Mantle cell lymphoma is a type of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It is a cancer that forms in the cells of the lymph system. Mantle cell lymphoma is considered to be a low-grade and slow growing lymphoma.

The standard of care treatment is usually the chemotherapy combination called MCP, mitoxantrone, chlorambucil, and prednisolone.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology says that the addition of Rituxan (rituximab) to the chemo combination of MCP as initial therapy can improve long term survival rates.

Since Rituxan has proved to have anti-cancer responses in other forms of NHL, researchers continue to evaluate how it can work in the treatment of various types of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

A new study of mice implanted with human breast cancer cells shows the spread of the disease to the lungs -- a common metastasis site -- is caused by the abnormal activation of four specific genes working together.

The study, published in the journal Nature, indicates that shutting off the genes one by one can slow the growth and spread of this cancer. But turning off all four at one time almost completely stops the process. In mice anyway.

These genes are no strangers to researchers who have known for some time about their existence and functions. They just know more about them now.

The four genes work together at every step of the metastatic process to allow a breast tumor to develop blood vessels, let tumor cells enter the vessel walls and lungs, and permit them to pass out of the lung vessels and resume growth. New analysis shows that blocking these genes significantly reduces the tangle of blood vessels, making it harder for cancer cells to escape.

Researchers, who say the four genes are among 18 they associate with breast cancer metastasis, report that one implication of this study is clear: combined use of drug therapy may be more effective at inhibiting the activity of multiple gene targets.

Researchers have found that when cells become cancerous, they become 100 times more likely to genetically mutate than non-cancerous cells. This explains why tumor cells have so many mutations. Good news on the research front. But bad news on the treatment front -- because therapies that target a certain gene may be largely ineffective in controlling cancer.

"This is very bad news, because it means that cancer cells in a tumor will have mutations that protect them from therapeutics," says lead researcher Dr. Lawrence Loeb, professor of pathology and biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, who presented his findings February 18 at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco.

Loeb says chemotherapy drugs target specific oncogenes -- genes that affect the malignancy of a cell -- but if cancer cells are mutator cells, then a single tumor may have cells with all sorts of oncogenes. And while chemotherapy may kill some cancerous cells, millions of others will live on.

It's not all bad news, though, says Loeb who believes this research may help doctors determine the stage and malignancy of tumors by testing the number of mutations. It may also help researchers understand what makes a cancer cell a mutator and how to slow the rate of mutation.

"The idea is that if you might normally get exposed to something in the environment at 20 years old that would give you cancer by age 55, then if we cut the mutation rate in half, you might not get cancer until age 90, and you may even die of something else before that," Loeb explained.

Last week The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Taxotere (docetaxel) for the use in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil prior to radiation therapy for the treatment of patients with inoperable, locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

A trial was conducted that included 358 patients with previously untreated, inoperable, locally advanced head and neck cancer. The patients were divided into two groups. One group received Taxotere in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil and the other group received only cisplatin and fluorouracil. Chemotherapy was administered before radiation treatments. The patients that received the Taxotere experienced a longer survival time and a longer time to disease progression.

Steven Galson, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said "Today's approval will provide prescribers with a new treatment option that has been shown to help slow the spread of the disease and prolong patient's survival."

When cancer originates in the liver it is called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In advanced HCC the cancer has spread to distant places in the body.

Biological pathways that are believed to be associated with cancer growth and spread can be targeted by Nexavar. A clinical trial was conducted consisting of 137 patients who have received no prior therapy and were unable to undergo the surgical removal of their cancer.

According to the article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nexavar may provide anticancer activity in some patients with liver cancer and is well tolerated.

Also, a measure of 18 genes that were identified can help predict who will benefit from the drug Nexavar. Future clinical trials are being planned to evaluate the use of Nexavar in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Some campaigns just make me sad. UK's Age Concern, a charity that works to promote the health and welfare of older citizens, has launched a campaign called Hungry To Be Heard because it seems nine of of ten nurses do not have time to make sure elderly patients are getting enough to eat during their stay in the hospital. As a result, over half of the elderly patients are at risk for malnutrition. As hospital patients, if the elderly are malnourished, they simply are not going to recover or heal as quickly; they are at greater risk for post-surgical complications and they suffer a higher rate of death.

Cancer has helped me slow down -- a little. I am more patient in the moment without racing to the next task I think is waiting for me. I can better manage my priorities and can offer the most important things the majority of my time. I am better at passing on opportunities that are low on my wish list. And I can typically say "no" if I don't have the time or energy to devote to a request. I know that I have to be healthy and happy and fulfilled in order to operate effectively and joyfully in this world. So I try to enjoy peaceful moments and put priorities first and not overextend myself and slow down. I'm not completely there -- yet. But I plan to keep practicing. And I'm going to try these seven strategies -- offered by a freelance writer, wife, mother of two, and reformed over-committer -- in an article I stumbled across in a local family magazine I picked up this week.

A study was conducted that shows some promise in slowing tumor growth of prostate cancer cells by adding extract from a mushroom called Phellinus linteus to the drug doxorubicin. This drug is better known as Adriamycin. The findings were reported in the British Journal of Cancer and it suggests that a lower dose of chemotherapy combined with this type of mushroom extract can be as effective as treating prostate cancer with the full dose of doxorubicin.

Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer in men. We know that important drugs have been found in nature and this could potentially be one that can help to treat cancer without all the nasty side effects. It was added that further studies need to be done to understand how this type of mushroom can inhibit cancer growth.

The typical Western diet is lacking in a healthy balance of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids, and for men with prostate cancer, this can have adverse consequences in controlling tumor growth and PSA levels. In this part of the world, our diet offers too little in the way of omega-3 and too much in the way of omega-6. Researchers found that by balancing the ratio in increasing omega-3 and decreasing omega-6 in the diet, there were able to slow tumor cell growth rates by 22 percent and lower PSA levels a whopping 77 percent.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in leafy green vegetables, nuts, vegetable oils such as canola and soy, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, olive oil, cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and fresh tuna. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in corn, safflower oils, food products made with corn oil (think processed foods and fast foods) and red meats.

According to UCLA researchers, when the fatty acids are not in the right ratio to each other, omega-6 creates an inflammatory response in the body that can promote the growth of tumors, while omega-3 has the opposite effect in acting as an anti-inflammatory.

"This is one of the first studies showing changes in diet can impact the inflammatory response that may play a role in prostate cancer tumor growth," said principal investigator Dr. William Aronson. "We may be able to use EPA and DHA supplements while also reducing omega-6 fatty acids in the diet as a cancer prevention tool or possibly to reduce progression in men with prostate cancer."

These studies were done on animal models, and not humans, but the researchers did use a special mouse model for hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that matched closely prostate cancer in men.

Welcome back from the weekend! Here is a review of what we were talking about during the second week in July in our other health blogs.

From The Cardio Blog:

• Bucindolol: experimental heart failure drug.
• Mammograms can find heart health problems.
• Eggs: bad or not bad for heart health -- which is it?
• The clock of life and time of day determines heart health.
• Extreme obesity raises mortality rate in women.
• Austrailian stem cell research innovates new heart treatment.
• Public physical activity program helps weight loss, lower blood pressure.
• Tuna imported from Latin America has highest mercury level.
• Eating less helps slow aging process.
• Teens helped to learn healthy diet habits with household food rules.
• Volunteer work helps seniors stay active and healthy.
• Working overtime worse for womens health.
• Aging and single living combined linked to higher heart disease risk.
• Tubby kids motivated to exercise by reward of TV time.
• Humidity and high temps linked to rise in summer heart attacks.
• Comedian Red Button dies of vascular disease.
• Migraine aura linked to increased heart attack stroke risk.
  

From The Diabetes Blog:

• Martial arts black belt uses youth group to fight diabetes.
• FDA approves GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug.
• Pink Floyd Syd Barrett dies from diabetes complications.
• Update on fatal NC car crash involving diabetic driver.
• Major study links Type 2 diabetes and glaucoma risk.
• Life insurance industry plays catch-up.
• A1c Champions program trains diabetes mentors.
• Danish study confirms suspected diabetes, multiple sclerosis link.
• Debate continues on virtues, shortcomings of inhalable insulin, Exubera.
• Blogger's advice to T2 diabetics: follow in footsteps of movie producer Weinstein.
• Diabetes, obesity blamed for sky-high US kidney failure rates.
• Canadians await approval of inhalable insulin.
• Lifestyle ed could greatly reduce diabetes onset in older Americans, say researchers.

To your good health! To a great week!

Australian singer Kylie Minogue said in a recent interview that she and her family fell to pieces upon hearing her diagnosis of breast cancer this past May. Since that time, she has had surgery and chemotherapy and she currently receives treatment to prevent a recurrence of the disease. And she is now picking up the pieces of her life and is rebounding from the once disbelief that her life would take a detour. Last week, she attended her first public appearance since her illness -- at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara ball -- and she is renaming her Showgirl tour, which was canceled after her cancer battle began. Now the Showgirl Homecoming Tour, Minogue is set to return to performing. Her concert promoter says she will take it slow -- to accommodate her off and on again fatigue -- but she will return with the vigor she is known for. Minogue says she feels like she has a new chance at life now. And she will talk all about it on July 16 when her interview is aired on Britain's Sky News.