Friday, December 12, 2008

2 Markers Predict Survival Odds in Colon Cancer Patients

“Blood levels of two insulin-related proteins are able to predict which patients with colon cancer are most likely to die of their disease, new research suggests. Insulin ushers blood sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells. The hormone tends to work less efficiently in people who are obese, eat heavily and don't exercise, a condition which can lead to diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. This may explain why individuals who are obese, eat a "Western-style" diet that is high in fat, and low in fruits and vegetables, and are inactive are more likely to develop colon cancer and to have their tumors recur after surgery. Conversely, colon cancer patients who eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, poultry and fish can significantly lower the risk of their cancer returning. ‘This gave us further evidence that really lifestyle factors do seem to play a part in the risk of recurrence. This is another piece of the puzzle,’ said Dr. Brian M. Wolpin, an attending physician in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston. ‘Although this study doesn't demonstrate causation, it does start to get at the pathways that might be involved, what proteins might be involved in risk.’ Wolpin was lead author of the study, published in the Dec. 5 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. ‘The magnitude of the benefit for exercise [in preventing recurrences] is on the same order as what we see with chemotherapy,’ added Dr. John Marshall, chief of hematology/oncology at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Washington, D.C. ‘This study is trying to find out what the science is behind that. It's not an answer. It's a lead.’ ‘It doesn't mean we're going to give you a pill rather than tell you to exercise,’ Marshall said. ‘Instead of drug companies doing clinical trials, Nike should do them.’

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=622040

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