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The timeline for the development of most cancers is over many
years. This gives us a long time to intervene and break up the
process. It also gives many different places to intervene.
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In
this mulistep pathway to cancer, there are many different steps with
the potential to block or arrest the development of cancer.
Standard medicine has focuses on the last two steps and basically
ignored the earlier ones. Now, medicine is only beginning to
focus on prevention. This could become the most effective and
least toxic method of decreasing death from cancer. It is not a
passive process but requires the direct participation of the patient.
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This
chart explains why it is so difficult to develope and confirm effective
cancer prevention methods. A very large number of patients is
needed as well as a long follow-up period. Many researchers shy
away from these types of studies because of the long delay to
publication .... delayed gratification.
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This
was a landmark study proving the effectiveness of tamoxifen in
preventing breast cancer. It shows we can develope drugs /
supplements / lifestyle interventions that do work. It also
points out the potential for side effects like increased
endometrial cancer and increased thromboembolic vascular events
(blood clots) as well as decreased bone fractures.
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| This is a lecture I gave on Nutritional Oncology - cancer prevention through lifestyle
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