step in making proteins for cell growth and function.

However, scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have now found that the faulty Myc gene can also act directly on the final stage of protein production.

*Genes like Myc contribute to cancer in many different ways and every time we discover a new one, we give ourselves another potential avenue for beating the disease.*

- Ed Yong, health information manager, Cancer Research UK

Dr Maria Barna, a faculty fellow in the university's Biochemistry and Biophysics Department and one of the study's senior authors, explained that cancer-causing genes such as Myc regulate a number of distinct cellular processes.

"The key to our studies was the ability to generate novel genetic tools to halt Myc's action on protein production. This demonstrates how essential this process is for cancer formation," she revealed.

Co-senior author Dr Davide Ruggero, assistant professor of urology at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Centre, commented: "Control of protein production rapidly affects cell behaviour, and in a robust manner.

"The ability of the Myc oncogene to directly alter this process may well explain the rapid progression of cancer formation."

In order to find out whether Myc-induced protein production plays a role in cancer, the researchers bred two types of mice - one of which was prone to cancer and over-expressed the Myc oncogene, whilethe other had lowered protein production.

This resulted in mice which had the destructive Myc traits as well as an enhanced ability to suppress protein production.

The researchers found that in these mice, cell growth, division and death - which is required to counter cancer - were restored to near-normal levels.

This also helped to counter Myc-induced damage to chromosome function, indicating that Myc causes changes in the genetic integrity of cells through control of protein production and that it may disrupt a number of genes.

Dr Ruggero said: "We discovered a previously unrecognised link between alterations in protein synthesis and the mechanism by which cells maintain the integrity of the genome.

"We found that when Myc is overexpressed, this leads to changes in protein levels of a key gene that is essential for normal distribution of genetic material between daughter cells during cell division."

The discovery, which appears in Nature, suggests that existing drugs which counter increased protein production could slow down tumour growth in cancers where Myc is overactive.

Ed Yong, Cancer Research UK's health information manager, said: "Genes like Myc contribute to cancer in many different ways and every time we discover a new one, we give ourselves another potential avenue for beating the disease."

Ref: Barna et al. Nature 456, 971-975 (18 December 2008)

Ovarian cancer has often been referred to as a 'silent killer', but new preliminary findings from an Australian study show the disease is in fact not silent - these latest data show most women (83 per cent) experience at least one symptom of ovarian cancer in the year prior to their diagnosis.

The study also revealed 17 per cent of women waited more than three months after the onset of their symptoms before visiting their doctor, with 8 per cent waiting more than six months.

"The most common reason for the delay was an assumption that the symptoms were not serious, with many women attributing them to another medical condition or the natural process of ageing," said Dr Helen Zorbas, CEO, National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre.

The study by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre in collaboration with the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, examined the pathways taken by 1500 Australian women to their diagnosis of ovarian cancer, strengthening the case for women to be aware of the symptoms of the disease.

"As there is no screening test for ovarian cancer, the first step to diagnosis is a woman identifying symptoms which are persistent and unusual for her and seeking medical attention. It is therefore vital that women are aware of the symptoms to look out for," said Dr Zorbas.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer include:

- abdominal bloating
- abdominal or back pain
- appetite loss or feeling full quickly
- changes in toilet habits
- unexplained weight loss or gain
- indigestion or heartburn
- fatigue

  The most common symptoms, experienced by half of the study participants, were abdominal symptoms such as fullness and pain. Bloating, bowel or urinary symptoms were reported by approximately one third of participants.

"We know many women will experience these symptoms as part of everyday life," said Dr Zorbas. "But if any of these symptoms are unusual for you and they persist, it is important to see your doctor. No one knows your body like you do."

This year about 1300 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australia. More than half of women diagnosed do not survive five years after their diagnosis. More than 70 per cent of women are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the cancer has spread and is difficult to treat successfully.

National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre is funded by the Australian Government and works with consumers, health professionals, cancer organisations, researchers and governments to improve care and cancer control in breast and ovarian cancer. Queensland Institute of Medical Research coordinates the Epidemiology core of the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study. The Australian Ovarian Cancer Study is a collaborative research program between clinicians, scientists, patients and advocacy groups aimed at improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Source
Bree Stevens
Senior Communications & Policy Officer
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre
Level 1, Suite 103, 355 Crown Street SURRY HILLS NSW 2010
Telephone + 61 2 9357 9402 Mobile 0438 209 833 Facsimile + 61 2 9357 9477
http://www.nbocc.org.au

Researchers are working to develop a saliva test for breast cancer that could vastly reduce the use of dangerous and invasive breast cancer screening techniques such as mammograms."This will be a noninvasive, quick means of detection," said lead researcher Charles Streckfus, a professor of diagnostic sciences at the Dental Branch of the University of Texas (UT) at Houston. "With it, dentists will be able to catch cancers before a woman can feel a lump."Researchers have discovered that the onset of breast cancer changes the density of different proteins excreted by the salivary glands. In the current study, published in the journal Cancer Investigation, Streckfus and other researchers from the UT-Houston Dental Branch and Medical School compared the protein levels found in the saliva of 10 women with breast cancer, 10 healthy women and 10 women with a type of tumor called fibroadenoma.Fibroadenoma is the most common kind of benign breast tumor."Saliva is a complex mixture of proteins," said researcher William Dubinsky. "We go through a process that compares different samples by chemically labeling them in such a way that we can not only identify the protein, but determine how much of it is in each sample. This allows us to compare the levels of 150-200 different proteins in cancerous versus non-cancerous specimens to identify possible markers for disease."The researchers identified 49 proteins that were present at different levels between the three groups. These proteins should hypothetically allow doctors to use such a saliva test to alert them when a woman has a tumor, and to determine whether it is cancerous or benign."This is a unique finding," Streckfus said, "as it targets both the benign and malignant tumor, which could potentially reduce the number of false positives and false negatives associated with current cancer diagnostics".Previously, the same team of researchers was able to correctly detect whether a woman had breast cancer 85 percent of the time, using only one saliva protein as a marker. With 49 different markers, Streckfus says that the accuracy of the test should be closer to 95 percent.In the current method, the saliva sample is placed onto a hand-held, gold-plated chip or lab dish, developed by UT-Austin biochemists. A laser analyzes the protein content of the sample."I see this as a future public health service by dentists," Streckfus said. "Most folks, especially women and children, visit the dental office way more often than they ever see the physician. Saliva is a non-invasive, quicker way for detection."Many obstacles remain before this test could be available, however. The first step is more studies to confirm the effectiveness of the protein markers as diagnostic tools in a larger group of patients. Streckfus and colleagues hope to launch a large, multicenter clinical trial of the test within the next two years, and to apply for FDA approval within five.The only saliva test currently approved by the FDA is one for HIV/AIDS.A saliva test for breast cancer has many advantages over current diagnostic methods such as ultrasounds, mammograms, biopsies and blood tests. It would be far less invasive and expensive than most such tests, and have a much higher accuracy rate than blood tests, which are not currently favored for breast cancer diagnosis due to their poor accuracy.The higher accuracy of a saliva test comes in part from the fact that saliva proteins are much easier to detect than the proteins in blood, Dubinsky said."In the case of breast cancer, saliva analysis has been used to monitor patient response to chemotherapy or surgical treatment of the disease," said Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser for the British Dental Association. "The mouth itself is a good indicator of an individual's overall health, and dentists already play an important role in diagnosing and detecting oral cancers."Streckfus said that a saliva test would be particularly valuable in places where mammography centers are rare, such as in many Third World countries, or in breast cancer survivors who need to be regularly monitored for potential cancer recurrence.Regular use of mammograms is not only expensive and emotionally distressing, but can also be dangerous. Because women are exposed to X-ray radiation as part of the mammogram procedure, regular mammogram use actually increases women's risk of developing various cancers. For this reason, mammograms are not normally performed for women under the age of 40, in whom the risk of breast cancer is relatively low unless symptoms are present.But Streckfus warned that a saliva test cannot utterly replace mammograms, because the saliva test is unable to determine which breast contains the tumor.Nonetheless, cancer patient advocates have greeted the new research as promising. According to Leonard Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, the saliva test will one day be "a terrific advance.""I think advances like this test portend the day when we'll be able to diagnose disease that would be invisible using today's technologies," Lichtenfeld said. "[Patients will] be able to be diagnosed and treated before they would otherwise know they have the disease."Streckfus and colleagues are also researching whether saliva tests can be used to diagnose other cancers, including of the cervix, uterus, head, neck and ovaries. Another group of researchers, at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, is also working on a saliva test for head-and-neck cancer. According to Lichtenfeld, the Johns Hopkins team is farther along than the UT-Houston team, because their test relies on genetic rather than protein markers.

Is it possible that wearing a bra can actually cause cancer? Studies show that this is a very real possibility. The reason is that regularly wearing a bra prevents lymph drainage and circulation, which can greatly increase the possibility of developing breast cancer.The lymphatic and circulatory systems are responsible for both delivering vital nutrients and clearing out toxins. When the body does not have access to nutrients or when it is under the attack of toxins, cancer may develop.A study published in the European Journal of Cancer studied factors for breast cancer such as breast size and handedness. They discovered that premenopausal women who do not wear bras are less than half as likely to get breast cancer that those who regularly wear a bra. A study conducted by researcher David Moth revealed that even the lightest bras place pressure on the lymphatic system.Other research published in Chronobiology International in 2000 discovered that regular bra wearing decreases the production of melatonin, which is a potent natural antioxidant and the hormone that regulates sleep, boosts the immune system and, incredibly fights aging. Balanced melatonin levels are essential for the body to fight many types of cancer, including breast cancer.Researchers Singer and Grismaijer observed 4,500 women and their bra wearing practices. An amazing 3 out of 4 women who wore their bras 24 hours per day developed breast cancer. Women who wore their bras more than 12 hours per day had a 1 in 7 chance of getting breast cancer. 1 out 152 women who wore their bra less than 12 hours a day got breast cancer and an incredibly low 1 out of 168 women who rarely or never wear a bra developed breast cancer.These same researchers studied the indigenous populations of New Zealand and Australia. The Maoris, who are indigenous to New Zealand, are basically fully integrated into mainstream New Zealand life and interestingly have the same chances of developing breast cancer. The aboriginals of Australia on the other hand have not integrated into regular western society and do not regularly wear bras, and have practically no breast cancer. Japanese, Fijians, and many women from other cultures were found to have a significantly higher chance of developing breast cancer when they began wearing bras.It may be interesting to note that a very small proportion of men do develop breast cancer, exactly the same amount as women who go braless!European, Journal of Cancer 1991 ;27(2): 131-5.Cancer is Not a Disease by Andreas Moritz

Plant phytonutrients found in Brussels sprouts boost the body`s natural defense systems to protect against cancer and other diseases. Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables disarm cancer causing chemicals and encourage the body`s detoxification enzymes.Evidence in the Netherlands suggests that Brussels sprouts keep the body free from cancer by promoting healthy DNA. DNA is responsible for cell division in the body. When DNA gets damaged, cells may begin to replicate much more rapidly than normal, which can cause a cancerous tumor to begin to form. Several studies reveal that Brussels sprouts have the ability to help protect DNA from damage.Researchers compared two groups of healthy men. Half of these men ate 300 grams of Brussels sprouts daily, while the other men didn`t have any cruciferous vegetables in their diet. After three weeks, the men who ate their daily dose of Brussels sprouts had a 28% decrease in measured DNA damage.Diminish Digestive Cancers with Brussels SproutsThe phytonutrients in Brussels sprouts have been shown to protect against heterocyclic amines, which are the carcinogenic compounds found in grilled and charbroiled meat. These carcinogens are particularly associated with colon cancer. The study, published in Carcinogenesis, found that animals that were given Brussels sprout juice and heterocyclic amine carcinogen were less likely to develop the cancer.The animals given Brussels sprouts had a reduction in pre-cancerous cells in the colon of 41-52% in the colon and 27-67% in the liver, and drastically diminished the size (85-91%) of pre-cancerous lesions in the liver. These amazing results seem to be a result of Brussels sprouts potent ability to detoxify the body and clear out the colon.Brussels sprouts are also packed with fiber, which nourishes the cells lining the walls of the colon and prevents colon problems including cancer.Brussels Sprouts Fight Bladder CancerResearch published in the International Journal of Cancer shows that Brussels sprouts protect against bladder cancer. The diets of 697 people who were recently diagnosed with bladder cancer were compared with 708 people with the same age, gender and ethnicity who were healthy. The average daily intake of Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables was significantly lower in those with bladder cancer than in their healthy counterparts. Those who had the highest intake of Brussels sprouts and cruciferous vegetables had a 29% lower risk of bladder cancer that those who ate the least.The benefits of these vegetables were highest in those who have the highest risk of bladder cancer, including men, smokers and older individuals.Brussels sprout`s bladder cancer properties appear to come from their high levels isothiocyanates, which are potent anti-carcinogens. Isothiocyanates travel through the bladder to be excreted, making them particularly powerful against this form of cancer.Breast Cancer ProtectionSulforaphane is released by Brussels sprouts and has been proven to trigger the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify the body of cancer-causing chemicals They have been shown to inhibit chemically-induced breast cancers in animal studies. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that sulforaphane can halt the proliferation of breast cancer cells, even in the later stages of their growth.Defend Against Prostate CancerResearch at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle studied 1,000 men. It was shown that eating 28 servings of different vegetables a week reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 35%. But those who ate 3 or more servings of cruciferous vegetables each week had a 44% lower prostate cancer risk.Many people claim to not enjoy eating Brussels sprouts. If you are not a fan of this incredible food, try chopping them up into tiny peices and sprinkling them over a salad. You won`t even be able to taste them but you will still get the health enhancing benefits and defend your body against disease.http://www.whfoods.comhttp://www.drbriffa.com