I'm a huge believer in the power of foods to battle the ravages of cancer among other things. In a household I know of that contains a cancer survivor, the family gets together one time a week to have dinner around the dinner table. Sounds typical, right?

The only difference here is that everyone must eat several pieces of fresh fruit for dinner. No vegetables (those come on a different night) and no drinks besides water. Just fruit.

Amazingly, the kids in this family acclimated to the one-fruit-night pretty fast, and now they actually enjoy it. I thought it was a rather unique way to express the importance of fresh fruits on one's diet. After all, many believe that blueberries are one of the most potent anti-cancer foods there is. Why not get in the habit of eating them?

Remember that old saying -- An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Well, it seems that an apple peel a day might keep cancer at bay, according to a new study.

A dozen compounds have been found called triterpenoids. These compounds found in the peel of an apple either inhibit or kill cancer cells in lab cultures.

"We found that several compounds have potent anti-proliferative activities against human liver, colon and breast cancer cells and may be partially responsible for the anti-cancer activities of whole apples," says Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science.

Previous studies have shown that apples not only fight cancer cells in the laboratory but they also have shown to reduce the number and size of mammary tumors in rats.

So, don't peel those apples. Eat the whole thing!

Twenty to thirty percent of breast cancers over express a protein referred to as the human epidermal growth factor receptor, better known as HER2 over expression.

Herceptin is an agent that is targeted against the HER2 receptor and helps to slow or stop the spread of cancer cells that over express this protein. Unfortunately, some women that do have the over expression of HER2 on their breast cancer cells do not respond to treatment with Herceptin.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has published a report that says among breast cancer patients with HER2 over expressing cancer cells, those whose cells also express a receptor called p95HER2 have a poor anti-cancer response rate with Herceptin.

The study included forty seven women with metastatic breast cancer. All were treated with Herceptin. Nine of these patients also expressed the receptor p95HER2.

The results showed that only 11 percent of the women with the p95HER2 expression showed an anti-cancer response to Herceptin. Of the patients who did not express p95HER2 demonstrated a response of 51 percent. The report also showed that laboratory testing of cancer cells that do express p95HER2 demonstrated anti-cancer activity with a drug called Tykerb.

The researchers concluded that patients with HER2-over expressing breast cancer who also express p95HER2 appear to be more resistant to treatment with Herceptin and "may require alternative or additional anti-HER2–targeting strategies." Patients with HER2-over expressing breast cancer may wish to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of participating in a clinical trial further evaluating biologic markers that may help predict responses to certain therapies.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that a drug commonly used to treat toenail fungus could block angiogenesis, blood vessels that feed a tumor.

The drug, itraconazole, is FDA approved for human use, which may fast-track its availability as an anti-cancer drug.

If you are interested in reading more about Angiogenesis and cancer growth you can read my post back in July.

The researchers at this point have yet to determine exactly how itraconazole works to stop vessel growth.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is on the verge of becoming the latest state to require sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against the HPV virus. Currently only Texas requires the vaccine, other states are in the process of considering having the vaccine become mandatory.

Federal regulators have approved the vaccine, made by Merck & Co, but the issue of making it a requirement for girls has been surrounded by controversy. The federal government approved Gardasil, a three-dose vaccine that protects against the human papilloma virus, or HPV, in June 2006 for females ages nine to twenty six. The vaccine protects against the HPV strains that cause cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers.

Some states want the drug to be free to all girls who want it and other states are considering making the cervical vaccine mandatory for girls entering six grade unless their parents sign a form refusing it.

More of The Cancer Blog's coverage of this issue can be found here:

Merck stops cervical cancer vaccine campaign

Texas first to mandate cervical cancer vaccine

Cervical cancer vaccine discount pursued for poor nations

New Hampshire first to immunize young girls

Girls should see gynecologist in early teens

Thirteen year old girl is the first in Britain to have the new cervical cancer vaccine

Vaccine for cervical cancer to be administered to sixth graders

Concerns raised about new cervical cancer vaccine

Cervical cancer vaccine available for college students

Cancer vaccines virginity and sex: a battle first for acceptance

Women In Government applaud FDA approval of cervical cancer vaccine

First cervical cancer vaccine approved

A study appearing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reveals there may be something out there that can extend the lives of patients with recurrent prostate cancer.

This something is a new class of anti-cancer targeted drugs that scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles say are quite promising, despite their ineffectiveness in some prostate cancer patients with no previous chemotherapy treatment.

Pertuzumab, a molecular targeted compound that has been used successfully in ovarian cancer patients, has been shown to block the human epidermal growth factor receptor family by binding to and inhibiting the function of HER2 receptors. They essentially block a key pathway that leads to cancer growth. And this blockage can possibly offer a better, longer life for recurrent prostate cancer patients whose diseases no longer respond to traditional chemotherapy.

Pertuzumab, marketed under the brand name Omnitarg by Roche and Genentech, is just one of many targeted cancer therapies that give researchers hope that cancer may one day be a lifetime disease that can be skillfully managed.

When she asked her teenage daughters whether or not she should accept the American Cancer Society's Mother of the Year award, the response was a resounding, "Mom, of course." So Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, accepted the anti-cancer honor this week and told ABC's George Stephanopolous on Sunday why she is a good mom and a healthy role model.

"They see that I go running, I get on my bicycle, I do yoga, pilates, whatever else I do," Ferguson said. "Do you know what they do? Get up off the sofa, turn the television off, walk to work, walk around the block, more vegetables, more fruits at school, less soda pops, less fast food."

Ferguson, 47, says cancer prevention starts with good role modeling -- which is exactly what she has done as mom to princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

"I can safely say one of the best things I've done is be a good mother," Ferguson said.

Ferguson, author of memoir My Story and spokeswoman for Weight Watchers, first became known as the wife of Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. The pair divorced in 1996, but Ferguson's positive public persona has remained untarnished.

A type of brown marine seaweed contains brown algae called poly-phenols (BAPs), that might protect against skin cancers caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. UVB radiation in sunlight is thought to be responsible for most cases of non-melanoma skin cancers diagnosed in the United States.

Research has shown that BAPs are strong antioxidants and have many anti-cancer properties. The animals that were fed the brown algae in their diet had a reduction of skin tumors up to sixty percent.

The study was led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. "These compounds seemed to be dramatically effective at fairly low doses both orally and topically" says principal investigator Gary D Stoner.

When I make a salad or anything that needs oil, I always reach for the olive oil. It is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.

In a study to be published in the January 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists from five European countries describe how the anti-cancer effects of olive oil may account for the significant difference in cancer rates among Northern and Southern Europeans.

The researchers examined urine samples of subjects consuming a little less than a quarter cup of olive oil for three weeks. They were looking for specific compounds known to be waste by-products of oxidative damage to cells, a precursor to cancer. At the beginning of the trial the presence of these waste by-products was much higher in the Northern European subjects than their Southern European counterparts. By the end of three weeks of consuming the olive oil the presence of this compound in Northern European subjects was substantially reduced.

They also found that phenols in olive oil are not the only compounds that reduced oxidative damage. Phenols are a known antioxidant that is present in a wide range of foods, such as dark chocolate, red wine, tea, fruits and vegetables. Even if the level of phenols in the olive oil was reduced the study's subjects still received the same health benefits.

When you are cooking this holiday season, pick up some olive oil. I also use the spray olive oil which is great for getting those muffins out of the tray!

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have received a $1.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study how specific nutrients in broccoli, and other vegetables known to provide an anti-cancer benefit, work to fight cancer.

"Everyone knows broccoli is good for you and that it contains compounds known to lessen the occurrence of some types of cancer. We want to know how these compounds work and what their specific targets may be," says Janet V. Cross, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

By discovering exactly what the nutrients in foods like broccoli are accomplishing in the prevention of cancer, there is a potential for using the same compounds in a supplement form in cancer prevention. You can listen to Dr. Cross discuss her research in audio files available here.

FREEEEEDOM! is the cry made famous with Mel Gibson's portrayal of William Wallace in the movie Braveheart. The movie stayed true to the reenactment of the Scottish warriors painting faces and chests a bright blue before battle to visually intimidate the enemy. The plant used to create the blue dye is called Woad.

While the ancient Scottish warrior Wallace met with a gruesome fate at the hands of the enemy, women in the modern world diagnosed with breast cancer might gain advantage in the war against cancer with the same plant used as an ancient blue dye in battle.

Italian researchers from the University of Bologna have discovered that the Woad plant, belonging to the same Brassicaceae plant family as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli, contains 20 times more glucobrassicin than broccoli. They also discovered that by wounding the Woad plant, they were able to increase the concentration of glucobrassicin seven times the normal level found in Woad. Glucobrassicin is known for its breast cancer-fighting abilities, and researchers are hopeful that isolating this compound will enable them to conduct clinical trials to better understand and clarify its effectiveness against cancer.

According to the Wikipedia entry on Woad, the first archaeological find of woad seeds were found in the French cave of l'Audoste, Bouches du Rhone. It is reported that Julius Caesar spoke of ancient Britons going into battle naked and using blue dye derived from Woad in face and body painting to terrify their opponents during battle. In addition, the blue dye from Woad was used as a tattooing ink and medicinally as an astringent.

Gregory D. Pawelski, one of our regular readers who always adds important information to the conversation here about cancer issues, has shared that the Weisenthal Cancer Group recently announced clinical study results showing a new test, called the EGFRx™ assay, can predict which cancer patients would benefit from a targeted cancer drug before it is administered.

The advantage to knowing ahead of time if a cancer patient will benefit from a drug can save the patient from unnecessary treatment and the potentially long-term damaging side effects of the cancer drug in question, and the medical community the expense of a treatment that will not prove effective.

While the new test has been applied to a few drugs in making the determination before treatment as to who will benefit and who will not, technically there is no reason why the new test, developed by medical oncologist Larry Weisenthal, M.D., Ph.D., can't be expanded in the future to test all targeted drugs. To read more about this new test, go here.

Thanks! to Gregory D. Pawelski for pointing us to this information.

The California Strawberry Commission shares study findings revealing that a substance in strawberries, quercetin, programs cancer cells to self destruct. Quercetin, a phytonutrient and member of a large class of plant compounds called flavonoids known for anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral abilities, is found in strawberries and other fruits. As an example, in addition to strawberries, apple peels have a high level of quercetin.

Researchers tested strawberry fruit extracts on human liver cancer cells. Quercetin was the most active polyphenol of the compounds tested, and showed a dramatic reduction in the life of a cancer cell. Both quercetin and strawberry extract stunted the progression of cancer cell growth. Researchers believe that quercetin may provide protection at several steps in the process of cancer development.