Antifungal drug kills dormant colorectal cancer cells

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the United States. Though various treatments are available for it, certain tumor cells are therapy-resistant. Now, research suggests that an antifungal drug may be effective against these persistent cells.

 Published Sunday 3 June 2018

By Maria Cohut

Fact checked by Jasmin Collier

Can itraconazole, an antifungal drug, eliminate therapy-resistant cancer cells and halt tumor progression?

The drug itraconazole is typically used in the treatment of fungal infections.

These can include certain types of vaginal yeast (vulvovaginal candidiasis) and fungal infections on the hands and feet (Tinea pedis and Tinea manuum).

But researchers from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute have suggested a brand new use for this substance — namely, as a treatment that is able to eliminate dormant tumor cells in colorectal cancer.

This is one of the most common cancer types in the U.S., and an estimated 140,250 people will learn that they have this disease in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

"One of the biggest challenges in treating any cancer is the diversity of different cells within the same tumor," explains co-lead author Dr. Simon Buczacki, who participated in the new study investigating the effect of itraconazole on dormant colorectal cancer cells.

In this study, he continues, the team "targeted a type of cell that lies asleep within bowel tumors, remaining unresponsive to treatment and putting the patient at risk of their cancer coming back."

In experiments conducted on mice, Dr. Buczacki and team found that the antifungal drug may be able to trigger the death of a type of colorectal cancer cell typically immune to treatment.

These tumor cells are found in a state of inactivity, or "dormancy," so they do not respond to the usual therapies, such as chemotherapy, that target and destroy active cancer cells.

So, even as a treatment is effective in destroying most malignant cells, these dormant units will remain unaffected, putting the person at risk of having a recurrence of the cancer later on.

Itraconazole halts tumor progression

In the study — the findings of which have been published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine— the researchers worked with cancer tumors grown in mice models of colorectal cancer.

First of all, they focused on identifying which signaling pathways were involved in controlling cell dormancy in the case of cancer tumors. They saw that, for colorectal cancer, there are two: Wnt and "hedgehog" pathways.

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Then, they tested the effectiveness of various drugs on these two pathways, and it was then that they noticed itraconazole's therapeutic potential.

Dr. Buczacki and team discovered that itraconazole interfered with the Wnt pathway, which led to the elimination of the dormant cells and blocked the growth of the cancer tumor.

"What's interesting is that this drug seems to kick both dormant and non-dormant cells into action," notes Dr. Buczacki.

"It forces cells back into a short cycle of growth," he explains, "before slamming on an irreversible 'stop' button, entering a permanent standstill that's known as senescence."

Following these promising results, the team would eventually like to test the effectiveness of this drug in clinical trials, on patients with colorectal cancer at an advanced stage.

Another step would be to ascertain whether itraconazole would be more effective on its own, or used in combination therapy, administered alongside other drugs.

Prof. Greg Hannon — the director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute — comments on the discovery, calling the research an "innovative study" that "has taken a step toward addressing one of the biggest challenges in cancer research."

"The presence of drug-resistant, dormant tumor cells is a problem in many types of cancer," he says.

"If we find ways to target these cells in bowel cancer, it might provide insights into tackling the problem of dormant tumor cells more broadly."

Prof. Greg Hannon

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322009.php

5 Things to Avoid to Become More Alkaline - Video

Information

Time: 3:56	Added: 9/30/2013
Views: 20946
Naturopath Ann Boroch discusses the importance of an alkaline diet. She mentions a number of things you should avoid to help get your body in a more alkaline state. She also discusses how candida, acidity and cancer may be connected.
Contributor(s): Boroch, Ann C.N.C, Naturopath

Interviewer:  When we talk about diet, so many people that we talk to stress the importance of an alkaline diet.  Do you subscribe to that?  And is there a connection with that and Candida?

Ann Boroch:  Sure.  Because basically an acidic environment equates to inflammation which over time equates to disease.  So what's acidic that we mainly do is we do excessive red meat, caffeine, sugar, alcohol, stress.  Those are very acidic elements.  And when you are acidic, you become inflamed.  So what we need to do is alkaline more.  We do that through my favorite thing is having more dark leafy greens.  Whether you're juicing them, steaming them, sauteing them, get them down you.  I really feel that the diet needs to be about 60 percent vegetables.  Now that doesn't mean raw.  It can be different ways because some people, they're digestive tracts are so shot that they can't get away with doing raw foods initially.  They have to do cooked, steamed, etc.  So it starts with having more vegetable intake.  And then you can do raw apple cider vinegar.  Putting a tablespoon in some water every day and drinking that.  You could do fresh squeezed lemon in warm water first thing when you get up in the morning.  Breathing exercises.  It doesn't have to be as intense as we think it needs to be.  I don't think you want to drink alkaline water all day.  Because typically when you're eating you need to have that acid to break down your food.  So we're looking at more elements and ways to alkaline, but it really comes back to what's your diet like.  And if you just start to get the junk out.  The sugars and the processed foods and the fast foods.  Right there, you're alkalining the body.  You might start to manage stress, you're alkalining the body.  You hydrate more, you're alkalining the body.  So those alkalinity is certainly very important because most cancers, most chronic diseases live in an acidic environment.  

Interviewer:  Talk about that a little bit more and how Candida relates to cancer and then tie in the alkaline part of things as well.  How are they all connected?

Ann Boroch:  I feel because Candida is a ubiquitous organism, meaning it lives everywhere, and it's so easy to get out of balance in this day and age because we're all going to eat junk food at times, we all have stress, we've all taken antibiotics or steroids.  It's so easy to tip the scale and so Candida is in an overgrowth state in most people.  It then goes undetected because no one is really educated about it.  And the longer it goes on, it starts to chip away at the immune system.  And as this immune system becomes weakened, you then set the stage to have, I think, genetic mutation.  Tumors forming.  Now there are theories, there's an Italian doctor that does feel that fungus is cancer.  Dr. Doug Kaufman.  I feel that we're very much in sync in believing there's a very strong connection because I don't think you can have cancer without having fungus.  I think they go hand in hand.  Can I say fungus is all cancer?  I don't know.  But there certainly is a very strong connection.  And when you have both going on, you have an acidic environment.  And the reality is I think if we're using anti-fungal regimes with people that have cancer, we're going to see a lot more success.  So I'm not skilled enough in cancer to give you the full technology break down of all that, but I will tell you that I believe it does go hand in hand.

http://www.ihealthtube.com/aspx/viewvideo.aspx?v=3ce2985243535f62

Candida: The Silent Epidemic

Dr. Isaac Eliaz | May 28, 2013

Many people are calling Candida “The Silent Epidemic” because the infection is believed to affect so many people (some say up to one-third of the population), yet most go undiagnosed.

Candida yeast overgrowth in the colon and other areas of the body still sparks controversy in the Western, mainstream medical community. However, the integrative medical community has long recognized that this “ecological imbalance,” which originates in the digestive tract, is a contributing factor to numerous chronic health problems: fatigue, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, skin conditions, allergies and sensitivities, brain fog, memory loss, poor focus and concentration, insomnia, joint pain, chronic sinusitis, headaches… the list goes on.

 

Candida is a pathogenic yeast organism that is normally present in low numbers in the colon and in the vagina. It is considered an “opportunistic infection” in the sense that it takes advantage of imbalances in the body to overgrow and dominate the gut. Most women are familiar with symptoms of a yeast infection occurring in the vagina, which happens when the sensitive balance of beneficial bacteria is disrupted, usually by medications or by unhealthy dietary patterns. Antibiotics are the leading offender, along with steroids and birth control pills. The predominance of sugar, white flour and other processed grains and foods in the standard American diet provide plenty of food for the yeast to thrive.

 

As Candida overgrowth becomes chronic, a domino effect occurs. Inflammation in the digestive tract leads to disruption of digestion and causes the intestinal wall to become more permeable, allowing larger food particles to move into the bloodstream and lymphatic system. These larger-than-usual molecules trigger an immune system reaction, causing more inflammation in an attempt to rid the body of a potential offender. And that’s when you can start to experience sensitivity to certain foods.

 

In addition, Candida organisms produce toxic chemicals of their own, including aldehydes (similar to formaldehyde), that travel into the bloodstream and affect multiple body systems, including the brain.

 

This toxic process causes brain fog, inability to concentrate, etc. If the pattern is allowed to continue, the symptoms can intensify and the entire body is affected by the imbalance that originated in the digestive tract.

 

Candida stubbornly resists treatment. However, the latest research has given us an important clue that may explain this, as well as offer solutions. Candida is a biofilm-producing organism. Biofilm is a protective matrix excreted by certain organisms to protect their community from harm, and it works very effectively to keep antifungal herbs and medications from penetrating and killing the Candida. Special enzyme formulations that break up biofilm are now available to add to an anti-Candida regimen, greatly increasing the effectiveness of treatments.

 

Testing

 

There are a few different tests to detect an overgrowth of Candida in the gut. In my clinical practice, we often recommend a stool test that includes detection of yeast as well as levels of both beneficial and harmful bacteria. It also includes a sensitivity test that cultures any yeast or bacteria discovered, and uses both pharmaceuticals and herbal substances to see which are most effective in killing the yeast. This test can be very useful in guiding treatment.

 

Treatment

 

Treatment for Candida overgrowth involves a multilayered approach:

• Reduce the concentration of yeast to normal levels using dietary changes; herbal and, if needed, pharmaceutical antifungals; along with specific enzymes to address biofilm.
• Replenish beneficial intestinal bacteria using high-dose probiotics.
• Support healthy digestion and assimilation using digestive enzymes, herbs and amino acids that support healthy digestive function.
• Support immune function using vitamins, minerals, herbs and medicinal mushrooms.
• Heavy metal testing and detoxification.

Diet

There are many anti-Candida diets, and some are stricter than others. The basic goal of the diet is to reduce or eliminate simple carbohydrates that provide food for the yeast. Avoidance of all processed grains, white rice, dairy, fruits (except lemons, limes and unsweetened cranberry) and any foods over 55 on the glycemic index is optimal. Because most people experience food sensitivities due to long-standing Candida overgrowth, it can also help to try an elimination diet, which involves two weeks of avoiding any potentially offending foods, adding each back one at a time every two days and monitoring symptoms.

Organic fruits, vegetables and meats are always preferred; they do not contain the pesticides, hormones, growth factors and genetic modifications often found in non-organic products.

Yeast Reduction

It’s important to follow a supplement program that includes natural antifungals. Natural antifungals include black walnut extract, olive leaf extract, burdock root, oregano oil, garlic, garlic extract, honokiol, coconut oil and neem. But, depending on the severity of symptoms, a pharmaceutical antifungal may also be necessary.

Commonly, a die-off reaction is experienced in which symptoms become temporarily exacerbated when the burden of toxins from yeast that are dying off are eliminated by the body. In these cases, it’s important to slow down the process and reduce antifungals if this reaction causes too much discomfort. For this reason, it is also recommended to start one antifungal agent at a time and slowly build up to the maximum dose before adding another. It is extremely important that the body’s detoxification systems are working efficiently for an anti-Candida program. Drink plenty of pure water and herbal teas during this time to aid in elimination of toxins.

Replenishing Beneficial Bacteria

Restoring the dynamic healthy balance of bacteria in the intestine is a pivotal part of any anti-Candida treatment plan. Look for a high-quality probiotic as well as prebiotic formula, which helps provide nutrients for good bacteria to flourish. A high-fiber diet also provides a foundation for healthy bacteria.

Digestive And Immune Support

A supplement program to support digestion, nutrient assimilation and immune function is also important. In my practice, I recommend a comprehensive digestion formula that includes herbs, mushrooms, nutrients and enzymes to help heal and optimize digestive function. Essential fatty acids, omega 3s, L-Glutamine, curcumin and other digestive and immune supplements are also helpful.

Toxic Metal Testing And Detoxification

Toxic metals are everywhere in our environment. We are all exposed to some degree, however cautious we try to be. The chronic inflammation and immune suppression caused by the presence of these metals in the body can make successful treatment of Candida very difficult. For those with chronic Candida, it’s important to test for the presence of these metals and provide treatment with a targeted natural chelation program.

Prevention

Once balance has been restored, it’s important to stay on a maintenance program that helps keep your system strong. For prevention and maintenance, a low-glycemic diet has a much broader range of choices than the anti-Candida diet, but with same general principle: Keep blood sugar from spiking and dropping. A high-fiber diet, with healthy oils and protein with each meal, help stabilize blood sugar and provide nutrients to maintain healthy digestive flora.

Avoidance of antibiotics as much as possible is a must for prevention of Candida overgrowth. We have become accustomed to the overuse of antibiotics, but this trend is contributing to a deadly, worldwide spread of drug-resistant organisms. But as we learn to sustain long-term wellness by adopting healthy diets and lifestyle patterns, we can reap the benefits on every level. A primary factor is paying attention to our inner ecology and living in ecological balance both “inside” and “outside” — this is the best way for us to care for ourselves and our planet.

For more health and wellness information, visit www.dreliaz.org

http://easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/nutrition/candida-the-silent-epidemic/