
 |
|
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Diabetes drug found to reduce cancer risk
By
Thomas H. Maugh II
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
A growing body of evidence suggests that the widely used diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of cancer, researchers said Wednesday.
A study in mice exposed to tobacco carcinogens, published Wednesday, shows that the drug can reduce the development of lung tumors by as much as 70 percent, and results from a small clinical trial in Japan suggest it can reduce rates of colorectal tumors in humans. The National Cancer Institute is now organizing a clinical trial to test the drug in people who smoke, and other trials are testing it against breast and prostate cancer.
There is not yet enough evidence to recommend using the drug routinely for cancer prevention, but the evidence is strong enough that physicians and patients considering drug therapy for Type 2 diabetes might want to lean toward metformin because of its ancillary effects, researchers said in a news conference.
"Among the various treatment options for Type 2 diabetes, if all other things are equal, early evidence that metformin might have benefit on the oncology side may play a role in decision making," said Dr. Michael Pollak, a medical oncologist at McGill University in Montreal, who surveyed recent metformin research in an article in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
The drug is particularly promising, he added, because unlike use of finasteride for preventing prostate cancer or tamoxifen for breast cancer, metformin appears to act across a broad spectrum of cancers.
Metformin increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. It is one of the most widely used diabetes drugs, with 40 million prescriptions written in the United States in 2008.
It also has a number of other biological effects, including inhibiting a key signaling process between receptors in cells (called mammalian target of rapamycin, or mTOR) and reducing circulating levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor. All those actions may inhibit or prevent the growth of cancer cells.
Interest in metformin was stimulated by a 2005 observational study in the United Kingdom that found that diabetics taking metformin had a 40 percent lower risk of cancer than those taking other diabetes drugs. Several subsequent studies have found the same thing.
"The epidemiologic evidence in diabetic humans is convincing and strong," said Dr. Phillip A. Dennis, a medical oncologist at the National Cancer Institute. "It is real, and the reduction in risk ranges from 30 percent to 70 percent," depending on the type of cancer.
To learn more about it, Dennis and his colleagues used a well-known model of lung cancer, exposing mice to a carcinogen known as NKK, the most important carcinogen in tobacco smoke. All the mice given only NKK developed lung cancer, the researchers reported in Cancer Prevention Research.
But mice given metformin orally had a 33 percent reduction in numbers of tumors and a 34 percent reduction in tumor size. Those given it by injection had a 73 percent reduction in tumor number. The NCI is now planning and seeking approval for a clinical trial in human smokers.
In another report in the same journal, researchers from the Yokohama City University School of Medicine and the National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo gave metformin to 12 non-diabetic patients with what are known as aberrant crypt foci, precursors of colorectal cancer.
After a month of low doses of the drug, the scientists found a significantly lower number of foci in the treated patients compared to 14 controls who did not receive the drug.
"These are very promising and exciting results," said Dr. Scott Lippman, a medical oncologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and editor of the journal.
In an editorial accompanying the reports, Dr. Jeffrey A. Engelman of Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Lewis C. Cantley of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston also praised the findings. They noted that "primary care physicians and endocrinologists may consider this information when choosing an anti-diabetes regimen for patients, especially those at a higher risk for developing cancer."
In a news conference, Cantley noted that clinicians will have to rely for now on epidemiological studies because "prevention trials take forever to get done, and metformin is off patent, so no drug company will pay for them."
Added Pollak, "We don't want to ignore the evidence we have now."
Interested in a private Judaic studies instructor for free? Let us know by clicking here.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspirational material. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
We want your comments! Please let us know what you think by clicking here.
if (strpos(, "printer_friendly") === 0)
{}
else {
=<<
© 2010, Los Angeles Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
|