Her recent breast surgery went perfectly. The tumor is out, margins are clear, and none of her scans show any cancer. So, she is understandably distraught when I begin to discuss the option of chemotherapy. “But I thought they got it all,” she says.
As a medical oncologist, I have had some version of this conversation hundreds of times, but it never gets easier. We call it adjuvant therapy — the medical practice of giving a person four to six months of chemotherapy after their cancer surgery, just in case. The underlying logic of adjuvant therapy rests on a single uncomfortable fact.
The practice of oncology is hard. I hope you never have to make a decision regarding adjuvant chemotherapy.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: There is a way of eating linked to lower risk of getting cancer. See below.
You can read about this (or watch the video) at various places. One is TheFocalPoints.com.
“84.4% of Cancer Patients Taking Ivermectin + Mebendazole Reported No Evidence of Disease, Tumor Regression, or Cancer Stabilization After 6 Months”
It just sounds too good to be true. And you know want that usually means. I’ve not done a deep dive into this report but I’m very skeptical. The study lumped a bunch of different cancer types together: breast, pancreas, colon, lung, etc. The uneducated among us may think all cancers are alike. They are not. They behave differently and, traditionally, require different therapeutic approaches for the best outcome. If (and that’s a big IF) there is a unifying underlying chemical or cellular phenomenon that causes all cancers, then a panacea like ivermectin/mebendazole may be an effective treatment. (In case you’re wondering, I was prepared to take ivermectin during the pandemic but never did.)
Just a reminder, I am not a cancer specialist. If I had cancer, I would consult a cancer specialist, typically an oncologist.
Authors of the study at hand do note that “…these findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. Urgent prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are warranted to validate these observations and further define optimal dosing strategies.” You may recognize one of the authors, TV celebrity Dr. Drew Pinsky. What a Renaissance man! Other familiar author names are Peter McCullough and Harvey Risch.
This is a shoddy research study presented as a quality improvement project. This dubious classification functioned as an excuse for lack of interface with relevant regulatory bodies.
There is validity to the assertion that ivermectin and mebendazole show anticancer activity in preclinical studies. This study provides no meaningful evidence for or against the efficacy of such treatments in humans with cancer.
—–Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: Reduce your risk of getting cancer with the Mediterranean diet!
Alcohol consumption is thought to be the third-leading cause of preventable cancer in the U.S., behind tobacco and obesity. It is linked to cancer of the breast, throat, esophagus, liver, colorectum, larynx, and mouth (pharynx). In the U.S., alcohol reportedly causes 100,000 yearly cancers, leading to 20,000 yearly deaths. One or even fewer drinks per day may cause breast, mouth, and throat cancer.
And let’s not forget the yearly 13,500 alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities.
I may need to re-think the inclusion of alcohol as an option in my Advanced Mediterranean Diet.
Posted onAugust 20, 2021|Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet May Prevent Cancer Only In Women, Not Men
The traditional Mediterranean diet has long been linked to lower risk of certain cancers, particularly colon, breast, uterus, and prostate cancer. That’s one reason the diet is usually ranked as the #1 healthiest diet in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual diet survey. A 2020study of a Netherlands population suggest that the anti-cancer benefit applies only to women. Excerpts from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
“In this NLCS analysis, sex-specific associations of a priori defined Mediterranean diet adherence with risks of overall cancer and cancer subgroups defined by relations with 3 major cancer risk factors (tobacco smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption) were investigated. In women, middle compared with low aMEDr values [alternate Mediterranean diet score without alcohol] were significantly associated with a reduced risk of overall cancer and the majority of the cancer subgroups investigated. Other associations in women were not statistically significant after full adjustment for confounding, but all estimates were below 1. No association was observed between aMEDr and risk of overall cancer or any of the cancer subgroups in men. Inclusion of alcohol in the Mediterranean diet score diminished the model performance.
“Even though the association of Mediterranean diet adherence with overall cancer risk is comprised of a combination of potentially diverging associations with individual cancer (sub)types, overall cancer risk is an interesting end point for epidemiological studies. It provides insight in the overall possible benefits of Mediterranean diet adherence and the potential of the Mediterranean diet as a dietary strategy for cancer prevention. Findings of previously conducted prospective studies evaluating the relation between a priori defined Mediterranean diet adherence and overall cancer risk have been inconclusive and were rarely specified by sex.
“A priori defined Mediterranean diet adherence has previously significantly been associated with a reduced overall cancer risk in the total European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort as well as the Greek EPIC cohort.9,10 Comparing the highest with the lowest Mediterranean diet adherence category in the total EPIC cohort, HRs (95% CIs) of 0.93 (0.88-0.99) and 0.93 (0.89-0.96) were observed for men and women, respectively. Although inverse associations were also suggested for both sexes in the Greek EPIC cohort, only effect estimates obtained in women reached statistical significance (HRhigh vs low [95% CI]: 0.83 [0.63-1.09] for men and 0.73 [0.56-0.96] for women). In addition to the previously mentioned EPIC studies, weak inverse associations between Mediterranean diet adherence and overall cancer risk were observed in men (HRper tertile increase [95% CI]: 0.97 [0.94-1.01]) and women (HRper tertile increase [95% CI]: 0.97 [0.93-1.00]) participating in the Swedish prospective Västerbotten Intervention Programme. In the present analysis of the NLCS cohort, a priori defined Mediterranean diet adherence was not associated with overall cancer risk in men. In regard to women, although the multivariable-adjusted associations in female NLCS participants were not statistically significant in most cases, effect estimates were stronger inverse than those observed for women in the total EPIC cohort, which did reach statistical significance possibly due to the larger number of cases. Additional cohort studies in Germany and France have investigated the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and overall cancer risk in men and women together and did not observe an association. Besides the prospective cohort evidence, a reduced overall cancer risk (borderline significant, P = .05) was indicated in patients with coronary heart disease who followed an α-linolenic acid-rich Mediterranean-type diet as opposed to a control diet close to the step 1 prudent diet of the American Heart Association in the randomized Lyon Diet Heart Study. However, results should be interpreted with caution because they were based on only 24 incident cancer cases.”
Posted onAugust 19, 2021|Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet May Help Men With Prostate Cancer
Grapes are a time-honored component of the Mediterranean diet
The traditional Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of several cancers, one of which is prostate cancer. Now we have evidence that the diet can help prevent progression of early-stage prostate cancer.
In a study to examine a Mediterranean diet in relation to prostate cancer progression in men on active surveillance, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that men with localized prostate cancer who reported a baseline dietary pattern that more closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fared better over the course of their disease.
Posted onFebruary 12, 2020|Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Ranked as Best Overall of 2020
Santorini, Greek seaside
Not surprising!
Every year, the U.S. News and World Report puts together a panel of experts to rank various diets.
From MedScape:
For the third year in a row, the Mediterranean diet has been named the best diet overall in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings.
In 2018, the Mediterranean diet shared top honors with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Both focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The ketogenic diet, one of the most popular, again fared well in the annual survey, but only in the fast weight loss category. Overall, it was not rated highly.
Angela Haupt, managing editor of health for the publication, says this year’s list has ”no surprises,” as it includes many diets that have been named outstanding before. Trendy diets typically won’t be found on its list, she says, explaining that its experts look for plans that have solid research and staying power.
Posted onJanuary 30, 2020|Comments Off on Exercise Reduces Risk for Cancer By Up to 25 Percent
Recreation, not exercise
Exercise isn’t supposed to be fun. Ken Hutchins wrote, “Do not try to make exercise enjoyable.” Getting your teeth cleaned isn’t supposed to be fun, either.
Once I got that through my thick skull, it made it easier for me to slog through my twice weekly workouts.
Hutchins again: “We accept that both exercise and recreation are important in the overall scheme of fitness, and they overlap to a great degree. But to reap maximum benefits of both or either they must first be well-defined and then be segregated in practice.”
Back on topic…
From UPI:
In findings published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers at the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report that people who engaged in physical activity as recommended by the National Institutes of Health were able to reduce their risk for seven different types of cancer by as much as 25 percent.
This included common—and deadly—forms of the disease like colon and breast cancers, as well as endometrial cancer, kidney cancer, myeloma, liver cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
* * *
Updated federal guidelines for physical activity recommend that people should aim for two and a half to five hours per week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 to 150 minutes per week of “vigorous activity.”
Posted onJanuary 24, 2020|Comments Off on Alcohol and Cancer Risk: Clinical and Research Implications | Oncology | JAMA | JAMA Network
Stillhouse Moonshine Whiskey (NOT specifically linked to increased cancer risk)
Do you drink alcohol in part because you think it’s good for heart health? For longevity? To prevent dementia? If so, you may be increasing your risk of cancer.
From JAMA Network:
Ample evidence has been available for some time indicating that alcohol use is a preventable risk factor for cancer, and the World Health Organization deemed alcohol a carcinogen more than 30 years ago. In the United States, it is estimated that 5.6% of incident cancer cases (approximately 87 000 each year) are associated with alcohol, including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, liver, esophagus (squamous cell carcinoma), female breast, and colorectum. Type of alcohol does not appear to matter; all alcoholic beverages include ethanol, which increases levels of acetaldehyde and in turn promotes DNA damage. Moreover, even moderate levels of consumption (often defined as approximately 14–28 g/d, the equivalent of about 1–2 drinks) appear to be associated with higher risk of some cancers, including cancers of the female breast. A protective association has emerged for some cancers, with the most evidence for kidney, Hodgkin lymphoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nonetheless, the overall cancer burden associated with alcohol use is substantial and comparable with that of other preventable risk factors such as UV exposure and excess body weight.
Posted onNovember 22, 2019|Comments Off on A practical guide to the Mediterranean diet – From Harvard
There are myriad reasons the traditional Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets. From Harvard Medical Publishing, an article written by a Registered Dietitian:
The Mediterranean diet has received much attention as a healthy way to eat, and with good reason. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, and in older adults, a decreased risk of frailty, along with better mental and physical function. In January [2019], US News and World Report named it the “best diet overall” for the second year running.
Posted onSeptember 21, 2019|Comments Off on Animal Versus Plant Protein: Which Is Healthier?
Filet mignon and sautéed asparagus
“In this large prospective study, higher plant protein intake was associated with lower total and CVD-related mortality. Although animal protein intake was not associated with mortality outcomes, replacement of red meat protein or processed meat protein with plant protein was associated with lower total, cancer-related, and CVD-related mortality.”
