At a time when the discovery of yet another cytotoxin or combination therapy for combating cancer seems less than exciting, an old and almost forgotten theory re-emerges to bring new understanding to an age-old disease and new hopes for a cure for cancer.

The theory of cancer stem cells or "germ" cells was first proposed about 150 years ago. However, the theory, which posits that random DNA mutations can turn any cell in the body into a cancer cell, that any cell is as likely as the next to begin tumor growth, has been the basis of cancer research and therapy for many years. With this theory, the mechanism of metastasis remains a mystery, and cancer therapies are focused on ablation of rapidly dividing cells that make up the tumor with radiation, systemic cytotoxins, or both.

Stem Cell Research Renews Interest

It wasn't until researchers began working on normal human stem cells and developing tools to identify them in vivo that the cancer stem cell theory could be revisited meaningfully. In 1994, John Dick and colleagues at the University of Toronto were able to identify cancer stem cells in leukemic blood; in 2003, Michael Clarke, now at Stanford, identified CANCER STEM CELLS in breast tumors. And now the race is on. Stem cells have been found in brain, gut, skin, bone marrow, pancreas and prostate cancers. In essence, cancer stem cells are being found in every tumor that can be carefully screened for them.

The obvious difference between human stem cells and their differentiated progeny are cell surface markers such as CD44 and CD133, which can be targeted and labeled. But within tumors, there is roughly one stem cell for every 10,000 differentiated cells, making cancer stem cell identification, especially in solid tumors, very challenging.

Adult stem cells are preserved in vascular niches where they are protected and nourished and their growth is highly regulated in the normal state. Unlike other cells, they have the ability to expand in number (symmetric self-renewal in which each cell forms two "daughter" stem cells) or to self-renew (asymmetric self-renewal in which each forms one stem cell and one progenitor cell). Progenitor cells generally cannot self-renew, but go on to produce the more differentiated cells that form the tissues of the body.

Cancer Stem Cell Creation

With confirmation that cancer stem or stem-like progenitor cells are present in tumors, and with what we know about stem cells and their niche environments, the question remains: how are cancer stem cells created?

Some believe that stem-like progenitor cells suffer DNA damage, become oncogenic, and then revert to stem cells, entering the protected niche and eventually drive out normal stem cells. Others believe that stem cells become cancerous through disregulation of the signaling pathways that control their growth. This could occur in the proteins on the stem cell's surface-perhaps an accumulation of DNA mutations over time-or it could occur in other proteins involved in the intracellular signaling that regulates the stem cell growth cycle.

Hedgehog, Wnt, Notch, P63, Notch-i and Oct-4 signaling pathways, among others, have been implicated in cancer stem cell activation. Hedgehog and Wnt pathways are perhaps the most studied to date. Philip Beachy, who studies normal and pathologic functions of the Hedgehog family of proteins at Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has shown that inhibition of Hedgehog signaling with the teratogen cyclopamine "…can block cell proliferative effects associated with pathway activation and can cause complete regression of aggressive human and rodent cancers growing in mice." In addition, he says, "Hedgehog and Wnt are really sister pathways that may be fairly fundamental in many types of cancer."

Although some researchers remain skeptical about cancer stem cell theory, the basic mechanism of metastasis now seems obvious, the observation that tumors ablated by radiation or chemotherapy sometimes re-grow rapidly now makes sense, and the mechanism by which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonists stop tumor growth is also clear because they inhibit the vascularization of cancer stem cell niches and tumors.

Where The Opportunities Are

Here are some of the new therapeutic opportunities being developed based on the theory of cancer stem cells:

o    Monoclonal antibodies to cancer stem cells are combined with cytotoxic payloads to seek and destroy the few cancer stem cells rather than whole tumors and normal cells as well.

o    The immune system is used to combat cancer stem cells specifically via a cancer vaccine.

o    Nontoxic compounds can be identified to modulate the signaling pathways, such as Hedgehog and Wnt, that appear to be out of control in tumor progression.

o    There will likely be a more enlightened role for VEGF antagonists to play in the control of CANCER STEM CELL "niches", as well.

In a February 2006 New York Times article, Robert Weinburg, member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Biology at MIT, was quoted as saying that pharmaceutical companies are "waiting for more academic research before they take a clear view on how to proceed. Our knowledge base is still rather fragmentary, and we need another year or two of research before we can say to pharmaceutical companies you should do this or that." That time may be soon.

Results Starting To Be Seen

In May 2001, Novartis received FDA approval for Imatinib Mesylate (Gleevec(TM)) for treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and later for gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Imatinib Mesylate is the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for cancer treatment.

Genentech has established a venture fund with OncoMed, whose co-founders, Michael Clarke and Max Wicha are leaders in the field of cancer stem cell research. Genentech's collaborative development projects with Curis, a drug development company focused on control of signaling pathways primarily for cancer therapy, include a Hedgehog pathway antagonist project established in 2003 and a 2005 licensing agreement for small molecule modulators of a cell proliferation signaling pathway.

Immunocellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a Los Angeles-based company with vaccine technology licensed exclusively from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, is beginning Phase I trials on a dendritic cell-based vaccine designed to use the immune system to ward off brain tumors.

On March 7, 2007, Stemline Therapeutics announced the in-licensing of an interleukin-3 receptor antagonist, SL-401, from the Scott & White Cancer Research Institute/Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. SL-401 had shown promising results in a multi-center Phase I trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

And, Geron Corporation, focusing on cell cycle regulation in embryonic and cancer stem cells by telomeres, has several telomerase inhibitor programs. Its lead compound, GRN163L, an oligonucleotide with telomerase inhibiting activity, is in Phase I/II clinical trials for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Nerac Inc. is a global research and advisory firm for companies developing innovative products and technologies. Nerac Analysts deliver custom assessments of product and technology development opportunities, competitor intelligence, intellectual property strategies, and compliance requirements through a proven blended approach to custom analysis: review of technical knowledge, investigation of intellectual property, and appraisal of business impacts. Nerac deploys analysts in diverse disciplines to help clients discover new applications, serving as a catalyst for new thinking and creative approaches to business problems or identifying strategic growth opportunities. On the web at http://www.nerac.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Cure-For-Cancer?-How-a-150-Year-Old-Theory-Might-Help-Turn-the-Corner-on-Cancer-Research&id=741870] Cure For Cancer? How a 150-Year-Old Theory Might Help Turn the Corner on Cancer Research

Anyhow, why not give it a try. You'll need to subscribe, I suggest as a student or such, but there is no cost.

PRESS RELEASE TTMED UROLOGY
November 16, 2011
   

TTMed Urology announces upcoming launch of new design and special features

TTMed Urology, the free-access global medical education portal for health professionals in urology, has announced November 28th as the launch date for its new design that will feature improved navigability, structure and content organization. This is the result of months of research and programming based on valued input from TTMed Urology members. The new design will give urologists even easier access to the high-quality, pertinent information published on TTMed Urology.

Some of the new features will include:

More user-friendly content structure and organization
Improved website usability and navigation
A more straightforward registration process, making it easier to become a TTMed Urology member
Enhanced website connection with social media

TTMED UROLOGY new design will continue to encourage participation and interaction, not only as a forum for debate, but also for the exchange of ideas between members of the international medical community.

“With this new design, TTMed members, who are medical specialists from around the globe, will have even easier access to information and the possibility to discuss it with their colleagues online. This should in turn help them in their daily practice. We are grateful to the TTMed Urology users for their valuable input into this process and look forward to launching the new features,” said Prof. Remigio Vela Navarrete, editor-in-chief of TTMed Urology.

TTMed Urology always welcomes any feedback and suggestions.

About TTMed Urology
Online since 1999, TTMed Urology is Thomson Reuter’s branded, unbiased global online educational portal for health professionals in urology. It offers Online Courses, Surgical Videos, Webcasts, Patient Education Animations, Teaching Slides, Interviews, Articles, Full-Text Journal E-Prints, Clinical Scenarios, News and much more. All of its services are free to registered members.

A number of other exclusive versions of TTMed Urology are available:
TTMed Urology USA www.ttmed.com/urology/us
TTMed Urology Japan (Japanese) www.ttmed.com/urology/jp
TTMed Urology LATAM (Spanish & Portuguese) www.ttmed.com/urology/latam

For more information please contact: info@ttmed.com
www.ttmed.com/

 

Almost half prostate surgery patients develop metastasis and this report attempts to explain why that is:

Researchers zero in on the Cancer stem cells pathways that allow cancer to bounce back after treatment.

It is this secondary growth, or metastasis, which is the one that invariably kills.

Invasive surgery, such as a prostatectomy, encourages the migration of cancer cells in the blood, allowing them to

gather elsewhere in the body, another organ perhaps, to form a tumor.

I believe  CANCER STEM CELLS  open up a totally new, and very promising research field for cancers of all types.

Aaron A. Rowe

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/email/html/8943sci2.html

Where at all possible though, I would emphasize, these should be acquired through 'natural' sources, particularly organic foods, fruit and vegetables. However, this is not always possible given the depleted state of soils sorely lacking in natural goodness, plus the over processing and contamination; with additives such as chemical coloring and  preservatives, of food in general.

It is both natural and reasonable therefor for people to seek the answer to their daily needs through supplements. And why not?  As I have mentioned in earlier posts, research on this point shows there has never ever been a death attributed to the proper use of VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS.

Vitamin Supplements Do They Work?

After the loss of a kidney to cancer in 1995, I relied heavily on supplements to fortify me against the high probability of metastasis. It apparently worked. And again, since diagnosis of an aggressive prostate cancer in 2006, I have spent a small fortune on supplements to support my objective of managing the cancer using natural therapies only. And six years later I live to tell the tale.

A word of caution though. It goes without saying that even the best vitamin supplements must be used wisely and only after diligent study of the individual need and the perceived benefits and possible conflicts.

Vitamin Supplements Review

A recent study in the US of 40,000 women aged between 59 to 69 years, found that those using multivitamins and several other VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS were more likely to be among the16,000 women who died during the period of the study, about 19 years.

This "observational" study is full of flaws, inaccuracies and supposition, as well as extreme bias. So much so that it is reasonable to suggest that the outcomes were determined even before the study was commenced.

Well, my response to the report is,  Poppycock and Balderdash!

The study is nothing more than another attempt by major drug companies, using their symbiotic relationship with the cancer industry, to disparage the Vitamin supplements manufacturing  industry, which is making major inroads into the marketing and profits of drug companies world-wide.

For example, almost 50% of American's using supplements. A figure that is increasing annually as it is in many other countries. But you may disagree. And so, for a balanced and objective view, please go to: http://www.cihfimediaservices.org/12all/lt.php?c=158&m=235&nl=3&s=ca50ec822101210cdd761f08ebc6542a&lid=1479&l=-http–orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml and view the first item on the list titled  "What Kind of Medical Study Would Have Grandma Believe that Her Daily Multivitamin is Dangerous?   ALSO…

You must see this response from  David_Brownstein at   http://www.naturalnews.com  showing just how much of a fraudulent  article the original was.    

What cannot be disputed is that the overwhelming evidence is that  PSA blood test screening are in themselves unreliable and to some degree, subjective, as relates to the proficiency and expertise of the pathologist doing the blood analysis. Two identical samples tested by two pathologists will often produce two differing results.

It is not surprising then that PSA BLOOD TEST SCREENING  invariably subject patients to unnecessary inconvenience, anguish, pain and expense enduring follow up tests or procedures, or both, and which can cause impotence and incontinence. Moreover, there is no evidence to say that such treatment actually saves lives. So why do it?

We must recognize here that general practitioners will always take what is for them is a legally safe stance, by referring patients on to oncology or urology specialists. Not only is this a risk averse position it is more often than not, a financially profitable one because of the additional testing and clinical procedures or simply, referral income. Medical Practitioners are, after all, running a business.

Similarly, oncologists and urologists cannot always be specific in their diagnosis of  prostate cancer and again, must take a risk averse stance and recommend whatever tests or procedures are necessary to make their diagnosis, and subsequent prognosis, a clinically sound one. They too will always err on the side of over-diagnosis rather than risk under-diagnosis.

All of the above gives considerable impetuous to my long held contention that prostate cancer patients MUST take charge of their own health and well-being. Before conceding to a PSA blood testscreening a chap should arm himself with information and knowledge from careful study and research, sufficient to permit him to make his own decision without having to rely solely on medical opinion. How can one talk intelligently with one’s doctor without having any idea what he’s talking about. It is the very reason most men take allopathic medicine’s, burning, cutting and poisoning option in the first place. Without information and knowledge on the subject they are unable to forcefully discuss their personal wishes or promote other options.

The latest study, revealed by way of a draft report, comes from a rather august body, the US Preventive Services Task Force, following five carefully monitored clinical trials.

“Unfortunately, the evidence now shows that this test does not save men’s lives,” said Dr. Virginia Moyer, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and chairwoman of the task force. “This test cannot tell the difference between cancers that will and will not affect a man during his natural lifetime. We need to find one that does.”

The actual report and recommendations will be published in about one weeks time. I will try to being you an update then.

Why not check out my other posts on this subject.

12 October: See the latest on this study: http://www.nationaljournal.com/healthcare/psa-test-report-shows-difficulty-of-weighing-evidence-20111010

With the advent of the internet people are far more aware and educated about their health issues and are no longer totally beguiled by, and at the mercy of, their allopathic medical professionals. Hence the rapid movement away from conventional medicine and toward NUTRITIONAL MEDICINE. This new public awareness and change of attitude and dependency is a definite challenge to the profitability of the drug and pharmaceutical companies and they are determined to fight a rear guard action  with lies and  disinformation. This article provides well researched references showing the true facts of the matter…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 3, 2011

Free, Peer-Reviewed Nutritional Medicine Information Online

No Evidence, Eh?

(OMNS, Oct 3, 2011) Many of our readers have written to say that when they try to talk to their physician about using nutritional medicine, the subject is promptly dismissed. Furthermore, such dismissal is often accompanied with doctor statements such as, “I have not seen any good research showing that vitamins work therapeutically.”

That your doctor has not seen the research is probably true. However, the research has been there all along. The problem is that many health practitioners are often too busy, and sometimes too complacent, to look for it.

It is time to change that. Here are some highly-reliable orthomolecular resources online, for free access.

• 34 years of peer-reviewed research articles on therapeutic nutrition, including intravenous vitamin C and cancer: http://www.riordanclinic.org/research/journal-articles/ or http://www.riordanclinic.org/research/
• Instructional videos for doctors on why and how to use intravenous vitamin C: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v07n03.shtml . These are also on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CA531C7A3B0D954&feature=viewall and http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL953B95B3BB977F54&feature=viewall
• 41 years of nutrition therapy papers (nearly 500 of them) from the peer-reviewed Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/ The archive is easily searchable.
• Peer-reviewed vitamin C research papers from 1935 to 1999: http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/ Clicking the link in the “subject” index will bring up a title listing by decade (yes, there are that many articles). Then, clicking the title link in the decade listing will bring up the full text paper.
• The complete 7-year Orthomolecular Medicine News Service archive of over 100 peer-reviewed articles: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml

You see the phrase “peer-reviewed” above so often because it shows that orthomolecular medicine is well-established as safe and effective. If your doctor still believes that somehow it is not, s/he is behind the times.

And speaking of doctors, another request readers frequently write in with is, “Can you help me find an orthomolecular nutrition doctor near where I live?” OMNS has previously addressed this question, and here is the link to a number of helpful directories: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Editorial Review Board:

Ian Brighthope, M.D. (Australia)
Ralph K. Campbell, M.D. (USA)
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Ellis, M.D. (Australia)
Martin P. Gallagher, M.D., D.C. (USA)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
William B. Grant, Ph.D. (USA)
Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)
James A. Jackson, Ph.D. (USA)
Michael Janson, M.D. (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)
W. Todd Penberthy, Ph.D. (USA)
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Robert G. Smith, PhD (USA)
Jagan Nathan Vamanan, M.D. (India)

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor and contact person. Email: omns@orthomolecular.org

To Subscribe at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

Today, and with a lot of fanfare, we hear of another PROSTATE CANCER CURE.

CZ BioMed Corp,in the United States, say they have produced a new  prostate cancer cure, Prorvysylin, in the form of a oncolytic virotherapy. which is a genetically engineered virus.

Oops! That sounds awfully similar to the dreaded Flu vaccines being produced these days – concoctions full of deadly poisons – many of  which do more harm than good. Not that you will hear too much about the negative side effects of vaccines from your medical doctor.

It remains to be seen if this new ‘CURE’ does any good at all or simply joins the other conventional prostate cancer treatments as being next to useless.

Anyhow, click  here to check it out for yourself…