hi dick - here's some information on it....

~ curtis
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 IGF-1 New Marker
for Prostate Cancer

July 10, 1998 Identifying men at risk for prostate cancer before they
develop the disease may soon become easier. Researchers have found that
a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is linked to a
man's risk of prostate cancer.
       IGF-1 keeps prostate cells alive and growing regardless
of whether the cells are normal or cancerous. The body gets rid of
damaged cells by means of a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell
death. IGF-1 interferes with this mechanism. Stimulating cell growth and
preventing cells from dying off, IGF-1 keeps damaged cells alive —
which increases the risk of cancer.
       Led by Dr. June M. Chan of Harvard School of Public
Health in Boston, a research team tested blood from men enrolled in the
national Physicians' Health Study to see if those who developed prostate
cancer had, from the start, higher than normal levels of IGF-1. Chan
found this was the case.
         The researchers compared blood samples from 152 men
diagnosed with prostate cancer during the study with 152 age-matched
controls. They compared both IGF-1 and PSA (prostate specific antigen,
the marker currently used for early detection of prostate cancer). The
results showed an increased risk of prostate cancer in men with high
levels of IGF-1. Men with the highest levels had more than 4 times the
risk of prostate cancer than men with the lowest levels.
       The researchers say that having a high IGF-1 level does
not mean that a man will definitely develop prostate cancer. A high
IGF-1 level indicates that a man may be at greater risk for prostate
cancer, much the same as high cholesterol puts a man at increased risk
of heart disease.
       Dr. Chan plans to do more research on 1GF-1 as a
predictor of prostate cancer. Dr. Michael Pollak of McGill University in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a member of team, has already found links
between IGF-1 and risk of breast cancer. The researchers are now looking
at links with colon cancer.
       If the new findings hold up, a blood test for IGF-1 could
identify men at risk of prostate cancer before anything shows on a PSA
test. It may also be possible to find ways of preventing prostate cancer
by reducing IGF-1 levels through diet or drugs
        Chan and Pollack caution that men should not yet seek
testing to determine IGF-1 levels based on the results of this
preliminary study. But, if these findings are confirmed, men with high
IGF-1 levels might be advised to undergo more frequent screening for
prostate cancer.

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc

Onions Beat Steak or Ice Cream - More Dietary Links to Prostate Cancer

Dec 22 2003 — Links between animal products as risk factors for
prostate cancer, and vegetable products, especially onions, as risk
reduction factors are confirmed by a new multi-country study. Now online
at European Urology, the study looks at national diets and prostate
cancer death rates.
William B. Grant, an independent health researcher who did this
investigation, thought dietary links might be a useful approach after
comparing prostate cancer mortality rates for various parts of the
world.
Prostate cancer death rates in the U.S. and northern Europe are about 5
times higher than in Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, and Turkey.
The strongest dietary risk factor for prostate cancer mortality,
according to Grant's review of available evidence, is animal products,
such as meat and dairy products. The strongest protective foods (or risk
reduction factors) are vegetables. Top of the list are onions.
Onions are joined by other vegetables and by cereals/grains, beans and
fruits. Alcohol, oils, and added sugar (sweeteners) do not seem to give
any protection, Grant says.
Thus, fat and protein are risk factors, while complex carbohydrates and
antioxidants are risk reduction factors. This finding points to
insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) as an important risk factor for
prostate cancer. IGF-I is also increased by total energy consumption.
(Another recent study finds that calorie restriction reduces risks of
most cancers).
Grant's study supports earlier reports that allium family vegetables
(e.g., garlic, leeks, and onions) are important risk reduction factors
for prostate cancer. This study also found that alcohol is a minor risk
factor. No independent correlation was found for tomatoes, a source of
lycopene, thought to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer mortality rates for 32 predominantly Caucasian countries
for the late 1990s were obtained from the World Health Organization.
Dietary supply data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture
Organization. Grant ran statistical analyses for all 32 countries as
well as the 20 European countries. Dietary supply data for 1979-81, he
found, yielded the highest correlations, indicating that prostate cancer
takes approximately 20 years to progress from initiation to death.
These results are similar to results reported by Dr. Grant last year for
breast cancer, although onions were not found to play a role for breast
cancer. Animal products including animal fat and alcohol are now
recognized risk factors for breast cancer, and vitamin D is recognized
as an important risk reduction factor. The more exposure to sunlight,
which is the main source of vitamin D for many people, the lower the
rate of prostate cancer death. In the USA, prostate cancer rates
increase in states which receive less daily sunlight. (Other evidence
suggests that some people have fewer receptors for Vitamin D and many
people may be less able to absorb vitamin D as they age.)
Grant's results may provide more guidance for reducing the risk of
prostate and other cancers.
William B. Grant does independent health research from his office in
Newport News, Virginia. His health work is primarily related to
identifying and quantifying links to chronic diseases from dietary
factors and solar UV-B. He published the first paper linking diet to
Alzheimer's disease in 1997.
European Urology (currently among "Articles in Press")
Grant WB. An ecologic study of dietary and solar UV-B links to breast
carcinoma mortality rates. Cancer, 94, 272-281, Jan. 1, 2002.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/89012143/START
Grant WB. An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the United States
due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation, Cancer, 94(6),
1867-75, March 16, 2002.
A study at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York in 2002 looked at 10 of
the commonest common US vegetables for protection value against chronic
diseases. They say:
Broccoli possessed the highest total phenolic content, followed by
spinach, yellow onion, red pepper, carrot, cabbage, potato, lettuce,
celery, and cucumber. Red pepper had the highest total antioxidant
activity, followed by broccoli, carrot, spinach, cabbage, yellow onion,
celery, potato, lettuce, and cucumber..... Antiproliferative activities
were also studied .... Spinach showed the highest inhibitory effect,
followed by cabbage, red pepper, onion, and broccoli.
Anti-Prostate Cancer Effects of Onions and Garlic Allium Vegetables and
Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Population-Based Study Ann W. Hsing and team.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 94, No. 21, 1648-1651,
November 6, 2002
Anti Cancer Effects of Garlic as a Supplement
Mechanisms of Inhibition of Chemical Toxicity and Carcinogenesis by
Diallyl Sulfide (DAS) and Related Compounds from Garlic, Chung S. Yang
and team. Laboratory for Cancer Research, College of Pharmacy, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ. Journal of Nutrition
2001

 

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc

Research - Growth Factors
Discovery Puts A Shape on Hormone Messages to Cancer Cells

August 2 '98 The structure of a receptor on the surface of the body
cells of all animals including humans has been described for the first
time. The discovery of the outer IGF receptor is likely to impact
understanding of diabetes and many forms of cancer including prostate
cancer.
     Receptors are vital links in the body's command chain.
Messenger chemicals such as hormones and growth factors latch on to
their pecial receptors and switch them on. This is how the messenger
chemical command cells to perform vital tasks, such as to grow, or (in
diabetes) to process sugar. Some new cancer therapies are targeted at
receptors on tumor cells to block tumor access to growth factors fueling
the metastatic cascade.
     This breakthrough, reported in July in the international
scientific journal Nature, was made by a team of Australian scientists
led by Dr Colin Ward, who studies molecules, and Dr Tom Garrett, a
crystallographer
     Their goal, says Dr. Ward, is to understand the atomic
structure of a whole family of receptors, sites on the cell surface
which detect chemical messengers such as insulin, IGF (or insulin-like
growth factor) and EGF (epidermal growth factor)..
    This is the first time anyone has been able to view and
describe this half of the IGF receptor. The research began in the late
1960s, when scientists figured out that insulin has a 3D structure.
     "As the IGF receptor is in the same family as the insulin
and EGF receptors, their structures are likely to be extremely similar,"
says Dr Ward. "So this discovery has major implications for our
understanding of the mechanisms behind growth and development, including
some forms of cancer.... "
    "IGF is important to the body's normal growth and
development," Ward says. "But when it gets out of control it can also
cause the growth of cancer cells. We hope this work in time will lead to
a better understanding of ways to control certain cancers. This is a
milestone in that process — but there is still a long, long way to
go."
     The Australians' work took place at the most miniscule
level. The team's target was a molecule which is only ten billionths of
a metre long. To be able to examine the structure, large quantities of
the receptor fragment were produced in animal cells and purified to a
very high level. The next step was to grow crystals from this material,
much like salt crystals growing in a saline solution. The big difference
is that the team's target crystal has over 7,000 atoms, whereas salt has
just two.
     The crystals were then bombarded with X-rays, yielding
diffraction patterns. A powerful computer was then used to construct an
image of the receptor from the diffraction data. From this Dr Garrett
was able to work out the location of each atom in the receptor and build
a three dimensional structure for this protein molecule.
     "It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Piece by piece, we're
slotting it together," Dr Ward says. "There has been plenty of
excitement from our colleagues round the world about this discovery
because it is the first glimpse of that part of the receptor which binds
the hormone. It's been a long time coming."
       Three years ago a US team clarified the structure of
the portion of the receptor that lies inside the cell. The Australians
have now described the structure of half of the receptor that lies
outside, on the cell surface.
     "The next step is to get the whole thing because the
remaining parts of the receptor are also important for binding and
biological action — and that should tell us a lot more about how these
important chemicals communicate with the body. That, in turn, will help
us to manipulate their effects and, hopefully, treat diseases like
diabetes and cancer more effectively," said Dr Ward.
Dr. Colin Ward works for CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation) in Australia. Crystallographer Dr Tom Garrett
works for the Biolmolecular Research Institute in Melbourne. Their work
was published in July 23 issue of Nature:

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc