0 Aspirin blocks tumor growth in some colorectal cancer

Aspirin has the potential to block tumor growth in certain patients with colorectal cancer, according to an editorial in the Oct. 25, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine by a University of Alabama at Birmingham oncologist. In a study that appears in the same issue, researchers examined the use of aspirin in the treatment outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer.

Researchers collected experimental data from 964 patients with colorectal cancer, separating them into two groups based on the presence or absence of a mutation within the PIK3CA gene. The authors found that the use of aspirin after diagnosis in patients with the gene mutation was associated with a 46 percent reduction in overall mortality and an 82 percent reduction in colorectal cancer-specific mortality. In contrast, aspirin use in patients without the mutation did not affect either overall or colorectal-specific mortality.

“Approximately 17 percent of patients with colorectal cancer have a tumor that carries a mutated PIK3CA gene,” says Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Division of Hematology and Oncology. “Hence, more than one in every six patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer may benefit from this therapy.”

Every year, more than 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from the disease. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in the United States and the fourth worldwide.

Over the past decade, little progress has been made in the treatment of locally advanced colorectal cancer, which is defined as cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes but has not metastasized, or spread to other organs. “While several new drugs have proven useful in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, only one of them has demonstrated efficacy in locally advanced colorectal cancer,” Pasche says.

Pasche notes that the sample size for the current study was small. Only 66 patients with the PIK3CA mutation used aspirin after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer and only three of them died of colorectal cancer during the follow-up. “Although we are intrigued about these findings, they are still preliminary, and larger prospective studies need to be conducted,” says Pasche.

One cause of concern is that aspirin is known to increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic strokes, Pasche notes. Although many Americans use baby aspirin daily to reduce their risk of heart disease, patients are generally only advised to do so when their cardiac risk is presumed to outweigh the risk of taking aspirin.

“We haven’t reached the point where we can make a big leap and advise patients to take aspirin to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery, but we are accumulating more information that helps us understand the role that aspirin can potentially play in cancer,” says Pasche. “As it is with any type of cancer treatment, we need to examine the benefits against the risks, but aspirin may well become one of the oldest drugs to be used as a 21st-century targeted therapy.

0 Natural Ways to Increase Growth Hormone

Natural Ways to Increase Growth Hormone | Many ways you can do to slow the aging process in the body. Later came a variety of research reports about the potential of providing human growth hormone (HGH) synthetic as one way to prevent aging. But is it effective? Science will test it.

Growth hormone is produced naturally by pituary gland (pituitary) - a small structure at the base of the brain - which was instrumental in helping to maintain the vitality and growth of tissues and organs. However, as we get older, the pituitary gland tends to produce less growth hormone - resulting in degeneration.

According to the Mayo Clinic experts from the United States, there is little evidence to suggest that administration of human growth hormone (HGH) synthesis may slow or stop the aging process, or help restore vitality.

Even so, the hormone also has the risk of side effects, ranging from minor problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and joint pain. As for the more serious side effects can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

But you need not worry. There is a much safer and no side effects to boost your growth hormone. The following is tips as quoted from Life Extension magazine.

Natural Ways to Increase Growth Hormone

1. Get rid of belly fat
It can help reverse the decline in the production of HGH (human growth hormone). The study also found, by doing physical activities and stay active to optimize the level of HGH in a persons body.

2. Be sure to know what you eat.
Life Extension has written that one should avoid the consumption of high glycemic index carbohydrates, which have been shown to inhibit the secretion of HGH. Instead, eat snacks that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates before bed is high in protein and low in carbohydrates will assist in the production of HGH.

3. Enough time to rest.
Most of the production of growth hormone (HGH) generally occurs during sleep. Poor sleep patterns can contribute to the decline in HGH production in the lower body.