Risk factors for Rectal Cancer
Trace/significant amounts of occult blood or history of occult blood
Counter Indicators
Absence of occult blood
Rectal Cancer can lead to
Recommendations for Rectal Cancer
Green / Oolong / BlackTea (Camellia sinensis)
Rutgers University researchers showed that a compound in black tea called TF-2 caused colorectal cancer cells to “commit suicide”; normal cells were unaffected. “The effect is quite dramatic,” said Rutgers professor Kuang Yu Chen, who speculates that the chemical might one day be made into an anti-cancer drug.
Conventional Drugs / Information
The results of a study on colon cancer patients may provide enough compelling evidence to convince oncologists that cimetidine is an effective adjuvant therapy in colon cancer. [Cimetidine increases survival of colorectal cancer patients with high levels of sialyl Lewis-X and sialyl Lewis-A epitope expression on tumour cells. Brit J Can 2002 (86): pp. 161-167]
Cimetidine appears to act as an immune stimulator as well as reducing the likelihood of metastases. It was found that cimetidine does inhibit the ability of cancer cells to attach to vascular endothelium. It was then discovered that cimetidine inhibits the expression of E-selectin (ELAM-1) which is one of the molecules in blood vessels that cancer cells adhere to using their own cell surface ligands, Lewis X and Lewis A. The adhering of cancer cells to E-selectin on a blood vessel wall initiates the metastatic process.
As much as 70% of colon cancers examined have expressed high levels of these Lewis antigens. Other cancers such as breast and pancreatic have been demonstrated to express these Lewis antigens also. Cancer cells in the bloodstream that express Lewis X or Lewis A antigens can’t bind to the blood vessels and establish a metastatic tumor. These cells are instead eventually eliminated.
In order to determine the Lewis antigen expression of your cancer cells, contact IMPATH Laboratories, 521 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019. Phone: 1-800-447-5816.
Digestive Enzymes / (Trial)
A large study of patients with colorectal cancer who had previously undergone traditional therapies found that the addition of oral enzyme therapy (Wobe Mugos) improved their quality of life by reducing signs and symptoms of disease as well as reducing the adverse reactions to chemotherapy. [Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 200l;47(Suppl.): pp.S55-63]
Vitamin E
See the link between Colon Cancer and Vitamin E.
Key
| Strong or generally accepted link |
| Proven definite or direct link |
| Strongly counter-indicative |
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |