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Odds & Ends: Resources that help us understand
by
Bruce Shriver and Tom Swartz
There are many excellent resources on the web that can help us understand issues related to sarcoma, its treatment, and to ongoing research to find cures for it. We’d like to share some websites that we have found useful during this past year.
About Vaccine-Based and Antibody-Based Therapies Understanding The Immune System is one of the National Cancer Institute’s “Science Behind the News” tutorials. It was developed by Lydia Schindler, Donna Kerrigan, and Jeanne Kelly. It is a series of 36 slides that illustrate the immune system and the complex network of specialized cells and organs that distinguishes between self and foreign molecules inside the body. Among other things, it explains why a malfunctioning immune system can cause allergies or arthritis and can fail to stop the growth of cancer cells. The Q&A Column in the April 2004 issue of ESUN addressed the question “What is immunotherapy and what role does it play in cancer treatment?” The column dealt with vaccine-based and antibody-based therapies. You can view it by clicking here. We also recommend that you also visit the website Immunotherapy of Cancers for more information on cancer vaccines. It is an easily accessible, highly relevant and very objective Internet journal.
About Angiogenesis Understanding Angiogenesis is one of the National Cancer Institute’s “Science Behind the News” tutorials. It was developed by Lewis Kleinsmith, Donna Kerrigan, and Jeanne Kelly. It is a series of 27 slides that provides an illustrated description of angiogenesis and its importance in cancer research. The Q&A Column in the February 2004 Issue of ESUN dealt with the question, “What is angiogenesis and how does it play a role in cancer treatment?” You can view it by clicking here. Some excellent videos about the drug Endostatin can be found on the PBS Nova series website by clicking here.
About Microarrays In the October 2004 Issue of ESUN, Drs. Crystal Mackall and Javed Khan discussed microarrays in their article, “Gene Profiling: Unlocking the Inner Workings of Sarcoma Cells”. A number of tutorials are available on the Internet that highlight microarrays. Here are links to three of them. You can see a tutorial on the basics of microarray technology by clicking here. This animated tutorial helps one to visualize the mechanics of this remarkably simple yet powerful process. It was made by A. Malcolm Campbell in the Department of Biology at Davidson College. Click here to view a tutorial compiled by a Biochemistry research team at University College London, headed by Dr Sylvia Nagl. This tutorial is intended for beginner to intermediate stage biologists and bioinformaticists who are interested in exploring the current techniques in microarray analysis. You can access the Affymetrix GeneChip Array tutorial links for its Data Mining Tool: Tutorial and GeneChip® Operating Software Tutorial by clicking on these hyperlinks.
About Biology and Cells It is definitely worth looking at M. J. Farabee’s “The Online Biology Book”, which is hosted by Estrella Mountain Community College, in Avondale, Arizona. In his introduction to the material, he notes, “The text items are modified lecture outlines I have developed over the many years of teaching college-level introductory biology. Use of my text for educational purposes is encouraged and appreciated, however many illustrations are taken off the web, and I have indicated the source page (when that page still is an active link) and tried to provide a link back to the original. In addition, several companies have most graciously allowed me to use their images. If you desire to use these images yourself please contact the party indicated in each figure caption.”
About Researching Medical Literature Steve Dunn's CancerGuide provides a very useful starting point for undertaking investigations into cancer and cancer-related issues. Among other things, he discusses how to research the medical literature and how to use and access medical databases and online resources. He explains the medical research cycle, where to get medical references and describes the various types of papers in the medical literature, and how to find and use a medical library.
About use of the Internet In the Odds and Ends Column of the April 2004 Issue of the ESUN Newsletter, we discussed two studies dealing with the internet, The Impact of the Internet on Cancer Outcomes and How the Internet affects patients’ experience of cancer: a qualitative study. There is an interesting editorial, “The first generation of e-patients”, on the bmj.com website (BMJ 2004; 328:1148-1149, 15 May), which is well worth reading and summarizes some interesting impacts of the tool so essential to us.
About Gene Testing The following two tutorials may be of interest to help understand gene expression profiling.
Other Useful Educational Resources The Medline Plus Interactive Health Tutorials website was mentioned in the Drug News Column of the February 2004 Issue of ESUN. Here are the names of several additional tutorials that you might find interesting and useful: Clinical Trials, CT Scan, MRI, Chemotherapy, and Radiation therapy.
Other Interesting Odds & Ends Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Updates The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) recently posted several documents that review a number of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies. Recent postings include energy medicine, biologically-based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, mind-body medicine, and whole medical systems. Click here to access this material as well as articles related to many other CAM approaches
Focus on Adolescent Cancer: Soliciting Personal Stories of Hope The mission of the Candlelighters® Childhood Cancer Foundation is to “providing support, education and advocacy for children and adolescents with cancer, survivors of childhood/adolescent cancer, their families and the professionals who care for them.” The next edition of their national journal, The Quarterly Journal of the National Office, is scheduled to focus on adolescent cancer. CCCF intends to include some personal stories of hope in this issue. If you know a teenager who would be willing to share his/her experiences, thoughts, suggestions with other teens going through cancer treatment, then encourage them to submit a story to Ruth Hoffman. Such personal experiences are valuable to others who are newly diagnosed or going through treatment. Submitted stories will be chosen for publication based upon content and will be possibly edited for length and grammar. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2005. You can access earlier versions of CCCF’s Quarterly Journal by clicking here.
Nominate your CareHeroes for 2005 From the caregiver.com website: “CareHeroes come in all shapes, sizes and categories: family, volunteer, professional and community. He or she may be the neighbor or family member who is always there for you, the case manager who goes that extra mile, or the community leader who has long-battled for caregivers, and maybe even for yourself. We invite you to nominate your CareHeroes. Tell the world about those people doing heroic work as caregivers and for caregivers." The winners will be featured in our May/June 2005 issue and receive their CareHeroes award at the annual Fearless Caregiver Conference in South Florida in April 2005. The deadline is February 15, 2005.
Exploring the links between the environment and sarcoma In the June 1004 Issue of ESUN we reported on the growing body of literature investigating potential links between various environmental conditions and sarcoma. You can access these articles by clicking here. The following article adds to this discussion.
Prenatal Butadiene Exposure Implicated in Early Childhood Cancers The results of a new study conducted in the United Kingdom suggests that prenatal and early postnatal exposure to high-temperature combustion products and volatile organic compounds probably cause most cases of childhood cancers and leukemia. Dr. Knox, at the University of Birmingham, compared birth and death addresses of cases of fatal child cancers recorded between 1966 and 1980 to maps of local atmospheric emissions of different chemicals, which were obtained from the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. His analysis was based on the premise that increased migration of at least 1.0 km away from "hotspots" versus inward migrations (outward/inward ratio > 1.0), where the birth address was within 1 km of the nearest hotspot, represent selective cancer-initiating effects of the birth locations themselves. Data from the study suggest that 1,3 butadiene is particularly hazardous, which is associated with engine exhausts and is used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber. Other emissions associated with significant birth proximity were carbon dioxide, particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide (the combustion products of fossil fuels), and benzene, benz(a)pyrene and dioxins.
Limb-sparing surgeries have been performed more frequently than amputation based on the belief that limb-sparing surgeries provide improved function and quality-of-life (QOL). However, this has not been extensively studied in the pediatric population. The authors of this study, published in a November 2004 issue of the British Journal of Cancer, contacted 528 adult long-term survivors of pediatric lower extremity bone tumors, diagnosed between 1970 and 1986. The survivors were asked to complete questionnaires assessing their function and QOL. Survivors were an average of 21 years from diagnosis with an average age of 35 years. The authors found that overall the survivors reported excellent function and QOL. Most importantly, the authors found that compared to those who had a limb-sparing procedure, amputees were not more likely to have lower function and QOL scores, and that the survivor’s self-perception of disability depended on such factors as general health status, lower educational attainment, older age and female gender. Thus, the authors of this study believe that their findings suggest that, over time, amputees do as well as those who underwent limb-sparing surgeries.
Nutrition and cancer The complete copy of “Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet,” by Michael S Donaldson, which appeared in the Nutrition Journal in October 2004 is available by clicking here. Donaldson states in his abstract, “It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk. … When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well."
Natural Health Product Interactions with Medication This article is complements the above article on nutrition and cancer nicely. Dr. Boullata states in his abstract, “Natural health products (or dietary supplements) refer to those products found in oral dosage forms, containing 1 or more active ingredients considered to be a nutrient, an herbal product, or any other nonnutrient/nonherbal substance. Their use continues to increase in the general population and in patients seen by nutrition support clinicians. Aside from an appraisal of product safety and effectiveness, attention should be paid to the potential for these product ingredients to interact with medication. Estimates are that at least 15 million adults in the United States are at risk for supplement-drug interactions. These can occur through both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms. This review describes the influence of dietary supplements on both the disposition and the effect of medication and provides numerous examples. Patients at greatest risk for interactions are those with chronic disease, who use multiple medications—particularly those with a narrow therapeutic range—have genetic variants in drug metabolism, impaired organ function, and are at either end of the age spectrum. Knowledge of the specific effects on drug absorption, metabolism, and effect is still incomplete. Relative to the large number of possible interactions between supplements and medication, only a small number of combinations have been examined or reported. The greatest limiting factor remains the quality or reliability of the existing evidence, as many widely accepted interactions are only theoretical based either on in vitro data or known pharmacology. A distinction needs to be clearly drawn between "documented" interactions and "potential" interactions. Although drug-drug interactions have been widely recognized, supplement-drug interactions may be as important to recognize, report, and manage.”
Cocoa Froths With Cancer-preventing Compounds Cornell University food scientists say cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer. They have found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. Their findings are published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. The reason that cocoa leads the other drinks is its high content of compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids, indicating the presence of known antioxidants that can stave off cancer, heart disease and other ailments. They discovered 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Examining a glass of red wine, the researchers found 340 milligrams of GAE and 163 milligrams of ECE. In a cup of green tea, they found 165 milligrams of GAE and 47 milligrams of ECE.
Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers The Children’s Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers provides “recommendations for screening and management of late effects that may potentially arise as a result of therapeutic exposures used during treatment for pediatric malignancies.” The guidelines are a consensus from a panel of experts in the late effects of pediatric cancer treatment. The recommendations are based on “a thorough review of the literature as well as the collective clinical experience of the task force members, panel of experts, and multidisciplinary review panel (including nurses, physicians, behavioral specialists and patient/parent advocates). Implementation of these guidelines is intended to increase awareness of potential late effects and to standardize and enhance follow-up care provided to survivors of pediatric malignancies throughout the lifespan.”
Cancer Control, the Journal at Moffitt Cancer Center A large set of the previous issues of Cancer Control, the Journal at Moffitt Cancer Center can be found by clicking here. Each of these issues contains a number of interesting, accessible articles. Importantly, Vol. 12, No. 1 January-February, 2005 is dedicated to Sarcoma. The articles can be downloaded in PDF format.
V2N1 ESUN Copyright © 2005 Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative
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