Cancer--How We Get It--How Not to Get it

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It was Rudolf Virchow in l863, as Lancet, the British Medical Journal points out* who theorized that cancer was associated with inflammation caused by our own immune system.

"Over the past ten years our understanding of the inflammatory 'environment] of our malignant tissues has supported Virchow's hypothesis," Lancet added.

Even when certain cancers associated with viruses arise, it is not the viruses that cause cancer, but our own inflammatory response to them that causes the trouble.

"Moreover, increased risk of malignancy is associated with the chronic inflammation 'emphasis added] caused by chemical and physical agents," they observed.

Clues to prevention are therefore apparent. Reduce inflammation and you reduce risk. Thus aspirin, which already has been proven to reduce both cervical and colon cancer is important. Another effect is its proven help in reducing heart disease. In fact, The New England Journal of Medicine now classifies heart disease an an inflammatory condition. A drug, it can cause or intensify ulcers and excessive bleeding. So one's reaction to it should be ascertained before routine administration is done.

The Bad Guy

One of the inflammatory factors noted in the study was tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a highly inflammatory substance we produce and which can be safely reduced. How? It was Fujiki at Saitama Cancer Center in Japan who first associated TNF with cancer causation. And how does one reduce TNF? Also already proven--with green tea. In fact, Both Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital and the U. of Texas Medical Branch are currently testing the use of green tea in cancer patients. TNF also, the report points out, helps tumor cells to build new capillaries to feed it, a process called angiogenesis. While drugs are being prepared to stop angiogenesis, ingredients in soy beans do the same job without side effects (or high cost.)

Other sources of the evidence implicating TNF (which by the way also is a causative factor in Crohn's Disease,) were reports in The International J. of Cancer, British J. of Cancer, Blood, Cancer Research, etc.

As a sidelight, may we mention that MS is also closely associated with TNF as is rheumatoid arthritis. Any wonder that fish oils (anti-inflammatory) and certain foods, are helpful in arthritis, as is aspirin?

To give proper credit, two scientists along with Fujiki were not mentioned in the article; Dr. James Goodwin, now head of Gerontology at U. of Texas, Galveston, and Dr. Aurel Lupulescu, an Endocrinologist in Detroit. Dr. Goodwin first showed that our own macrophages are used by tumor cells to "play down" a response by T-cells in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Aspirin acts to "encourage" T-cell response. Lupulescu also showed the benefit that aspirin conveys in preventing cancer.

Cancer: How We Get Cancer How Not to Get Cancer Bibliography:

*By Balkwill & Mantovani in Lancet's vol. 357, 2001.