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Preventing Cancer and Cancer Growth
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.]
*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.
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to Cancer index

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