Weight loss surgeries are intended to cut excess amount of weight from our body. But do you know that these surgeries may also reduce the risk of cancer in women. This surprising finding was released on Tuesday by a group of Swedish researchers who discovered that weight loss surgery may also help obese women to lower the risks of developing cancer.

The 10-year study published on Lancet Oncology reported that women who had undergone weight loss surgery are 42 percent less likely to come into contact with cancer. The study also revealed that men on the other hand did not benefit much from the surgery mainly because only a small number of men had undergone these surgeries and most of the cancers are result of female hormones like estrogen.

People have long known that obesity can increase the risk of cancer. A recent study released in the Journal of American Medical Association reported that people who were obese at young age have higher probability to develop pancreatic cancer. This group of people has twice the risk of getting aggressive pancreatic cancer that may lead to death.

In the study headed by Lars Sjostrom of Sahlgrenska University, Gothenburg, researchers compare 2010 obese patients who had undergone weight loss surgery with 2037 obese patients who tried standard diet and other exercise for weight loss treatment. The results were truly in favor of the weight loss surgery group as people in this category lost almost 19.9 kg or 43 pounds of weight over the study period of 10 years while the other group of people following diet and exercise gained 1.3 kg.

Weight loss surgeries were also reported to cut the risks of cancer by 1/3 with women enjoying the maximum benefit. The results showed that among the surveyed women, 79 had first time cancers in the weight loss surgery category compared to 130 among those who employed exercise and diet to reduce their weight.

When asked about the benefits for men, Dr. Andrew Renehan of University of Manchester, UK, said that only fewer men participated in the study and hence the result. He also said that women were the one who were more likely to get affected by cancer, mainly the post-menopausal breast and endometrial cancers. Renehan added that the effects of weight loss surgery would take longer time to show up in men who are prone mostly to colon and kidney cancers that take longer time to become evident.

Adding to the points of Renehan, Dr. Leena Khaitan also confirmed the fact that 80% of patients who undergo weight loss surgery are women and thus makes the difference in the benefits enjoyed by women with the surgery. She also praised the efforts of the researchers and added that study like this may be important to show people that weight loss surgery may be a way to prevent deadly diseases like cancer.

To a certain degree, men are more likely to develop and die from a form of cancer than women. Recent UK studies revealed that men have greater cancer risk than women. In fact, men are 60% more likely to develop and 70% more likely to die from cancers that affect both sexes (excluding breast cancer and other form of cancers that are gender specific).

There seems to be no biological explanation for this gap between sexes and it is as though that certain lifestyle changes could help prevent most of the cancers. Apparently women are far more careful when it comes to their health while men should be more aware of their own health and visit the doctors more frequently. Experts say, men reluctance to adopt a healthy lifestyle might be the reason why men have greater cancer risk.

Men are far less health conscious than women and this seems to fuel the gap between sexes when it comes to cancer mortality. Professor David Forman, researcher and member of the National Cancer Intelligence Network, said there’s no biological reason why this gender gap should exist and that men could avoid health issues by simply being more health conscious. The research conducted by the National Cancer Intelligence Network showed men are far less likely to make significant lifestyle changes and are less likely to visit a doctor when cancer symptoms arise.

Chairman of the Men Health’s forum, Professor Alan White, also noted men usually ignore factors such as obesity, smoking, drinking, and having a poor diet as contributors to cancer risks. Professor White said men have to look to their lifestyles more seriously and take more responsibility but new research is needed in order to better understand the serious gender gap that exists when it comes to cancer mortality.

Professor Mike Richards, government’s cancer expert, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and urged all men to seek help and visit their doctors when health issues arise. Sara Hiom, member of Cancer Research UK, said more than half of the cancers can be prevented by certain lifestyle changes but men are more reluctant than women when it comes to visiting the doctor. This delay in reporting health issues to a doctor might be one of the main reasons why men are more likely to die of cancer than women are.

According to a recent research carried out by some eminent researchers, doctors may shortly come up with a technique which can diagnoses prostate cancer by measuring chemical compounds rather than the conventional blood test.

In a recent telephonic interview, David Parker of Durham University concluded that the test can produce a fingerprint of citrate - a chemical that falls in the prostate gland with the gradual development of cancer. The designer of the chemical test further explained that, citrate formed in cell metabolism processes act as a biomarker for disease, citrate levels in prostate fluid fall as prostate cancer progresses. Thus it provides reliable method for screening and detecting prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is known to be the second most common diseases that men all across the globe are affected with. It falls second only to lung cancer and devours as many as 254,000 men each year all over the world.

Almost all the cancer specialists advise a blood test to male-folks over 50 years of age. This blood test is called prostate-specific antigen test, and is popularly known as the PSA test. Doctors and specialists believe that early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer is better than at a later stage, as it stands a better chance of controlling the spreading of the disease.

Most of the prostate tumors take time to grow and gradually cause harm. Studies revealed that many prostate cancer patients are even living with the harsh effects caused by aggressive hormone therapies and radiation treatment that may not have killed them.

During the study, David Parker along with his colleagues further concentrated their research on compound citrate, which is known to provide the prostate cells with the required energy.

The citrate level in the prostate varies considerably and depends on a zinc-sensitive enzyme. For men who are diagnosed with cancer, there is a considerable reduction in the levels of zinc that in turn brings about a reduction in the levels of citrate. Again, Leslie Costello from University of Maryland remarked that the technique aids in analyzing the effects of cancer at a very early stage of diagnosis. According to the findings of the researchers in the journal called Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, the new technique needs only a microlitre of fluid and this can be extracted with the help of a needle.

This technique will take some more time to be put into practice as the researchers are still going on with their regular studies and experiments. However, they hold a firm belief that this technique will definitely prove to be of immense benefit in the near future.

Selenium, a trace mineral, forms an essential component of our heart muscle and immune system. It can be found in animal protein, fish, vegetables and Brazilian nuts. It holds fort steadfastly against cancer, thyroid malfunction, infertility and arthritis. A chunk of this is attributable to its anti-oxidant properties. In fact, researchers also suggest that selenium possesses properties that metamorphose cancer genes.

Selenium occurs in the soil in natural form and thus it is easily absorbed by crops and altered into bioavailable variety for human use; barring the East Coast, US boasts of selenium-rich soil. Selenium is most useful to human body in its L-selenomethionine avatar. In contrariety, Selenite is not as easily absorbed by the body.

A 2003 study undertaken in France probed into the size of thyroid gland as compared to the consumption of selenium. Selenium level was found to be inversely proportional to the size of thyroid. A larger thyroid obviously brings home the threat of goiter. The research also concluded that selenium may reduce the risk of both goiter and other thyroid related diseases.

High selenium level in bloodstream, can also palliate the replication of HIV virus and the study came out with a startling revelation that those with low levels selenium were twenty times more likely to pass away with AIDS.

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) conducted a study that suggested a decrease by 50 percent in number of cancer deaths with the help of selenium supplement. The statistics included cancers of the lungs, prostate and colon.

A double blind, placebo-controlled cancer prevention trial, pertaining to random data was published in 1997. The study was undertaken in the University of Arizona. Over 1300 patients with basal cell cancer were provided with 200 mcg of selenium a day between the years 1983 to 1991. It was found that cancer mortality diminished significantly. Selenium group brought fourth a reduction of 28 deaths as compared to control group. Also incidences of cancer were significantly reduced – 77 in selenium group compare to 117 in the control group. There was not a single case of toxicity reported. This brought the researchers to a conclusion that supplementation of selenium could be an effective aid against various forms of cancer including lung, prostate and colon cancer, with skin cancer being an exception.

After a successful research on cancer treatment, a group of doctors and scientists from Vancouver is set to receive international recognition. Their breakthrough discovery paves a positive procedure for the medical community to diagnose and treat cancer.

More than 40 scientists and doctors composed the research team from BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health Institute. The team who collaborated discovered that granulose cell tumours are brought about by genes sharing a single mutation. The said genetic mutation commonly causes ovarian cancer, which is recorded to be rare and untreatable.

The researcher compared the successful breakthrough as similar to finding a needle in a haystack considering the complexities of cancer cells, which are composed of almost three billion genetic codes.

However, result from the breakthrough published in the New England Journal of Medicine promises more application to ovarian cancer cases. As the research team utilizes state-of-the-art technology that led to the discovery of the ovarian cancer’s DNA having a single mutation, this can also be applied to identify other cancer’s genetic sequences.

According to Dr. David Huntsman, a genetic pathologist at the BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver General Hospital and the University of B.C, the team can now decode cancer sequences completely. He said that this achievement was something almost impossible two years ago.

With the discovery, doctors are now able to diagnose individual “recipe” for their cancer patients. Huntsman posits to the idea since the opportunity for the medical community to identify genetic sequences of certain cancers effectively established the route to personalized treatment for individual patient. He further stated that people should recognize that cancer patients have different reactions not only to their diseases but also their response and adaptation to treatments.

About 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during lifetime. For those men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer at a very early stage, they might not require to undergo any kind of treatment. However, aggressive therapy becomes an absolute must for those who are diagnosed late or by that time their cancer has begun to spread beyond the prostrate.

According to a recent research program, men that have been diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer can live for a considerable long period of time if they undertake recurrent sessions of hormone suppression therapy. In this case, the drug hormones are known to block the male hormones, testosterone, which is known to aid the cancer in spreading over several regions.

The research program which was carried out in the France subcontinent studied the case history of as many as 970 patients who were exposed to hormone-suppression therapy along with radiation for a span stretching from six months to three years. Result from the study had shown that men who were assigned to the therapy for a shorter span were more likely to die within a five year span.

However, many experts also hold the view that hormone suppression drugs comes with a lot of side-effects, which include reduced sex drive, insomnia, and hot flashes. Moreover, patients having small tumor in their prostate region may not need to undergo extensive sessions of hormone suppression. Last but not the least; men must consult with their doctors about the potential benefits and risks involved in hormone-suppression therapy before opt for an individualized treatment that will benefit them the most.

Note : Prostate Cancer Key Statistics

1) Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer in American men.

2) About 1 in 6 men will be will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

3) It is estimated that around one hundred and ninety thousand prostate cancer cases will be diagnosed in US alone in 2009.

4) Only 1 in 35 men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die of the disease. Currently there are more than 2 million men in US diagnosed with prostate cancer and are still alive.

Researchers reveal that a blood test that is able to characterize prostate tumor by its unique genetic pattern may help to determine whether a man has prostate cancer. Managing Director of the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in Boston, Robert Ross explains that, recent studies have successfully generated a genetic tool that out perform the basic PSA testing in determine prostate cancer.

In basic testing, PSA levels count the protein known as prostate-specific antigen generated by the cells in the prostate. If the PSA level is high, it may be a sign of cancer.

The new test which monitors the activity of 6 genes responsible for prostate cancer was introduced at the yearly conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

According to Ross, men with high PSA lever will have to go through biopsy. Even then, about 60% of these tests show negative result. Every year more than 1 million men undergo the anxiety and pain due to biopsies. The new genetic test can aid the patients to avoid any such discomforting feelings because of biopsies.

The scientists’ experiment started with 392 pair of genes associated with cancer by using a device known as gene chip. They collected blood samples of 76 males diagnosed with prostate cancer and 76 healthy males. They then extracted 6 genes which dominated prostate cancer. This method was repeated again for evaluation on blood samples of 128 males diagnosed with prostate cancer and 84 males without any disease.

Result from the experiment shows that the 6-gene test correctly identified 86% of men with prostate cancer while PSA only manage to identify 70%. When the PSA test along with gene test was used together for diagnosis, the result was perfectly satisfactory. Scientist are now working on further study to see if the new gene test can correctly predicts biopsy results in a 1,000 male.

Prostrate cancer is a threat to a lot of men. The majority of prostate cancer is “pussycat” prostate cancer. This type of prostate cancer is mild and would not cause major problems throughout the patient’s life. Another type of prostate cancer referred to as “tigers” cancer. This type of prostate cancer is more aggressive and can even lead to death.

One of the major problem faces by many doctors is working out the type of prostate cancer a patient suffers. According to a recent research by British Journal of Cancer Research, small bubbles of fat that passes through the urine can actually determine if a prostate cancer is something mild or fatal, thus help in determining which type of treatment should be implemented.

Men suffering from pussycat cancers often undergo unnecessary test, medication and treatment which result in certain side effects such as loss of sex drive and impotence. This site effects can be prevented if there is a reliable test to determine whether a tumor is aggressive.

Up until today, medics have used varying levels of protein, including PSA or what is referred to as prostate specific antigen to know more about the cancer. But this technique turns out to be problematic.

According to the researchers, a fatty capsule referred to as exosomes, coming from the tumor, may contain a lot of information about the make up and the genetic of prostate cancer. Various genes can be turned off and on in serious and dormant cases of prostate cancer.

Dr. Jonas Nilsson, an author at the University Medical Centre in Amsterdam said that the medicine world hopes that this would be a new approach in knowing more about prostate cancer. Meanwhile, Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK commented that such technique could help to find new biomarkers that can tell if a tumor would lead to aggressive prostate or not.

It is still a long run to diagnose and treat aggressive prostate cancer at a much earlier stage. One of the most common symptoms of this type of cancer is difficulty in urination, thus it is important to have your condition checked by doctor regularly if you have such symptom.

Folic acid was treated as wonder vitamins when scientists discovered its benefits in preventing cancers. But recent studies have shown that high intake of folic acid might favor cancers in some people. Experts say that folic acid intake needs a careful watch as some people react to high intake of folic acid.

Connie Motter, co-chair of the National Council on Folic Acid says that it is difficult to determine the correct amount of folic acid require by a person as low consumption of folic acid is not recommended and too much folic acid is probably not good.

Folic acid is an artificial version of folate, a vitamin B9 that exist in green leafy vegetables, legumes and orange juice. It assists in generating and mange new cells in the body. The increasing birth abnormalities in United States, as spina bifida and anencephaly had stimulated to inculcate folic acid, in cereals grains and flours supplied in 1998. Since then, birth abnormalities rate has declined by 20% to 50%.

Folic acid should be taken as everyday supplement to the women who are at pregnancy stages especially during the first few weeks. Since more than 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, doctors suggest getting 800 micrograms of folic acid per day for women of childbearing age. Other benefits of folate include, fight against anemic conditions, congenital heart defects,  premature birth and help to maintain nails, skin and hair healthy.

Researchers are of the opinion that higher doses of folic acid to a certain extent replace the action of vitamin B12 thereby preventing dementia developing in old people. Cancer is another scenario. The vitamins aid in the speedy growth of cancer cells in the colon and sustain the prevention of modifying into cancer. Studies relate cancers such as colorectal and precancerous polyps decrease by 40 percent to 60 percent if folic acid is taken excessively.

But folic acid also increases the risk of cancer because it aids the growth of cancerous cells. Research on animals revealed that if cells take turn to become cancer cells, than intake the vitamins will instead make the situation worse.

Researchers have found evidences of colorectal cancer in north America and said the rates have increased in number during the time of inclusion of folic acid in cereal grains. A study published recently had shown clear relation in the increase of colorectal cancer in Chile after the inclusion of folic acid with effect from year 2000. Joel B. Mason, Professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University in Boston, commented that it was not easy to relate to their understanding of the studies.

Folic acid is also worked alongside in clinical trials. The biggest trial involved around 500 people with precancerous colon polyps with a recommended dose of 1 milligram of folic acid (more than twice the suggested 400 micrograms dose). After few years, these people under trial reported the polyps developing more than 3 polyps, almost double the normal count.

Another recent report published in March stated that man who consumed folic acid supplements had almost thrice the chances of developing into prostate cancer after a decade.

The Institute of Medicine’s has set 1 milligram as the maximum intake of folic acid by the synthetic and natural sources together. Marian Neuhouser, a nutritional epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, concludes to say that this is the only piece of information that one can take home by not exceeding 1000 micrograms.

Based on a recent study, diet low in fat and high in vegetables and fruits might be good in treating and preventing prostate cancer. In the research, scientists intended to determine whether alterations in diet may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Robert W.-L. Ma and his partner K Chapman from University of New South Wales (UNSW) worked on the ground of fact related to dietary solutions to avoid prostate cancer and in taking care of the prostate cancer patients.

Prostate cancer patients’ diet, as per the scientists’ recommendations, should rule out inclusion of high energy products, meat and dairy products. Instead, they should focus on low fat diet which is high in fruits and vegetables in addition to calcium consumption. The scientists recommended cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli, green tea in addition to vitamin E and selenium in order to prevent prostate cancer. They also pointed out that there are proven connections between highly processed meats, milk products and fats in relation to prostate cancer.

The scientists who contribute their result of study to the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics said that the study shown an alteration in diet can possibly avoid the risk of prostate cancer though it is not fully established.  The recommended dietary therapy for prostate cancer patients in order to get them direct involve in the treatment process.