The monster tumor

Q. What’s a dermoid cyst?

A. “Dermoid cyst” is a term that’s sometimes used to describe a benign form of a tumor called a teratoma (a pretty descriptive term, as we’ll see, as it comes from the Greek word for monster). (more…)

Adrenal cortical hypoplasia vs. hyperplasia

Q. What does it mean when Robbins says the adrenal cortices are hyper- and hypoplastic?

A. Hypoplastic adrenal cortices mean that the adrenal cortices have atrophied; hyperplastic adrenal cortices mean that they have expanded. (more…)

Neuroma vs. neurofibroma

Q. What is the difference between a neurofibroma and a neuroma?

A. A neuroma is a general term that applies to any of a number of different things (neoplastic or non-neoplastic) that make a nerve or nerve bundle swell. Usually, another word is attached to give more specific meaning.

Neoplastic neuromas are tumors of any part of a nerve (including the surrounding myelin); sometimes the term is used more broadly to refer to any tumor of neural tissue. An example of a neoplastic neuroma is acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor surrounding the 8th cranial nerve (you can also call this tumor a schwannoma, since it is a neoplasm derived from the Schwann cells surrounding the nerve, not the nerve itself).

The main non-neoplastic neuromas are traumatic neuroma (a non-neoplastic reaction of a nerve to some sort of damage) and Morton’s neuroma (which is not even a neuroma, but just an accumulation of fibrous tissue around a nerve, usually in the foot).

Neurofibromas are benign neoplasms derived from the myelin sheath of peripheral nerves (just as a reminder: the myelin surrounding peripheral nerves is supplied by Schwann cells; the myelin surrounding central nerves is supplied by oligodendrocytes). They often occur in the context of neurofibromatosis, a hereditary condition characterized by multiple cutaneous neurofibromas, pigmented skin lesions, skeletal abnormalities, macrocephaly, epilepsy, and a bunch of other findings. In the photo above, the patient has multiple neurofibromas scattered over his entire body.

Neurofibromas are like schwannomas, in that they are derived from schwann cells. However, a schwannoma has mostly just schwann cells in it, whereas a neurofibroma has a bunch of other cell types, like fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and mast cells.

How to live forever

fountain of youth 1

One of the reasons our cells die is because they are inherently programmed to have only 60 to 70 doublings. That’s it. After that, they die.

Why is that? (more…)

The seed and the soil

seedlings

One of the things that researchers are studying like crazy is the process by which cancer takes root and grows in the body. Our diet plays a huge role in this process (witness the much lower incidence of cancers in India, for example, despite the much higher incidence of carcinogens!).  For your own health, and for the health of your future patients, I highly recommend David Servan-Schreiber’s book, Anticancer: A New Way of Life, which came out last year. David is an MD who developed brain cancer and went through successful medical treatment. However, his tumor recurred, and at that point he decided he needed to change his way of life. This book describes the effects diet and stress have on the growth of cancer – and before you blow that off as being too foofy or alternative, you should know that he backs up every point he makes with tons of research from accomplished scientists at respected places like Harvard and M.D. Anderson. Much of this post is from information described in David’s book.

The process of tumor growth is much like the growth of weeds. Tumors grow in three phases: 1) initiation, 2) promotion, and 3) progression. Initiation is the phase when a seed settles in the soil, promotion is the phase when the seed becomes a plant, and progression is the phase when the plant becomes a weed (developing beyond control, invading flower beds and growing right up to the sidewalk).

Initiation (the planting of the seed) depends largely on our genes and on toxins (radiation, carcinogens, etc.). But promotion (the growth of the seed) depends on having the right survival conditions: favorable soil, water, and sun. The cool thing is that promotion is reversible! If you can change the tumor’s environment, you can prevent it from spreading. Diet plays a role – probably a big role – in the creation of a favorable vs. unfavorable tumor environment.

Cancer “fertilizers”

Here are some dietary substances that create a fertile soil for cancers:

Refined sugars (drive up proinflammatory insulin and insulin-like growth factor, or IGF)
Insufficient omega-3s/excess omega-6s (favor inflammation)
Growth hormones in meat and non-organic dairy products (stimulate IGF)

Okay, what diet does this sound like? Lots of sugar, bad fats, and meat – the typical Western diet.

Cancer inhibitors

So, what should we eat? In addition to avoiding saturated fat, sugar, meat and non-organic stuff, a good cancer-fighting diet would include some/all of the following:

Catechins (in green tea) – inhibit angiogenesis

Phytoestrogens (in soy products) – block overstimulation of tumors by estrogen; prevent angiogenesis

Curcumin (in turmeric) – inhibits inflammation, inhibits angiogenesis, promotes apoptosis in tumor cells

Ellagic acid (in berries) – inhibits angiogenesis, blocks transformation of environmental carcinogens into toxic substances

Anthocyanidins (in blueberries, cranberries, cinnamon, dark chocolate) – promote apoptosis in tumor cells

Terpenes (in mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, rosemary) – inhibit tumor cell invasion, promote apoptosis in tumor cells, inhibit angiogenesis

Gingerol (in ginger) – inhibits inflammation and angiogenesis

Sulforaphane, indole-3-carbinol (in cruciform veggies) – prevent precancerous cells from becoming malignant; promote apoptosis of tumor cells, inhibit angiogenesis

Sulfur compounds (in garlic and onions) – reduce carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines (created in overgrilled meat and present in tobacco); promote apoptosis in tumor cells; help regulate blood sugar levels.

Lycopene (in carrots, yams, other bright colored veggies and fruits) – stimulates NK cells to become more aggressive; inhibits tumor cell growth

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (in fatty fish) – reduce cancer cell growth, prevent metastasis

Vitamin D (sun, cod liver oil, milk (tiny amount), vitamins) – dramatically reduces risk of several cancers

Polyphenols (red wine, chocolate) – block NF-kappa B (important in all three stages of cancer development: initiation, promotion, progression), limit angiogenesis

Photo credit: L’eau Bleue (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8175535@N05/3536354514/), under cc license.