Oct 3, 2008
Cancer Research Blog Carnival #14
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t got a cancer story to tell, whether it is personal experience, a relative or friend, or association with their patients or through their research.
Cancer has always been with us, but contrary to the popular image propagated by the mainstream media it is not a simple, nor single disease. In this month’s cancer research blog carnival hosted on the Sciencebase Science Blog, I present a few selected posts from fellow bloggers discussing various aspects of cancer research. Thanks to everyone who submitted a cancer research post.
First up is PalMD on the Denialism blog who explains that cancer is the second leading cause of death, in the US at least, and confirms the ubiquity of the disease as 4% of the population is directly affected (think six degrees of separation type networks to see how almost all of us can have a cancer story to tell). The post provides answers to some of the LAQs (least asked questions) and FAQs (frequently asked questions about cancer. A post from Stephan Grindley augments the cancer 101 with a straightforward commentary on breast cancer prevention and detection.
According to Charles Daney on Science & Reason, recent studies are making it increasingly apparent that cancer is really many different diseases and he explains how this means a new approach to understanding cancer at the molecular level.
More particularly covering cancer research, GrrlScientist offers an interesting take on the genetics of colour and cancer in Behold The Pale Horse and BayBlab discusses a recent publication in the journal Science on the subject of trans splicing and chromosomal translocations as well as the connection between chilis and cancer - preventative or protagonist?
HighlightHealth, meanwhile, discusses the implications of a large-scale, multi-dimensional analysis of the genomic characteristics of glioblastoma, the most common primary brain tumour in adults. On Hematopoiesis, we learn how travelling normal and malignant cells decide where to stay and on get linked up to five great talks from the experts.
Cancer vaccines are big news and none more so than the vaccine being offered to young girls to protect them from cervical cancer caused by HPV. Health blogger Grace Filby has posted on why this vaccination campaign is not a good idea given the lack of safety data currently available.
Orna Ross tells us about the good things she has gained from having cancer/ and points out that fighting cancer as if it were a battle is not the only approach to tackling the disease. Actorlicious meanwhile provides a star-studded perspective and how the famous and infamous are standing up to cancer.
A post from the University of Oxford science blog on exploiting the Achilles’ heel of cancer, describes how a new approach will lead to treatments with none of the common side effects of cancer therapy. And, Sally Church on the Pharma Strategy blog asks will Abiraterone impact survival in advanced prostate cancer?, the most common carcinoma in men. She also provides a fascinating insight into treating triple negative breast cancer.
Science Metropolis discusses how public health expert Dave Ozonoff hopes to use mathematics and chaos theory to explain paradoxical cancer frequencies, such as those seen in Cape Cod, where rates are 25% higher than the state average in Massachusetts.
Finally, one from the recent Sciencebase archives entitled (hopefully quite controversially) alcohol causes cancer.
Visit the Cancer Carnival site to read past carnivals, to get information on scheduled posts and to find out how to host your own cancer research blog carnival.
David Bradley
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October 12th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
David,
No, sorry, I can’t answer your question.
If you are intrigued, however, do go to Doug’s WEB site, knowthecause.com. At the top of the page is a tool bar, run your cursor over “shows” and click on “Who’s Doug”. Here he tells a little about himself, and the incident that changed his life forever. (I had a little trouble with the video, and had to start it over.) The reason I recommend watching this particular video first is because it sets the tone for all of the other videos and articles there.
Then, if you have the time, listened to the other featured shows.
He has a week day television show, which is posted on on his WEB site also.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
DK - any idea what particular fungus Kaufmann “believes” to be the cause of cancer?
October 12th, 2008 at 5:38 am
The “bigbulletforcancer” onion, well, who knows?
What I believe on the subject of cancer stems from research done by Doug Kaufmann, knowthecause.com. He profusely reads newspaper articles, books, magazines, medical journals, doctors desk reference, Internet WEB sites, talks to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, chiropractors, nutritionists, people in the health food industry, and ordinary folks like me. He is not a doctor, but has worked with patients.
And guess what! He believes that there is a definitive link between cancer and fungus. In fact, he thinks that a myriad of diseases are related to fungal infections. How to handle fungus, in a nutshell: diet to starve it and antifungals to kill it. It’s not quite that simple, of course, but that is the jist of an antifungal regimen.
This onion, could it be a natural antifungal perchance?
October 11th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Hi Dave,
The cervical cancer vaccine story has hotted up over the last few days. The Immunisation NHS people phoned me back immediately after having spoken with one of the managers and they asked for the sources of my information. They are certainly aware now that the safety information in the NHS document is nothing like the safety information stated on the mamufacturer’s Patient Information Leaflet. I can send the links if anyone would like to contact me via either of my websites http://www.relax-well.co.uk or http://www.amazingphage.info .
It also appears from good old Google and Google Scholar scientific papers that cervical cancer is the result of chronic nutritional deficiencies in Folic Acid (as found in green vegetables) and Lycopene (as found in tomatoes and red fruits). Combine the lack of fresh fruit and veg with the contraceptive pill, smoking, and lack of sunlight on skin or bedsheets (to kill germs including HPV) and no wonder 1000 women are dying in the UK from cervical cancer each year in the UK.
Maybe this vaccination programme is not only an unnecessary risk and worry but also an unnecessary expense in these hard financial times. Instead, all these young girls need to have it explained to them what they can do to avoid such awful consequences as cervical cancer later on in life. It is worth taking another look at natural vitamins etc. because perhaps Mother Nature does provide the answers and very economically too.
Thanks for posting the blog carnival.
October 10th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Jasmin, I don’t think people with cancer are necessarily without hope, but false promises of a cure from some obscure vegetable that will undoubtedly be very expensive always leaves a bitter taste when I read about such cases. Cancer (as was highlighted in the blog carnival here) is not a single “disease” as such. It would be very, very, very, very, unlikely that a natural product could address all the myriad target proteins, enzymes, receptors etc that are involved in many different forms of disease that we choose to label simply as cancer.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
untrialled snaked oil, hehehehe.
i think it is only for hopeles people , …….but the man and woman with cancer is hopeles people i think, like Aids ,no medicine which can kill all metastase,i think include the chemotheraphy, with a lot of side efek. so why not to read it. ?
October 7th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Who knows Michael? Don’t the industry and the government planners drive each other, just like software authors and computer hardware manufacturers? As to the body “dealing with HPV”…is that strictly true in the long-term?
October 7th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Hi Everyone,
I have read Grace Filby’s and agree that it makes sense to examine more fully the claims made by GSK & Merck regarding their ‘wonder’ drugs. From reading about HPV, and hearing some medical expert opinions, it seems that the cancer risk is really quite small, as the body will deal with the virus naturally over a period of time anyway. Was this whole vaccination plan proposed by the drug companies or by government? Some clarity here would be helpful to avoid cynical claims that Big Pharma is just looking for another revenue stream to replace the antibiotic one which is slowly drying up. Seems there is more cash in ‘lifestyle’ drugs than than in prevention!
I have written a letter to the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk, which so far has not been replied to. A copy can be found at http://www.deepwide.co.uk/Gardasil.html
Mike Jozefiak
October 7th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Jasmin, looks like untrialled snake oil to me.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:20 am
dear Sir/madam
what is your opnion about this blog, http://bigbulletforcancer.blogspot.com/, he said that there is bullet for metastase of cancer stadium 4 only in 2 weeks, and the cost only 300usd$ very cheap
regards
jasmin