Preventing Cancer and Cancer Growth

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Tumor cells are able to grow by inducing the production of new blood supplies to nourish them. This is called angiogenesis. Here is a rundown of substances that reduce or prevent angiogenesis, called chemopreventive agents:*

"Soy products reduced angiogenesis, increased 'cell death of tumor cells] and slightly reduced proliferation in transplantable ....bladder cancer in 'live animals.]"

"N-acetyl-l-cysteine may have an angiogenic activity suggested that it may also be able to inhibit further 'tumor] growth and expansion of established tumors that depend on induction of 'new blood vessels] for growth."

"'Studies of populations] have shown a lower incidence of esophagal and breast cancer among regular drinkers of green tea....the beneficial effects of green tea and its active components have been abundantly documented in the 'medical] literature and include cancer chemoprevention, inhibition of tumor cell growth, invasion, and metastisis, and antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities."
"NSAIDs 'aspirin and its spin-offs**] are effective colon cancer chemopreventive agentsthat might also be useful in preventing other types of cancer."

"Vitamin D....and its analogs are well-recognized regulators of cell proliferation.... besides their classic function in mineral 'balance]. The antitumoral effect of vitamin D has been studied in prostate and breast cancer cells where it induces cell death....Angiogenesis was also inhibited.... 'Vitamin D] has been shown to inhibit Kaposi's sarcoma cell growth...." 'It should be noted that an excess of vitamin D can cause calcium loss, thus the development of synthetic types (analogs) so that higher doses may be tolerated.]

Preventing Cancer and Cancer Growth Bibliography

*From FASEB Journal, vol. 16, 2002. FASEB is an umbrella organization of The Amer. Physiological Soc., Amer. Soc. for Biochemistry and Mol. Bio., Amer. Soc. for Pharmacology, Amer. Assn. of Immunologists, Amer. Soc. for Nutritional Sciences, etc. It is edited by the Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale U. School of Med., New Haven, Conn.

It was written by Drs. Tosetti, Ferrari, De Flora and Albini, Nat'l Cancer Inst., Genova, Italy & Dept. of Health Sciences, U. of Genova.

**Aspirin's spin-offs include ibuprofen, naproxen, sulindac, piroxicam, etc.