On the pulse

Cancerkin’s News…
Christmas Tombola coming soon…
Christmas is fast approaching and to celebrate the festive season Cancerkin will be holding a fundraising tombola at the Royal Free Hospital on 10th December. Last year a vast array of fabulous prizes were generously donated to us, ranging from books and toiletries to bottles of champagne and meals for two. If you, your business or your place of work are interested in donating a prize to help make the event a success, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Laura at l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk or call 0207 830 2323.

In the news…
New technique shows if treatment is working…
Cancer Research UK has reported on the development of a new method that quickly shows if breast cancer treatment is working. Current methods using CT scanning and MRI can only detect the impact of treatment when a tumour begins to shrink, a sign that can take a number of weeks to become visible. The new imaging technique, developed by scientists at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute, is able to recognise very early changes in cancer cells, allowing doctors to evaluate the effect of treatment at a much earlier stage.

Researchers used two specially labelled chemical markers on breast cancer cells treated with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin to highlight early signs of response to the treatment. The first marker, [1-13]pyruvate, shows if the drug is damaging the DNA of cancer cells and the second, [1,4-13C2]fumarate, shows if it is killing such cells, both positive signs that treatment is working.

Lead researcher, Professor Kevin Brindle, said of the impact the technique could have: “Our new imaging method not only shows early evidence that treatment is working but could also help predict the long term outcome.” Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, added: “We need fast and accurate ways of knowing that the treatment is working. This research could help us tailor treatment to each patient by giving doctors a useful tool to check treatments are working after a short time, rather than waiting several weeks to see if the tumour is shrinking, reducing unnecessary treatment for women.” To read more about the technique, click here.

Can green tea help fight breast cancer…?
Each week, the press pitches us new theories surrounding supposed breast cancer-fighting super foods. Writing off one such popular theory, a Japanese study published recently in the journal Breast Cancer Research has found that green tea, a drink previously thought to have breast cancer-fighting properties, in reality does nothing to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

Lead by Motoki Iwasaki at the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, the study monitored 54,000 Japanese women who drank green tea over a period of five years. Researchers found that, regardless of how much the women drank, the tea had no effect on their breast cancer risk. The study contradicts earlier research into the drink during in-vitro and animal-based studies that suggested green tea could help prevent the disease.

Despite the study’s findings, it is not to say that green tea is without health benefits. As listed in The Independent this week following the study’s revelation, some of its healthful properties include: aiding weight loss, preventing tooth decay, regulating digestive functions and improving mental processes. More significantly, separate research into the drink has recently revealed that drinking five cups a day can reduce the risk of stomach cancer in women by up to 20%. To read more about the relative health benefits of green tea, please click here.

A phone ‘app’ for every occasion…

A new iPhone ‘app’ newly launched by Breakthrough Breast Cancer is aiming to help make more women breast aware. A thoroughly innovative approach to breast cancer awareness, the application, which can be downloaded free from the internet to your iPhone, follows three simple steps: images and a video demonstrate how you should check your breasts, using the TLC (Touch, Look, Check) routine; an alert reminds you to carry out regular checks; and a quiz-style “Risk-Report” examines your lifestyle, environment and family history to assess your risk of developing cancer.

In line with recent internet-based “Everyone is Art” and Facebook campaigns for breast cancer awareness month, as reported in On the pulse last month, this interactive ‘app’ is clearly targeted at a younger audience. Young women are increasingly at risk of developing breast cancer and so it is encouraging to see new approaches to breast awareness that are able to engage with younger women and teenage girls and to encourage them to check their breasts regularly.

Judith Potts, a former actress who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, has shared her thoughts on the ‘app’ in her blog in The Telegraph this week – to read it, click here. If you would like to download the application yourself, please click here.

Laura Smith 4th November 2010
l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk