A late-breaking session at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) says that "Patients with colorectal cancer whose cancer has spread to the liver have improved survival without cancer recurrences when they receive chemotherapy prior to and following surgery, compared to those treated with surgery only."

Adjuvant chemotherapy is when chemo is used after surgery. Neoadjuvant treatment is when chemotherapy is given to shrink the tumor to allow for better surgical removal.

The second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States is colorectal cancer. Liver metastasis is common among patients with advanced disease. A clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the use of chemotherapy before and after surgery compared to surgery alone. The trial included 364 patients who were divided into two treatment groups.

At nearly four years' followup, recurrence-free survival was 42.4 percent for patients receiving chemotherapy before and after surgery, compared with only 33.2 percent for those treated with surgery only.

Results of two studies, sponsored by the Adjuvant Breast Cancer (ABC) Trials Collaborative Group, conclude that adding chemotherapy to the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen improves survival for those with early-stage breast cancer. The same studies reveal preventing the secretion of estrogen from the ovaries does not offer much benefit for most women.

Researchers studied 1991 patients, ages 28 to 81. All had received five years worth of treatment with tamoxifen therapy with or without standard chemotherapy. Some premenopausal women were also treated with ovarian removal (ablation) or suppression, a technique used to stop the glands from secreting hormones.

While early results, appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, fell short of statistical significance, chemotherapy still reduced the overall risk of death by 17 percent, mostly for women younger than 50 and especially for premenopausal women not treated with ovarian ablation or suppression.

Increased intake of vitamin C from the diet, but not from supplements may slash the risk of mouth cancer by 48 percent, says an epidemiological study.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, used data on supplement use and diet for 42,340 men in the Health Professional Follow-Up Study. During the course of the study, 207 oral pre-malignant lesions were documented.

Vitamin C from dietary sources was significantly associated with a reduced risk of mouth cancer, but no association with the vitamin from supplements was found.

Vitamin C is needed to form collagen, a tissue that helps to hold cells together. It's essential for healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels. It helps the body absorb iron and calcium, aids in wound healing and contributes to brain function.

You can find high levels of vitamin C in red berries, kiwi, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and juices made from guava, grapefruit and orange.

New research has stated that eating a bowl of watercress, a salad leaf, can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells.

The report was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it involved 30 men and 30 women, half of whom were smokers. They ate a small bag of prepared salad for eight weeks, in addition to their regular diet.

The results of the blood tests on the participants showed a 22.9 percent reduction in DNA damage to white blood cells. Damage to DNA is considered by experts to be an important trigger in the development of cancer.

The benefits of watercress were especially notable among smokers.

The research concluded "The results support the theory that consumption of watercress can be linked to a reduced risk of cancer via decreased damage to DNA and possible modulation of antioxidant status by increasing carotenoid concentrations."

So, I think next time instead of skipping over the watercress for the arugula I will grab both!

Red wine consumption is associated with a reduced risk of various forms of cancer--leukemia, breast and prostate, in animal studies and in real life. A new study found that drinking more than three glasses of red wine a week reduced the incidence of abnormal growths and cancers of the intestinal tract by two-thirds.

Red wine has something that white wine does not have. A compound found under the skin of the grape called resveratrol. Resveratrol content is higher in red wine than white wine because the grape skins are removed early in the fermentation process for white wines. Resveratrol interferes with all three stages of cancer formation--initiation, promotion and progression.

Dr. Joseph C. Anderson, an assistant professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, says "I generally advise against drinking, but if your going to drink, drink red wine". Anderson's study included 1,741 people. The incidence of colorectal neoplasia, cancers and polyps that can become cancerous, was 9.9 percent in those that abstained from alcohol, 8.8 percent in those who drank three glasses or more of white wine a week and 3.4 percent in those that drank three glasses of red wine a week, a 68 percent reduction.

Whatever the cause of the protective effect, Anderson said he advises people against taking up the wine habit for health reasons.

An announcement last Wednesday revealed an overall decline in cancer death rates -- probably due to reduced exposure to tobacco, early detection, and better treatment. But the announcement also revealed a surprising jump in cases of thyroid cancer for women.

Between the years 1981 and 1993, incidence rates among women climbed 2.2 percent each year. Between the years 1993 and 2000, they rose 4.6 percent per year. And between 2000 and 2003, there was a 9.1 percent increase each year. This could be a result of better diagnosis but scientists are wondering if there is an unknown risk factor contributing to this startling finding. And it will take at least two more years to determine whether this is a random fluctuation or a true trend. The rate of thyroid cancer in men has also increased but not as much as for women.

The silver lining in this cancer cloud is that trends -- such as those showing increases in cancer incidences and death rates -- often fuel the fight against cancer because researchers are alerted to look for causes which ultimately results in better detection and better prevention.

Each year, Safeway, a major-chain grocery store, raises money for prostate cancer and breast cancer. They do it in a very effective way. As your groceries are being rung up at the check-out stand, the cashier asks if you would like to add a dollar to your grocery bill total for cancer research. Because it is seldom possible to get out of a grocery store without spending several hundred dollars, adding one more dollar for a worthy cause is easy to agree to do. Safeway devotes one month to prostate cancer and one month to breast cancer.

On June 5, Safeway formally launched its annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Month fundraiser. Now in its sixth year, the company has raised more than $12.7 million for prostate cancer research. Safeway's goal this year is to raise $5 million dollars. In addition to raising funds for prostate cancer research and treatment, Safeway is launching an early detection and awareness campaign. The stores will be offering discounted prostate cancer screening. Involving a simple blood test to check the level of prostate specific antigen, PSA, in the blood stream, Safeway will charge $10 dollars for a test that typically runs about $35 dollars. Facts about prostate cancer will be printed in the weekly sales circulars. A message can be heard on the company's in-store radio network and is printed on quart containers of Lucerne brand milk and on paper grocery bags. A comprehensive campaign if you ask me.