Bloodletting Against Cancer
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From: ironjustice on 10 Jul 2008 09:06 "These results almost seem to be too good to be true." Reducing Iron Stores by Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk in Older Men NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 08 - Cancer incidence and mortality in older men may be reduced by repeated phlebotomy to lower serum ferritin levels, according to findings published online on July 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Observational studies suggest that lower body iron stores may protect against malignancy by reducing iron-induced oxidative stress, Dr. Leo R. Zacharski and his associates note. To test this possibility, Dr. Zacharski, at the White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, and his group conducted an ad hoc analysis of data from a VA study in which patients with peripheral arterial disease were assigned to repeated blood collections (n = 636) or to a control group (n = 641), originally for prevention of atherosclerotic complications . The population was 99% male, mean age 67 years, with mean ferritin levels at baseline of 122 ng/mL. Phlebotomy was scheduled every 6 months to maintain ferritin levels between 25 and 60 ng/mL. During a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there were 60 new visceral malignancies in the control patients and 38 in the iron-reduction patients (p = 0.023). The risk of new malignancy (hazard ratio 0.65, p = 0.036) was significantly lower in the phlebotomy group. Among patients who did develop cancer, cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.39, p = 0.003) and all- cause mortality (HR 0.49, p = 0.009) were lower in the phlebotomy group. Overall, 75% of new cancers occurred in patients with mean ferritin levels > 57 ng/mL. These findings do not pertain to younger patients without vascular disease, women, or African Americans, whose ferritin levels are higher than those of Caucasians, the investigators say. Instead, "these observations provide incentive for future studies and insight into optimal clinical trial design." Dr. Zacharski's team suggests "there may be a need to redefine the normal range for the serum ferritin level based on associated disease risk." They also call for re-evaluation of the policy of routinely administering iron to anemic cancer patients. In a related editorial, Dr. Mads Melbye, at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen and colleagues suggest that "these results almost seem to be too good to be true." While recommending that "all possibilities for bias must be carefully examined" and that "the results have to be interpreted with caution," the editorialists also support more research on this topic. Furthermore, they write, "a cautious standpoint toward iron supplementation where no proper indication exists is perhaps advisable." J Natl Cancer Inst 2008;100. Who loves ya. Tom Jesus Was A Vegetarian! http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh Man Is A Herbivore! http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 DEAD PEOPLE WALKING http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk
From: California Poppy on 10 Jul 2008 11:13 I remember reading a number of years ago that all older people would benefit by giving blood as often as they would allow it. This study certainly confirms that
From: dar on 10 Jul 2008 13:00 On Jul 10, 8:06 am, ironjustice <teamtan...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > "These results almost seem to be too good to be true." > > Reducing Iron Stores by Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk in Older Men > > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 08 - Cancer incidence and mortality in > older men may be reduced by repeated phlebotomy to lower serum > ferritin levels, according to findings published online on July 8 in > the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. > > Observational studies suggest that lower body iron stores may protect > against malignancy by reducing iron-induced oxidative stress, Dr. Leo > R. Zacharski and his associates note. > > To test this possibility, Dr. Zacharski, at the White River Junction > Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, and his group conducted an > ad hoc analysis of data from a VA study in which patients with > peripheral arterial disease were assigned to repeated blood > collections (n = 636) or to a control group (n = 641), originally for > prevention of atherosclerotic complications . > > The population was 99% male, mean age 67 years, with mean ferritin > levels at baseline of 122 ng/mL. Phlebotomy was scheduled every 6 > months to maintain ferritin levels between 25 and 60 ng/mL. During a > mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there were 60 new visceral malignancies > in the control patients and 38 in the iron-reduction patients (p = > 0.023). > > The risk of new malignancy (hazard ratio 0.65, p = 0.036) was > significantly lower in the phlebotomy group. Among patients who did > develop cancer, cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.39, p = 0.003) and all- > cause mortality (HR 0.49, p = 0.009) were lower in the phlebotomy > group. > > Overall, 75% of new cancers occurred in patients with mean ferritin > levels > 57 ng/mL. > > These findings do not pertain to younger patients without vascular > disease, women, or African Americans, whose ferritin levels are higher > than those of Caucasians, the investigators say. Instead, "these > observations provide incentive for future studies and insight into > optimal clinical trial design." > > Dr. Zacharski's team suggests "there may be a need to redefine the > normal range for the serum ferritin level based on associated disease > risk." They also call for re-evaluation of the policy of routinely > administering iron to anemic cancer patients. > > In a related editorial, Dr. Mads Melbye, at Statens Serum Institut in > Copenhagen and colleagues suggest that "these results almost seem to > be too good to be true." > > While recommending that "all possibilities for bias must be carefully > examined" and that "the results have to be interpreted with caution," > the editorialists also support more research on this topic. > > Furthermore, they write, "a cautious standpoint toward iron > supplementation where no proper indication exists is perhaps > advisable." > > J Natl Cancer Inst 2008;100. > > Who loves ya. > Tom > > Jesus Was A Vegetarian!http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh > > Man Is A Herbivore!http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 > > DEAD PEOPLE WALKINGhttp://tinyurl.com/zk9fk Major Tom, Thanks for showing up! :-) Sam and I were just discussing where everyone went......... Take care and be well out there! Debra
From: ironjustice on 11 Jul 2008 03:13 On Jul 10, 6:03 am, ironjustice <teamtan...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk << Decreased Cancer Risk After Iron Reduction in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: Results From a Randomized Trial. Zacharski LR, Chow BK, Howes PS, Shamayeva G, Baron JA, Dalman RL, Malenka DJ, Ozaki CK, Lavori PW J Natl Cancer Inst 2008 Jul 8. Background Excess iron has been implicated in cancer risk through increased iron- catalyzed free radical-mediated oxidative stress. Methods A multicenter randomized, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial (VA Cooperative Study #410) tested the hypothesis that reducing iron stores by phlebotomy would influence vascular outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Patients without a visceral malignancy in the last 5 years (n = 1277) were randomly assigned to control (n = 641) or iron reduction (n = 636). Occurrence of new visceral malignancy and cause-specific mortality data were collected prospectively. Cancer and mortality outcomes in the two arms were compared using intent-to-treat analysis with a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Statistical tests were two-sided. Results Patients were followed up for an average of 4.5 years. Ferritin levels were similar in both groups at baseline but were lower in iron reduction patients than control patients across all 6-month visits (mean = 79.7 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 73.8 to 85.5 ng/mL vs 122.5 ng/mL, 95% CI = 115.5 to 129.5 ng/mL; P < .001). Risk of new visceral malignancy was lower in the iron reduction group than in the control group (38 vs 60, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.97; P = .036), and, among patients with new cancers, those in the iron reduction group had lower cancer-specific and all-cause mortality (HR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.21 to 0.72; P = .003; and HR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.29 to 0.83; P = .009, respectively) than those in the control group. Mean ferritin levels across all 6-monthly visits were similar in patients in the iron reduction and control groups who developed cancer but were lower among all patients who did not develop cancer than among those who did (76.4 ng/mL, 95% CI = 71.4 to 81.4 ng/mL, vs 127.1 ng/mL, 95% CI = 71.2 to 183.0 ng/mL; P = .017). Conclusions Iron reduction was associated with lower cancer risk and mortality. Further studies are needed to define the role of body iron in cancer risk. Journal of the National Cancer Institute [J Natl Cancer Inst] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who loves ya. Tom Jesus Was A Vegetarian! http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh Man Is A Herbivore! http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 DEAD PEOPLE WALKING http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk > "These results almost seem to be too good to be true." > > Reducing Iron Stores by Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk in Older Men > > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 08 - Cancer incidence and mortality in > older men may be reduced by repeated phlebotomy to lower serum > ferritin levels, according to findings published online on July 8 in > the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. > > Observational studies suggest that lower body iron stores may protect > against malignancy by reducing iron-induced oxidative stress, Dr. Leo > R. Zacharski and his associates note. > > To test this possibility, Dr. Zacharski, at the White River Junction > Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, and his group conducted an > ad hoc analysis of data from a VA study in which patients with > peripheral arterial disease were assigned to repeated blood > collections (n = 636) or to a control group (n = 641), originally for > prevention of atherosclerotic complications . > > The population was 99% male, mean age 67 years, with mean ferritin > levels at baseline of 122 ng/mL. Phlebotomy was scheduled every 6 > months to maintain ferritin levels between 25 and 60 ng/mL. During a > mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there were 60 new visceral malignancies > in the control patients and 38 in the iron-reduction patients (p = > 0.023). > > The risk of new malignancy (hazard ratio 0.65, p = 0.036) was > significantly lower in the phlebotomy group. Among patients who did > develop cancer, cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.39, p = 0.003) and all- > cause mortality (HR 0.49, p = 0.009) were lower in the phlebotomy > group. > > Overall, 75% of new cancers occurred in patients with mean ferritin > levels > 57 ng/mL. > > These findings do not pertain to younger patients without vascular > disease, women, or African Americans, whose ferritin levels are higher > than those of Caucasians, the investigators say. Instead, "these > observations provide incentive for future studies and insight into > optimal clinical trial design." > > Dr. Zacharski's team suggests "there may be a need to redefine the > normal range for the serum ferritin level based on associated disease > risk." They also call for re-evaluation of the policy of routinely > administering iron to anemic cancer patients. > > In a related editorial, Dr. Mads Melbye, at Statens Serum Institut in > Copenhagen and colleagues suggest that "these results almost seem to > be too good to be true." > > While recommending that "all possibilities for bias must be carefully > examined" and that "the results have to be interpreted with caution," > the editorialists also support more research on this topic. > > Furthermore, they write, "a cautious standpoint toward iron > supplementation where no proper indication exists is perhaps > advisable." > > J Natl Cancer Inst 2008;100. > > Who loves ya. > Tom > > Jesus Was A Vegetarian!http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh > > Man Is A Herbivore!http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 > > DEAD PEOPLE WALKINGhttp://tinyurl.com/zk9fk
From: thuss on 14 Jul 2008 09:15
Intriguing. But one study cannot be the basis for submitting old folks to semi-annual phlebotomies. I'm sorry, but this smells of another pop science fad here. These things come out everytime publishers see a decline in readership. On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:13:29 -0700 (PDT), ironjustice <ironjustice(a)cashette.com> wrote: >On Jul 10, 6:03 am, ironjustice <teamtan...(a)hotmail.com> >wrote:Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk << > >Decreased Cancer Risk After Iron Reduction in Patients With Peripheral >Arterial Disease: Results From a Randomized Trial. >Zacharski LR, Chow BK, Howes PS, Shamayeva G, Baron JA, Dalman RL, >Malenka DJ, Ozaki CK, Lavori PW > >J Natl Cancer Inst 2008 Jul 8. > >Background >Excess iron has been implicated in cancer risk through increased iron- >catalyzed free radical-mediated oxidative stress. >Methods >A multicenter randomized, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial >(VA Cooperative Study #410) tested the hypothesis that reducing iron >stores by phlebotomy would influence vascular outcomes in patients >with peripheral arterial disease. >Patients without a visceral malignancy in the last 5 years (n = 1277) >were randomly assigned to control (n = 641) or iron reduction (n = >636). >Occurrence of new visceral malignancy and cause-specific mortality >data were collected prospectively. >Cancer and mortality outcomes in the two arms were compared using >intent-to-treat analysis with a Cox proportional hazards regression >model. >Statistical tests were two-sided. >Results >Patients were followed up for an average of 4.5 years. >Ferritin levels were similar in both groups at baseline but were lower >in iron reduction patients than control patients across all 6-month >visits (mean = 79.7 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 73.8 to 85.5 >ng/mL vs 122.5 ng/mL, 95% CI = 115.5 to 129.5 ng/mL; P < .001). >Risk of new visceral malignancy was lower in the iron reduction group >than in the control group (38 vs 60, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65, 95% CI >= 0.43 to 0.97; P = .036), and, among patients with new cancers, those >in the iron reduction group had lower cancer-specific and all-cause >mortality (HR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.21 to 0.72; P = .003; and HR = 0.49, >95% CI = 0.29 to 0.83; P = .009, respectively) than those in the >control group. >Mean ferritin levels across all 6-monthly visits were similar in >patients in the iron reduction and control groups who developed cancer >but were lower among all patients who did not develop cancer than >among those who did (76.4 ng/mL, 95% CI = 71.4 to 81.4 ng/mL, vs 127.1 >ng/mL, 95% CI = 71.2 to 183.0 ng/mL; P = .017). >Conclusions >Iron reduction was associated with lower cancer risk and mortality. >Further studies are needed to define the role of body iron in cancer >risk. >Journal of the National Cancer Institute [J Natl Cancer Inst] > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Who loves ya. >Tom > > >Jesus Was A Vegetarian! >http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh > > >Man Is A Herbivore! >http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 > > >DEAD PEOPLE WALKING >http://tinyurl.com/zk9fk > > >> "These results almost seem to be too good to be true." >> >> Reducing Iron Stores by Phlebotomy Lowers Cancer Risk in Older Men >> >> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 08 - Cancer incidence and mortality in >> older men may be reduced by repeated phlebotomy to lower serum >> ferritin levels, according to findings published online on July 8 in >> the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. >> >> Observational studies suggest that lower body iron stores may protect >> against malignancy by reducing iron-induced oxidative stress, Dr. Leo >> R. Zacharski and his associates note. >> >> To test this possibility, Dr. Zacharski, at the White River Junction >> Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Vermont, and his group conducted an >> ad hoc analysis of data from a VA study in which patients with >> peripheral arterial disease were assigned to repeated blood >> collections (n = 636) or to a control group (n = 641), originally for >> prevention of atherosclerotic complications . >> >> The population was 99% male, mean age 67 years, with mean ferritin >> levels at baseline of 122 ng/mL. Phlebotomy was scheduled every 6 >> months to maintain ferritin levels between 25 and 60 ng/mL. During a >> mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there were 60 new visceral malignancies >> in the control patients and 38 in the iron-reduction patients (p = >> 0.023). >> >> The risk of new malignancy (hazard ratio 0.65, p = 0.036) was >> significantly lower in the phlebotomy group. Among patients who did >> develop cancer, cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.39, p = 0.003) and all- >> cause mortality (HR 0.49, p = 0.009) were lower in the phlebotomy >> group. >> >> Overall, 75% of new cancers occurred in patients with mean ferritin >> levels > 57 ng/mL. >> >> These findings do not pertain to younger patients without vascular >> disease, women, or African Americans, whose ferritin levels are higher >> than those of Caucasians, the investigators say. Instead, "these >> observations provide incentive for future studies and insight into >> optimal clinical trial design." >> >> Dr. Zacharski's team suggests "there may be a need to redefine the >> normal range for the serum ferritin level based on associated disease >> risk." They also call for re-evaluation of the policy of routinely >> administering iron to anemic cancer patients. >> >> In a related editorial, Dr. Mads Melbye, at Statens Serum Institut in >> Copenhagen and colleagues suggest that "these results almost seem to >> be too good to be true." >> >> While recommending that "all possibilities for bias must be carefully >> examined" and that "the results have to be interpreted with caution," >> the editorialists also support more research on this topic. >> >> Furthermore, they write, "a cautious standpoint toward iron >> supplementation where no proper indication exists is perhaps >> advisable." >> >> J Natl Cancer Inst 2008;100. >> >> Who loves ya. >> Tom >> >> Jesus Was A Vegetarian!http://tinyurl.com/2r2nkh >> >> Man Is A Herbivore!http://tinyurl.com/4rq595 >> >> DEAD PEOPLE WALKINGhttp://tinyurl.com/zk9fk |