Canadian researchers have made an unexpected discovery in a molecule that appears to drastically boost the ability of standard drugs to kill breast cancer cells. Currently, the discovery has been confined to the lab -- but researchers hope the power of this molecule, the ANK peptide, can one day be used to counter drug resistance for many women with breast cancer.

Scientists from Queen's University say the ANK peptide, not a drug by itself, gives drugs like taxol and nocodazole more than triple the ability to kill breast cancer cells. One scientist says the process of enhancing drug effectiveness is much like adding flavor to coffee to make it taste better.

This is exciting news, but the results -- published Monday in the journal Cancer Research -- only apply to lab experiments at this point. Researchers must now proceed with testing the peptide-drug combination in lab mice. If successful, they will move on to human testing. The whole process could take years. But early results are so promising that application for a U.S. patent on the peptide has already been made.

According the medical experts, breast cancer patients can become resistant to some drugs depending on duration of treatment, dose of medication, and genetic makeup.

"This peptide would be able to give them another chance," said a researcher from this study. "For those who respond reasonably well, they will do even better; for those who don't respond to this drug treatment ... we greatly hope this will make the current drug more useful by extending its impact to a wider range of people, particularly those with a resistance problem."

A therapy that may block further metastasis from breast cancer is being studied in the lab. The monoclonal antibody, known as JAA-F11, was shown to create a survival advantage in mice with breast cancer and substantially reduce the development of lung metastasis.

The monoclonal antibody inhibited the adhesion to the breast tumor cells to endothelial cells, which would block a key step in metastasis. The study showed that 53 percent of treated mice had no visible lung metastasis.

Dr. Rittenhouse-Olson, of the University at Buffalo, New York, concluded "If JAA-F11 were linked to a radioactive compound, it may be successful in conjunction with current chemotherapy in decreasing or eliminating the tumor".

Understanding more about antibodies, antigens and monoclonal antibodies:

Disease causing bacteria and viruses, known as antigens, are recognized by the body's own immune system as invaders. Our natural defenses against these infectious agents are antibodies, proteins that seek out the antigens and help destroy them.

Each antibody binds to and attacks one specific antigen. Antibodies also can continue resistance, for example, we can acquire chickenpox when we are children and most times never experience the disease again.

This characteristic of antibodies achieving resistance makes it possible to develop vaccines. A vaccine when entered into the body, stimulates the production of antibodies against the specific antigen.

Monoclonal antibody technology allow us to produce large amounts of pure antibodies obtaining cells that produce antibodies naturally, in effect having a factory to produce antibodies that worked around the clock. The antibodies are called monoclonal because they come from only one type of cell.

Tamoxifen has been used successfully for over 20 years. The researchers know that over time Tamoxifen can lose its effectiveness. Many women diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer that have tumors that are estrogen-receptor positive can be put on Tamoxifen to control the disease. After some time the patient becomes resistant to Tamoxifen and has to be switched to another drug.

A molecule, called disulfide benzamide or DIBA, could provide a way to overcome that resistance and restore the effectiveness of Tamoxifen. Findings are published in the December issue of Cancer Cell that show how mice engineered to develop Tamoxifen resistant tumors and human breast cancer cells in the lab were given the molecule. In both cases the tumor growth slowed.

William Farrar, head of the Cancer Stem Cell Section of the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research and the studies lead author, says "DIBA is what is known as a lead compound, which means it merely opens the door to suitable drugs." He also says that "DIBA itself is probably not appropriate for humans, because of solubility problems". The team plans to try and develop another compound fashioned after the properties of DIBA and hopeful have this be able to be administered orally.

One important aspect of the research was that it focused only on an acquired resistance to Tamoxifen over time. It did not study why some estrogen positive tumors initially are resistant to the drug.

Drinking eight ounces of mandarin orange juice a day might have the ability to decrease the risk of developing liver cancer, according to researchers in Japan.

Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine researchers conducted a small one-year study involving participants with chronic viral hepatitis and found that none of those who drank mandarin orange juice developed liver cancer. In the group that did not drink mandarin orange juice, a small number of participants did go on to develop liver cancer. In the same study, researchers indicated that drinking mandarin orange juice might also have a positive health protective effect for atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

Interestingly, Japanese researchers followed this inquiry after noticing that residents of a Japanese town noted for its high consumption of mandarin oranges suffered lower rates of liver disease, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

These findings, along with several others showing the health benefits of functional foods, will be presented during a four-day conference Functional Foods and Health, at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), the world's most comprehensive cancer study being conducted in establishing the link between diet and cancer risk has been going on for over a decade and few people hear about it. Over 80 scientific papers based on the study have been published in journals such as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the Lancet, the Journal of Nutrition.

The study -- called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) -- is an enormous undertaking involving 521,483 individuals in 10 different European countries. EPIC is unique because the populations being tracked are so diverse in eating habits. But this is precisely what gives the study the advantage it has in making comparisons and noting trends.

According to EPIC, a few of the emerging results found in the link between diet and cancer are:

• Consumption of meat sharply increased risk of stomach cancer and esophageal cancer. For every 100 grams of meat consumed by subjects, risk for stomach cancer more than tripled. The association between meat intake and stomach cancer was considerably stronger among subjects with populations of H. pylori bacteria in their stomachs.
• Two indicators of abdominal obesity, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, were strongly associated with colon cancer risk in both sexes. Men with the largest waist circumference had 39 percent higher risk of colon cancer than men with the smallest, for example, while women in the study with the largest waist circumference has a 48 percent higher risk than women with the smallest waists.
• Blood samples of women with breast cancer were compared to blood samples of women without breast cancer. Women over 60 whose blood was given under non-fasting conditions, high levels of serum C-peptide, that could reflect insulin resistance -- long suspected of contributing to cancer risk -- was associated with a doubling of breast cancer risk.
• The risk for oral and pharyngeal cancers drop by 9 percent for every 80 grams of fruits and vegetables consumed per day.
  

Researchers are beginning to come to some conclusions involving the data they have to date that clearly shows that globally, diets that are high in fruits, vegetables, fiber and fish are associated with greater cancer prevention -- with obesity and sedentary lifestyles much larger factors in increasing cancer risk.

I have tried to exercise most of my adult life -- at times because I felt obligated to participate in what I knew was good for me and at times to justify eating my favorite foods while maintaining an appropriate weight and at times because I wanted to actually have a toned, healthy body.

At this exact time in my life, I exercise with all of these motivations in mind -- plus a few more. I like to sweat and know I am accomplishing a physical feat. I like the mental release I get when I push my body to perform. I like the time to myself, the loud music I hear on my MP3 player, and the results I see from a little bit of hard work. And lately -- as a result of a new weight training program -- I know I am benefiting my body more than ever before.

The following are just seven of the many gifts that come from weight training. Gifts that will make me a happier, healthier cancer survivor.

Noticeable physical results -- Mostly, walking and occasional jogging have been my methods of exercise. And I've seen results from this type of workout -- leaner legs, more defined calf muscles, and the knowledge that I am increasing my cardiovascular health, as confirmed by the technician who performed an ultrasound on my heart in preparation for my Herceptin treatment for breast cancer. He told me he could tell I exercised regularly because of my low resting heart rate. But until I started weight training a few months ago, I never witnessed quick results. Yet after a few weeks of resistance exercise -- lifting 20-pound weights for my arms, shoulders, back, and chest -- I could see definition and tone that clearly would not have resulted from my purely cardio workouts.

Improved strength and endurance -- Lunges and squats and jumping with resistance bands have strengthened my legs. Lifting weights has strengthened my arms -- and I can now lift heavier weights than when I first started my new routine. I can do more push-ups now too -- not girl push-ups on my knees but real push-ups -- than I ever could have imagined doing when I could barely lower my own body weight and would crash to the floor on my stomach. My strength has improved. My endurance has improved. I feel more powerful.

Increased energy -- Fatigue (or maybe it's laziness) sometimes prevents me from happily jumping up to begin exercising. But when I push myself and exert myself and get lost in my exercise routine, my energy returns -- and not just during my workout but for some time afterwards too. Some say energy increases from strength training because it contributes to loss of fat which means we have less to lug around each day.

Burning of more calories -- Weight training raises basal metabolism which causes more calorie burning over a 24-hour period of time. Calories even burn during sleep as a result of weight training.  For every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body burns 50 extra calories every day -- 50 more calories than the few hundred that might burn from aerobic exercise. Research shows that regular resistance training can increase your Basal Metabolic Rate by 15%. So for someone who burns 2000 calories per day, that's upwards of 300 extra calories burned every single day. 

Decreased onset of illness -- Weight training can reduce the risk of adult onset diabetes and the risk for developing colon cancer and can improve the functioning of the immune system and the efficiency of the heart. It decreases the risk of low-back injuries, decreases resting blood pressure, increases good cholesterol (HDL), and improves posture. The list goes on -- and so does healthy living if weight training becomes a way of life. As a young person already having experienced a life-threatening illness, this comforts me.

Prevention of osteoporosis -- My recent bone density test revealed that I am not at this moment at risk for developing osteoporosis. I don't want this to change. Strength training can help me maintain this status because it can significantly increase bone mineral density -- which is important because we naturally lose bone density as we age. Strength training helps protect against osteoporosis. And age should not be a deterrent. Individuals who begin training late in life -- at age 65, for example -- can restore bone loss.

Improved outlook on life -- As a result of toning and shaping my body, burning calories, enjoying greater strength and energy, and working toward a disease-free future, weight training gives me an improved outlook on life. And weight training has recently been reported to significantly improve the quality of life of women recently treated for breast cancer. A May 2006 study indicates six months of twice weekly exercise was enough to improve the overall physical and emotional condition of patients.

Twice weekly is my weight training goal. I will continue to walk and run -- and bike on occasion too -- but strength training will be my priority. Because health is a priority.