There is mounting evidence that high levels of folic acid can increase cancer risks. Prior studies had shown prostate cancer risks increasing and now a study suggests that breast cancer risks may be higher if your folate intake is high. This is troublesome since it was done in pre-menopausal women. This becomes very problematic where patients have certain genetic issues like MTHFR polymorphisms that require higher folate intake. If you are trying to get pregnant, they recommend a minimum of 800mcg, but usually people take 1mg. So if you are trying to get pregnant, more folate is not necessarily better.
 
BMC Cancer. 2009 Apr 24;9(1):122

A recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology confirms previous studies finding significant increases in the risk of breast cancer in women taking Clomid who could ovulate even without Clomid. If you are ovulating and considering Clomid, there are other options that may be safer. It would be prudent to discuss these with a reproductive medicine specialist.
 
In addition, it is wise to take certain supplements, herbs or eat certain foods to mitigate your risks on Clomid or other hormone therapies. At our office, Steve Gomberg works with a lot of patients undergoing reproductive therapies to help minimize cancer risks. It is always an individualized endeavor, but there are certain herbs and foods that directly inhibit some of the mechanisms cancers use to grow and that can help prevent cells from becoming cancerous (for an in-depth discussion of some of the herbs and strategies, see Breast Cancer and Botanical Medicine. Alternative Medicine Alert. 2008; 2(6) 64-70. Gomberg S, Horn, B.).
 
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Jan;200(1):72.e1-7.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2006 Nov;100(2):201-12. Epub 2006 May 10

A new study published in Fertility and Sterility found an increased risk of ovarian cancer associated with some medications commonly used in IVF and IUI (especially hCG and Clomid). The study followed women over 30 years, having undergone these procedures in the 1960’s and 70’s. One should note that the techniques and drugs used today are not all the same, so the current risk is relatively unknown.
 
A number of years ago, a patient in her early 30’s came to us after having undergone multiple failed IVF cycles with “unexplained infertility”. Fortunately, when she came to see us, she also went to her Family Medicine doctor who was concerned about her repeated hormonal exposure. The physician strongly encouraged her to get breast imaging studies done. They found breast cancer in a very early stage and immediately had it surgically removed. After that, she got pregnant (with another IVF cycle) and now has a lovely child and is in good health.
 
Everything in life is weighing benefits and risks. While many things have associated risks, it is prudent to mitigate the risk factors when possible. To help minimize the risks for our patients, our cancer specialist Steve Gomberg, developed prevention and detoxification regimens. These are evidence based methods (shown in clinical trials to help inhibit reproductive cancers), and are customized to the individual according to their history and physical findings.
 
Also, cancers don’t necessarily show up so quickly after exposure to initiating events. In this study they followed patients for 30 years. Therefore, if you have undergone conventional reproductive therapies in the past, it would be worthwhile to consider taking steps to minimize your risks.
 
Fertil Steril. 2009 Apr;91(4):1152-8. Epub 2008 Apr 18

Researchers found that certain berries such as raspberries, cranberries, low bush blueberries (but not highbush - they are a different species of blueberries), black and white currants, gooseberries and sea buckthorn strongly inhibited stomach, breast, prostate and colon cancers. Note that strawberries and blackberries had no protective effects. These can be easily incorporated into morning shakes. If you are a patient of ours, talk to Steve about customizing a morning shake to help address your particular risk factors.
 
Anticancer Res. 2007 Mar-Apr;27(2):937-48.Links

A recent study looking at acupuncture’s effects on insomnia found that stimulating Ht7 increased melatonin output and improved sleep in people with insomnia. Interesting, melatonin also has protective effects on cancers such as breast cancer and it may have important ramifications for fertility, pregnancy, heart disease, and many other factors.

Minerva Med. 2008 Dec;99(6):539-47.

As we have previously reported, researchers have shown that marijuanna can significantly inhibit many types of cancers (though it is not good for liver cancer), and breast cancer is another one. Researchers in this study showed that THC modulates a transcription factor called JunD that inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation. Again, I want to emphasize that you should save the use of marijuanna for when you are older since it clearly is not so good for reproductive function … though it seems good once you are pregnant as we’ve reported earlier.

Oncogene. 2008 Aug 28;27(37):5033-44.

A natural compound from magnolia (called “honokiol”) blocks a pathway for cancer growth that was previously considered “undruggable,” researchers have found. It also appears to be particularly effective against breast cancer. In one study, treatment of different human breast cancer cell lines with honokiol resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent growth inhibition in both estrogen receptor-positive and -negative breast cancer cell lines, as well as in drug-resistant breast cancer cell lines such as adriamycin-resistant and tamoxifen-resistant cell lines
 
Other studies have found honokiol to be particularly potent against tumors with activated Ras. One of the effects of Ras is to drive pumps that remove chemotherapy drugs from cancer cells. In breast cancer cell lines with activations in Ras family genes, honokiol appears to prevent Ras from turning on an enzyme called phospholipase D. It also has similar effects in lung and bladder cancer cells in the laboratory. Phospholipase D provides what have come to be known as “survival signals” in cancer cells, allowing them to stay alive when ordinary cells would die.
 
References
 
“Honokiol Suppresses Survival Signals Mediated by Ras-Dependent Phospholipase D Activity in Human Cancer Cells.” Clinical Cancer Research 14, 4267-4274, July 1, 2008. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-0102. Avalon Garcia, Yang Zheng, Chen Zhao, Alfredo Toschi, Judy Fan, Natalie Shraibman, H. Alex Brown, Dafna Bar-Sagi, David A. Foster and Jack L. Arbiser ###
 
Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Jun 12. Anti-tumor effect of honokiol alone and in combination with other anti-cancer agents in breast cancer. Liu H, Zang C, Emde A, Planas-Silva MD, Rosche M, Kühnl A, Schulz CO, Elstner E, Possinger K, Eucker J.

Public release date: 7-Jul-2008
 
Initial stages of laboratory research has shown that resveratrol, even at fairly low concentrations, suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer, suggesting a potential role for the agent in breast cancer prevention. Resveratrol is a natural substance found in red grapes. It is also commonly sold in extract form as a dietary supplement and yes, red wine also has a decent amount, though the alcohol may counteract some of the beneficial effects depending on how good your detoxification capacity is. Resveratrol and other polyphenols like Quercetin also reduce iron and copper levels which can also be beneficial in cancer prevention.
 
“Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts. We believe that this could stop the whole progression that leads to breast cancer down the road,” said Eleanor G. Rogan, Ph.D., a professor in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Rogan was the lead author of the report that was published in the July 2008 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

An earlier blog entry commented on a study assessing the safety of Black Cohosh in cancer patients. Previously it was thought that Black Cohosh exhibited estrogenic activity, but further research has found that Black Cohosh exerts its hormone regulating effects by modulating luteinising hormone. A population based study done in Philadelphia strengthens the case for Black Cohosh use in breast cancer patients, finding that it in fact may be associated with decreased risk of breast cancer.
 
A retrospective case-control study of the use of hormone-related supplements and association with breast cancer. Rebbeck TR, Troxel AB, Norman S, Bunin GR, DeMichele A, Baumgarten M, Berlin M, Schinnar R, Strom BL.
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA. trebbeck@cceb.med.upenn.edu

Red clover is one of the herbs that commonly stirs up controversy regarding it’s safety with patients that have hormonally driven tumors. Some practitioners routinely avoid isoflavone containing herbs and foods because of the possibility of antagonizing estrogen receptor positive tumor cells. An overview of the data shows that although there are some studies showing a stimulating effect of these isoflavones in vitro, clinical and epidemiological data does not generally support the conclusions of these studies. Also, isolating and concentrating these isoflavones tends to have a very different effect then when they are administered as part of a whole plant or food. The estrogenicity of red clover is estimated to be weak at best, and this study shows that the isoflavone biochanin A markedly inhibits aromatase of estrogen, decreasing the body’s endogenous estrogen production. It could be that avoiding clover or other herbs and foods because of their reputed estrogenicity could be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
 
The red clover (Trifolium pratense) isoflavone biochanin A inhibits aromatase activity and expression.Wang Y, Man Gho W, Chan FL, Chen S, Leung LK.
Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin NT, Hong Kong.