A Potentially Big Problem With Chemotherapy

A year ago, there was an important article published in Nature Medicine by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that showed a marked (30-fold) increase in a substance called WNT 16B in cancer patients treated with chemo. High levels of this substance decrease the resistance to cancer in previously unaffected cells. This might explain why chemo often helps initially, but if the cancer comes back it is more difficult to treat the second time. On the positive side, the spice turmeric in large doses was shown to decrease tumor size and activity in 82% of animals with breast cancer compared to 0% in patients treated with placebo. A more natural approach continues to show promise in the treatment of cancer. See Dr. Peter Nelson at www.fhcrc.org/en/news/center-news/2012/08/peter-nelson-lab-chemotherapy-resistance-mechanism.html (the article was quoted in JAMA) and Cancer Prev Research, October 1, 2008, p. 385-391. Celebration of Health Association website