It is not new to hear that soy and broccoli have been linked to lowering cancer rates, if they are a part of your daily diet. California researchers think they understand what the effect of these veggies have on the cancer cell.

The researchers are convinced that there is a biological mechanism behind the protective effect. It is explained in the article that a compound resulting from the digestion of cruciferous vegetables, and genistein, an isofavone in soy, reduce the two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancer to spread.

Cancer cells can be drawn to metastasize by having high levels of a surface recepter on the cell. The organs in which the cancer spreads also secrete high levels of a different receptor that binds to the cancer cell's receptor. This attraction stimulates the invasive properties of cancer cells and acts like a homing device, drawing the cancer cells to organs like the liver or brain.

The study found that when cancer cells were treated with high levels of compounds found in broccoli and soy, the drawing mechanism to the organs was reduced by 80 percent compared to untreated cells.

Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center says "This is an entirely unique mechanism...Preventing the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells is crucial"

More studies are needed but the research suggests that this attraction can play a role in the development of more than 23 different types of cancer.

There are four pages in the March 2007 Reader's Digest featuring amazing discoveries, devices, tests, and cures. And many of the snippets of information are -- yes -- somehow linked to cancer.

Think about this:

• A new ultrasound technique lets radiologists distinguish between malignant and benign breast lesions. Using elasticity imaging, researchers accurately identified harmless and cancerous lesions in almost all of the 80 cases studied. If results can be reproduced in a large trial, this technique could significantly reduce the number of breast biopsies required.

• Scientists seeking new treatment for diseases can use an online tool developed by researchers at MIT and Harvard. The Connectivity Map matches diseases with compatible drugs, based on the genetic profiles of both. So far, about 160 drugs and compounds are cataloged, and a few new uses for existing drugs have already been suggested. Eventually, all FDA-approved drugs will be included.

• For those who sometimes forget to take their pills, a new device -- that can be preloaded with up to 100 doses of medication -- could one day be implanted in the body and programmed to administer drugs via wireless signals. This device, successful in tests using dogs, was designed to deliver medicines that are less effective when taken orally.

Sometimes it seems cancer's grip is tightening. Other times, in the war against this pesky disease, it seems we are on the verge of something really great.

Early trials show a breath test for lung cancer detection may surface in the not-too-distant future. And it could be simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, and effective too.

The tests needs a good amount of work still, but if we keep our fingers crossed and medical researchers stay hot on the trail of this test, it just might be possible to one day spot lung cancer by simply breathing into a device for a few minutes.

The lung cancer breath test measures chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath. There's a certain pattern of VOCs associated with lung cancer, and they show up as colored dots across a quarter-sized panel.

The theory behind this test is great. The test itself is not perfect yet, however.

It's promising, though, says The Cleveland Clinic's Peter Mazzone, MD, MPH and colleagues who describe the test in the Online First edition of the journal Thorax and reveal the test correctly identified in studies three out of four people with lung cancer and detected lung cancer almost as frequently.

For women with estrogen-driven breast cancer suffering the symptoms of menopause, being prescribed traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is out of the question. The risks are simply too great in introducing any estrogen into the body. There are few alternatives and many women decide to suffer with hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and cold flashes, a clammy feeling, sporadic rapid heart beat, irritability, mood swings, sudden tears, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of anxiety, dread, apprehension, difficulty concentrating, disorientation, depression and mental confusion -- without any significant relief. One of the alternatives is personalized natural hormone replacement therapy that is individually mixed specific to each woman's needs.

According to Sydney Menopause Centre at Randwick's Royal Hospital for Women director Dr John Eden, who has diagnosed two women patients with uterine cancer, believes the cancer is linked to natural hormone replacement therapy. Australian doctors are warning women to think twice before taking handmade hormone compounds prepared by chemists, due to the danger that these preparations can lead to elevated hormone levels that could lead to excessive bleeding, increased risk of breast and uterine cancer and blood clots.

"Many women think they are getting a herbal treatment and are shocked to learn they are getting a hormone treatment," stated Dr Eden. Dr Helena Teede, research director at the Jean Hailes Foundation, also added that many women were unaware these preparations were not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The International Journal of Cancer reports that women who ate four to six bananas per week reduced their risk of kidney cancer by about one-half. The reason is that bananas contain high levels of phenolic compounds, which may have protective factors. Here is a healthy alternative to an American classic dessert served in most ice cream parlors.

Vicki's Banana Split with a twist
1 Banana, split lengthwise
1/2 cup vanilla low fat yogurt
1 large handful granola or favorite breakfast cereal
4 strawberries sliced
2 tablespoons of blueberries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Peel and split banana lengthwise down the center. Spoon half of the yogurt on top of the banana. Add granola or other cereal and other fruit and then spoon the remaining yogurt on top. Sprinkle with almonds. Have fun and let your inner child out while you enjoy this dessert.

Chunks of pineapple or slices of peaches are also great added to this recipe. You can add a chocolate taste to the mix by sprinkling with carob chips. Adding 1 tablespoon of carob powder to the yogurt and stirring it up will give you the chocolate taste you desire.

The National Toxicology Program and the International Association for Research on Carcinogens classifies naphthalene and PDCB as potential human carcinogens because research has demonstrated that these two chemical compounds have been shown to cause cancer in rodents -- and yet, more than one million pounds of naphthalene and PDCB are used by consumers annually. Naphthalene is found in mothballs and para-dichlorobenzene, PDCB, is found in some air fresheners.

While researchers could demonstrate that naphthalene and PDCB caused cancer, they could not explain how. University of Colorado researchers can explain how these chemicals work in the body to create a pathway for the development of cancer. Naphthalene and PDCB block enzymes that normally initiate the programmed cell death required to prevent cells from replicating out of control in the formation of tumors.

Teach your children the importance of eating healthy and staying away from preserved meats. Yes it is quick and easy to prepare hotdogs or to order pepperoni pizzas when in a pinch for time or you are just too tired and don't feel like cooking a full meal. Parents should be the mentors to their children and set a healthy lifestyle starting with eating habits.

Most preserved meats contain nitrates which are converted into a carcinogen, cancer causing agent, in the body. This includes foods that are typically pink in color like bologna, salami, pepperoni, hotdogs, corned beef, pastrami, bacon, and cured ham.

Historically, nitrates served two purposes: to help prevent the growth of certain bacteria that can cause an outbreak of botulism, a deadly food-borne illness, and to give cured meat a pink color. These nitrates, once added to the meat, would break down over a period of time, forming nitrites. Eventually, nitrites themselves were added directly to the meat to speed up the curing process.

In cooked meats, the time and temperature of the cooking are the critical factors in preventing bacterial growth. In recent years, better production and food storage methods have decreased the potential for food-borne illness. However, nitrites continue to be used in cooked meats to maintain the traditional pink color and cured flavor. Nitrites can contribute to the formation of potentially dangerous carcinogens in the body, which in turn can result in malignant tumor growth over time.

Children are especially susceptible to nitrite poisoning. These carcinogenic compounds have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain and child leukemia. One study found that children eating more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia. So take the time to help your children eat right and set good eating habits from the beginning. If you just have that uncontrollable craving for a hot dog, be sure to buy a brand of hot dogs that do not contain nitrates. Or when the pizza craving hits, order a veggie pizza and learn to leave off the pepperoni and ham and other processed meats with nitrates. Learning a healthy diet starting out will decrease the chances of childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart disease also.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, CILR, has applied for a patent on legumes compounds to treat cancer. Researchers believe they found properties that might prevent the formation of the blood supply needed by cancerous tumor growth. It is promising enough that there is now a collaboration with French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. In addition, a New Zealand company has expressed interested in the discovery. According to the researchers, "The anti-cancer molecules produced by legumes during the early symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia induce legumes to form tiny new root organs called root nodules. The bacteria live in the nodules and provide the plant with useable nitrogen it can convert into proteins." And who said you can't find a way to make money from the study of plant potential for cancer prevention? 

Legumes are the third largest group of flowering plants in the world with more than 18,000 species; including garden peas, peanuts, clover, lentils, chickpeas and various beans such as soybean and green beans. Do we need drugs based on the extraction of single plant compounds to provide the suggested cancer prevention benefits discovered by researchers? Maybe, I really do not know. However, in the meantime, I wonder if simply adding these whole to a diet would provide cancer prevention benefits. Common sense says yes.