Lily Cao

ISM-Period 7
"Common Cancer Types." National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute, 1 Feb. 2016.
Web. 02 Oct. 2016. <https://www.cancer.gov/types/common-cancers>.

Common cancer types diagnosed the most frequently in the U.S. include bladder cancer,
breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancers, kidney
cancer, thyroid cancer, and leukemia.
Most common type of cancer out of all the prevalent types is breast cancer (249,000 new
breast cancer patients expected this year).
The second most common type of cancer is lung cancer (keeping in mind that there are
many variations of cancer forms within each broad category).
A common misconception among misinformed people is that breast cancer only affects
females when in reality, breast cancer can develop in men (its just rare in males).
100 times more new cases of breast cancer in women than men every year.
The number of estimated new cases of lung cancers in America (including bronchus) are
224,390 and its estimated that 158,080 people will die because of the illness in 2016.
Bladder cancer will affect approximately 76,960 new patients this year and fatality
statistic is that 16,390 of patients will pass away.
The most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, which starts in the cells of
ducts that carry milk from the lobules to the nipples.
Abnormal cell growth in breast cancer usually stays within the ducts it begins in, but
when breast cancer starts to spread to surrounding tissues, it is then invasive.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer in America.
Main types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer (named
after how the cancer cells look under a microscope).
Non-small cell lung cancer is more prevalent than small cell lung cancer.
Most lung cancer patients are or have been smokers during their life.
Although not the most common type of cancer in the U.S., lung cancer is the leading
cause of death by cancer in America.
Not many current treatments for lung cancer so scientific research in cancer medicine has
been aimed at lung cancer over the past few years.
Prostate gland responsible for making the fluid that is part of semen; also surrounds the
urethra that is responsible for carrying semen out the body.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in America after skin cancer; second
leading cause of death by cancer in men.
Prostate cancer occurs more often in African-American men than in Caucasian men.
Almost all types of prostate cancers are termed adenocarcinomas (begin in cells and then
release fluids).
Prostate cancer symptoms are hard to detect and the cancer cells grow slowly; prostate
cancer is usually treated in older men.

This source gives very in depth statistics and analysis on the most common types of cancer along
with detailed explanations of the development of breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer etc.,
which will help me in narrowing down my project topic to only a few specific types of cancer.

Lily Cao
ISM-Period 7
"AICR's Foods That Fight Cancer." American Institute for Cancer Research. American Institute
for Cancer Research, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016. <http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight
cancer/>.

No single food or food component can protect an individual against cancer but scientific
research does show that a healthy diet does help lower the cancer risk for people.
In the laboratory setting, many things like vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals have
demonstrated anti-cancer characteristics.
Synergy of all these healthy dietary components working together for an anti-cancer
effect.
According to research done by the American Institute for Cancer Research itself, excess
body fat alone increases the risk for the development of 11 cancers.
Whole wheat, other grains, and beans are rich in dietary fiber that help in weightwatching and management.
Recommendation of the AICR is to fill at least 2/3 of each meal plate with vegetables
(especially dark leafy vegetables).
Apples are good sources for fiber and vitamin C.
Most of the antioxidant powers in apples comes from the phytochemicals in them
(quercetin, other flavonoids, and triterpenoids).
Quercetin is a specific flavonoid that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities.
Oxidation in the human body damages cell membranes and other cellular structures.
Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which also have antioxidant effects.
Blueberries are a source of vitamin C and K, fiber, and manganese.
One carrot about provides about all the vitamin A a person needs in a day.
Beta-carotene and alpha-carotene found specifically in carrots and other foods help with
immune functions, metabolizing enzymes, and are converted to vitamin A for the human
body.
Luteonin and falcarinol are other phytochemicals being tested for anti-cancer effects on
the human body.
Coffee has been hotly debated as either health-destroying or medicinal but it does contain
the vitamin B riboflavin and is being examined as an anti-cancer agent.
Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, caffeine, and n-methylpyridinium
(NMB).
Grapefruit has fat-burning effects and has a low-calorie density.
Half of a grapefruit a day provides for most adults vitamin C needs on a daily basis.
Flaxseed is a great source of magnesium, manganese, selenium, thiamin, copper, alphalinoleic acid, and vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherol.
Flaxseed is rich in lignans which are plant estrogens.
4 tablespoons of flaxseed has about 7 grams of fiber.

This source is extremely informational on the subject of cancer prevention with a healthy diet
through its listing of various foods and the substances they contains that possess antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.

Lily Cao
ISM-Period 7
"Cancer Fact Sheet." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, Feb. 2015. Web.
02 Oct. 2016. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/>.

Worldwide, there are about 14 million new cases of cancer and 8.2 million cancer-related
deaths every year (since 2012).
Around 1/3 of cancer-related deaths are due to high BMI, low fruit and vegetable intake,
alcohol use, tobacco use, and lack of exercise.
Cancers causing additional viral infections like HBV/HCV and HPV are responsible for
20% of cancer deaths around the world in third world countries.
Cancer is the generic term used to describe a multitude of diseases that affect various
parts of the body.
Cancer is the rapid growth of cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries.
The invasion of cancer cells in other parts of the body is called metastasizing.
Cancer starts from one single cell as it transforms from a normal cell into a tumor through
an elaborate process. Changes in the cell result from interaction between a persons genes
and 3 external agents: physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens, and biological
carcinogens.
The likelihood of someone getting cancer increases with age because cellular repair
functions are less effective as a person gets older.
More than 30% of cancer deaths could be avoided through evasion of risk factors like
tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted infections, radiation,
indoor smoke from household use of fuels etc.
Tobacco use is the biggest risk factor causing around 20% of global cancer deaths and
around 70% of global lung cancer deaths.
Prevention strategies include avoiding risk factors, vaccinating against HPV and
Hepatitis B, controlling occupational hazards, reducing exposure to ionizing radiation,
and reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
Early detection efforts mean early diagnosis and screening.
Screening methods include visual inspection with acetic acid for cervical cancer under
low-resource circumstances, HPV testing, PP cytology tests, and mammography
screening in a high-resource environment.
Every cancer type requires a specific treatment procedure that may include surgery,
chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc.
The cancers with the highest early cure rates are breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral
cancer, and colorectal cancers.
Palliative care is a treatment that relieves symptoms rather than cures them; patients live
more comfortably for a while with fatal diseases.
Effective palliative care strategies comprise of community-based and home-based care.
Improved access to oral morphine is vital to the treatment of severe cancer pain that more
than 80% of cancer patients suffer in the terminal phase of the disease.

This source is exceptional at defining that cancer is the abnormal growth and spread of cells,
demonstrating the impact of cancer on people at the international level, and giving statistics on
cancer-related deaths.

Lily Cao
ISM-Period 7
Jarvis, Lisa M. "Epigenetics: Unleashing New Cancer Targets." Chemical & Engineering
News 16 Apr. 2012: 12-20. Print.

Epigenetics is the study of how gene expression is manipulated without making changes
to essential underlying DNA.
Cancer researchers believe that if they create drugs targeting the epigenome, certain
forms of cancer can be cured through medicine.
A clear connection has been made between epigenetic enzymes and certain cancers.
Four epigenetic drugs have already been approved to treat blood cancers: Celgenes
Vidaza, Merck & Co.s Zolinza, Eisais Dacogen, and Celgenes Istodax.
The current problem with epigenetic drugs is that they lack selectivity (there are no
specifics on when they should be used or how to best use them).
Epigenetic drugs target three types of proteins in the body that work with DNA: writer
enzymes, eraser enzymes, and reader enzymes.
Writer enzymes are responsible for adding chemical groups to histones, eraser enzymes
function is removing a chemical group, and reader enzymes are proteins that interpret the
signals writer and eraser enzymes give after adding/removing chemical groups.
According to Michael D. Varney, Theres now genetic underpinning to show that
tumors, as a way of gaining some kind of growth advantage, mutate enzymes to either
make them more or less active [and] that is one of the strongest pieces of biological
evidence that if you had a target, you could go in and modulate it in some way.
The institution Epizyme has chosen to build a strong drug development and research
foundation in one family of enzymes called histone methyltransferases (HMTs).
Epizyme uses high-throughput screening of compounds to determine whether potential
drugs will act against their designated enzyme targets.
Companies like Constellation use myriad screening methods to search for compounds.
Constellation made a breakthrough after garnering multiple renowned scientists to
expand upon using mass spectrometry to characterize histone modifications and this
allowed the company to monitor changes in real time with chromatin marks after
enzymes react with drug compounds.
Companies are now seeking partnerships in hopes of catching up to frontrunners in
epigenetic research, thus Genentech paid Constellation $95 million for a partnership in
developing drugs based on epigenetic targets.
The very concept of targeting such fundamental structures like enzymes has scientists
worried about the safety of drugs with epigenetic targets.
The genome does not work on its own and that is why there is so much uncertainty and
risk involved with creating cancer drugs. Any effects they have on the genome can
produce unprecedented side effects.
Current histone modifiers being tested and used by scientific companies are acetyl and
methyl.

This source is very academic and focuses on the specific area of cancer treatment tied to
epigenetic targets (by explaining what they are and how they work) along with the business
aspects that go into conducting successful cancer research.