Cancer as well as AIDS has for a long time been a headache for many scientists. Today they appear to boost hope for cancer vaccine. The trials of a new therapy showed that it successfully blocked tumour growth in animals.

The experimental vaccine protected animals from cancer for up to five months, and stopped tumours growing bigger in those which already had the disease.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute cancer centre in Stockholm are now adapting the vaccine for use in humans, and believe it could help to stop a variety of tumours recurring in patients who have already been treated with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

The vaccine was developed following the discovery in 1990 of angiostatin, a drug which stops tumours growing new blood vessels, in effect starving them of oxygen and nutrients.

Some experts predicted angiostatin would become a magic bullet for cancer, but trials found it did not last long enough in the body to be effective in a vaccine.

For the latest trial, Lars Holmgren and his team developed a DNA-based cancer vaccine which fools the body into producing antibodies that mimic angiostatin. Because the antibodies last longer in the bloodstream, they are more effective than angiostatin.

In a trial, researchers transplanted breast tumours into mice before giving them two injections of the vaccine, two weeks apart. The first injection primed the immune system and the second acted as a booster. The trial showed the vaccine triggered a release of antibodies which suppressed tumour growth for up to 150 days. The mice showed no side effects.

In a second trial, genetically engineered mice bred to develop breast cancer within 28 days were given a modified version of the DNA vaccine that also blocked a gene linked to cancer. "Normally all these mice develop cancer within a month, but in the trial 80% remained cancer-free and lived for up to one and a half years," said Dr Holmgren, whose study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences yesterday.

The researchers believe the vaccine was successful because it works differently from previous DNA vaccines. Instead of targeting cancerous cells which are constantly mutating, the vaccine acts on healthy cells which the tumour recruits to build up its blood supply.

The researchers have teamed up with a Swedish company to manufacture antibodies that could be used in a human cancer vaccine. If the vaccine is effective in human trials, it could potentially help give protection against a range of cancer varieties. A cancer vaccine could be used to prevent cancers returning in patients who have already been operated on, or received chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Source: The Guardian

Testicular cancer is a concern for many men. This page attempts to address the main issues concerned with testicular cancer and discusses the symptoms, causes and treatments.

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Q. How common is testicular cancer?

A. In 2000 (the last year for which figures are available) there were 2,000 new cases of testicular cancer diagnosed in the UK. In the USA, it is estimated that there will be 9,000 new cases diagnosed in 2004. This means it is between 1% and 2% of all cancers in men. The number of cases has been slowly increasing for some time.

Q. What causes testicular cancer?

A. We do not yet understand what causes this type of cancer.

Q. What are the risk factors for testicular cancer?

A. Unlike most cancers, testicular cancer does not get more common as you get older. Most cases occur in men aged between 25 and 45, with very few cases in men over 75. This type of cancer is most common in white Caucasian males. Men of other races have a much lower incidence, even when living in the same county. The only exception to this is the New Zealand Maoris, who have a high rate of testicular cancer. Within Europe, this cancer is up to five times as common in some northern countries (eg Denmark, Sweden and UK) than in many southern countries (Italy, Spain and Greece).

Babies born with undescended testicles are known to have a 5 to 10 times higher risk of testicular cancer. There are a few medical conditions, which if present during childhood, also increase the risk. These include an inguinal hernia, mumps infection of the testicles and testicular torsion. Having a vasectomy does not increase the risk of testicular cancer.

Q. Are there different types of testicular cancer?

A. The vast majority of testicular tumours are called germ-cell tumours. There are two main types of germ cell tumour: seminomas and teratomas. Younger patients are more likely to have seminomas and older patients to have teratomas.

Q. How dangerous are testicular cancers?

A. There are relatively few deaths from testicular cancer, because it is one of the easiest to cure. In the year 2002, only 74 men died of this cancer in the UK and, in the USA only 360 are expected to die in 2004. This means it is a very rare cause of death.

Q. Does the diet affect the risk of testicular cancer?

A. There is no evidence that diet affects the risk of getting testicular cancer.

Q. Does testicular cancer run in families?

A. Research has found that an increased risk of testicular cancer can run in families. If you have a brother with testicular cancer, you are between 6 and 10 times more likely to get it than normal. If your father had it, you are 3 or 4 times more likely than normal to also suffer from it.

Q. What are the symptoms of testicular cancer?

A. The most common symptom of testicular cancer is a painless swelling or lump in one of the testicles. Other, less common, symptoms include enlargement of a testicle, a pain in one testicle and an ache in the lower stomach.

Q. Is there screening for testicular cancer?

A. Men can screen themselves by feeling for lumps in their testicles. Men between 25 and 45 should do this every few months. If a lump is found on one testicle, check the other one to see if the same lump is present. If there are similar lumps on both, then it is almost certainly a normal part of the testicles. If the lump is only on one testicle, you should consult your doctor.

Q. How is testicular cancer diagnosed?

A. First, your family doctor will check your testicles and, if there is any cause for concern, he will refer you to a specialist. An ultrasound scan of the testicles is used to check for any growths. If any are found, an operation is performed to take a tissue sample from the lump. This is examined by a pathologist, to determine if the lump is cancerous or not. Blood test will also be done to check the levels of HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) and AFP (alpha fetoprotein), which indicate how advanced the cancer is.

Q. How is testicular cancer treated?

A. The exact treatment used will depend on the type of testicular cancer and how advanced it is. An operation to remove the affected testicle is normal in all cases. The loss of one testicle does not affect a man's ability to have an erection or father children and an artificial testicle can be put in the scrotum to restore a normal appearance. If the cancer has gone beyond the testicle, radiotherapy or chemotherapy are also used. Radiotherapy is more effective for seminomas. Chemotherapy is used for both types of testicular cancer, even if it has not spread. In advanced cases, chemotherapy is given at a very high dose, which kills not only the cancer cells but also the bone marrow cells as well. However, the patient is given a stem cell or bone marrow infusion to restore the bone marrow cells.

Q. What are the side-effects of treatment?

A. Radiotherapy can cause nausea, tiredness and diarrhoea. However, these are not severe and can be helped or prevented by drugs. Chemotherapy can cause loss of appetite, tiredness, ringing in the ears, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, infections, kidney problems and hair loss. The higher the dosage, the more severe the side effects. Patients on high-dose chemotherapy are monitored carefully by their doctors.

Q. How effective are the treatments?

A. The current treatments are very effective. If the tumour is diagnosed early, a complete cure is achieved in nearly 95% of cases. The later tumours are more difficult to treat, but even in advanced testicular cancer over 50% of pateints are cured. For these figures, a complete cure is defined as surviving ten years after the first diagnosis.

Q. Is early diagnosis important?

As with all cancers, the earlier the diagnosis, the easier the cancer is to cure.

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With all that we are bombarded, toxic environment, pollution in the air, chemicals in our food, what can we possibly do to avoid cancer? There are a few Dos and Don’ts that are sure to help prevent it. The entire book, Cancer Free For Life is dedicated to understanding cancer and exploring ways to prevent it or reverse it using natural methods and the power of the mind. Do’s- Maintain a healthy body weight. A report from the American Cancer society states that being overweight or obese could cause as many as one in seven cancer deaths in men and one in five in women. - Do eat your fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals that have been shown to have antioxidant and cancer protective effects.

Tomatoes have been shown to provide protection against cancer of the prostate, stomach and lung.

Broccoli and cauliflower have been shown to reduce the risk of bladder cancer.

Apples and onions contain phytochemicals called flavonoids that appear to have cancer-fighting effects.

- Go organic. There are over 7,000 different herbicide and pesticide products currently available. There is a strong body of evidence linking various cancers, for instance non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, asthma, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s to the increase in use of pesticides and herbicides. Childhood cancers are also on the rise. According to the US Environmental Agency, 60% of all herbicides, weed killers, 90% of all fungicides, mould killers, and 30% of all insecticides, insect killers, are potentially cancer causing.

- Do eat fibre. Diets high in insoluble fibre have been shown to decrease the rate of breast cancer. Switch from processed refined flours, such as white bread, pastries, cookies, white pasta, to whole grain items such as whole grain breads and breads labeled 100% whole wheat. Refined flours that are not recommended usually have the words, “enriched, bleached’ on the label. - Do eat fish. Eating fish and foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to lower the risk of throat, stomach, colon, rectum, lung and breast cancers. Eat pacific salmon, fresh or in can. Minimize the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Add cold-pressed olive oil to your cooking, as it has been shown to contain cancer fighting elements. To find more ways to remain cancer free naturally, visit http://cancer-free-for-life.com to claim your own downloadable copy right away.

DON’T’S - Don’t’ smoke: according to Dr Ezzati, lead researcher of the Harvard study examining the nine risk factors that can lead to cancer, smoking was the most important, responsible for 21% of all cancer deaths worldwide. Tobacco accounts for more than 168,000 cancer deaths per year.

- Don’t’ stress. Whether due to financial, personal or vocational stress, a majority of people are living in a mild to moderate state of chronic stress. Not only is this a risk factor strongly correlated with heart attacks and strokes, but also an increase in body weight and body mass index (BMI) which is a risk factor for developing cancer. - Don’t’ drink too much alcohol. Drinking excessively has been correlated with mouth, throat, breast, oesophagus, liver, colon, and rectum cancers. Alcohol damages cells. It is this cell damage that causes cancer. Alcohol depletes vitamin A and selenium, which may have a general protective effect against cancer. Alcohol also decreases the body’s ability to fight off cancer by compromising the immune system, and irritating the lining of internal organs. If you drink, limit yourself to no more than four alcohol-containing drinks per week and try to select red wine for its antioxidants benefits.

- Don’t eat meat. Vegetarians appear to have significantly lower cancer rates in comparison to meat eaters. This may be due to vegetarians’ higher consumption of fruits and vegetables. A switch to fish, eggs and a moderate amount of high-quality soy products appear to have beneficial effects.

- Don’t eat nitrate meats. Meats such as cold cuts, bologna, and hot dogs contain nitrates, a chemical that preserves the meat’s pinky color. Unfortunately, nitrates combine with stomach acid, which creates a cancer-causing substance called nitronamine. Inquire at your local butcher about purchasing nitrate-free cold cuts. Even better, switch to healthier proteins such as eggs, and raw nuts. You will find many articles on how to maintain a cancer free lifestyle, as well as heal yourself of cancer using natural methods on http://alternative-health-ebooks.com
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