ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: Captain Deb on October 12, 2006, 01:38:46 pm
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Hi Family,
Tony asked me to post this article about tumor control and aspirin.
October 2, 2006
Aspirin combats tumor growth by inhibiting new blood vessel formation
A report published in the October, 2006 issue of The FASEB Journal (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) revealed that aspirin, already recognized as being protective against some cancers due to its cyclooxygenase (Cox) enzyme inhibiting ability, has another tumor-fighting weapon in its arsenal: the ability to directly reduce angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessel growth. Without this ability, tumors are unable to grow.
Researchers at the University of Newcastle in England compared the effects of varying concentrations of aspirin, salicylate (the natural form of aspirin), and the selective Cox inhibitors SC560 and Celecoxib on the proliferation, viability and angiogenesis of cultured endothelial cells. They found while therapeutic concentrations of aspirin and salicylate had no effect on cell viability or proliferation, there was a significant reduction in angiogenesis. This effect was seen even at the lowest concentrations of aspirin and salicylate used, but was not observed with the selective Cox inhibitor drugs, either separately or in combination, suggesting that the the antiangiogenic effect of aspirin is via a Cox-independent mechanism.
While a very high concentration of aspirin resulted in apoptosis (programmed cell suicide) of the cells, the effect was not seen at doses approximating to systemic pharmacological concentrations. "It is clear that low therapeutic doses of aspirin have a direct inhibitory effect on the ability of endothelial cells to undergo angiogenesis and that this may contribute to the antineoplastic effects claimed for aspirin in a wide range of tissue types," the authors conclude.
Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, stated, "Aspirin has always been touted as a 'wonder drug, and this study shows that we are still learning about the many actions of this amazing drug."
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Thanks - it should work fine for conventional ANs as well
(not to mention the lower cancer risk, lower heart attack risk,
reduction in tinnitus, fatigue, etc, etc)
But even a low dose (one-a-day) is fine
so no need to overdo it
Best regards
Tony
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wow what will they think of next...I take a aspirin a day , and my an is growing!!!!
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Interesting ..
I think 100's of years from now, Doctors will discover the best practices for long life are ...
Exercise , just a simple walk a few miles a day .. and an Apple a day ;D
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I have to agree with Bruce on this one. It's not clear that [non-cancerous] AN tumors involve cyclooxygenase to promote angiogenesis like cancerous tumors do. But I would be surprised if many AN patients don't already take a baby aspirin a day, for cardiac protection, since the average age for AN diagnosis is 50 something.
Regards,
Rob
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Thanks Deb - and Tony.
Certainly interesting reading but hardly conclusive, as is often the case with these new research 'findings' regarding possible AN inhibitors. While going on a physician-approved low-dose aspirin regimen would probably not do one any harm, based on this article, I cannot see that it would really prevent the growth of the Schwann cells that make up AN tumors (as Bruce mentioned). It sounds like a shot in the dark, as much scientific research turns out to be, by necessity, when dealing with the unknown. Still, aspirin in low daily does does have other benefits and, as a layman (not a scientist or physician), I would not rule it out as a possible Schwann-cell growth inhibitor. I just need more proof than the article provided as the whether aspirin could or would inhibit excess Schwann cell growth.
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well aspirin has been around for ages and does help all sorts of things....
(if we didn't have it today, and someone came around and said, hey guess what, i have this little white pill , (and it's cheap) and went on to list the numerous things it does help, i wonder what the reaction would be??? ;) ) ÂÂ
;)
this is interesting... thanks for the post...
windsong
p.s. I might even remember to take my aspirin a day now....lol
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I accept that the growth link/form between AN and cancer
maybe similar - but not identical.
However sometimes ANs just die of natural causes (3-5%??)
This is the Tumour "necrosis" we have all heard about
- this process was explained to me by the neuro
- basically the Tumour out grows the blood supply
starves itself I guess.
The point is there is a correlation between blood supply and growth
so if there was an easy way of restricting the blood supply
- it might work.
As I say if it was only a 1/1000 chance I d still try it
Best regards
Tony
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I doubt whether aspirin would shrink the begger - geesh if it did, I'd buy up the factory. However, after how many years on the market did it take the so called experts to realise that aspirin has benefical uses for thinning the blood and helping to avoid blocked arteries.
MMMMMMM I think I might start popping one of these a day. The only worry would be that constant use can cause ulcers - got that licked coz I take another drug called Losec which counteracts the ulcer thing. Now, to find a drug to counteract the Losec side effects mmmmmm when does one stop.
Laz
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I know what you mean
I have a pink one to get me to the bathroom
two blue ones to get me dressed
then a red one to counteract the side effects of the first three
then an orange to balance out the red
- annnd I usually dont feel so good ????
Asprin is fine - but small qtys are effective
large amounts will offer a whole new set of problems....
best regards
tony
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Asprin is also known as having audiotoxicity (can damage hearing). For obvious reasons, AN patients may be concerned about trying to retain whatever hearing they have left. There are many drugs that are known to damage hearing.
Rob
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Aspirin can also make tinnitus worse. But I don't know how much you have to take before the buzzing gets louder. Perhaps that is unique wiith each person.
Sue in Vancouver
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strange, there was a post a week or so back - which said that asprin improved
both the fatigue sensations and the tinnitus - though again there is a big
difference between 1-2 pills and 6+
Asprin might reduce soft tissue swelling - but the thinner blood
might eventually race around quicker
- so dont overdo it is still good advice
tony
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Interesting ..
I think 100's of years from now, Doctors will discover the best practices for long life are ...
Exercise , just a simple walk a few miles a day .. and an Apple a day ;D
Fishing and a cold one will help also.
Patti Ut
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ya probably....
i figure i'll still take that little white pill each day though....... that aspirin..... :D
Windsong
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I'll tell you what taking liberal amounts of aspirin every day WILL do for sure: rot your stomach out. Ever wonder why "acid reflux" and other accompanying digestive problems are much more rampant these days? I'm sure it has a great deal to do with the amount of over-the-counter analgesics people are imbibing day in and day out.
Paul
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Paul,
Good point.
I recently have had been struck down with pneumonmia aspiration. This was caused by a severe bout of reflux and the bacteria from that reflux got into my lungs. It was not pleasant. I'm sure my stomach has been damaged by the quantum of pain killers I've had to have and then a dinner of spicy Indian food just capped it off.
I am now on a drug called Losec which combats reflux and stops the build of of acid coming back up the osophegus (spelling). I will be on this drug forever now. It is harmless (no side effects). My wife has been taking it for many years.
Message - beware of the quantum of drugs you take particularly the side effects.
laz
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Hi Laz,
Yes, acid reflux can cause more than a little bit of discomfort. And certainly taking lots of OTC drugs is not wise.
For me an aspirin is my choice rather than the warfarin (blood thinner) my cardioligist wants me to take... even with the baby dose aspirin, I can get acid reflux. Pariet is supposed to help the stomach for that. I never have liked taking meds of any kind. So for now aspirin it is for me. Sometimes one has small choice in what one has to take...... :) If it helps control any An cells still alive after fsr i figure that might be a tiny bonus lol....
Be well,
Windsong
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Yes Laz,
I really do feel that I'm right about this. I see it happening all around me. The term "acid reflux" was virtually unheard of back in the sixties, seventies and eighties. People had "heartburn", "indigestion" and ulcers. They drank Maalox and ate Tums. These days, digestive problems have taken on a whole new dimension of horror.
While taking drugs like Advil and Tylenol really work, there is a definite price to be paid for overdoing it - rot-gut and liver poisoning. Let's face it, we're all human and we're all hurting, one way or another. I wish there was a better way to alleviate pain like accupuncture or something more Zen-like that was readily accessible to people.
Paul
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Oh.....and Laz, sorry to hear about the aspiration you've been afflicted with. I remember living in fear of that while in the hospital.
I remember when I came out of surgery they had a feeding tube shoved down my gullet into my stomach. Boy did that suck!! No wonder I couldn't utter a word upon awakening! I could barely even breath! The second day in ICU they must have loosened the hand restraints because I pulled the damn thing out by myself! It was like that scene in "The Matrix" when Neo wakes up in that pod and pulls the feeding tube out. Man, I can relate to that scene in a big way! For real! I paid for that one through. They wouldn't feed me any real food for four days after out of fear that I'd develop pneumonia from aspirating on it.They were ready to shove that horrible implement back into my stomach again! I had to prove to them that I could swallow by way of a test they gave me - plunging fiber optic cable up into my nostrils and down my throat into my larynx, asking me to vocalize certain sounds. I knew I could do it because my girlfriend had been bringing me cups of ice to chew on. Thankfully, I passed the test!
Paul
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I was just diagnosed w/ a 2.3 cm. AN a month ago. I'm trying to post a message to ask why people chose to do gamma knife or surgery. I've gotten 3 different opinions from 3 different doctors. How do you decide? Only 2 of the options sound good to me. Either gamma knife where they think there is a 50-70% chance of saving my hearing or the suboccipital way where she thinks there is also a chance of saving my hearing. Both doctors are very well recommended in Kansas City.
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Joanc,
a significant part of the decision is answering the question of "how much hearing do you currently have?" If you have a level that is classified as usable hearing and it is a priority for you to try and save it, then radiosurgery has much better odds with GK typically demonstrating a 50-60% figure and fractions with CK indicating 70-75% in recent studies. Surgery with an AN greater than 2 cm has a less than 20% probability of saving hearing and it decreases as size rises. So while there is a chance with surgery, it is a long one and I can't remember anyone ever posting here that they saved usable hearing with an AN in the 2 cm or greater range.
Mark