You have all got to check out this site. getthebean.com I’d bet that there isn’t a single person reading this post that doesn’t love caffene in some form or another. What better way to get your fix can you find than one that will let you help people at the same time? Meaghan and the crew over at GTB share your coffee passion (or wonderful tea if you prefer), but throw on an interesting twist. They donate a portion of their proceeds to various cancer charities. Here’s how the process works:
- Drop them a line letting them know about your cancer connection. Was it your battle, or has someone you loved suffered?
- They will then post your story on Meaghans blog @ gtbfightscancer.blogspot.com
- Then, they choose one of the stories to feature each month
- If your stroy is the lucky one, then you pick your favorite Get the Bean coffee flavor and the cancer charity you’d like them to donate to.
- For the next year they will donate a portion of the sales from that flavor the the charity you’ve chosen
It’s really that simple and easy. If you wish to enter your story, you can email them at fightcancer@getthebean.com.
It looks like this months featured flavor is Mexico Coetepec, and is currently selling for $10.95/lb. Super cheap for this wonderful brew described as having
medium acidity, a sweet smooth body and flavor with a hint of fresh roasted hazelnuts
The sales are going to support the Melanoma Research Foundation, and you can read their story at the Get the Bean Fights Cancer blog.
Since I last hopped over, it looks like they’ve also added a huge tea selection, biscotti (for your sweet tooth), Monin syrups, a gifts section, smoothies and more. There is really great energy around this project, and I wish them the best. We can all do our part by clicking over and picking up a couple bags of coffee beans. While they aren’t carrying coffee makers yet, I’d bet it won’t be long before Meaghan gets her hands on some nice grinders and French presses to keep all of us perking.
Posted in Cancer News| Posted by admin | No Comments »
Exciting news in the breast cancer treatment field. I just got word of this from one of my readers (thanks Gina!) and wanted to share it with all of you. It seems that the MultiCare Tegional Cancer Center has been testing the new SAVI applicator, and just like the Cooper Clinic is having fantastic results. This allows women to have their radiation dose tailored to their body providing more targeted treatment, and fewer side effects. This means that instead of six to seven weeks of typical treatments, that many women can achieve the same breast cancer treatment results in only 5 days. FANTASTIC!
This sophisticated new radiation treatment with the SAVI™ applicator expands treatment options for most women with early-stage breast cancer. Now the majority of women who qualify for partial breast radiation can be treated with the SAVI applicator. Partial breast radiation is a short, five-day course of radiation therapy given after a lumpectomy. SAVI delivers a form of partial breast radiation known as breast brachytherapy, which targets the tumor site from inside the breast.
SAVI is the only single-entry device that contours the radiation dose specifically to the patient’s individual anatomy. Its design overcomes the limitations of older brachytherapy techniques, such as balloon brachytherapy. “I use SAVI for the majority of my patients who are candidates for partial breast radiation,” said breast surgeon Lynne Clark, M.D., the first surgeon in Washington to utilize the device. “We can offer this choice to women who would not otherwise qualify for brachytherapy and better individualize treatment for each patient.”
Breast brachytherapy typically involves two treatments per day for only five days. This approach is much more convenient than traditional, external-beam radiation treatment, which takes six to seven weeks. Breast brachytherapy with SAVI also minimizes radiation exposure of healthy tissue. That reduces the risk of exposing critical structures such as the skin, heart, and lungs to radiation.
“This new device does most everything balloon brachytherapy can do and more. It enables us to provide better treatment to many of our breast-cancer patients,” said Carolyn Rutter, M.D., a radiation oncologist at MultiCare. “SAVI allows us to tailor radiation to the patient’s anatomy. That can potentially reduce side effects that may be associated with radiation therapy.” Breast brachytherapy is used as part of breast-conservation therapy, which includes lumpectomy – the surgical removal of the cancerous tissue within the breast plus tissue immediately around the tumor – followed by radiation. This approach is an alternative to mastectomy, which removes the breast and is often followed by breast reconstruction.
About MultiCare Regional Cancer Center
MultiCare offers comprehensive breast health services – from education, prevention and screening programs to advanced diagnostics, treatment and support. The system’s breast-imaging capabilities include digital mammography, enabling earlier detection that is the key in fighting the disease. Breast cancer treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy. MultiCare also offers complementary therapies such as nutritional therapy, physical therapy and emotional counseling.
MultiCare Regional Cancer Center is also the exclusive south Sound network affiliate of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
For more information, go to www.multicare.org and click on “cancer.”
Posted in Cancer News| Posted by admin | 1 Comment »
A team led by Stanford researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival.
The system can find cancer-associated proteins in a blood sample in less than an hour, and is much more sensitive than existing commercial devices. In fact, the device, which uses magnetic nanotechnology to spot the cancer proteins, is tens to hundreds of times more sensitive, meaning the proteins can be found while there are relatively few of them in the bloodstream.
“This is essentially a proof-of-concept study showing that now we have a chip and a reader that can find multiple biomarkers in a sample at a concentration much lower than the standard that is commercially available,” said Shan Wang, a Stanford professor of materials science and of electrical engineering.
Wang is optimistic that the technology will someday save lives by detecting cancer early or by helping doctors select more effective therapy. “The earlier you can detect a cancer, the better chance you have to kill it,” he said. “This could be especially helpful for lung cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer, because those cancers are hidden in the body.”
Wang is a senior author of the paper, along with Stanford biochemistry and genetics Professor Ronald W. Davis of the Stanford Genome Technology Center and University of California-Santa Cruz biomolecular engineering Professor Nader Pourmand.
The device is able to detect many different kinds of proteins at the same time, which is important for two reasons, Wang said. First, researchers are still uncertain which cancer biomarkers are the best diagnostic indicators. Second, detecting multiple biomarkers simultaneously will allow a doctor to diagnose more specifically the kind of cancer a patient may have.
Wang says the handheld device could be the smallest protein array reader in the world.
The specialty of Wang’s research group at Stanford is magnetic nanotechnology. Magnetism is rare in biological systems, so any magnetic signal in a blood serum sample stands out like a flare in the night sky. By tagging cancer proteins with tiny magnetic particles, rather than electrically charged or glowing particles as in other detectors, the new system can obtain a clearer signal from a smaller number of cancer proteins.
At the heart of the detector is a silicon chip, designed by the paper’s lead author, Sebastian Osterfeld, a Stanford doctoral student in materials science and engineering. The chips have 64 embedded sensors that monitor for changes in nearby magnetic fields. Attached to these sensors are “capture antibodies,” painstakingly selected by Heng Yu, formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, and Richard Gaster, a student in a combined program of doctoral and medical degrees.
The sensor’s “capture antibodies” grab specific cancer-related proteins as they float by and hold onto them. Then a second batch of antibodies is added to the mix. They latch onto magnetic nanoparticles as well as the cancer biomarkers that are being held captive by the sensors. Thus when the MagArray sensors detect the magnetic field of nanoparticles, they’ve found cancer markers as well.
In the paper, the researchers estimate that they could detect levels of the human chorionic gonadotropin protein at a level about 400 times lower than the level required for detection by current commercial kits known by the acronym ELISA, in which captured cancer proteins are tethered to color-altering or fluorescent labels.
At Stanford Medical Center, the detector is viewed as a potentially significant clinical advance, according to a diagnostics expert there.
“This work represents a giant leap forward in enabling technology for in vitro protein diagnostics with significant potential for many applications including cancer detection and management,” said Dr. Sam Gambhir, the principal investigator of the Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Stanford.
Headed for hospitals?
To properly prepare a patient’s blood sample for use with the detector, a technician must use a centrifuge to separate out the serum, which contains the biomarkers. For this reason, the device must be located in a hospital or a private diagnostic lab, Wang said. But before then it must face clinical testing and trials to win regulatory approval. To see the detector through those steps, Wang has co-founded a startup company, MagArray Inc., in the Panorama Institute for Molecular Medicine, a not-for-profit incubator in Sunnyvale, Calif.
The nascent startup is also investigating the possible use of the detectors in emergency rooms to quickly check for heart attacks when patients arrive with chest pains. Like cancer, heart cell death is associated with the release of specific biomarker proteins.
The research was funded partly by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. Other authors on the paper include Stefano Caramuta, Liang Xu, Shu-Jen Han, Drew Hall, Robert Wilson and Robert White, all of Stanford, and Shouheng Sun of Brown University.
Posted in Cancer News| Posted by admin | No Comments »
Top news on the breast cancer risk assessment front. Word comes in from the Cooper Clinic in Phoenix, AZ about a new breast cancer risk assessment test that is capable of detecting atypia or abnormal cells in NAF (nipple aspirate fluid) much earlier and in a much less invasive way than other methods. The new HALO breast pap test promises to be a very valuable new tool in breast cancer risk assessment. This tool combined with a sensible breast cancer prevention diet could reach more women at high risk that can benefit from lifestyle changes.
Cooper Clinic, which is in its 38th year as a pioneer in preventive medicine, is now offering a revolutionary new test for breast cancer risk called HALO.
The screening is a non-invasive test that looks for abnormal cells in the breast ductal fluid of asymptomatic women. The HALO Breast Pap Test identifies women who are at high risk for developing breast cancer — and therefore can benefit from lifestyle changes, increased monitoring, or medical interventions. These steps are aimed at preventing the disease and helping to detect it at its earliest, most treatable stage. HALO is the latest breast health test offered at Cooper Clinic’s Craig Ranch location in McKinney, Texas.
“At Cooper Clinic, our approach to breast health is consistent with our overall philosophy of disease prevention, which is that it’s easier to maintain good health than to regain it once it’s lost,” said Cooper Clinic Founder and Chairman Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who started the movement for aerobic fitness. “This new test furthers our mission.”
HALO helps to solve a major dilemma in breast healthcare. Traditional methods for assessing breast cancer risk such as review of family history are not particularly effective. Eighty-nine percent of breast cancer patients do not have a family history of the disease. Moreover, of the nearly 180,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, 70 percent will have no identifiable risk factor other than age.
“We now have the knowledge and methods to prevent breast cancer and provide alternative breast cancer treatment in large numbers of cases,” said Gail Lebovic, M.D., director of Women’s Services at Cooper Clinic. “But first we need to identify patients who are at elevated risk and get them on an appropriate preventive track. HALO is making a real contribution in this regard.”
Dr. Lebovic, a nationally prominent oncoplastic breast surgeon, is responsible for bringing HALO to Cooper Clinic.
The HALO Breast Pap Test is a new method for collecting nipple aspirate fluid (NAF). NAF is secreted from the milk ducts where 95 percent of invasive breast cancers begin.
The presence of abnormal cells, or atypia, in NAF is proven to increase a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer by four- to five-fold.
Finding atypia years before it might become breast cancer enables a woman and her doctor to develop the appropriate “care path” for optimal management of her breast health. As an example of the value of NAF evaluation, a cancerous lump has typically been growing about eight years by the time it is seen on a mammogram.
NAF is collected by the HALO system using warmth, massage and suction, much like a breast pump. The process, which takes only five minutes, is inexpensive, noninvasive and easily accomplished in an annual check-up.
NAF testing is also useful for younger women. Mammography is often not as effective for premenopausal women under 40 or 50.
Prominent organizations such as National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have recognized the use of atypia as a measure of breast cancer risk.
NAF evaluation is not a substitute for screening mammograms or cancer detection tools such as ultrasound or MRI. Regardless of their risk assessment status, women should also undergo routine breast exams and mammograms as recommended by their doctors.
HALO is made by NeoMatrix, an Irvine, Calif., company that develops innovative devices that allow women and their doctors to promote optimal breast health.
Cooper Clinic offers specialized breast health services at its McKinney, Texas location including screening, diagnostic and treatment services including digital mammography, MRI scanning, breast and pelvis ultrasound, DEXA bone density testing and minimally invasive biopsies, plus aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.
Founded by Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H. in 1970, Cooper Clinic is one of 10 health and wellness companies located at Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Cooper Clinic is a worldwide leader in preventive medicine and comprehensive physical examinations. For nearly 40 years, its expert physicians and staff have helped more than 100,000 patients live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.cooper-clinic.com.
Posted in Cancer News, Cancer Prevention| Posted by admin | No Comments »
Thanks to new breakthrough food studies, scientists have determined that jams and jellies can be one of the most important parts of a cancer prevention diet. Both popular foods contain a modified form of pectin, a natural fiber found in fruits and vegetables that is widely used in food processing.
A laboratory study by the Institute of Food Research found modified pectin releases a molecular fragment that curbs all stages of cancer progression. This will be key information for people seeking cancer diets.
Professor Vic Morris, who led the cancer prevention diet research, said: “The treatments used by the food industry to modify pectin would emphasize the release of the fragment we’ve identified.” This fragment is what provides the cancer fighting compound in this new cancer diet.
However, he added: “I expect you would get some protection from jam, but it’s packed full of sugar. It might be better to get the same cancer protection from fruits and vegetables which would give you other anti-cancer magic bullets as well and should be part of every cancer prevention diet.”
Pectin supplements that claim to detoxify the body and protect against cancer are already sold on the internet, and a laboratory study published in the journal Glycobiology last year showed pectin can slow the growth of prostate cancer. This is huge news in cancer diets.
Cancer research scientists at the University of Georgia in the US found when prostate cancer cells were exposed to pectin powder or heat-treated citrus pectin, up to 40 per cent died.
The cells were made to “commit suicide” through a natural process called apoptosis that halts the creation of tumors. For anyone seeking a cancer prevention diet, this tidbit of information could be the silver bullet you seek to lower your cancer risk.
Other studies on rats and cell cultures suggest pectin also fights lung and colon cancers.
An estimated 35,000 tons of pectin is produced worldwide each year. Besides being found in jam and jelly, it is a processing ingredient in confectionery, bakery fillings, yogurts and milk drinks.
Most pectin comes from the peel of citrus fruits and apple pulp.
The research by Prof Morris is published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal.
Jam is already hailed by nutritionists as an ideal snack to replace lost energy after a work-out. The fast-releasing sugars help to get glycogen back into muscles quickly and efficiently.
The British Nutrition Foundation says two level teaspoons (15g) of jam on a slice of bread provides less than 10 per cent of an adult’s Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) of sugar and fewer than 40 calories, but should be eaten in moderation even as part of a cancer prevention diet.
Posted in Cancer News, Cancer Prevention| Posted by admin | No Comments »
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (also referred to as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month) is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness about breast cancer and to raise funds for research into its causes, prevention and ultimately, a cure. The breast cancer awareness campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the first national breast cancer awareness month program took place in October 1985 as a week-long event to fill the information void in public communication about breast cancer. The founding members of the Board of Sponsors, the American Academy of Family Physicians, AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation and CancerCare, Inc., distributed brochures, spoke to news reporters, and testified before a U.S. Congressional committee about the crucial need for widespread access to mammography.
Today the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization is comprised of several national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working in partnership to build breast cancer awareness, share information, help with breast cancer treatment and prevention (via a good breast cancer diet) and provide access to screening services.
As well as providing a platform for breast cancer charities to raise awareness of their work and of the disease, breast cancer awareness month is also a prime opportunity to remind women to be breast cancer aware for earlier detection.
Breast cancer can be attributed to many factors, including age, genetics, obesity, and family history. Women who exercise regularly, maintain healthy diets, and have yearly visits with their doctors are less likely to get breast cancer. Various screening measures such as mammograms, regular breast self-exams, and clinical breast exams can help detect cancer before it has a chance to spread. Early detection allows for early intervention, helps make breast cancer treatment more effective, and gives hope to patients and saves lives.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women in the United States and results in the deaths of more than 40,000 women each year.
Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer death in white, black, Asian, and American Indian women and the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women, according to research. It is for this reason, that October has been named breast cancer awareness month; we should all help spread the word.
Posted in Cancer News| Posted by admin | No Comments »
