Colorectal cancer secondary prevention
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Michael Maddaleni, B.S.
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Overview
Aside from the primary prevention techniques such as better nutrition, better lifestyle, drinking alcohol more moderately, etc, there are other ways to cut down the chance of colon cancer. Sometimes it is possible for a side effect of a certain drug to cause anticancer type results. There is also a chance that a technique will only be good for women and not men or vice versa. One of the most recent studies shows a reduction in colon cancer for post-menopausal women.
Bisphosphonates
Bisphosphonates are drugs that are usually prescribed to help prevent osteoporosis. They are also used to help treat bone metastases in breast cancer patients. The primary bisphosphonate drug that was used in a study in northern Israel was alendronate. This study showed that in post menopuausal women, whom had taken the drugs for more than a year, showed a 59 % lower risk of developing colon cancer[1]. Lab studies have gone on to show that the bisphosphonates can interfere with the mechanisms in which the cancer cells grow and spread. Other reports have also shown that women taking these bisphosphonates also show a reduction in breast cancer occurrence, but those results may not be entirely from the bisphosphonates. It is not suggested that bishposphonates can be used to prevent colon cancer before a strict clinical trial is performed[1].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute, (February 22, 2011). Cancer Research Highlights. http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/022211/page3#b