|
|
|
A new diagnostic tool to help the carcinoid cancer patients - Hope for the patients with carcinoid syndrome: A study funded by the Cancer Research Society
|
Montreal, October 17, 2005 - A sensitive biochemical indicator of niacin status has helped unmask the extent of niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency problem in patients suffering from carcinoid, a neuroendocrine cancer most frequently observed in the gastrointestinal tract and the bronchopulmonary system.
This discovery is significant since patients with a severe form of the carcinoid cancer, called carcinoid syndrome, are afflicted with numerous symptoms that could mask the clinical detection pellagra, a clinical syndrome of niacin deficiency. Biochemical measurements showed the prevalence of biochemical niacin deficiency in 1 of 4 carcinoid patients with carcinoid syndrome, an incidence that is 10 times higher than when it is diagnosed through clinical detection of pellagra. These results bring hope for a better quality of life and for better treatments for people with carcinoid, because if left undiagnosed and untreated for niacin deficiency, these patients would needlessly suffer from lack of a nutrient that is vital for many cellular processes which are essential for healthy recovery of these patients, In addition, uncorrected niacin deficiency has the potential to hinder the efficiency of treatments for this type of cancer. In fact, the second phase of this research will look into the impact of this deficiency on the severe resistance to chemotherapy observed in this cancer and to possible development of secondary cancers during treatment of primary cancer.
Niacin can be found in a variety of food including lean meat, fish, liver, cereals, eggs, peanuts, milk, beans, Bear used, wheat germ, and some fruits such as avocados, peaches, apricots, and bananas.
The biochemical measurements from blood samples were done by the Laboratory for Skin Cancer Research at the CHUL (CHUQ) Research Centre and Faculty of Medicine of Laval University, under the leadership of Dr. Girish Shah, in cooperation with two clinics in Canada and in the United States. Dr. Shah's research has been funded by The Cancer Research Society, an organization that has been funding basic research throughout Canada for 60 years.
The fundamental cause for niacin deficiency was traced by this team to the overproduction of serotonin by the carcinoid tumour. The overproduction of this peptide hormone synthesized from tryptophan results in a lack of tryptophan for the other metabolic pathways, which impacts on the production of vitamin B3 (niacin), essential for good health. The serotonin hormone is one of the factors responsible for diverse symptoms of this cancer, such as abdominal cramps, chronic diarrhea, flushing, asthmatic wheezing, heart problems and skin disease.
Dr. Girish Shah is senior researcher and head of the Laboratory for Skin Cancer Research at the CHUL (CHUQ) Research Centre and Faculty of Medicine of Laval University. This is the first study on the systematic assessment of niacin deficiency and on the comparison of its clinical and biochemical results. These results are published in the October 2005 (Volume 100, Number 10) issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, from Blackwell Publishing.
Through its support of basic research, The Cancer Research Society is working towards improving prevention and treatment of this disease, with the hope of discovering a cure, for the different forms of cancer.
For More Information Contact :
Maryse Beaudry
Communication and Marketing Coordinator
The Cancer Research Society
(514) 861-9227, extension 33
Cell: (514) 293-4733
www.src-crs.ca
mbeaudry@src-crs.ca
------------------------------------
Publish your news!
Write to us at :
news@chrgonline.com
|
|
|
|
