Broccoli May Help Fight Cancer Growth

Clickbank Products Broccoli May Help Fight Cancer Growth



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Study Shows Compound in Broccoli May Block Defective Gene Linked to Tumor Growth

By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 11, 2011 -- Broccoli may help fight cancer by blocking a defective gene associated with tumor growth, according to new research.

Previous studies have heralded the potential cancer-fighting ability of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and watercress. But researchers say until now they didn't know the secret behind the vegetables' anticancer attributes.

In a new study, researchers found compounds in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables called isothiocyanates (ITCs) appear to target and block mutant p53 genes associated with cancer growth.

Gene p53 is known as a tumor suppressor gene and appears to play a critical role in keeping cells healthy and protecting them from cancer. When this gene is damaged or mutated, it stops offering this protection. Researchers say these mutations are found in about half of all human cancers.

In a report published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, researcher Xiantao Wang of Georgetown University and colleagues analyzed the effects of ITCs on gene p53 in a variety of human cancer cells, including lung, breast, and colon cancer, in the lab.

The results showed that ITCs were capable of removing the defective p53 gene while leaving healthy versions of the gene alone.

Researchers say if further studies confirm these findings, it could lead to new therapies for preventing and treating cancer.

SOURCES: Wang, X. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, March 9, 2011; vol 54: pp 809-816.News release, American Chemical Society.

©2011 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Daily aspirin may help prevent and treat cancer.

Clickbank Products Daily aspirin may help prevent and treat cancer.

You can add the use of drugs, a new study shows aspirin appears to slow cancer growth.

By Salynn Boyles
Web health news

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

2012: March 20 – heart attack and stroke, the lower their risk and taking aspirin every day, millions of Americans can reduce cancer risk can be also.

New research suggests that aspirin may help prevent certain cancers increases on a daily basis in evidence.

On top of that, daily aspirin is an effective treatment for those who already have cancer.

The study, published in the Lancet in a series of low-dose daily in the United Kingdom, expanding on a previous study or in a subsequent full-strength aspirin reduced the risk of death from cancer for years.

Their latest work, researchers have reduced the influence of aspirin on cancer treatment, cancer University of Oxford from looking at the short term says about three years after the use of aspirin every day medical Neurology, Dr. Peter M. Rothwell, MD, Professor, who led the study.

Five years from the death of their diseases diagnosed once had a lower risk to spread some people taking aspirin for.

A new study of the Rothwell and fellow heart attack and stroke risk in aspirin every day ordeal 51 impact review analyzed data from the originally designed.

Taking low-dose aspirin on a daily basis, according to an analysis on cancer risk of death after at least 5 years of use 37% reduction.

At least 3 years of daily aspirin around men's and women's 25% reduction in cancer incidence of by.

In the second study, researchers investigated the effects of a daily aspirin therapy in cancer metastasis, or spread, to analyze the new data from the five other large trials.

Among the results:

Six-and-a-half years of average use 36% reduced risk of aspirin every day for follow-up treatment was associated with the spread of cancer, colorectal cancer patients with localized disease. "is an aspirin every day when they have their disease to spread the risk of decline 74% for daily aspirin use among patients with solid tumor was cancer deaths were associated with a reduction of 35%, but not cancer, such as leukemia and blood.

The third test analysis as well as the use of aspirin also regularly and breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal organ seemed to reduce the risk of developing.

Three years ago, health policy experts weigh in on the prevention of heart and vascular disease treatment, daily aspirin for your use.

United States preventive services task force recommends aspirin therapy in men 45 years now 79, heart attack between the potential benefit outweighs the risk for lowering. The task force is 55 to 78 lower stroke risk potential profits for the out of hours beyond the ladies for aspirin therapy is recommended.

These risks are common but can be fatal, such as stomach bleeding include: major satiety

One key finding from a new analysis of major bleeding in patients taking aspirin on a daily basis for risk reduction over time.

"We have a random test of aspirin for cancer care is urgently needed," says Rothwell. "In the meantime, I take aspirin increases the risk of bleeding [above] is not reasonable for a cancer patient, I guess."

An editorial published with the study, Andrew T. CHAN, MD, MPH, and Nancy R. Cook, ScD, Brigham and women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, daily aspirin use, as well as future guidelines for heart attack and stroke risk in cancer therapy should consider the impact of the conclusions.

In the absence of definitive data, Chan before the start of treatment to patients and their health care providers to discuss the potential benefits and risks with a daily aspirin to be tells Webmd.

"This is a limitation of the patient's individual risk, and this debate has included data," he said. "But we are very strong, even though no definitive data can not be ignored."

Eric Jacobs, Ph.d., United States Cancer Society for pharmacoepidemiology's strategic Director who for some reason that no one should start taking aspirin therapy for his or her decision not to talk to.

"Treatment should be made individually, any decision about your health care and counseling, professional," he said. "Even low-dose aspirin increases the risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeding was substantially."

Source: Rothwell, Lancet, March 21, 2012. Peter Rothwell, m.d., Ph.d., Professor of medical M. Neurology, University of Oxford and the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom Andrew T. CHAN, MD, MPH, camouflage, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Channing laboratory; Brigham and women's Hospital in the Department; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Eric Jacobs, United States strategic Director pharmacoepidemiology, Atlanta GA press release cancer society. United States preventive services task force: "aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease."

© 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Dense Breasts May Be Linked to Cancer Recurrence

Clickbank Products Dense Breasts May Be Linked to Cancer Recurrence



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THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer is more likely to recur in women over 50 who have denser breast tissue, researchers report, noting that doctors should take breast density into account when making initial treatment decisions.

The Swedish study found that women with denser breasts had nearly twice the risk of recurrence, either in the same breast or in the surrounding lymph nodes, than women with less dense breasts.

"We found that if you have a PD [percentage density] at diagnosis of 25 percent or more, you have an almost twofold increased risk of local recurrence in the breast and surrounding lymph nodes than women with a PD of less than 25 percent," said Dr. Louise Eriksson and colleagues from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

"However, density does not increase the risk of distant metastasis [spread] and has no effect on survival," Eriksson said.

Breast density, which can be determined through mammography, varies among women and decreases with age, especially at menopause, the researchers noted.

For the study, the researchers reviewed mammograms and treatment results for almost 1,800 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 74, who were part of a larger study of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Sweden between 1993 and 1995.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the European Breast Cancer Conference, in Vienna.

It is known that dense breast tissue increases the odds of developing cancer, but whether breast density might influence recurrence has not been established.

"Our study shows that breast density before or at diagnosis should be taken into account even after diagnosis, for instance, when deciding on adjuvant [secondary] treatment and follow-up routines," Eriksson said in a meeting news release. "Perhaps women with dense breasts should be followed more frequently or for a longer period of time in order to quickly spot any local recurrence."

The research showed that breast density differs greatly. "In the group of women I studied, those with the lowest percentage density had breasts that were less than 1 percent dense, whereas those with highest PD had 75 to 80 percent dense breasts," Eriksson said. The average was 18 percent, she noted.

She said the findings are significant because of the detailed information on each woman and the overall size of the study. "This is one of the largest studies to date studying mammographic density, tumor characteristics and prognosis," Eriksson said in the news release.

Why dense breasts influence cancer is still unclear, and researchers say more work is needed before the findings could influence medical practice.

David Cameron, a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in the news release that the study is more thought-provoking than practice-changing, "since it is not clear what a patient, or her physician, should do if the mammogram shows a higher density of the normal breast tissue."

Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

-- Margaret Steele Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: European Breast Cancer Conference, news release, March 21, 2012

Dense,Breasts,Linked,Cancer,Recurrence

Estrogen-sensitive breast cancer women pregnancy safety

Clickbank Products Estrogen-sensitive breast cancer women pregnancy safety

Wednesday, March 21, 2009-per-minute news)-positive breast cancer, estrogen receptor modulators, pregnancy is safe for women, according to a new study.

These types of breast tumors, estrogen levels in the body and especially sensitive, for pregnancy can increase estrogen circulating and thus fixes the issues that are causing the cancer return.

According to the researchers of this study within 2 years after the cancer diagnosis of pregnancy if it occurs after being diagnosed with breast cancer at any time, increasing the risk of recurrence is not recommended.

In addition, to become pregnant breast-cancer patients, Dr. Hatem Azim Jr., Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, Belgium, and fellow medical oncology does not appear to live longer than men, according to.

Their research, which later became pregnant did not 333-874-breast cancer patients breast cancer patients. Follow-up of the almost 5 years 30% of all women of above average breast cancer recurrence in.

Fifty-seven percent of the women in the study of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Estrogen receptor-positive or during pregnancy that is estrogen receptor negative breast cancer patients in their cancer breast cancer cancer Conference presentations in Europe, Vienna, Austria, will be announced Wednesday, according to a study the difference in surviving period without recurrence.

"We are breast-cancer diagnosis became pregnant within 2 years of the patient to become pregnant compared to those who did not have better disease-free survival emerged," Azim said at a press conference.

However, no clear trend over time ", were demonstrated; Therefore, this finding must be interpreted carefully, you may have confused potential selection bias by not protecting the safety and within 2 years of the diagnosis and thus considered to be pregnant, "Azim noted.

Research of the influence of pregnancy on survival overall goal.

"We [estrogen receptor] matches control regardless of the status of their lower risk of death compared to a breast cancer patient who became pregnant were found," Azim said.

The study was presented at a medical Conference, because the data and conclusions should be considered preliminary until published in a peer reviewed journal.

--Robert Preidt minute copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. Source: the European Breast Cancer Conference, press release, March 19, 2012

Estrogensensitive,breast,cancer,women,pregnancy,safety

New Insight on Weight Gain After Prostate Cancer Therapy

Clickbank Products New Insight on Weight Gain After Prostate Cancer Therapy



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Study Shows Weight Gain After Hormone Therapy May Level Off After a Year of Treatment

By Brenda Goodman
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Laura J. Martin, MD

March 14, 2011 -- Many men with prostate cancer will get treatments to block male hormones like testosterone in an effort to keep their cancer from spreading.

There are several recognized side effects associated with those therapies, including hot flashes, loss of interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, bone loss, mood changes, and weight and body composition shifts. Body composition is a loss of muscle and bone mass with an increase in fat mass.

Now a new study shows that the weight gain -- about 9 pounds, on average -- associated with a form of hormone therapy called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) appears to level off after the first year of treatment. It's a finding that experts say is useful in helping doctors and patients who are trying to manage that extra girth, which studies have shown may increase the risks of diabetes and heart disease.

"The changes in body composition are a substantial side effect for which we don't have a great solution yet," says Philip J. Saylor, MD, instructor in medicine and a clinical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. "It's helpful to know that it doesn't lead to progressive changes throughout the course of a prolonged treatment. It's helpful to know that most of the change happens early and that additional therapy doesn't bring additional changes in body composition." Saylor reviewed the study for WebMD but was not involved in the research.

The study's researchers say the finding underscores the need for doctors to use these treatments, which include either surgical removal of the testes or drug therapy, conservatively.

"I'm using hormonal therapy a lot less than I was a few years ago because I do realize it is a very effective, albeit toxic therapy," says study researcher Stephen J. Freedland, MD, associate professor at the Duke Prostate Center and a staff physician Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Durham, N.C.

"There's a growing body of data, to which our study contributes, that says there are clearly side effects with these therapies, so let's make sure that there's actually the possibility of benefit before we do this," he says.

The study relied on medical records of 132 men who underwent radical prostatectomies with subsequent androgen deprivation therapy at four Veterans Affairs hospital. The patients were enrolled in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database.

The average age of the study participants was 66. Half were white, 42% were African-American, and 8% came from other races.

A majority of men on ADT, 70%, gained weight -- an average of about 9 pounds per person. But 26% of men lost an average of 5 pounds each after starting ADT, and 4% saw no weight change.

In a subset of 84 men who had recorded weights for all three years of the study, researchers saw a distinct bump in weight during the first year on ADT, with no changes in the year before therapy or in the second year.

The study is published in the March issue of the urology journal BJUI.

"When we discuss this in clinic as a potential and likely side effect, I tell patients that it's hard for most men to maintain or lose weight, and androgen deprivation therapy is going to make that harder than it already was," Saylor says.

Beyond weight gain, previous studies have shown that ADT causes changes in body composition -- a loss of muscle and bone mass with an increase in fat mass.

"So not only is the total amount of body weight going up, but it's in the wrong proportions," Freedland says. "It is a big problem."

Those changes are thought to increase insulin resistance, which may, in turn, increase the risks for heart disease and diabetes.

"Our key tools for fighting against that really are diet and exercise," Saylor says.

Freeland agrees, noting that there are studies under way to try to see what the best diets or exercise plans may best help men on hormone therapy peel off unwanted pounds, but the jury is still out on which is most effective.

In the meantime, he says the best guidance is the mantra followed by people who need to lose weight under any circumstances: Move more, eat less.

SOURCES: Kim, H. BJUI, March 2011.News release, BJUI, March 2011.Stephen J. Freedland, MD, associate professor, Duke Prostate Center; staff physician, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, N.C.Philip J. Saylor, MD, instructor in medicine, clinical oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

©2011 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Insight,Weight,After,Prostate,Cancer,Therapy

Obese Women at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence: Study

Clickbank Products Obese Women at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence: Study



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FRIDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Overweight and obese breast cancer patients are at increased risk for recurrence of the disease, a new study finds.

The findings -- which held true even though chemotherapy doses were adjusted for weight -- provide further evidence that lifestyle factors can influence cancer patient outcomes, according to Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

She and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 1,909 breast cancer patients. Of those women, about 1 percent were underweight, 33 percent were normal weight, 33 percent were overweight and 33 percent were obese.

The researchers examined the link between body-mass index (a measure of body fat based on weight and height) and relapse-free survival and overall survival. The findings are slated for presentation Friday at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna.

"Several other studies have shown that being overweight or obese at the time that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer is linked to a higher risk of recurrence. However, questions have been raised in the past whether obese women were receiving relatively lower doses of chemotherapy due to their weight. Our study mandated that each patient received a chemotherapy dose adjusted to her weight, so these results suggest that treatment factors are not responsible for the differences in recurrence rates seen in heavier women," Ligibel said in a conference news release.

"We found that BMI was related to both relapse-free survival and overall survival; for example, the 10-year relapse-free survival of a patient who was overweight was 70 percent; compared with 65 percent for one who was obese," she noted.

Ligibel concluded: "Obesity is a modifiable factor, and although there is not yet enough evidence to say with certainty that losing weight or exercising more regularly will decrease the risk of breast cancer recurrence, there are consistent links between lifestyle factors such as diet, weight and physical activity patterns and breast cancer prognosis. If future studies show that making changes in lifestyle behaviors for women with early breast cancer will improve survival rates, then lifestyle interventions may one day become a standard part of breast cancer care."

According to conference chair David Cameron, a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, these are important findings for women with breast cancer but "we need to recognize that the reason overweight women have poorer outcomes is not clear," he said in the news release.

"There are a lot of health reasons why overweight women should try and get back to a normal weight, but this is not always easy, and as the authors acknowledge, we don't yet know that losing weight after a breast cancer diagnosis will make a difference," he noted.

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: European Breast Cancer Conference, news release, March 23, 2012

Obese,Women,Higher,Breast,Cancer,Recurrence,Study

Most Anal Lesions Don't Cause Cancer in Men, Research Shows

Clickbank Products Most Anal Lesions Don't Cause Cancer in Men, Research Shows



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FRIDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and precancerous lesions are common among gay and bisexual men, but most of these cases will not progress to anal cancer, a new analysis of earlier research shows.

The researchers also found that the rate of progression from anal lesions to anal cancer among men appears to be much lower than the rate of progression from cervical lesions to cervical cancer among women.

Types HPV 16 and HPV 18 cause 80 percent of anal cancers and 70 percent of cervical cancers, according to background information in the report, published online March 22 in The Lancet Oncology.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 53 previous studies involving gay and bisexual men and found that most of the men had anal HPV infection, and 20 percent to 30 percent of them had precancerous anal lesions.

HIV-positive men were much more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV types than HIV-negative men (73 percent vs. 37 percent) and were also more likely to have precancerous anal lesions, the investigators noted.

The progression rate from high-grade anal lesions to anal cancer was about one in 600 per year for HIV-positive men and about one in 4,000 per year for HIV-negative men. In comparison, the progression rate from high-grade cervical lesions to cervical cancer is about one in 80 per year.

Because cervical cancer screening has led to sharp decreases in cervical cancer cases and deaths, it's been suggested that the same screening strategies for precancerous anal lesions in gay and bisexual men could save many lives. However, these findings indicate it's not that simple, lead author Andrew Grulich, of the University of New South Wales in Australia, explained in a journal news release.

"The substantial differences in the natural history of anal HPV infection to those of cervical HPV infection that this review has identified suggests that we cannot simply transfer cervical cancer screening strategies to anal cancer screening," Grulich and colleagues concluded.

"Large, good-quality prospective studies are needed to inform the development of anal cancer screening guidelines for [men who have sex with men]," the authors suggested.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: The Lancet Oncology, news release, March 22, 2012

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Bladder Cancer Pictures Slideshow: Symptoms, Stages & Treatment

Clickbank Products Bladder Cancer Pictures Slideshow: Symptoms, Stages & Treatment



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Sources:

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

SPL / Photo Researchers, Inc. and Medical RF / PhototakeDr. P. Marazzi / Photo Researchers, IncZephyr / Photo Researchers, Inc.Annemarie van den Berg/ Flickr Collection / Getty ImagesShannon Fagan / PhotodiscShannon Fagan / PhotodiscPeggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMDISM / Phototake and Medical Body Scans / Photo Researchers, Inc.Steve Gschmeissner / Photo Researchers, Inc.Peggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMDPeggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMDPeggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMDNorma Jean Gargasz / age footstockSPL / Photo Researchers, Inc.Antonia Reeve / Photo Researchers, Inc.Datacraft Co LtdJupiterimages / Brand X PicturesCreatas ImagesJupiterimages / ComstockCarol & Mike Werner / Visuals Unlimited / Corbis

REFERENCES:

American Cancer Society: "Bladder Cancer," "Hairdressers and Barbers May Be at Increased Cancer Risk," "Vitamin E," "What's New in Bladder Cancer Research?"American Urological Association: "Bladder Cancer."American Urological Association Foundation: "Hematuria."Freedman, N. Journal of the American Medical Association, August 2011.Harling, M. Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 2010.Ji, J. British Journal of Cancer, January 2005.National Cancer Institute: "Staging," "Bladder Cancer Treatment," "Drugs Approved for Bladder Cancer," "SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Bladder."NIH Research Matters: "Smoking and Bladder Cancer."ScienceDaily: "Cigarette Smoking Implicated in Half of Bladder Cancers in Women; Bladder Cancer Risk from Smoking Is Higher Than Previously Estimated, Study Confirms."Stanford Cancer Institute: "Information About Bladder Cancer."World Health Organization: "Tobacco Free Initiative -- Cancer."

This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:

THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the MedicineNet Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.

© 2012 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

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Few Young Women With Cancer Take Steps to Preserve Fertility

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MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Very few young women with cancer take measures to preserve their fertility while undergoing cancer treatment, a new study says.

The findings suggest that reproductive-age women with cancer need more information about fertility preservation methods such as egg or embryo freezing, said Dr. Mitchell Rosen, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.

The researchers surveyed 1,041 women aged 18 to 40 who were diagnosed with cancer between 1993 and 2007. Of those women, 918 received cancer therapies (chemotherapy, pelvic radiation, pelvic surgery, or bone marrow transplant) that could harm their fertility.

Sixty-one percent of the women received counseling from their doctors or other health care providers on the risks that cancer treatment posed to their fertility, but only 4 percent of the women actually took steps to preserve their fertility.

The proportion of patients who took measures to preserve their fertility, however, increased from 1 percent in 1993 to between 6 percent and 10 percent in 2005 to 2007, according to the study, which was published online March 26 in the journal Cancer.

The researchers also found that women who were childless, younger, white, heterosexual and college graduates were more likely than women of other backgrounds both to be counseled about the fertility-related risks of cancer treatment and to preserve their fertility before undergoing cancer treatment.

"Although more women are getting counseled regarding reproductive health risks, many women are still not receiving adequate information about their options at the time of cancer diagnosis," Rosen said in a journal news release. "Routine counseling regarding reproductive health risk and options for preserving reproductive potential will improve the quality of life among survivors, and the overall quality of care."

In the United States, more than 120,000 women under age 50 are diagnosed with cancer each year.

According to the American Cancer Society, steps to preserve fertility usually have to be taken before or during cancer treatment, meaning young women with cancer need to make decisions quickly.

Freezing embryos is the most common, well-established option for women. But there are other methods, including freezing eggs or portions of ovarian tissue and choosing specific strategies for combating the cancer that spare the ovaries.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Cancer, news release, March 26, 2012

Young,Women,Cancer,Steps,Preserve,Fertility

Low 'Bad' Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked to Cancer Risk

Clickbank Products Low 'Bad' Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked to Cancer Risk



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SUNDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- There may be a link between low levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increased cancer risk, according to new research.

In the study, researchers looked at 201 cancer patients and 402 cancer-free patients. They found that cancer patients who never took cholesterol-lowering drugs had low LDL cholesterol levels for an average of about 19 years prior to their cancer diagnosis.

The finding suggests there may be some underlying mechanism that affects both LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk, the study authors said.

Still, other experts cautioned that the finding is preliminary, and lowering your LDL levels is well known to cut the odds for the number one killer, heart disease.

The study was slated for presentation Sunday at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting in Chicago.

Previous studies of cholesterol-lowering drugs have suggested a strong link between low LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk. This new study is the first to investigate the association between low LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk over an extended period of time only in cancer patients who have never taken cholesterol-lowering medication, the researchers said.

"There has been some debate as to whether or not medications used to lower cholesterol may contribute to cancer, but the evidence so far tells us that the drugs themselves do not increase the risk of cancer. We wanted to take those medications out of the equation and just look at the link between cancer and low LDL cholesterol itself in people who had never taken statins or other cholesterol-lowering drugs," lead investigator Dr. Paul Michael Lavigne of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an ACC news release.

Although the study uncovered an association between low LDL levels and increased cancer risk, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

A cardiology expert weighed in on the new study.

"I strongly believe that lowering LDL cholesterol significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular events, but the association between low LDL cholesterol and cancer remains a hypothesis that requires further testing," said Dr. Jeffrey Berger, director of cardiovascular thrombosis at NYU Langone Medical Center and an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

"The association between low LDL cholesterol and the risk of cancer has become a topic of increasing interest, but conclusions cannot be drawn from this study," Berger added. "The study suggests that there may be some sort of unique attribute among subjects that already have a low LDL cholesterol that may make them susceptible to cancer, but future studies will have to look at why that is."

Study author Lavigne said the findings do not suggest that having low LDL cholesterol somehow leads to the development of cancer, and urged patients with high LDL cholesterol to continue treatment to lower their LDL cholesterol in order to prevent heart disease.

"There is no evidence to indicate that lowering your cholesterol with a medication in any way predisposes to a risk for cancer. We suspect there may be some underlying mechanism affecting both cancer and low LDL cholesterol, but we can only say definitively that the relationship between the two exists for many years prior to cancer diagnosis, and therefore underscores the need for further examination," Lavigne said.

Another expert agreed that patients should not abandon cholesterol-lowering lifestyle changes or medications based on the new findings.

Dr. David Friedman, chief of heart failure services at North Shore Plainview Hospital in Plainview, N.Y., said that "statins used for LDL reduction shouldn't be stopped if there is an appropriate use to lower heart disease risk."

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Jeffery S. Berger, M.D., M.S., director, cardiovascular thrombosis, NYU Langone Medical Center and assistant professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York City; David A. Friedman, MD, chief of heart failure services at North Shore Plainview Hospital, Plainview NY; American College of Cardiology, news release, March 25, 2012

Cholesterol,Levels,Linked,Cancer