This is a simple and routine medicine intended for the treatment of gout (also called goiter and previously called podogra), which is actually a disorder manifested by a high level of uric acid in the blood, or in other tissues of the body, helps fight colon cancer
A new Israeli study under the direction of Dr. Gadi Rennert, Cancer Control Association consultant, Director of the National Center for Cancer Control in the General Health Services at the Carmel Medical Center and Director of the Center for Disease Control of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion and Dr. Steve Gruber from the University of Michigan In the United States states that a simple drug, originally intended for the treatment of gout, significantly reduces the risk of colon cancer.
About the drug and the new research
This is a simple and routine medicine intended for the treatment of gout (also called gout and previously called podogra), which is actually a disorder manifested by a high level of uric acid in the blood, or in other tissues of the body, causing symptoms such as rheumatic pain, kidney stones, hypertension, dysfunction the kidneys and more. According to the research, using this drug may protect against the development of colon cancer. This new Israeli study is reported today (18.10.2004 at 09:30 USA time) at a press conference held as part of the annual convention of the American Association
for cancer research, The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), held in Seattle, Washington in the United States. This is a significant international convention discussing new fronts of cancer prevention. In a study, it was found that among gout patients, who took the medicine called Allopurinol (Allopurinol) for at least 5 years, the risk of colon cancer decreased by 66%!
Dr. Gadi Rennert and Dr. Steve Grover stated that: "The results were based on a study of 1,781 gout patients from the Haifa area and the north who were treated with the drug halopurinol and were recruited for the study between 1998-2004. The use of the drug was measured by a structured personal interview based on computerized records of prescriptions that were actually given. The study took into account other known risk factors for colon cancer, including the use of aspirin or the use of other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), having a family history of colon cancer among first-degree relatives, ethnicity, physical activity and vegetable consumption."
Dr. Gadi Rennert and Dr. Steve Gruler added that: "The drug halopurinol works by blocking the activity of the enzyme that is responsible for the excess of uric acid, in the case of gout. The enzyme also creates hyperoxidation which is linked to DNA (cell nucleus) damage and as a result the possible cause of cancer. In this respect, the drug acts as an antioxidant, that is, as one component among many chemical components that reduce or prevent oxidation in the cell, thus preventing cell and tissue damage caused by the existence of free radicals in the body. Previous studies focused on the use of antioxidants, mainly from dietary sources, to reduce the risk of cancer. This study points to the potential for a new strategy for preventive drug treatment, which of course requires further research."
Prof. Eliezer Robinson, chairman of the Association to Fight Cancer and the outgoing president of the International Cancer Organization (UICC), said today that: "This is an original and interesting research work and has significant potential for the possibility of preventing colon cancer, if its results are confirmed in additional clinical studies."
On colon cancer - Israel 2004
Colorectal cancer is the second most common tumor among the population in Israel, and occurs at a similar rate in men and women. According to the data of the National Cancer Registry in the Ministry of Health, in the last year in Israel about 3,200 women and men were diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer, and about 1,900 women and men died this year from this disease. Most of the patients diagnosed in the State of Israel are discovered in an advanced stage of the disease, due to the low response to conducting the test for early detection. The disease is especially common from the age of 50 and over and the risk of contracting it increases with age. It is important to know that when the disease is detected at an early stage, the chances of cure reach about 90%, therefore it is very important to detect it as early as possible, and thus improve the results of the treatment and the quality of life of the patients. Colon Cancer Awareness Month is held every year in March. The Cancer Society and the Ministry of Health are conducting an awareness campaign this month aimed at promoting awareness of colon cancer and the importance of early diagnosis, which can save lives. The awareness campaign takes place at the same time as the awareness month in the United States and other countries in the world.
