TAG | AICR Research Conference
On Friday, at the Cancer Survivorship Research Conference in Washington, D.C., much discussion revolved around the fact that cancer survivors are turning to the Internet for help. Wen-ying Sylvia Chou of the National Cancer Institute said according to a recent survey, cancer survivors who have access to the Internet are more likely to search for health-related information than people without cancer.
Among young people living with cancer, social networking sites are replacing the peer and support groups that connect survivors. One such site, Planet Cancer, targets cancer survivors between the ages of 20 and 40.
Another social networking site that is open to all age groups is the Know Cancer Community, which features an inspirational blog about fighting cancer and a forum for members to share ideas.
Young survivors are also finding out cancer information from video games, said Brandon Hayes-Latin, an MD from Oregon Health Sciences University. In a research trial, young cancer patients who played a game called Re-Mission ncreased their understanding of cancer and better adhered to treatment guidelines, compared to survivors who didn’t play the game. The game is free to download or order for young adults with cancer on the Re-Mission website.
Cancer survivors can also find online information on common questions related to diet and physical activity at the Cancer Patients and Survivors section of the AICR website.
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Sweat the Small Stuff: Small Changes Make a Difference
0 Comments | Posted by Glen in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference, Physical Activity
This time of year can get crazy, and many of us get through it by telling ourselves that we’ll start taking better care of our health — AFTER the holidays are over.
“I’ll run a marathon!” ”I’ll head to the gym every morning!” ”I’ll bike to work!”
All laudable goals, to be sure. But one speaker at our Research Conference argued that such sudden, sweeping changes are tough to make permanent, and only set us up for failure.
We wrote about him, and his preferred approach to getting more activity, lowering weight — and lowering cancer risk — in this month’s AICR eNews.
(Have you subscribed yet?)
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Colon Cancer Deaths to Drop Dramatically?
0 Comments | Posted by Alice RD in Diet, From the 2009 AICR Research Conference, Physical Activity, Research
According to a new report published in the journal Cancer, the number of deaths in the United States from colon cancer could drop significantly in the next decade due to improved screening and treatment. In the past 10 years, the death rate has dropped 20% according to the report. By 2020, the researchers predict, the death rate will be one half of what it was in 2000.
This is good news, but colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers according to David S. Alberts, MD . Diet and physical activity play an important role in lowering cancer risk and Dr. Alberts believes this is a message everyone should hear.
AICR’s expert report showed convincing evidence that consumption of processed meat, high amounts of red meat, body fatness and alcohol are causes of colorectal cancer. Physical activity was shown convincingly to reduce risk of colon cancer. Foods containing fiber and certain vegetables may also decrease risk for colorectal cancer.
AICR recommends that Americans focus on incorporating healthy habits to lower their risk for developing cancer. Eating a mostly plant-based diet, limiting red meat to less than 18 oz per week, exercising at least 30 minutes daily and maintaining a healthy weight are ways to reduce risk for cancer as well as other chronic diseases.
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Sea Cucumbers: Possible Cancer Fighters?
0 Comments | Posted by Mya in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference, Research
This beautiful picture of a translucent sea cucumber — released last week by the Census of Marine Life and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – reminded me of some interesting research presented at AICR’s conference.
The lab research, presented in a poster session, found that a compound in sea cucumber decreased the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice and decreased cancer growth in cells. Previous lab studies have found that this same sea cucumber compound — called Frondoside A – inhibited the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells.
The research is still only in the laboratory phase but if you want to try a new seafood, look for dried sea cucumbers in Asian markets. (Sea cucumber are a common delicacy in many Asian dishes.)
Sea cucumbers are pretty fascinating. They are generally cucumber-shaped and there’s over 1,000 different species of them. To escape predators, sea cucumbers can jettison some of their internal organs, and then grow them back again.
You can see more newly-identified deep-sea organisms here.
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Q & A: Thoughts on the Research Conference from AICR’s Alice Bender, MS, RD
0 Comments | Posted by Glen in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference
Dietitian Alice Bender‘s job here at AICR is to take the research we fund and turn it into practical advice for the public. Last week was the first time Alice attended an AICR Research Conference. She attended sessions, blogged a bit, hosted one of the roundtable discussions which were created to help the health professionals who attended our conference network with one another, and anchored our press conference, where she released the results of AICR’s biennial survey on cancer risk factors.
Now that the conference is behind us and things are starting to settle down, we were eager to get her impressions.
Q: What was the most exciting part of the conference for you?
A: Finishing the press conference (laughs)– because once it was over I could really focus on the research that was being presented. Actually, there were many highlights – the first one was dinner with [AICR Nutrition Advisor] Karen Collins and Diana Dyer [a cancer survivor/RD and longtime friend of AICR; sales of Diana's book go towards an special endowment at AICR for research on cancer survivorship.] It was an exhilarating conversation that stretched to four hours before we knew it — we talked about all kinds of things related to nutrition, organics, sustainability and AICR.
Q: This was your first AICR conference. How’d it compare to what you expected?
A: It was even better than thought it would be. I knew there were going to be many presentation on basic research, but I was surprised — pleasantly so — to see the talks including so much applied information. It was a nice mix of the science and its real-world implications.
After the jump: Alice talks networking, messaging and new technologies. (more…)
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AICR Honors Ritva Butrum, PhD
0 Comments | Posted by Glen in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference
During the lunch session on the first day of the 20th Annual AICR Research Conference on Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity, the American Institute for Cancer Research honored Dr. Ritva Butrum, who served for many years as AICR’s Vice-President for Research and is now its Senior Scientific Advisor.
At the most recent International Congress of Nutrition, the International Union of Nutritional Sciences named Dr. Butrum a Living Legend. It was only the latest honor in Dr. Butrum’s long and illustrious career. In front of the AICR Research Conference’s 410 attendees, AICR CFO/Executive Vice-President Kelly Browning gave Dr. Butrum a small gift to commemorate her many years of leadership.
Watch a video in which Dr. Butrum talks about her career, and gives advice to young researchers.
After the jump, read a transcript of Browning’s speech honoring Dr. Butrum’s many contributions to AICR, and to the field of nutrition science. (more…)
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From the Poster Session: Meet the AICR Grantees
0 Comments | Posted by Glen in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference
Several AICR-funded researchers came to our conference last week to present their latest findings in the poster session:
Dr. Emmanuel T. Akporiaye of the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center in Portland, Oregon, updated us on the progress of his grant examining the effect of a derivative of vitamin E on breast cancer tumors. (Earlier this year, we profiled Dr. A in AICR’s biweekly e-newsletter Cancer Research Update. A longer version of that interview appeared in this Summer’s AICR ScienceNow newsletter.)
Dr. Nameer B. Kirma of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio presented data from his work with soy components and breast cancer.
Dr. Meghan M. Mensack is using an AICR grant at the Colorado State University to study the anti-cancer potential of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)
Lots more AICR-funded scientists, after the jump.
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Restricting Calories: Preventing Cancer?
0 Comments | Posted by Mya in From the 2009 AICR Research Conference
The morning research conference session starts out with the tantalizing question of how can delay aging, asked by Rafael de Cabo, PhD. Dr. Cabo, who works at NIH’s National Institute on Aging, said how in the lab, the only way that we can restrict aging so far is by calorie restriction. Caloric restriction also delays tumor formation. (In lab research, caloric restriction diets are usually extreme.)
Caloric restriction seems counter-intuitive, he explains. You would think that lowering one’s calories – energy – would lead to fatigue and the organisms’ functions would shut down. But that is not the case; it somehow uses the energy it has in a different way.
Somehow, Dr. Cabo said, the organism or cell has a way to sense the nutrients. Dr. Cabo presented his lab’s research on the link between a specific gene — Nrf2 – and caloric restriction. He is looking at if Nrf2 activates the effect of calorie restriction, and if so, how it works. As usual, his research is turning up more questions and is ongoing.
