increased risk of getting leukemia... any tips on preventing this?

[Guest guest]

Hi Qadoshyah:

Do you do anything special for your child to prevent the increased

risk? I would be very interested. I will be talking to a

Pediatrician who specializes in Special Needs kids nutrition. But I

would love some more input.

Simone

Mom of Ana 20 months.

>

> > >

> > > y Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

> > >

> > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with Down's syndrome suffer

> cancer

> > less than

> > > most other people and a study in mice published on Wednesday

> gives

> > one

> > > possible explanation -- they produce higher levels of a

certain

> > protein.

> > >

> > > The protein may keep tumours from growing, and this finding

may

> > help in the

> > > development of new cancer drugs, the team at s Hopkins

> > University in

> > > Baltimore reported.

> > >

> > > Dr. Reeves of s Hopkins and colleagues found a

gene

> > called Ets2

> > > protected mice from colon cancer. Writing in the journal

> Nature,

> > Reeves and

> > > colleagues said they used mice bred to develop colon cancer

at

> > extreme

> > > rates, and genetically engineered them to produce extra

amounts

> of

> > Ets2.

> > >

> > > They said the more Ets2 the mice had, the less likely they

were

> to

> > develop

> > > colon cancer.

> > >

> > > The secret lies in having an extra copy of chromosome 21.

> People

> > with Down's

> > > syndrome, also known as Down syndrome, have three copies of

the

> > chromosome

> > > instead of the usual two.

> > >

> > > That gives them extra copies of all the genes on chromosome

21

> and

> > of the

> > > proteins that these genes produce.

> > >

> > > The effects are well known -- people with Down's suffer from

> mental

> > > retardation, have distinct facial and other physical

> > characteristics and a

> > > higher risk of some diseases.

> > >

> > > But not cancer, said Dr. Judah Folkman, a cancer expert at

> > Children's

> > > Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Ets2, which

is

> > found on

> > > chromosome 21, may help explain why.

> > >

> > > " They are protected against cancer and also atherosclerosis

and

> > diabetic

> > > retinopathy, " Folkman, who was not associated with the

> research,

> > said in a

> > > telephone interview.

> > >

> > > Diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness in people with

> diabetes

> > and, like

> > > atherosclerosis, is associated with blood vessel function.

> > >

> > > STARVING TUMORS

> > >

> > > Folkman discovered a protein called endostatin that kick-

> started a

> > field of

> > > cancer drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors. They starve a

> tumour

> > by

> > > stopping it from creating blood vessels to nourish itself.

> > >

> > > The basic biological mechanism, which affects blood vessel

> > function and

> > > growth, may also underlie other so-called vascular diseases

> such as

> > > atherosclerosis, Folkman said.

> > >

> > > Folkman and other researchers believe people with Down's

> produce

> > extra

> > > endostatin naturally, but also that other genes play an

> important

> > role. Ets2

> > > appears to be one of them.

> > >

> > > " It is turning out to be very important because it gives a

> strong

> > clinical

> > > clue that suggests some humans may be protected against

> cancer, "

> > Folkman

> > > said.

> > >

> > > " Down syndrome is always considered a tragedy for families.

But

> on

> > the other

> > > hand, they bring this huge clinical clue, " Folkman said. The

> genes

> > that

> > > protect against cancer appear to be separate from the genes

> known

> > to cause

> > > mental retardation, he added.

> > >

> > > " In medical school in 1953 we were taught -- 'oh, by the

way,

> Down

> > syndrome

> > > individuals are protected against cancer'. Everybody asked

why

> and

> > they

> > > said, 'We think it is because they don't live long enough

(to

> > develop it),' "

> > > Folkman said.

> > >

> > > But now Down's patients live into their 70s and they still

> develop

> > cancer at

> > > a lower rate, he said.

> > >

> > > Dr. Threadgill of the University of North Carolina

agreed

> > that Ets2

> > > might be used as the basis of a drug, but said far more

> research

> > is needed

> > > because the protein also appears to help cancer spread, or

> > metastasize, when

> > > it does develop.

> > >

> > > " So therapeutic use of potential drugs with Ets2-like

activity

> to

> > reduce

> > > tumour incidence may have limited value, because a side

effect

> of

> > such drugs

> > > could be increased efficiency of metastasis, " Threadgill

wrote

> in a

> > > commentary. (Editing by Alan Elsner)

> > >

> > > http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN0264850120080102?

> sp=true

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

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