Life Over Cancer Blog

Light drinking & cancer risk

We’ve all heard that heavy alcohol use increases the risk of cancer, and that even moderate drinking – up to 2 drinks a day – can increase the risk of breast cancer. But now there’s a 2012 study out of Italy that suggests that as little as 1 drink per day may increase cancer risk!   

Alcohol—including beer, wine, and “hard liquor”—is a known risk factor for several cancers. These include cancers of the colon, breast, larynx, liver, esophagus, mouth and pharynx (throat). Alcohol promotes cancer in several ways: It’s broken down in the body to an organic chemical called acetaldehyde, which not only triggers hangover symptoms, but has the ability to damage our DNA. Alcohol also increases the levels of hormones such as estrogen in the body, can damage the liver, causes free radicals in the body, and makes it easier for harmful chemicals in tobacco to enter the tissues of the mouth and throat.    

Previous work has shown us that people drinking 4 or more drinks a day are at higher risk for mouth and throat cancers. With breast cancer, for every additional 10 grams of alcohol daily (a little less than one drink), breast cancer risk goes up 7-10%.  According to one study, smaller amounts of alcohol may also contribute to colon cancer: for each additional 16 grams of alcohol (the amount in a pint of premium beer or large glass of wine), risk increased by 9%. 

Planning a BBQ? What you need to know before firing up the grill.

With the unofficial start of the outdoor barbecuing season almost upon us, here’s something to think about before firing up the grill: the food you’re about to cook may very well contain known carcinogens!

Research shows that grilling red meat, poultry, and fish at high temperatures causes the production of two carcinogens to form: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds are produced when a combination of creatine (a specific amino acid found in muscle) and sugars, which are both found naturally in meats, are heated during cooking. Grilling is particularly carcinogen-forming because the process involves high heat and long cooking times. And although levels of HCAs increase with heat and time — meaning well-done meat contains more carcinogens than meat less well-cooked — meat need not be well done or charred to contain HCAs. In fact, testing has found HCAs in grilled chicken cooked for just three minutes on each side!

What to do when there’s “nothing left to do”

Hearing your oncologist say “there is nothing more that we can do for you” is undeniably traumatic and distressing. What he or she is essentially saying, however, is that there is nothing left in the conventional arsenal that can be done to eradicate the cancer. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that there is nothing else that can be done.

At the Block Center, our integrative approach doesn’t focus solely on eradicating disease, but also on helping patients restore their biological, psychological, nutritional, and physical strength. We also assess and correct a patient’s biochemical terrain, which can either help promote, or help thwart, the growth of cancer. By using the widest array of integrative tools and techniques, we have seen patients win back their health, and ultimately, win back their lives. 

Many patients come to us having been through multiple surgeries and/or treatments. As a result, they are often overwhelmed, debilitated, and depressed or anxious. Our individually tailored, comprehensive “cancer rehab” program includes therapeutic diet, selective supplementation, stress-care strategies, and prescriptive exercise. These programs help fortify patients against the physical decline, pain, fatigue, and weakness associated with both the disease and treatment. As a result, most patients report a renewed sense of energy and vitality, allowing us to then evaluate what treatment options are most appropriate for them.     

Common diabetes drug, metformin, appears to reduce cancer risk

Metformin, a commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has been touted in several recent studies as having the potential to reduce the risk of cancer in people taking it to control their disease.

Metformin (Glucophage) helps control both insulin levels and the amount of glucose produced by the liver. It’s given to people with type 2 diabetes who have not been able to control the disease through lifestyle changes – diet and exercise.

Since type 2 diabetes affects millions of people and those numbers continue to rise – even among children and teenagers – there is a lot of scientific interest directed toward this population. It has been observed that those taking metformin to control their disease also seemed to have less risk for certain cancers.

Moreover, lab studies have shown an association between metformin and its ability to cause the death of cancer cells.

Mexican Fiesta!

Cinco de Mayo may be behind us, but Mexican food is always a welcome treat. Below are three Life Over Cancer-approved recipes for your next Fiesta!

White Sangria

Makes 1 large punch bowl

Ingredients:

 2 ½ cups water

1 small bunch fresh mint

6 cinnamon sticks

6 ½ cups white grape juice (or apple juice)

1 – 10 ounce bag  frozen peaches

1 – 10 ounce bag frozen mango

2 medium oranges, sliced crosswise

2 small lemons, sliced crosswise

3 cup sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider

12 ounces sparkling water

Mint leaves, to garnish (optional) 

Instructions:

1. Combine the water, mint leaves, and cinnamon in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for several minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, remove and discard the mint and cinnamon sticks. Transfer the remaining mixture to a large serving bowl.
3. Add the grape juice, peaches, mangoes, orange and lemon slices, sparkling apple cider, and sparkling water to the serving bowl. Mix well.  Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired. 

 

12-Year Study Shows Doubling of Life Expectancy

EVANSTON, IL – A 12-year study conducted by the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment has shown a doubling of life expectancy for a group of 90 metastatic breast cancer patients. The results were published in the July/August issue of The Breast Journal. The women, diagnosed before 1998, participated in a comprehensive clinical program that combined conventional treatments—surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—with individualized nutrition and supplementation, as well as fitness and mind-spirit regimens.

Through the 1990s, median survival reported in metastatic breast cancer research ranged on average from 12 to 24 months. Median survival for Block Center consecutive case series patients was 38 months, and their five- year survival was 27%, versus 17% for comparison patients. Published literature on populations with more favorable prognostic factors treated in conventional clinics showed median survivals of 20 to 23 months. 

Survival of metastatic breast cancer patients at the Block Center was approximately double that of comparison populations, and possibly even higher compared to several randomized trials published during this period. It would appear that the advantage relative to just conventional treatment alone stems from the individually- tailored nutritional, nutraceutical, exercise and psychosocial interventions in the Center’s program.

In addition to age and occurrence of relapses several other factors, not typically assessed in conventional settings, can impact survival in breast cancer patients, among them: body weight, psychosocial distress with elevated catecholamines, cortisol, inflammatory and oxidative mediators, diet and physical activity. Randomized trials of single-agent therapies or one-dimensional interventions appear inadequate to address this complexity, and there is a need for new clinical models to research and test whole systems interventions, such as the integrative care program at the Block Center.

"New cancer drugs are routinely approved for extending survival for 2 to 3 months,” said Dr. Keith I. Block, medical and scientific director of the Block Center. “There currently is no drug that has demonstrated the potential to double the life expectancy of metastatic breast cancer patients, as evidenced in these findings. These data are another compelling argument for conducting further research into an integrative treatment model for cancer.

“Our statistics were derived from our community-based patient population. While our group was comparable on major prognostic factors, we had a higher proportion of relapsed and younger patients (the median age at onset of metastasis was 46 years) than the comparison patients, which usually means a poorer prognosis. One would have expected worse survival rates, but that is the opposite of what we saw.”

“This is the first time that treatment outcomes using integrative cancer therapy for this disease have been documented,” Dr. Block said. “The survival times for our population were substantially higher than for patients who received conventional treatment alone.”

Dr. Azra Raza, Director of the Myelodysplatic Syndrome Center, St. Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, characterized the Block Center’s comprehensive, integrative program as “superior….This evidence- based integrative approach should serve as a wake-up call for oncologists to overcome their obsession with treating cancer as an isolated target, but rather pay attention to the cancer patient whose own faculties need to be harnessed as agencies to win this war.”

Citation: Survival Impact of Integrative Cancer Care in Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer, Block KI, Gyllenhaal C, Tripathy D, Freels S , Mead MN, Block PB, Steinmann WC, Robert A. Newman RA, & Shoham J. The Breast Journal, 2009, 15(4), pp 357-366.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, call (847) 230-9107 or visit BlockMD.com.

 

Black Bean Brownies with Walnuts

These brownies are loaded with essential fatty acids, fiber, and protein that all work to control the release of sugar into the blood. These also are more fudge like consistency.

Ask Dr. Block: Chronomodulated Chemotherapy

What is chronomodulated chemotherapy and who should consider this approach to treatment?

There are nine specific "clock-related" genes in our brainstems that control our time-dependent biological functions, including sleeping and eating patterns, heart rate, body temperature, and hormone production. Similarly, cancer cells also have time controls; they divide and rest at different times of any given day. While rest and division also occur among healthy cells, their timing differs from that of cancer cells.

We can take advantage of this by administering the drugs at the specific time when cancer cells divide, and are more vulnerable to cell death, and when healthy cells are at rest, and least sensitive to toxicity from chemotherapy. Research demonstrates chronotherapy not only improves treatment tolerance, but can improve response and survival as well. In fact, the literature contains studies showing that chronomodulated chemotherapy can even allow for patients who previously needed to discontinue a chemotherapy protocol - either because it was ineffective, became ineffective prematurely, or was too debilitating to tolerate - and benefit from that identical drug protocol when it was administered via chronomodulated chemotherapy. 

Gold standard research supports the use of chronomodulated chemotherapy. For example, for metastatic colon cancer patients, studies show that administering chemotherapy at the optimal time can halve toxicity and double treatment response. For advanced metastatic ovarian cancer, a study in the journal Cancer reported that optimal timing of chemotherapy can reduce toxic side effects by 50 percent and quadruple five-year survival. This is a four-fold improvement! (Four times as many patients were alive at the five year mark). The same study demonstrated a 75 percent reduction in the need to cut the treatment dose! 

Chronotherapy at the Block Center
I brought this technology to the U.S. from Europe in the mid 1990s, hoping to improve treatment tolerance among my patients, ultimately enhancing the benefits we were seeing from the integrative approach to treatment we were already providing (In fact, studies suggest that 1/3 of patients discontinue chemotherapy treatment prematurely due to the debilitating physical and psychological consequences). 

At the Block Center, we were implementing nutritional strategies and supplement formulations that could help diminish the side effects of chemotherapy – and my research team and I were conducting ongoing studies – when I came across the chronobiology evidence that sleep and activity cycles along with the timing of drug infusions were all clock dependent. The extensive research that demonstrated decreased toxicity and improved survival with the use of chronotherapy persuaded me that we needed to bring this technology to our patients as soon as possible. 

At the Block Center, we administer chronotherapy using a portable, computerized pump, small enough to fit in a fanny pack. The infusion of the chemotherapy drug resembles a sine wave curve, it starts infusing quite slowly, and ratchets up in carefully programmed stages. It slowly increases to the middle point of the cycle where it peaks, meaning the drug will be infused at its highest rate, and then slowly ratchets back down in an exact mirror image to its ascending slope. When the drug dosage reaches zero, the cycle is complete.

Though there are currently over 40 major centers in Europe that participate in cooperative research using this method of chemo administration, there are less than a handful of clinics in the U.S. that implement it. Why is this? Currently, cancer treatment in our country is scheduled at the convenience of the hospital, medical center, treating physician, etc., not at the optimal time for the patient. In addition, the complexity of the technology would require training and incur additional expenses to the treating facility that would not be covered by insurance. 

However, the potential impact to reduce toxicity, improve response to treatment and even boost survival, makes the need to broaden access to this approach essential. Consider the fact that few if any drugs have improved survival by more than 18 weeks over the past two decades. Then realize that chronomodulating chemotherapy can improve outcomes in many studies by years. Thus, all patients deserve this no-risk/high-benefit approach to chemotherapy. It is my hope that one day chronomodulated chemotherapy will be widely available in this country, as it is outside the U.S.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, call (847) 230-9107 or visit BlockMD.com.

Spaghetti Squash Sesame Noodles with Edamame

Spaghetti Squash is a great substitute for noodles and is an easy gluten free swap. Try it in the Asian-inspired recipe below.

Spaghetti Squash Sesame Noodles W/ Edamame

Ingredients:

Spaghetti Squash

2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

2 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

pinch ground Ginger

pinch Garlic Powder

2 tbsp toasted Sesame Seeds

1/4 cup diced Green Onions

1/4 cup cooked & shelled Edamame

handful of fresh chopped Cilantro leaves

 

Instructions:

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half, long ways. Place both halves face down in a deep frying pan. Add abut an inch of water. Cover and steam the squash until fork tender.  Mix the dressing while steaming. 
2. Remove the squash and fork out the seeds to discard. Then begin to scrap the sides to remove the squash and place into a serving dish.
3. Combine sesame oil, tamari, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Add optional hot sauce/Sriracha if desired.
4. Toss with spaghetti squash noodles. Gently fold in edamame and green onions at the end.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, call (847) 230-9107 or visit BlockMD.com.

 

Soba Salad with Sesame-Ginger Seitan