The term vitamin E refers to a family of eight related, antioxidant compounds widely distributed in plants. Pro-vitamin E or alpha-tocopheryl succinate (Alpha-TOS) is found in the green parts of a plant. The best sources of vitamin E are the vegetable and seed or nut oils. It was first isolated from wheat germ oil, which is still a commonly used, rich source of vitamin E.

Researchers at Griffith University's School of Medical Science have shown that pro-vitamin E can reduce tumor volume on animals with high levels of HER2. The researchers think it has potential to be an inexpensive, safe and selective therapy for hard to treat breast cancers.

Jiri Neuzil, chief investigator and Associate Professor, said "Alpha-TOS has already shown promise as a potent anticancer agent in diseases such as colon cancer and mesothelioma. It induces controlled cell death or apoptosis in tumor cells".

Monday night is Courage Night, hosted by the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), national sorority Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA), and Lifetime television. It's a night when Lifetime's Original Movie Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy will air, when crowds will gather in communities and on college campuses across the nation for special screenings and viewing parties of the movie that brings glaring attention to the issue of breast cancer.

Courage Night was created in 2004 by Geralyn Lucas, author of the book Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, as an evening of celebration in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was also a celebration of the publication of her then-new book.

Lucas, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27, recounts in her memoir every step of her cancer journey, including her bold application of red lipstick just before her mastectomy. She knew from the day she was diagnosed she would speak out to help others, to raise awareness, to make a difference. Now 39, a mother of two, and an executive for Lifetime, Lucas is still making waves. And Courage Night lives on.

Courage Night has grown into a national grassroots event that honors breast cancer survivors and those lost to the disease. Event fundraising will benefit YSC -- the only organization dedicated to the special issues of young breast cancer survivors.

Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, starring actress Sarah Chalke, will air Monday, October 23 at 9:00 PM.

Vitamin E succinate, classified as an antioxidant, is currently sold as a nutritional supplement. Knowing that vitamin E succinate -- or alpha tocopheryl succinate -- had some antioxidant ability to kill cancer cells, researchers decided to study how it worked in order to find a way to enhance the antioxidant compound into a more powerful and potent cancer chemopreventive agent. Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers were successful in discovering how the derivative of vitamin E functions that might lead to the development of an enhanced version to fight cancer. However, according to researchers, the power of vitamin E succinate to send cancer cells into a suicidal death, does not come from the antioxidant abilities of the derivative. The antitumor ability of the derivative is a separate function. Because of this, researchers state they believe their findings could lead to a potent chemopreventive agent that has both strong anticancer and antioxidant properties.