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Category: cancer

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds About 12% of Cancers Are From Infections

Many of us don't think of cancer being caused by viruses. A recent study reported that an estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases throughout the world were from infections. Which is about 12% of all cancer cases.

An oncovirus is a virus that can cause cancer. Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) and human papillomavirus (HPV) caused the largest share of these cancers - each causing 4% of new cancers. Vaccines already exist for HPV and HBV (hepatitis B virus) and have been shown to reduce the incidence of cancer.

From CIDRAP: More than 2 million new cancer cases caused by infections in 2024, study finds

Many people fear cancer and want to know what they can do to prevent it. In some cases, genetics, random mutations, or environmental factors are to blame, making it difficult to avoid a diagnosis. A paper published yesterday in The Lancet Oncology, though, calls attention to a preventable cause of cancer—infections. ...continue reading "Study Finds About 12% of Cancers Are From Infections"

Published on Leave a comment on A Commonly Used Pesticide Is Linked to Thyroid Cancer
Turf Builder Weed and Feed (with 2,4-D)

Exposure to the weed-killer 2,4-D is very common. This pesticide has been used for many years starting with its use in Agent Orange decades ago, as an ingredient in the commonly used Weed and Feed for lawns, even on genetically engineered crops, and on and on. While the pesticide industry tells you it's safe, many studies have found that exposure to it can cause all sorts of health harms.

A recent study found that exposure to 2,4-D is linked to thyroid cancer in rural counties (where the pesticide is used the most). The researchers think that this may be occurring because 2,4-D is "an endocrine disruptor and may be toxic to the thyroid gland".  They also point out that biomonitoring studies find that in rural agricultural areas people (especially women and children) have higher amounts of 2,4-D in their urine.

As mentioned in the following article, other studies also find that 2,4-D exposure has thyroid effects. It also points out that one study found 2,4-D in the bodies of 1 in 3 Americans, and another study found the presence of both 2,4-D and dicamba (both herbicides) in all pregnant midwest women studied in 2020-2022.

While the United States EPA does not view 2,4-D as carcinogenic (cancer-causing), other countries and international organizations do.

Bottom line: To lower your own 2,4-D exposure, eat as many organic foods as possible, and don't use pesticides on your lawn. Organic crops and organic lawn care does not allow the use of 2,4-D.

Excerpts from Beyond Pesticides: Thyroid Cancer Associated With Exposure to the Weed Killer 2,4-D, Study Finds 

In a study of the herbicide 2,4-D and thyroid cancer in the U.S., researchers find that 2,4-D exposure is significantly associated with greater thyroid cancer incidence in rural counties. Utilizing incidence rates for thyroid cancer for 2017–2021 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) database and county-level 2,4-D use data from the U.S. Geological Survey, this research, published in Endocrines, highlights a link between pesticide exposure—in areas where agricultural pesticide use is most concentrated—and disproportionate cancer risks. ...continue reading "A Commonly Used Pesticide Is Linked to Thyroid Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on The Farm Bill and Pesticide Liability

There was a huge blow to anyone concerned with hidden (by pesticide manufacturers) health effects of pesticides this week. Senate Republican members of the Senate Farm Appropriations Committee voted down an amendment to the Senate farm bill that would have enabled lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers when pesticide health effects and harms are revealed.

The amendment, which was proposed by Senator Booker, also stated that if a product causes cancer, it should be on the pesticide label.

The only good news is that the farm bill did not advance out of committee this week. But it will reconsider the farm bill in September. If the farm bill passes as it is written, only what is on pesticide labels can be acknowledged - and it generally just talks about immediate acute effects, such as skin irritation.

Cancer, neurological harms, effects on the fetus, long-term harms, etc. are typically not on pesticide labels, even if pesticide companies know of  harmful health effects (hiding harmful effects is called "failure to warn"). Basically, not allowing consumers to sue pesticide companies is a screw you to Americans.

And yes, the voting was along party lines - Republicans don't want us to be able to sue if health harms are found, while Democrats voted to preserve the right to sue.

From The Hill: Republicans vote down farm bill amendment enabling lawsuits against pesticide companies, a blow to MAHA

Senate Republicans on Thursday voted down an amendment that sought to open up Americans’ ability to sue pesticide companies over the health impacts of their products. ...continue reading "The Farm Bill and Pesticide Liability"

Published on Leave a comment on Unsafe Pesticide Applications

It continues to amaze me that people applaud the frequent use of heavy duty pesticides, especially for cosmetic reasons (e.g., to have lawns look like carpets).  Do they not realize that there are health harms, and so should be used only when necessary?

Well, I recently traveled out of the country and was surprised, even shocked, that some (high end) hotels do routine daily pesticide applications in their gardens, both using a sprayer and fumigation. They even fumigate routinely among people sitting and even dining outside! After asking, I found out that the hotel does this because their customers don't want to see any insects and the daily fumigation shows that "action is being taken".

Are you kidding me? The applicator didn't even wear gloves, and walked along a driveway, as well as a stone terrace next to a building - fumigating all the while. And people just sat there! (My photos were taken through a window.) And by the way, throughout the city there were very few insects, including mosquitos. So was the hotel's fumigation all performative, for show?

What I'm also wondering is whether the pesticide applicator knew about long-term health harms to him, such as cancer and neurological damage?

Published on Leave a comment on Many Studies Link A Commonly Used Pesticide To Health Harms

It has long been known that the pesticide chlorpyrifos has harmful health effects on humans, especially developing fetuses and children. Unfortunately, it is still in use.

A recent review of nearly 300 studies looking at chlorpyrifos found that the pesticide has harmful effects throughout the body, also causes DNA damage, harms children's brains and nervous systems, causes cancer.and that harmful effects are found at levels that are considered safe by the EPA. Unfortunately, more health harms are found each year.

While the pesticide is no longer allowed to be used for household use in the US (remember cans of Raid cockroach killer?), it is still allowed to be used on farms, in greenhouses, golf courses, and more. Keep in mind that industry-funded studies of chlorpyrifos have been used to shape federal policy and exposure limits for decades.

In other words, federal standards do not protect public health. Why is that not surprising?

Excerpts from the investigative journalism site U.S. Right To Know: Nearly 300 studies link the common pesticide chlorpyrifos to multi-organ damage, DNA disruption, and chronic disease 

Key findings:

    • A review of nearly 300 studies summarizes evidence that chlorpyrifos may harm multiple systems throughout the body, including the brain, hormones, liver, gut microbiome, muscles, reproductive organs, and bones.
    • The review describes DNA damage, chromosome instability, and epigenetic changes that may alter how genes function long after exposure.
    • Some harmful effects appear at exposure levels below those considered safe under current pesticide exposure testing standards.

...continue reading "Many Studies Link A Commonly Used Pesticide To Health Harms"

Published on Leave a comment on Areas of High Pesticide Use and Cancer Rates

People assume that if a pesticide is allowed to be used, than it must be safe. Wrong! Pesticides are registered with the government precisely because they are dangerous.

We are not exposed to just one pesticide at a time, but mixtures of pesticides - for example, in the foods we eat, our yards, our homes, our water, and even our air (from drift). The big question is: What (if anything) are these pesticide mixtures doing to us?

A recent study conducted in Peru set out to answer the question regarding exposure to pesticide mixtures. They compared heavily agricultural areas (lots of pesticides applied) and non-agricultural areas throughout the country. 31 pesticides were looked at, and yet none of these are considered cancer-causing (according to the World Health Organization).

They researchers found up to 150% higher incidence of cancers in the regions with higher environmental pesticide exposure. There were cancer "hot-spots" in the country, and different cancers depending on the pesticide mixtures people are predominantly exposed to.

By the way, finding increased cancers in both adults and children in heavy pesticide use areas (generally agricultural areas), is also found in other studies. The people exposed to the most are farmworkers, their families, and anyone living near farms. But also anyone with pets (e.g., flea treatments), and anyone having pesticide treatments in their homes or in their yards. People also ingest pesticides/pesticide residues from the foods they eat.

From Science Daily: Pesticide exposure linked to 150% higher cancer risk in major study

A major new study published in Nature Health has found a strong connection between environmental exposure to agricultural pesticides and an increased risk of cancer. By combining environmental monitoring, national cancer registry data, and biological research, scientists from the IRD, Institut Pasteur, University of Toulouse, and the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases (INEN) in Peru provide new insight into how pesticide exposure may contribute to the development of certain cancers. ...continue reading "Areas of High Pesticide Use and Cancer Rates"

Published on Leave a comment on Cancer Vaccine For Melanoma Looks Very Promising
Melanoma skin cancer Credit: Wikipedia

The skin cancer melanoma is an incredibly deadly cancer if not caught in the early stages. This is why researchers have been studying various types of immunotherapy as a treatment for melanoma - but with inconsistent results (works for some, but not all).

Exciting new research was recently published that found that personalized vaccine plus the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) could be very successful as a melanoma treatment. Using Keytruda alone is current melanoma treatment, but adding the vaccine to Keytruda significantly improved the results.

The researchers found that a personalized vaccine called intismeran, when combined with Keytruda, cut the risk of recurrence and death from melanoma by 49% five years after the original melanoma tumors were removed. The comparison group was patients receiving just Keytruda alone. Key finding: "After five years of follow-up, 68.8% of patients who took the combination therapy remained cancer free while 49.1% of the patients in the pembrolizumab-alone group had no signs of cancer."

The combination treatment also cut the risk of the original cancer metastasizing to distant parts of the body by 59% (this was at the 5 year follow-up). Overall survival for the combination group at the 5 year follow-up was 92.2%, while for Keytruda alone it was 71.3%. Again, a significant difference

Even though this combination treatment was tested on a small group of patients (107 patients), this is a fabulous result! More expanded testing is underway. Stay tuned!

From Medical Xpress: Cancer vaccine sustains 49% melanoma reduction after 5 years

The combination of a vaccine and a drug, which both harness the immune system to attack cancer cells, has proven successful in cutting the risk of skin cancer recurrence and death by 49%, a new study shows. This reduction was calculated five years after patients had their tumors surgically removed and remains unchanged. ...continue reading "Cancer Vaccine For Melanoma Looks Very Promising"

Published on Leave a comment on High Dose Vitamin C As Part of Cancer Treatment?
Vitamin C pills Credit: Wikipedia

Researchers are studying high dose vitamin C as part of treatment for several cancers, including pancreatic cancer. These high doses of vitamin C (pharmacologic ascorbate) are not taken orally (by mouth), but in IVs (taken intravenously). It is always given alongside chemotherapy.

The intravenous vitamin C doses are 150 to 190 times larger than ordinary vitamin C tablets that are taken orally. This is because orally taken vitamin C cannot reach the blood levels needed to produce a pharmacologic effect.

Some of the results are amazing. For example, persons with pancreatic cancer it doubled survival compared to chemotherapy alone (from 8 months to 16 months) , and those receiving vitamin C used alongside standard chemotherapy had fewer side effects than when using chemotherapy alone. It is still unclear for which cancers the vitamin C treatment works and for which it doesn't.

The only problem is that pharma companies may not be interested because it can not be patented, and can't be developed as a new drug that they can make big profits off of. It's plain old vitamin C - but not as a nutritional supplement, but used as a medical drug (pharmacologic ascorbate).

Click on the link for the full story and dosing details. Excerpts from Medscape: Vitamin C’s Potential Use in Cancer Is Getting a Second Look

When Garry Buettner, PhD, who has been studying the chemistry and biochemistry of vitamin C for at least four decades, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), he applied his research to his own life — reviewing the data and designing a protocol for his treatment. ...continue reading "High Dose Vitamin C As Part of Cancer Treatment?"

Published on Leave a comment on Good News For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Cancer cells forming a lump in pancreas Credit: Wikipedia

The pancreatic cancer treatment field is on fire. This is very good news because pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer that is typically diagnosed at late stages, and with a low survival rate (5 year survival rate of 15%).

There are a number of different treatments now undergoing clinical trials - from several vaccines, immunotherapy, the drug daraxonrasib that doubles life expectancy in those with pancreatic cancer, to other interesting treatments such as high dose vitamin C (given via IV).

The most exciting are pancreatic vaccines that are now undergoing clinical trials. They are meant to be used after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis - the goal is to prevent a recurrence of the cancer and to kill any remaining pancreatic cancer cells. They involve a person's own immune system attacking or suppressing the pancreatic cancer. Amazing research and progress is being made.
Some articles about some of the promising treatments:

The National Cancer Center's write-up: Are New Immune-Based Treatments for Kidney and Pancreatic Cancer On the Horizon?

Another type of vaccine (a mRNA vaccine) being developed in NYC, at Columbia's Pancreatic Center: Vaccine for Pancreatic Cancer Enters Phase II of Clinical Trial: Here’s What to Know

Medscape (reputable medical site) is also writing about the promising pancreatic vaccines:  Vaccine for Pancreatic Cancer and CRC Sparks Early Hope. An easier to read summary of that same study: New Vaccine May Help Stop Deadly Pancreatic Cancers From Coming Back

High-dose vitamin C (in ascorbate form, given in an IV) alongside chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer doubled survival rate and made the regular chemo drugs more tolerable for the cancer patient. From Medscape: Vitamin C’s Potential Use in Cancer Is Getting a Second Look

The drug daraxonrasib, which is awaiting FDA approval, probably this year. From NY Times: How an ‘Impossible’ Idea Led to a Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds Popular Anti-Aging Supplement Could Also Fuel Cancer Growth

Many people load up on all sorts of supplements thinking it'll give them better health and perhaps even extend their life span. But researchers found that one popular anti-aging supplement (known as spermidine) thought to extend the life-span could also be fueling the growth of cancer. How can this be?

The researchers found that the effects of polyamines (including spermidine), which are in all living cells, can either promote healthy aging or can fuel cancer growth. The difference was in which protein they influenced, and whether the cells were healthy to start with. In healthy cells they support cellular maintenance and energy production but in cancer cells they help drive rapid growth.

From Science Daily:  Scientists reveal why a popular anti-aging compound may also fuel cancer

Polyamines are naturally produced molecules present in all living cells. They play a vital role in basic biological functions, including cell growth and specialization. In recent years, scientists have focused on these compounds, especially spermidine, for their potential to support healthy aging. Often described as 'geroprotectors,' they have been shown to stimulate autophagy, a cellular recycling process that clears out damaged components. This benefit largely depends on a protein called eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A1).

At the same time, researchers have repeatedly observed high levels of polyamines in many types of cancer, where they are linked to aggressive tumor growth. This contrast has created a scientific puzzle. How can the same molecules that appear to promote longevity also be associated with cancer?
...continue reading "Study Finds Popular Anti-Aging Supplement Could Also Fuel Cancer Growth"