Free Republic

Increasing the amount of folate through our diet or taking supplements could help to reduce bowel cancer risk. These are the findings of new research. It suggests that increasing the intake of folate—which can be found in leafy greens, such as spinach, cabbage and broccoli—could help to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 7%. In line with previous studies, they found that people consuming higher levels of dietary folate, the odds of developing CRC (including proximal colon, distal colon, and rectal cancer) were reduced by 7% for every 260 micrograms higher consumption of dietary folate, which corresponds...

Researchers found [a] test can predict whether a bowel cancer patient will benefit from chemotherapy. It is thought that this could spare patients who will not benefit from treatment from unnecessary toxicity and debilitating side effects. The genetic test is already used as part of standard of care in the UK and worldwide to predict patients' responses to other targeted cancer drugs, meaning doctors could apply it to guide chemotherapy straight away. In bowel cancer, responses to last-line chemotherapy treatment trifluridine/tipiracil vary greatly between patients—with some patients showing good, long-term responses, and others seeing no benefits. The researchers found that...

Scientists at Newcastle University have shown that physical activity causes the cancer-fighting protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), to be released into the bloodstream which helps repair the DNA of damaged cells. The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, sheds new light on the importance of moderate activity in the fight against the life-threatening illness and could help develop treatments in the future. Repairing DNA Dr. Sam Orange, Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Newcastle University, said: "Previous scientific evidence suggests that more exercise is better for reducing bowel cancer risk as the more physical activity people do, the lower their chances...

A new drug has shown promise in slowing the regrowth of tumors among some bowel cancer patients, according to new findings of a major trial run by researchers at UCL in collaboration with Oxford, Leeds and Cardiff universities. The results of the FOCUS4-C trial, which was funded by Cancer Research UK, the EME Program – an MRC/NIHR partnership – and AstraZeneca, were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The trial looked at whether a drug called adavosertib, taken in the form of a daily pill, could delay tumor regrowth among...

If you don't eat chili peppers or hot curry much you may want to reassess that given new research that claims the peppers and curry can play a role in reducing the risk of colorectal and bowel tumors, as well as extend a person's lifespan by 30 percent. The study claims the active ingredient in chili peppers, called dietary capsaicin, decreases the cancer risk as it triggers chronic activation of an ion channel called TRPV1, which is a sensory neuron that protects the intestine against acidity and spicy chemicals. In essence adding chili peppers and hot curries to the diet...

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2011) — Dogs can sniff out bowel cancer in breath and stool samples, with a very high degree of accuracy -- even in the early stages of the disease -- reveals research published online in the journal Gut. The findings prompt the authors to suggest that chemical compounds for specific cancers circulate throughout the body, which opens up the prospect of developing tests to pick up the disease before it has had the chance to spread elsewhere. A specially trained Labrador retriever completed 74 sniff tests, each comprising five breath (100 to 200 ml) or stool samples...