When you take a break from reading research articles on Prostate Cancer..... I recently read two books that give a background look at cancer research, and the influence of government and big pharma. Some significant progress into some childhood malignancies and perhaps immunotherapy for lung Ca/Melanoma. Rest of progress slower than climate change and often reported as "break throughs" when looking at a few months improvements. Interesting insight in process and method of FDA approval of new therapies.
Books: "The Emperor of All Maladies" : A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
" The First Cell" and the human costs of pursing cancer to the last. by Azra Raza
Not short reads and a lot of medical/biological terminology.
Written by
FlyJ
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Have read “Emperor” and all of Mukherjee’s other really excellent books. Actually easier to listen to Audible versions while on long walks. I will check out “The First Cell”. Thanks.
Excellent books you highlight. As I note below, MateoBeach has a keen interest in basic science and is replete with suggestions, esp. if you want to look deep into the origins of our metabolic functions.
As for our long and often lonely "War on Cancer", when Watson and Crick unraveled the mystery of the double helix, we were all lead to believe that cures for most diseases would soon be discovered - via the better understanding of the genetics involved. As a result genetic research sucked up money that would have gone into other areas, like metabolic functions, aka now often called, metabolomics. With the discovery that the massively complex epigenome served to switch genes on and off, the well of applicable knowledge got very deep indeed. In the 50+ years since Watson & Crick's insightful discovery (and the subsequent "War on Cancer") there has been much diagnostic advance in genetic/epigentic mapping, but little effective curative treatments for cancer. Much of that can be attributed to the heterogeneous nature of most cancers; i.e., too many targets to try to hit.
Recently, there has been a resurgence in research into immune and metabolic functions as more actionable ways to attack cancer (continuing with the warfare lingo i don't prefer to use). Immunotheraphy has so far proven most effective for systemic diseases, like blood cancers, than for solid tumors. Maybe that will change, but it seems unlikely that many of us advanced patients will be around to see it.
Metabolic functions seem much more universally actionable to me and have, as a result, become the focus of my personal actions to assist in controlling both my cancers. In the past year I have read about a dozen books related to metabolic functions in some way. Many are ones focused on diet and lifestyle - a very contentious subject, to say the least. Most recent among those books are the three Nick Lane books recommended to me by MateoBeach. Those books focus on the origins of life and the role bacteria have played in the development of all complex life forms in existence today. While quite technical in detail, they provide a level of understanding about the foundations of cellular metabolism that is truly amazing to consider.
However, the single most clarifying book for me has been Dr. Robert H. Lustig's, Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine . Dr. Lustig is a career pediatric endocrinologist and says he has seen kids go from growing "up' to growing "out" over his 40+ years of practice - primarily as a result of their dietary migration to processed food.
His simple guiding mantra is "Protect the Liver and Feed the Gut". The first half of that message, is embodied in the insulin resistance that is at the heart of most of the health issues plaguing developed populations worldwide. If those two goals are targeted, we can do more to improve our health than anything I have yet discovered. It is more than worth noting that our esteemed member, Patrick O'Shea, has been preaching the importance of preventing insulin resistance for years now. He obviously was way ahead of most in understanding the importance of controlling/preventing IR.
Most significantly, Dr. Lustig, while discussing many mainstream diet and lifestyle interventions (for weight, loss, increased health/lifespans, diabetes control, etc, etc) currently en vogue, refuses to endorse any particular one of them. Rather, he recognizes the individual nature of food metabolism and that any diet that "protects the liver and feeds the gut" will minimize impacts to the liver (i.e., NAFLD) and provide the fiber needed to support a healthy microbiome - while one that does the opposite will eventually lead to some form of metabolic syndrome, a deficient immune system, or something even worse.
Incorporating Dr. Lustig's mantra into the one I regularly offer up to people seeking to improve their health, I have the follow five recommended things to do to improve, preserve, & protect one's overall health:
1. Eliminate as much processed food as possible - and replace it with "whole" foods. That will eliminate all sources of "added sugar" in your diet and most of the chemical and toxic additives found in processed food.
2. Get at least the 34+/- grams of fiber recommended for adult men (28+/- for women) every single day. Since dairy and meat have near-zero fiber, that sort of fiber intake will push your diet towards the plant side of the food spectrum - not a bad thing, IMO. (Try adding up your daily fiber intake and, unless you are eating LOTS of vegetable and unprocessed whole grains, I think you will be surprised to find that you are getting only around 17+/- grams of fiber per day; i.e., +/- 95% of the adult population do not even get the RDA amount. )
3. Exercise regularly EVERY DAY, Current research shows the universal benefits of moderate exercise for all aspects of our health. Minimum of 30 mins per day of brisk walking can do the trick. However for those with osteo issues, it seems weight-bearing exercise is essential for bone health. Whatever it takes, Just do it!
4. Get regular restful sleep!!! Getting on a regulated circadian-synched pattern of uninterrupted sleep is essential. 7 to 9 hours seem the common recommendation, with both less and more not good.
5. Eliminate/reduce stress as much as humanly possible. Stress hormones cause all sorts of metabolic cascades with negative effects on our health. Religious practice, meditation, mindfulness, or just plain kick-back R&R are all restorative to immune function, brain health, metabolic function, and hormone balance. Connect it with exercise and you can make both a daily habit.
The above doesn't say much about our "War on Cancer", but it does target the metabolic functions that are the source of many of the current disease epidemics, including cancer. It also addresses the preventive side of disease rather than the very profitable treatment side that is the current focus of our medical system. The old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" seems to have been lost on our current medical professionals.
Thanks so much for your informative reply. I agree with all of your tenets. I had not heard of Dr. Lustig before but just listened to one of his lectures on Utube and it was very good. Will look for his book. Thanks again.
FlyJ - I should have given a call-out in my reply to HU member "LeoPa" who referred me to Dr Lustig's book in a reply at CLLSupport about a year ago. That book remains one of the best books on the good, bad, and ugly of our present medical care system - and how we could turn it on its head by refocusing on preventative care vs treatment. The present problem lies in the fact that the for-profit system is married to treatment - and paid to do that, yet has no equivalent pay-incentives for prevention. (There's that prevention vs cure notion again.)
Lustig's "Protect the liver and Feed the gut" identifies the major goals to guide one to better health. The "MEDS" Acronym that has been adopted by "Patting the Shark" author and PCa patient, Tim Baker, is also an easy daily health guide to commit to memory:
“Wellness is about balance. M-E-D-S is a simple such strategy.
M is meditation. Take a bit of time out. Just to think.
E is exercise. Walk every day. Walk more. Take the stairs.
D is diet. Reduce the rubbish; increase the nutritious.
S is sleep. Get rid of sleep debt.”
I've combined the M & E and do them daily at my local Y. The E comes first and M in the steam room last. Keeps me physically fit and mentally stress-free (usually).
All good stuff. We just have to find the time to make them fundamental parts of our daily lives. Like most of us now confronting PCa, if I had done that earlier in life, I probably would not need to be here at FPC.
Thanks for your comment. I think you will find the book enlightening.
Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies matches the epic scale of the disease, reshaping the way the public sees cancer and stripping away some of the fear and misunderstanding that has long surrounded it. The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance but also of hubris, paternalism and misperception. Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies examines cancer with a cellular biologist’s precision, a historian’s perspective and a biographer’s passion. The series artfully weaves three different films in one: a riveting history documentary; an engrossing and intimate vérité film; and a scientific and investigative report.
A fine Ken Burns documentary (does he do any other kind?) based on the book and, if I remember correctly, Dr. Mukherjee provides periodic commentary along the way. Both book and the film are excellent and well worth the time for each.
The war on cancer is not fought like a real war, especially a world war. It’s more like a long standing skirmish.
There is research like a real war but the money for research is limited and the research is slow. The application of new therapies is also slow, limited by funding and conservatism. The latest drugs are very expensive and have to be approved by the FDA or other authorities, which is slow. The patent laws prevent early widespread use of the most promising drugs and other therapies. Drug companies have to make profits. It’s like giving soldiers in a real war out of date rifles.
Compare this with the advances made in the First and Second World wars. Great advances were made in flight, electronics, computers and nuclear physics. Human Resources were limited but no money was spared for the promising technologies. Companies worked together without barriers. Profits did not have to be made.
And then with the Cold War as a background the USA landed men on the moon. Funding was not an issue.
I like your road map analogy. Single road blocks (chemo) don't seem to have "lasting" effects and "bombing" with radiation/surgery will often miss peripheral targets . Multi-prong combinations seem to be the route that SOC is headed right now. I feel that phytochemicals (diet/supplements) have the potential to be very helpful especially when they act in synergy with others. As that route is very complex to evaluate with little potential profits; it will be a stone left unturned most of the time. The role of cellular metabolism and epigentics is a deep well that in time may provide the right answers.
When I started about 5 years ago, the ACS listed my chance of living 5 years at 15-20%, now fast forward to last year, the ACS had increased that to 30-33%. Since about the time of my diagnosis, the use of abiraterone in MHSPC was verified by STAMPEDE and started being used, and low and behold...Enzalutamide, Apalutamide, Darolutamide. Radioligand pharmaceuticals, and Orgovyx came into the treatment paradigm. Vaccine trials continue, and new targets emerge...Stopping metastasis is key and there are new drugs being tested for it.
The problem for small biotechs is that they can get through Phase I and II on their own, but the Phase III costs about 50 million, so the small biotech needs a partner. Big Pharma waits and nickel and dimes small biotechs down trying to get the lowest price and biggest rewards. An example is Osteodex, which went through Phase 2b with flying colors more than a year ago... now, they wait for a partner to emerge... While Big Pharma fiddles, people die... This needs to change...
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