The Hallmarks of Cancer

In this episode of PROSPER Natural Cancer CARE, Carla delves into the concept of the "Hallmarks of Cancer," as elucidated by Hanahan and Weinberg in their series of seminal papers published between 2000 and 2022. She discusses the various hallmarks or drivers of cancer, including genetic instability, sustained proliferation and evasion of growth suppressors.

Carla explains the significance of the tumour microenvironment, a complex ecosystem surrounding a tumour that influences its growth and invasion into healthy tissues. She explores how mutual interactions between cancer cells and components of the tumour microenvironment impact treatment resistance and prognosis.

The episode highlights factors considered in cancer care, such as immunogenicity, inflammatory diseases, metabolic state, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors. Carla emphasizes the importance of understanding how herbal medicines, nutritional therapies and dietary/lifestyle choices can impact the hallmarks of cancer and support patients safely and effectively. Listeners are encouraged to explore the references provided. 

Next Episode Preview: Join Carla in the next episode as she shares her journey supporting patients with cancer and introduces some remarkable individuals she's met along the way.

References:

1. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. The hallmarks of cancer. Cell. 2000 Jan 7;100(1):57-70. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81683-9. PMID: 21376230.
2. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. Cell. 2011 Mar 4;144(5):646-74. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013. PMID: 21376230 
3. Hanahan D. Hallmarks of Cancer: New Dimensions. Cancer Discov. 2022 Jan;12(1):31-46. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1059. PMID: 35022204.
4. Chen KL, Jung P, Kulkoyluoglu-Cotul E, Liguori C, Lumibao J, Mazewski C, Ranard K, Rowles JL 3rd, Wang Y, Xue L, Madak-Erdogan Z. Impact of Diet and Nutrition on Cancer Hallmarks. J Cancer Prev Curr Res. 2017;7(4):240. doi: 10.15406/jcpcr.2017.07.00240. Epub 2017 Feb 17. PMID: 30581989; PMCID: PMC6301051.
5. Sameri S, Mohammadi C, Mehrabani M, Najafi R. Targeting the hallmarks of cancer: the effects of silibinin on proliferation, cell death, angiogenesis, and migration in colorectal cancer. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021 May 31;21(1):160. doi: 10.1186/s12906-021-03330-1. PMID: 34059044; PMCID: PMC8168007.

Find PROSPER Natural Cancer CARE on Instagram @prosper.cancer.care or visit www.prospercancercare.co.

For more information or to get in touch, connect with Carla on Instagram @carlawrenn or visit www.carlawrenn.com.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended to be informational only and represents the opinion of the participants, but not necessarily their workplace. It is not intended to be used as medical advice and does not take the place of advice from a qualified health care practitioner in a clinical setting. Please check with your healthcare practitioner before embarking upon any of the treatments or lifestyle changes discussed.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome to Prosper Natural Cancer Care. I'm Carla Wren. We discuss naturopathic cancer care, integrative oncology and lifestyle medicine. Examining complimentary medicine tradition, science, evidence-based personalised health care for people with cancer. If you or a loved one has a cancer diagnosis, or you're a professional with an interest in complementary medicine or cancer care, you've come to the right place. Let's prosper. But before we start today, let's take a moment to define the word prosper and why it's an important word for me in the work I do. Prosper is defined as to flourish physically, grow strong and healthy, to become strong and flourishing, to cause to succeed or thrive. These words and words like choose hope are important to me as I aim to empower, educate, and encourage people in my practice and on this podcast. Please be sure to take a moment at the end of today's show to listen to the very important disclaimer. Today I wanted to share a little bit about the hallmarks of cancer. I love the research and clinical application of the Hallmarks of Cancer concept, and series of three papers by Hanahan and Weinberg published in 2000, 2011, and 2022. I've attached the references to the three papers to the show notes, along with other references I'll be discussing throughout today's show. Over these years, Hanahan and Weinberg discussed these hallmarks or drivers of cancer to include genetic instability, sustained proliferation, growth suppressor evasion, replicative immortality, sustained angiogenesis, apoptosis evasion, invasion and metastases, dysregulated cellular energy metabolism, immune invasion, tumor promoting inflammation, microbiome changes, senescent cells, epigenetic reprogramming, changes in phenotype plasticity, or cellular differentiation, all of which have an impact on the tumor and microenvironment, but also guide me as to the type of complementary medicines I might be able to use to impact the tumor microenvironment and cancer on a whole. These are the chemo preventative strategies I've previously talked about. The tumor microenvironment is defined as a complex ecosystem surrounding a tumor composed of cancer cells, stromal tissue, and include blood vessels, immune cells, fibroblasts, and signaling molecules, and the extracellular matrix. Mutual interaction between cancer cells and different components of the tumor microenvironment support its growth and invasion in healthy tissue, which correlates with tumor resistance to current treatment and poor prognosis. The tumor microenvironment is in constant change because of the tumor's ability to influence the microenvironment by releasing extracellular signals, promoting tumor angiogenesis, and inducing peripheral immune tolerance, while the immune cells in the microenvironment can affect the growth and evolution of cancerous cells. So, in my work with patients, especially when I'm thinking about chemo-preventative strategies, I initially focus on considering the following applicable factors for each of my patients their immunogenicity, immune activation or suppression, their infectious exposures, inflammation and comorbid inflammatory diseases, sound agia response dysfunction signs, metabolic glycemic state, exposure to environmental carcinogens, any circadian disruption, experiences of chronic stress, hormonal factors, microbiome disruptions, dietary factors, positive or negative, and genetic factors. Working with this research is so inspiring. And with papers published on how different herbal medications, nutritional therapies, and dietary and lifestyle choices impact the hallmarks of cancer, it's a great place to start considering ways I can safely and effectively support my patients with cancer. If you would like more information about the hallmarks of cancer, be sure to check out the references in the show notes. As well as the references of the hallmarks of cancer, you'll also find papers on complementary medicines and how they affect the hallmarks of cancer. I've included papers for your interest on impact of diet and nutrition on cancer hallmarks, on how St. Mary's Sicile targets the hallmarks of cancer, how turmeric affects the hallmarks of cancer. It's an amazing paper because you can see turmeric or curcumin targets so many of the hallmarks of cancer. This is a good point to remind you that the safe use of complementary medicines requires the understanding about how pharmaceuticals and complementary medicines can interact or be contraindicated. Please listen to the disclaimer before beginning any therapies mentioned in today's show. Other papers illustrated therapies like cleavers, carnitine, diet, and microbiome can also all have an effect on the hallmarks of cancer. I use this research when I'm formulating a care plan for my patients. I hope this episode of Prosper Natural Cancer Care has left you feeling inspired. There's certainly not a shortage of research we can use with patients who are on a cancer journey. Join me for our next episode introducing my journey to support patients with cancer and some amazing people I've met along the way. For more information on Prosper Natural Cancer Care, visit ProsperCancerCare.co. For more information and to get in touch, please visit Carlaren.com. Disclaimer. This podcast is intended to be informational only and represents the opinion of the participants, but not necessarily their workplace. It is not intended to be used as medical advice and does not take the place of advice from a qualified health practitioner in a clinical setting. Please check with your healthcare practitioner before embarking upon any of the treatments or lifestyle changes discussed.