Cancer Decisions - Free Newsletter -June 19, 2005

THE MOSS REPORTS

There can be few more difficult things in life than to come to terms with a diagnosis of cancer. The menacing nature of the disease, the urgency of the situation and the need to make decisions quickly on the basis of a vast amount of new and unfamiliar information can overwhelm even the most levelheaded person.

Keeping abreast of the latest research and maintaining rigorous objectivity in weighing the worth of cancer treatments has been the guiding principle of my work in the cancer field over the past thirty years. It is my mission to provide cancer patients and their families with the most thorough analysis of current thinking on the complexities of cancer and its treatment so that they can face the disease with confidence.

The Moss Reports are a series of comprehensive guides to the best available conventional and alternative treatments for almost 200 different kinds of cancer.

If you would like to order a Moss Report for yourself or someone you love, you can do so from our website, www.cancerdecisions.com, or by calling Diane at 1-800-980-1234 (814-238-3367 from outside the US).

We look forward to helping you.

NEW EVIDENCE THAT VITAMIN D FIGHTS CANCER, PART TWO

Last week, I began a discussion of the role of sunlight and vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of cancer. I conclude that discussion this week.

The research of Dr. Wei Zhou and his Harvard colleagues showed that:

- Patients who had cancer operations in the winter months were about 40 percent more likely to die from their cancer within five years than patients who had their cancer surgery in summer. Five year disease-free survival rates were 54 percent, 56 percent, and 70 percent, respectively, for patients who had surgery in winter, spring or fall, and summer.

- As to overall survival (in the opinion of many statisticians the most important measure of benefit), patients who had surgery in the winter were about 25 percent more likely to die than those who had their surgery in summer. Five-year overall survival rates were 50 percent, 57 percent, and 59 percent for patients who had surgery in winter, spring or fall, and summer, respectively.

When the combined effects of both the seasonal timing of surgery and vitamin D intake were considered, the researchers found an even greater degree of benefit:

- Patients with the highest vitamin D intake who had surgery in the summer had a three-fold better disease-free survival and a four-fold better overall survival than patients with the lowest vitamin D intake who had surgery during winter. The difference was statistically significant.

- The five-year disease-free survival was 83 percent versus 46 percent, respectively, and the five-year overall survival rate was 72 percent compared to 30 percent, respectively.

Dr. Zhou points out that the study was conducted on patients who had surgery in Boston, and so the calculation of surgery season may differ in other locations.

This Harvard study gives further substantiation to the claims of Professor Michael Holick, MD, PhD, of Boston University, who stated in his book The UV Advantage that people in northern latitudes (such as Boston) should get out in the sun without sunscreen for about half an hour each winter day. Many readers will remember that Prof. Holick was actually fired from his position in BU's Department of Dermatology last year for advocating such measures. (He retains his other research positions at the University.)

Why isn't there greater knowledge of the health benefits of moderate sun exposure? "So desperate is the anti-sun lobby to convince you of the dangers of the sun so that you will buy its products year-round, the representatives will tell you with a straight face that if it's February in Boston and you're planning to walk to the corner store to buy a quart of milk or sit outside on your lunch break, you should wear sunscreen," said Prof. Holick. "This is wrong-headed and alarmist. Even on the sunniest February day, the sun isn't strong enough in New England or New York to increase your risk of skin cancer significantly... The scare tactics of the cosme-ceutical industry have been embraced by most of the dermatology profession. These groups have worked in concert and frightened the daylights out of people - or, to put it more accurately, frightened people out of the daylight" (The UV Advantage, pp. 12-13).

Summer Is A Comin' In

Now that summer is here the question of sunlight and sunscreens is one we all have to consider. Am I advocating throwing your sunblock in the trash and leading a life of Apollonian abandon? Not exactly. True, a moderate amount of sunlight is protective against several forms of internal cancer. And yes, it is a good idea to get some unguarded exposure to sunlight year round, including summer, but never, ever to the point of sunburning or blistering. (The jury is still out on the advisability of sun tanning.)

Most of us adventitiously receive sufficient sun exposure in the summertime to provide for our vitamin D needs. However, if you think you are in danger of sunburn (for example, if you plan a full day at the beach) you should definitely cover up and use sunblock to prevent extended periods of unprotected sun exposure. Excessive exposure to sunlight will in fact increase your risk of basal and squamous cell skin cancer. It will also prematurely age the skin. And if you go in the water, make sure to reapply your sunblock when you emerge onto the beach.

I prefer sunblocks that use titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, rather than the more common sunscreen products. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunblocks form a physical barrier that sits on the skin's surface and are not absorbed into the body. They reflect light away from the skin, the way a mirror would, Some of these titanium or zinc-based physical sunblocks also contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C or vitamin E, to counter any stray sunlight damage to the skin. By contrast, sunscreens containing chemicals such as cinnamates and benzophenones can irritate the skin and eyes and some of their ingredients, which can be absorbed through the skin, are thought to be potentially harmful to health. Another solution is to wear sun blocking clothing and a broad-brimmed hat. Dr. William Grant of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC), San Francisco, suggests maintaining a high dietary antioxidant status in order to guard against skin cancer.

A growing body of evidence indicates that adequate exposure to vitamin D, obtained through sunlight, provides some protection against several major types of cancer, including the spread of metastases from lung cancer. Moderate exposure to sunlight in the colder months is a health habit that costs nothing but a little time. In situations where direct sun exposure is impossible, many of the health benefits of vitamin D can probably be attained through dietary supplements.

Since supplements are so readily available, and so inexpensive - costing on average only three cents per day- - there is little financial incentive for anyone to prescribe or aggressively market this method of optimizing vitamin D levels. I take my (broad-brimmed) hat off to scientists such as Drs. Ed Giovannucci, William B. Grant, Michael Holick, and and Wei Zhou, who are letting the world know about this effective and inexpensive health measure.

Previous newsletter articles dealing with the controversy over Dr. Holick's views:

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/052204.html

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/053004.html

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/071104.html

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/082204.html

--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

Resources:

AACR Press Release. Surgery Season and Vitamin D Intake May Predict Successful Lung Cancer Surgery. April 18, 2005. Retrieved May 9, 2005 from:
http://www.aacr.org/Default.aspx?p=1066&d=367

Giovannucci, Edward, Dsc, MD. The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Incidence and Mortality. Tenth Annual AACR-DeWitt S. Goodman Memorial Lecture. April 19, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2005 from:
http://www.aacr.org/photoalbum/2005webcast/Webcast_19april.asp

Grant, William. Personal communication, May 10, 2005. Readers are urged to go to SUNARC'S website for new information on the relationship of UVA and UVB to cancer and other diseases.
http://www.sunarc.org/

Mizoue T. Ecological study of solar radiation and cancer mortality in Japan. Health Phys. 2004;87:532-8.

Moan J, Porojnicu AC, Robsahm TE, et al. Solar radiation, vitamin D and survival rate of colon cancer in Norway. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2005 Mar 1;78(3):189-93.

Robsahm TE, Tretli S, Dahlback A, et al. Vitamin D3 from sunlight may improve the prognosis of breast-, colon- and prostate cancer (Norway). Cancer Causes Control. 2004 Mar;15(2):149-58.

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

The news and other items in this newsletter are intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.