Cancer prevention: stopping cancer before it can start

In this study, the researchers tested 60 novel Gemini vitamin compounds, with Gemini 0097 performing the best, Lee says.

In one set of studies, the researchers exposed rats to a mammary carcinogen, then injected groups of 15 animals with different doses of Gemini 0097. They found that the lowest dose had little effect but higher doses slowed the growth of resultant ER-positive tumors by 60 percent, compared with a group of control rats. Some treated rats developed small mammary tumors and some developed none at all, says Lee. “The data are very convincing,” he said.

In a second, similar experiment in a mouse model of ER-negative breast cancer, mice treated with Gemini vitamin D had 50 percent fewer tumors than did control mice.

The researchers analyzed tumor samples from both the rats and the mice and discovered that Gemini 0097 prevents tumorigenesis by increasing expression of the p21 protein, which arrests the cell cycle, and by inducing insulin-like growth factor binding protein–3 (IGFBP-3), which slows down cell proliferation.

“These data are from animal studies, and we need more data before these compounds can be tested in humans,” said Suh. “Still, we are hopeful that we have found a way of providing vitamin D without toxicity that has a significant effect on cancer prevention.”

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is the only journal worldwide dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.