Download IN THE NEWS: Bacon, Cigarettes, and Cancer

Station 5
How Does a Cell Become Cancerous?
All cancers start from a single cell that undergoes many changes. Some of those changes are permanent
alterations to the DNA called mutations.
Luckily, our bodies have a host of defensive strategies for making sure damaged or mutated cells never get the
chance to reproduce.
It’s because a potentially cancerous cell has to make it past so many of these natural defenses that the process of
cancer development can take a long time—years, even decades. Over our lifetimes, thousands and thousands of
damaged cells get disposed of before they can cause any harm.
But if a cell does manage to get past our defenses and start multiplying without control, it can form a mass of
abnormal cells called a tumor.
Not all tumors are dangerous. Those that arise and then go quiet are called benign. But malignant or cancerous
tumors can spread into surrounding tissues, damaging nearby cells or organs.
Metastasize is another word often heard in reference to cancer. It means to spread. For example, a cancer of
the skin can metastasize to the brain when cancer cells in the skin somehow burrow deep into the inner layers
and then spread into the blood and lymph tissue. From there, the cells can travel and be deposited in another
part of the body, where they will continue their uncontrolled growth, thus affecting nearby tissues and organs.
Cancer that metastasizes is referred to as mestastic cancer.
Angiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels.
Angiogenesis is a normal and vital process in growth and development, as well as in wound healing and in
granulation tissue. However, it is also a fundamental step in the transition of tumors from a dormant state to a
malignant one. One way doctors treat cancer patients is to stop angiogeneis. In this way, tumors cannot survive
because they don’t have a blood source.
ANGIOGENESIS
Station 3
IN THE NEWS: Bacon, Cigarettes, and Cancer
First it was hot dogs and now it's bacon.
This week, the vegan advocacy group Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) put up an
eye-catching billboard in order to highlight the link between the consumption of bacon and other processed
meats to increased risk of colorectal cancer.
The billboard features bacon strips poking out of a cigarette pack, which has a large image of a skull and
crossbones, similar to their hot dog-cigarette billboard last year.
In backing up the ad's claims, PCRM cites the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) report on
colorectal cancer. The report concluded that, if a person eats 3.5 ounces (the size of one jumbo hot dog) of
processed meat every day throughout life, their risk of colorectal cancer is 36% higher than someone who eats
no processed meat. If the person eats 7 ounces of processed meat every day (49 ounces per week), his risk will
be 72% higher. Processed meat includes hot dogs, bacon, sausage and lunchmeat.
That's why AICR recommends saving processed meats for special occasions, such as a slice of ham at Easter or
a hot dog at a ball game.
But the PCRM billboard image equates the increased risks of cigarette smoking and cancer to that of processed
meat and cancer. And that is misleading.
The increased risk associated with diets high in processed meat is much, much smaller than that of smoking. A
man who eats 7 ounces of processed meat daily, every day for decades, increases his risk of cancer by 72
percent.
Compare that to smoking, which multiplies a person's risk by as much as 20 times, according to the CDC
(Center for Disease Control). The man who ate 7 ounces of processed meat increased his risk, but it has not
even doubled.
http://acs.healthology.com/hybrid/hybrid-autodetect.aspx?content_id=3790&focus_handle=lungcancer&brand_name=acs
Station 4
Reduce Your Cancer Risk
The choices we make every day affect
our chances of getting cancer. Three
factors that we control have a lot to do
with our risk of developing this terrible
disease.
How Much We Move
Be physically active every day in any
way for 30 minutes or more
How Much We Weigh
Aim to be a healthy weight throughout
life
What We Eat
Choose mostly plant foods, limit red
meat and avoid processed meat
Preventing Cancer
For the greatest protection, combine all
three.
Follow any one of these guidelines and you’ll lower your risk. Follow all three, and you’ll afford
yourself the greatest protection possible. (And always remember - do not use tobacco in any
form.)
Overall, about 1/3 of cancers in the 1.5 million cancers that occur every year in the US
could be prevented by following these guidelines. For several specific types of cancer,
following them could prevent even more cases.
More Specific Recommendations for Cancer Prevention
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods.
Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes such as beans.
Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed
meats.
6. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women a day.
7. Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium).
8. Don't use supplements to protect against cancer.
9. * It is best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to 6 months and then add other
liquids and foods.
10.After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer
prevention.
*Special Population Recommendations
Station 2
Normal Stomach Cells
Phase
Minutes in that phase
Interphase
120
Prophase
60
Metaphase
10
Anaphase
3
Telophase
12
Cancerous Stomach Cells
Phase
Minutes in that phase
Interphase
16
Prophase
15
Metaphase
10
Anaphase
3
Telophase
12
Station 2
Normal Stomach Cells
Phase
Minutes in that phase
Interphase
120
Prophase
60
Metaphase
10
Anaphase
3
Telophase
12
Cancerous Stomach Cells
Phase
Minutes in that phase
Interphase
16
Prophase
15
Metaphase
10
Anaphase
3
Telophase
12
DARREN'S STORY
I am currently 31 years old. I have been a non-smoker my whole life. In May 2005, one week prior to my
thirtieth birthday, I went to the doctor for a persistent cough. I was given a chest X-ray which showed a large mass in my right
lung. I then had a CT scan the same day, and it showed that the mass was solid. On my thirtieth birthday, May 16, 2005, instead
of going to Las Vegas, I was in the hospital having a bronchoscopy. On May 19, I heard something I will never forget: "I wish I
had good news for you, but it's cancer."
I saw an oncologist the next day, and I started six rounds of carboplatin and Taxol. I experienced every side effect possible. The
tumor was larger than a grapefruit. I saw a surgeon at Stanford University Medical Center who told me the tumor was too large
to operate, so I needed to do four rounds of chemo first to shrink it. After two rounds, the tumor shrank by 25 percent, and after
four rounds, it shrank by 50%.
I was scheduled for surgery on September 9, 2005. I had a bilobectomy. The surgeon removed the top and middle lobes of my
right lung. After recovering in the hospital for over a week, I went home. Eventually, I had follow up PET, CT, and MRI, scans,
and the lung cancer had spread to my spine. The pain was so bad I couldn't even get out of bed.
My L-1 AND L-5 vertebras were fully engulfed with cancer. I then had three or four weeks of radiation and suffered from side
effects from that also.
My initial reaction to my diagnosis was sheer disbelief. I was shocked that a non-smoker could get lung cancer. Plus, I was
young, athletic and a former U.S. Marine. I couldn't believe it. After I got past the whole "feeling sorry for myself" phase, I
renewed my faith in the Lord. As a Catholic, I knew the Lord could help me when the odds were against me. I also relied a lot on
my great network of friends and family.
I was born and raised in New York. My entire family still lives there, but they flew out to California and stayed with me during my
treatments and my surgery. My fellow co-workers were also very supportive and kind, taking me to numerous doctor
appointments and even staying with me during my chemotherapy sessions. I also looked up to Lance Armstrong. He is an
amazing inspiration! I love the book he wrote called It's Not About the Bike. Hearing his cancer story gave me the strength I
needed to keep fighting.
I am proud to say that the radiation killed the cancer, and after being out of work for four months, I am back to working full time
in law enforcement, a career I love. Cancer has really changed my outlook on life, and I believe that cancer has made me a
better person. I used to be selfish. I only cared about myself. I was very materialistic - I liked work and money. After I got sick, I
realized there is more to life than money.
I once took life for granted, but now I live each day with a whole new outlook and respect. In a way, I'm glad I had cancer. It has
made me a better person. Being a part of the Faces of Lung Cancer is my way of giving back. I hope someone diagnosed with
this illness can look at my story and find strength and encouragement to keep fighting.
http://www.careflash.com/video/chemotherapy?lc=en
Station 7
Cancer Research
Because cancer is a class of diseases, it is unlikely that there will ever be a single "cure for cancer" any more than there
will be a single treatment for all infectious diseases. Angiogenesis inhibitors (things that stop the growth of blood vessels
reaching tumors) were once thought to have potential as a "silver bullet" treatment applicable to many types of cancer, but
this has not been the case in practice.
Experimental cancer treatments are treatments that are being studied to see whether they work. Typically, these are
studied in clinical trials to compare the proposed treatment to the best existing treatment. They may be entirely new
treatments, or they may be treatments that have been used successfully in one type of cancer, and are now being tested
to see whether they are effective in another type. More and more, such treatments are being developed alongside
companion diagnostic tests to target the right drugs to the right patients, based on their individual biology.
Cancer research is the intense scientific effort to understand disease processes and discover possible therapies.
Research about cancer causes focuses on the following issues:

Agents (e.g. viruses) and events (e.g. mutations) which cause or facilitate genetic changes in cells destined to
become cancer.

The precise nature of the genetic damage, and the genes which are affected by it.

The consequences of those genetic changes on the biology of the cell, both in generating the defining properties of a
cancer cell, and in facilitating additional genetic events which lead to further progression of the cancer.
The improved understanding of molecular biology and cellular biology due to cancer research has led to a number of new,
effective treatments for cancer since President Nixon declared "War on Cancer" in 1971. Since 1971 the United
States has invested over $200 billion on cancer research; that total includes money invested by public and private sectors
and foundations. Despite this substantial investment, the country has seen a five percent decrease in the cancer death
rate (adjusting for size and age of the population) between 1950 and 2005.