Double-checking my facts

[Tom]

Now that Mom's Herceptin has been stopped for cardiac concerns, I have gone back through my old data to see where I might increase dosing of certain nutrients and vitamins. I found this particular section of a 2005 article very reassuring, and have decided to make a new effort at increasing the EGCG levels in Mom's tissues.


Of the numerous polyphenols isolated from green tea, EGCG, is the most abundant and pharmacologically active component and the major target of anticancer research. EGCG has been shown to intervene at multiple stages of carcinogenesis, including tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. Tea polyphenols are potent antioxidants that scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vitro. EGCG blocks tumor promotion by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In breast cancer cells, EGCG markedly inhibits the phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER2/neu, stat-3, ERK, and akt, leading to decreased cell growth [19-20]. EGCG also causes cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the activities of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk)-2 and -4, while inducing the expression of Cdk inhibitors p21 and p27. EGCG may halt tumor progression by suppressing angiogenesis and protease activity involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. Finally, green tea may also enhance the effects of chemotherapeutic agents, since EGCG is also a DNA topoisomerase inhibitor against cancer cells.

I have concluded, for myself anyway, that perhaps the single most effective strategy I have at my disposal while the Herceptin is not being given, is to try and increase levels of EGCG and any other compound that will work directly to inhibit the action/expression of HER2/neu and EGFR. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. We shall see if it works, as going up against HER2+ disease armed only with food and supplements should prove to be an interesting little single-patient clinical trial of my own making. Wish me luck.

Tom

[StephN]

Tom -
Looks like you continue your very best to provide good support for your Mom.

Don't know where you are on the olive oil, but don't forget that a GOOD olive oil has the ability to downregulate Her2+ activity. There is a long article posted here a while back that gives the details of a study. (As I recall, even my oncologist was impressed with this work.)

I get a good artisanal rustic olive bread and enjoy dipping it into a little blend of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Goes great with the heirloom tomato salad.

[R.B.]

Tom if you have not had a chance to read the Greek Diet link you may like to.

Fats for good and bad are likely higher up the pecking order as they go back much further than most other nutrients except minerals aminos etc. I guess so are an important factor.

I wish you a good journey.

RB

[Tom]

Gee, thanks Steph for making my tongue hang out and sending me racing to the fridge for a snack...lol. Since Mom's diagnosis, I have gone through more bottles of extra-virgin olive oil than any Italian family in town. I started her on it originally, as a way to avoid butter and lower her intake of animal products. Then when it became known that it (Omega-9) would help prevent or delay failure of Herceptin's efficacy, I started giving it to her by the tablespoon.


When they say that a family member's cancer affects the whole family, they were right. To avoid cooking two separate meals, I end up eating what I cook for Mom, and my cholesterol has come down to 164. However, I don't like the part about my hair turning gray and falling out though. What's up with that? She gets treated and MY hair falls out...lol. I'm growing a very long pirate beard to compensate, and I plan on combing it over when it reaches the required length.


After R.B. got under my skin about Omega-3 --->Omega-6 ratios, I have spent more time agonozing over her fatty acid intake than almost anything else. Mom gets a ton of Omega-3's from flaxseed oil, fresh salmon and tuna, and large amounts of EPA/DHA capsules from Life Extension products. As a matter of fact, if I can ever find his address, I'm gonna send him the bill for all this stuff. He has single-handedly sent me to the poor house. I will look more closely at the Greek Diet link R.B.


Thanks both of you for your input. I have always enjoyed and appreciated your information and support.


Tom

[R.B.]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum


1: Carcinogenesis. 2006 Jun 19; [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
The combination of green tea and tamoxifen is effective against breast cancer.

* Sartippour MR,
* Pietras R,
* Marquez-Garban DC,
* Chen HW,
* Heber D,
* Henning SM,
* Sartippour G,
* Zhang L,
* Lu M,
* Weinberg O,
* Rao JY,
* Brooks MN.

University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Surgery, Division of Oncology, Research was performed at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095; University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Human Nutrition, Research was performed at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Epidemiologic data has suggested that green tea may prevent breast cancer. Studies in our laboratory have provided evidence that green tea extract inhibits breast cancer growth by a direct anti-proliferative effect on the tumor cells, as well as by indirect suppressive effects on the tumor associated endothelial cells. In this study, we asked whether concurrent administration of green tea may add to the anti-tumor effects of standard breast cancer therapy. We observed that green tea increased the inhibitory effect of tamoxifen on the proliferation of the ER (estrogen receptor)-positive MCF-7, ZR75, T47D human breast cancer cells in vitro. This combination regimen also was more potent than either agent alone at increasing cell apoptosis. In animal experiments, mice treated with both green tea and tamoxifen had the smallest MCF-7 xenograft tumor size, and the highest levels of apoptosis in tumor tissue, as compared with either agent administered alone. Moreover, suppression of angiogenesis in vivo correlated with larger areas of necrosis and lower tumor blood vessel density in treated xenografts. Green tea decreased levels of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER) in tumors both in vitro and in vivo. We also observed that green tea blocked ER-dependent transcription, as well as estradiol-induced phosphorylation and nuclear localization of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). To our knowledge, this study is the first to show the interaction of green tea with the ER pathway, as well as provide mechanistic evidence that the combination of green tea and tamoxifen is more potent than either agent alone in suppressing breast cancer growth. These results may lead to future improvements in breast cancer treatment and prevention.

PMID: 16785249 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]