Cancer, Cancer Treatment

Medicinal plants have been used as traditional remedies for hundreds of years.

Among them, S. barbata has been traditionally used in treatment of hepatitis, inflammation, osteomyelitis and gynecological diseases in China. Studies indicate that extracts from S. barbata have growth inhibitory effects on a number of human cancers. Reports are available on the treatment of lung, breast and digestive system cancer, hepatoma, and chorioepithelioma with S. barbata extracts. However, the underlying mechanism of the antitumor activity of S. barbata extracts remains unclear.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Scientists have uncovered a genetic “fingerprint” to help predict whether a patient’s liver cancer will return after treatment.

A team of international researchers studied tissue samples of roughly 300 liver cancer patients to uncover more than 180 genes linked to patient survival. Interestingly, the predictive fingerprint was discovered not in the tumor, but in normal tissue surrounding it.
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WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15 — Researchers have identified a new genetic signature that may predict whether a liver tumor is likely to recur, according to a new study.

Unlike other such signatures that have been identified for other cancers, this one has something of a flourish: It is hidden not within the tumor itself, but in the normal cells that surround it — and which, by inference, remain in the body following surgery.

The findings potentially open the door to new surveillance, treatment, and intervention strategies for liver cancer patients, both after surgery and possibly before the primary cancer ever arises, experts said.

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In the run up to the New Year’s Eve festivities a scientist in Britain has chosen an opportune moment to warn revellers that drinking alcohol, even in relatively small amounts, can increase a tipplers risk of developing cancer.

Dr. Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) says that a large glass of wine, a pint of beer or two measures of gin or vodka on a daily basis can increase a person’s bowel and liver cancer risk by as much as 20%.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A group of 101 mothers have written to China’s Communist Party leadership for help after their toddlers were denied kindergarten places for testing positive for hepatitis B.

China has passed laws in recent years reversing a ban on its 120-130 million hepatitis B carriers from the civil service, and banning companies from using the virus as an excuse to fire or not hire.

But activists and sufferers say discrimination and stigma fueled by ignorance remain widespread and a number of provincial governments still have laws banning carriers from kindergartens, despite minimal chances of infection from casual contact.

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