High Fiber Diet Linked To Lower Colon Cancer RiskEating a high-fiber diet is linked with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to new research that analyzed 25 different studies. Total fiber intake, as well as fiber from whole grains and from cereals, was most strongly linked with a reduction in colorectal cancer risk, the researchers say. The evidence was weaker for fiber from fruits, vegetables, and legumes, says study researcher Dagfinn Aune, a research associate at Imperial College London. "It doesn't mean you shouldn't eat your fruits and vegetables," he tells WebMD. He found fewer studies on the impact on colon cancer risk of fiber from fruits, vegetables, and legumes than studies looking at the other foods, he says. "It's possible that we did not have enough statistical power." Overall, the link found between fiber intake and risk reduction was small. Aune's team found a 10% risk reduction in colorectal cancer for each 10 grams of fiber eaten a day. However, the more fiber people ate, the more risk reduction was found.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500368_162-57323169/high-fiber-diet-linked-to-lower-colon-cancer-risk/
Brain Scan Study Finds Evidence of 'Chemo Brain'
Women who survive breast cancer after undergoing chemotherapy may also have to contend with impairments in attention, memory and planning skills, U.S. researchers said Monday. The research study reported that women who had undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer had significantly less activity in parts of the brain responsible for executive functioning tasks compared with breast cancer patients who were not treated with chemotherapy. Among those treated with chemotherapy, the study also found a strong correlation between women who complained they were having trouble with memory and thinking skills and actual deficits in these regions of the brain. This study may help explain why many breast cancer patients complain of "chemo brain" -- a term used to describe foggy thinking and memory lapses following treatment with chemotherapy. "This is a huge validation for these women who are telling their doctors 'something is wrong with me'," said Shelli Kesler of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, whose study appears in the Archives of Neurology. "This shows that when a patient reports she's struggling with these types of problems, there's a good chance there has been a brain change," Kesler said. Her study involved 25 breast cancer patients who had been treated with chemotherapy, 19 breast cancer patients who had surgery and other treatments, and 18 healthy women. While a finding in 25 women seems small, Kesler said it is large for a brain scan study and points to a need to start identifying, which women who undergo chemotherapy are, most vulnerable to these types of deficits.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-cancer-breast-braintre7ad26v-20111114,0,300105.story
Teenage Girls, Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Teenage girls who have a family history of breast cancer and drink alcohol are increasing their own risk of the disease. Researchers from Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School conducted a health survey, published Sunday, on almost 7,000 girls ages 9 to 15. The surveys were repeated twice when the girls were 18 to 27. The participants' mothers were asked about their own history of benign breast disease, breast cancer and family history of breast cancer. Not surprisingly, the study found that girls with a family history of breast cancer were more likely to develop benign breast disease in young adulthood -- more than twice as likely as girls with no family history. But the study also showed that the more alcohol the higher-risk girls consumed, the more likely they were to develop benign breast disease -- which is a risk factor for cancer. Moreover, girls with a family history of breast cancer who had the most rapid growth spurt in height were at higher risk compared with girls without a family history. Previous studies have shown that alcohol consumption in adult women raises the risk of breast cancer. The study suggests that risk factors for breast cancer are different depending on whether there is a family history of the disease.
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-breast-cancer-20111114,0,2020211.story
Teenage girls who have a family history of breast cancer and drink alcohol are increasing their own risk of the disease. Researchers from Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School conducted a health survey, published Sunday, on almost 7,000 girls ages 9 to 15. The surveys were repeated twice when the girls were 18 to 27. The participants' mothers were asked about their own history of benign breast disease, breast cancer and family history of breast cancer. Not surprisingly, the study found that girls with a family history of breast cancer were more likely to develop benign breast disease in young adulthood -- more than twice as likely as girls with no family history. But the study also showed that the more alcohol the higher-risk girls consumed, the more likely they were to develop benign breast disease -- which is a risk factor for cancer. Moreover, girls with a family history of breast cancer who had the most rapid growth spurt in height were at higher risk compared with girls without a family history. Previous studies have shown that alcohol consumption in adult women raises the risk of breast cancer. The study suggests that risk factors for breast cancer are different depending on whether there is a family history of the disease.
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-breast-cancer-20111114,0,2020211.story
Acupuncture May Help Common Cancer Treatment Side Effect
An ancient therapy could prove effective at relieving a common side effect of cancer treatment; a small, new study shows. Acupuncture was able to reduce dry mouth in people who were receiving radiation therapy to treat their head and neck cancers, reported researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. "The medical implications are quite profound in terms of quality of life, because while chronic dry mouth may sound benign, it has a significant impact on sleeping, eating and speaking," study researcher Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director of MD Anderson's Integrative Medicine Program, said in a statement. "Without saliva, there can be an increase in microbial growth, possible bone infection and irreversible nutritional deficits." Researchers examined 86 people with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were undergoing radiotherapy for their cancer. Forty of the patients received acupuncture three times a week while they received their radiotherapy over seven weeks, while 46 just had regular care. Researchers monitored the study participants' saliva flow using a Xerostomia Questionnaire -- a score under 30 meant that dry mouth was mild or completely gone. A month after all the study participants had finished their therapies, researchers found that 54.3 percent of the people who had acupuncture had a Xerostomia Questionnaire score of over 30, while 86.1 percent of people who didn't have acupuncture had a score of over 30. And then six months after undergoing treatment, researchers found that just 24.1 percent of the people who had acupuncture had a score over 30, while 63.6 percent of the people who didn't had a score of over 30. Researchers said more studies are needed to see why exactly acupuncture has these benefits.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/13/acupuncture-dry-mouth-xerostomia-cancer-radiation_n_1087017.html
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