Here's an interesting story: Women in the Canadian province of Quebec are less likely than women elsewhere to take preventative action after learning that they have a certain gene linked to breast and ovarian cancers. Women who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations have a higher risk of developing cancer, prompting many women to either have their breast or ovaries removed. Two thirds of women in Quebec took no preventative actions after learning of their risk, while only one third failed to take preventative steps in the rest of the country.

So, my thought for the day is: What would prevent someone from taking action against a disease that could kill them? Religious beliefs? Lack of knowledge about the disease? Lack of money? And if you found out you were at a high-than-normal risk for breast cancer, would you act right before it had the chance to get to you, or would you take your chances?

Studies show that diets high in fiber and low in fat can help prevent cancer. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. It has a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu. In the past five years tempeh has grown so much in popularity that it is now available in the refrigerated section of many supermarkets. Here is a simple way to prepare tempeh that both kids and adults love.

Vicki's Spicy Tempeh Soft Tacos
Serves 4

1 block tempeh crumbled
1/2 vegetable broth or water
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can leave out if you don't want spicy)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked black beans or pinto beans drained
1 tomato chopped
handful chopped lettuce
grated hard soy cheese if you want vegan or cheddar if vegetarian
8 whole wheat tortillas

Recipe directions

Saute the tempeh in the olive oil on medium low heat for about 3 minutes. Add red pepper and onion and continue to saute for about 5 minutes more. Add the spices, 1/2 cup broth or water and the beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Serve in the tortillas with the chopped lettuce, tomato and cheese.

Researchers have found a link between intake of fruits and vegetables and decreased risk of developing head and neck cancer. The study results were presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

The study included more than 490,000 individuals aged 50 or older. Over a five year period, 787 participants developed head and neck cancer. Individuals with higher intake of fruits and veggies were less likely to develop head and neck cancers. Overall, vegetables appeared to offer more protection than fruit.

Plant groups that were linked with a reduced risk included string beans, peas and dried beans. Apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears and strawberries were the important fruits.

We all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us. This is just one more study to prove that eating a diet with fruits and veggies can help us to prevent cancer.

The skin cancer we so desperately try to avoid may be caused, in part, by the very thing we use to prevent the disease -- sunscreen.

Scientists at the University of California report in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine that some of the chemicals found in sunscreen products can become cancer-causing agents once they are absorbed into the skin.
And perhaps this is why more and more people are developing skin cancer, despite the increasing use of sun lotions.

"Sunscreens may be doing more harm than good," says lead researcher Dr. Kerry Hanson.

May is the important word here. Sunscreens may contribute in some way to the incidence of skin cancer. But the jury is still out. And experts are not sure right now how significant this research will be in the long run.

I'm never quite sure what to do about vitamin supplements. Should I take them? Or should I leave them?

Sometimes I think supplements could surely help me with whatever I'm lacking in my diet. Other times I don't want to mess with what might be working just fine in my body. Now if a doctor tells me my iron is low, I'll take a supplement to boost my levels. But if there is nothing apparently off kilter in my system, I tend to just leave things alone.

I'm glad at the moment for my current plan. Because nutritionists now suspect that high doses of vitamins and minerals -- believed by some to prevent cancer -- might actually be harmful.

Think about this:

The American Medical Association journal JAMA recently reported that high doses of antioxidant supplements can be harmful. Vitamin advocates challenged the analysis, saying it excluded large studies from China and Italy showing antioxidant supplements lowered mortality risk.

Consumers still should read labels carefully.

"Some of the things called daily vitamins can be higher than what we think is desirable," says one researcher who urges consumers to look for something about 100 percent of the daily value. That's really all people need, she declares. But a healthy diet is still most important and can prevent the need for supplements altogether. Yet for those who are sick, don't have access to nutritious food or for some other reason cannot eat well, the 100-percent rule is a good guide.

Lung cancer tumors in mice are shrinking -- with the help of a hormone important in the control of blood pressure.

This new discovery, led by scientists at Wake University School of Medicine, suggests some drugs used to manage blood pressure might also prevent or treat lung cancer.

This all came about when it was noticed that lung cancer rates were lower among those treated for high blood pressure with angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitors. These drugs, including Capoten and Lotensin, increase levels of angiotensin-(1-7) in the bloodstream.

In studies, the angiotensin-(1-7) hormone caused a 30 percent decrease in tumor volume in mice. Tumors in mice not treated with the hormone more than doubled.

This study, published in the journal Cancer Research, is the first demonstration of the effect in animals.

Bok Choy is low in calories, fat and is high in calcium, potassium and Vitamin C and A. Bok Choy also contain glucosinolates, which may help prevent cancer by eliminate carcinogens. Bok Choy is used in a lot of stir fry recipes but I personally like to make a soup that allows me to drink all of the nutrients in the broth. It is simple and quick to make and packed full of flavor and nutrition. If you add diced tofu to the recipe, it will also give you protein.

Chef Vicki's Bok Choy Soup

3 cups vegetable broth
(you can use three cups of water and 3 vegetable bouillon cubes)
1 celery stalk diced
1/2 white onion diced
6 button mushrooms sliced
6 Bok Choy leaves chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 block Extra Firm Tofu cubed in 1/2 inch pieces (optional)

Bring broth to boil and add celery, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Boil for 2 minutes and lower heat to medium. Add Bok Choy and tofu and simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Breast, lung and colorectal cancer diagnosed and treated early can be surgically removed with success, but if the cancerous cells have already entered the bloodstream at the time the tumor is surgically removed, the danger of a secondary tumor elsewhere in the body is a serious cause for worry.

But not all roaming cancer cells become a secondary tumor, which leaves the question as to what is happening to encourage or suppress additional cancer. According to University of Liverpool researchers, the answer is found in a large protein called MUC1.

MUC1 acts as a protective shield, thereby allowing our immune system a chance to destroy the rogue cancer cells. When the protein shield fails, cancerous cells can begin to develop into a new tumor.

University's School of Clinical Sciences Dr Lu-Gang Yu explains, "MUC1 on the cell surface prevents the cancer cells from attaching to the blood vessel wall which causes secondary tumors. We have discovered that a small protein called galectin-3, attacks MUC1 and breaks up its protective shield, forcing large areas of the cancer cell to become exposed. The exposed areas of the cell allow the cancer to attach to the blood vessel wall. The cancer cells then eventually penetrate the blood wall to form tumors at secondary sites."

As more scientific discoveries into the mechanisms and spread of cancer are revealed, the less mysterious it will be in determining ahead of time who is at most risk of cancer recurrence. More importantly, new treatments might be developed that stop the process in those most at risk for a secondary cancer.

Results presented at the 2006 annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, says that it appears Nolvadex (tamoxifen) reduces the risk of developing cancer years following completion of preventative therapy among women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Data from a clinical trial, including 7,145 women who were at high risk for developing breast cancer, was reevaluated at 10 years follow up. They found that breast cancer was reduced by 29 percent among women treated with tamoxifen compared to those taking the placebo. The preventative effect on breast cancer, specifically hormone-positive breast cancer, was actually improved at 10 years compared to the five-year follow-up.

The researchers concluded that women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer continue to benefit from tamoxifen, even five years following completion of treatment.

Talk to you doctor if fall in the high risk group for breast cancer. There are individual risks and benefits for tamoxifen and it may prevent physicians from recommending its use in certain women.

Some women opt to remove their ovaries to prevent breast cancer recurrence. I considered it -- and then decided I would not take such an extreme measure when I wasn't all that sure I was done having children.

Now, ovary removal may not be necessary -- because a new chemical equivalent of surgery allows women to temporarily shut down their ovaries while preserving their fertility.

The shutdown of the ovaries is called chemopause, and women who choose to go this route receive monthly injections -- considered a super-hormone treatment -- of a drug that blocks the male hormone testosterone and is often used to treat prostate cancer.

Chemopause has big advantages. It doesn't require surgery. And it's not permanent. Women who want to have children can stop the treatment in order to conceive. And women who have trouble with side effects can discontinue use of the surgery-sparing drugs.

The ovary-suppressing drugs -- triptorelin, goserelin, leuprolide, and buserelin -- can be used in place of or on top of standard chemotherapy and hormone therapy and are showing promise in their ability to decrease incidences of breast cancer recurrence.

Medical professionals agree there is value in ovarian suppression. Studies show women whose periods do not return after chemotherapy -- which often causes early menopause -- have lower relapse rates than women whose periods resume. So shutting down the ovaries and stopping menstruation may not be such a bad idea -- and not such an extreme measure either.

A decade of research specific to the inherited form of pancreatic cancer has turned up a gene that could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

The magical gene -- called palladin -- was discovered at the University of Washington after the extensive study of one family that has lost nine members over four generations to pancreatic cancer and has nine additional members with early signs of the disease.

Washington resident Ryan Chappell, a member of this family who had his pancreas removed just before cancer could strike, is very excited about this breakthrough.

"I feel really good that my family has not suffered (in vain)," the 21-year-old says. "Something has been accomplished from their contribution."

What the Chappell family has contributed to research is an understanding of a breakdown in a gene that makes a protein for the skeleton of pancreas cells. In this one family, the gene was mutated and produced large amounts of a misshapen protein that rolls like tumbleweed through the body, migrating 50 percent faster than other cells.

Scientists hope to translate their research findings into a diagnostic test to find excess amounts of the protein and to prevent the cancer cells from moving.

For now, early detection of pancreatic cancer rare because the pancreas is deep in the body, making it difficult to feel or see tumors through imaging tests. Symptoms -- like jaundice, abdominal and back pain, and digestive problems -- usually surface only after the cancer has spread.

Cancer of the pancreas is rare but is the third-leading cause of cancer death among people age 40 to 60.

It's no secret exercise is beneficial for just about everyone. So it should come as no surprise that researchers reported Monday that moderate, regular exercise can help women combat some of the side effects of breast cancer radiation treatment.

Researchers found that breast cancer patients who walked briskly 20 to 45 minutes three to five times per week during treatment maintained healthy blood cells. Red blood cells and hemoglobin -- which carry oxygen -- often suffer during radiation treatment. And those who do not exercise lose significant oxygen capacity.

This study, published in the journal Cancer, is the first to look into the effect of exercise during breast cancer radiation treatment. It rounds out research that already shows exercise can help prevent breast cancer and can also help women recover from the disease.

Before I had my first chemotherapy treatment I was told that to prevent from getting nauseous and vomiting as a side effect that I could take a pill. I mean, what is worse than being nauseous all the time? Not too many things. I was prepared after my first chemotherapy of Adriamycin and Cytoxan to be leaning over the toilet for a long time. This vision was what I expected to happen and I tried to be ready for it knowing that the anti-nausea drugs given aren't always effective for everyone. I did end up spending a lot of time near the toilet after taking Zophran, an anti-nausea medication, but I spent that time on the toilet, not leaning over it!

High grade Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is the most significant risk factor for prostate cancer. PIN is strongly predictive of adenocarcinoma and if its identified in a biopsy specimen then it warrants repeat biopsies to check for cancer. This preinvasive cancer does not seem to have an impact on the levels of PSA scores.

All doctors can do now is the watch and wait method with those diagnosed with PIN. A preliminary study has shown that Toremifene can decrease the incidence of prostate cancer in men diagnosed with this precancerous condition.

A study was done with 514 men who had been diagnosed with PIN and had no evidence of prostate cancer. They were randomized to daily treatment with Toremifene or placebo for twelve months. The researchers concluded that 6.8% of every 100 men had their prostate cancer prevented with Toremifene.

Having a precancerous condition is very stressful. Its like the sword is just hanging over your head waiting to drop. This medication and its use with PIN to prevent prostate cancer is in its early stages but it is hopeful because at the current time there is no treatment for PIN available.

Chloe is a little girl conceived through in vitro fertilization -- not because her parents could not conceive in the traditional manner but because they wanted to make sure Chloe had no predisposition to cancer in her genetic makeup. And in vitro fertilization is one method of almost ensuring this. There is still a three percent chance of failure but Chloe's parents felt confident in the elective process that would mostly prevent her from inheriting a genetic mutation for colon cancer that has devastated her family -- Chloe's father carries this mutation, and his mother, grandfather, and two uncles have all died from colon cancer.

A growing number of couples are using preimplantation genetic makeup to detect a predisposition to cancers that may or may not develop later in life. Using this procedure, parents subject their tiny embryos to genetic tests to determine whether or not they harbor defective genes. Essentially, parents get to pick and choose from embryos in a petri dish which one they want. Since the embryo that became Chloe did not test positive for any defective genes, she was the chosen one. And she is now a healthy two-year-old girl.

It's an ethical minefield -- this scientific creation of human life and the picking and choosing of which embryos will survive and which ones will not. One expert says the issue centers around what is considered serious enough to warrant such testing -- and who gets to make this decision. Ethical dilemmas surrounding this issue will only continue to grow as more and more options become available. Already embryos are tested for predisposition for obesity and deafness and a mild skin condition. Some clinics even screen for gender. Some fear this practice may lead to a genetic class divide where the wealthy will become more genetically pure than the poor -- because this process is difficult and expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars without insurance coverage.

Chloe's parents are happy they made the choice they did. Her father says he doesn't know if he could handle being told his daughter has cancer -- especially with the knowledge that he could have prevented it.