Eat Right And Prevent Cancer

By Meluse Kapatamoyo

Though the human body is susceptible to over 200 different types of cancer, diet alone is said to be responsible for causing one to two thirds of all cancers.

The human body has four main cancer fighting systems in place, and these also help prevent a recurrence.

Professor Parham

 Professor Groesbeck Parham MD, of the African Center of Excellence for Women’s Cancer Control says "the human body can help prevent a lot of these cancers if we would change our diets."

The liver which is the detoxifying organ in the body, is responsible for removing all toxins from the blood stream. The liver also makes bile, a substance that modifies fat so it can be absorbed and turned into secondary bile acids that promote cancer by bacteria.

“What determines the type of bacteria in your intestines is what you eat. If you eat, grains, fruits, beans, legumes, you will have healthy bacteria. If you eat a lot of red meat, you have harmful bacteria,” says Professor Parham.

One of the food components that help the waste disposal system is fibre.  It increases the speed at which food that is eaten exits the body. It also ushers out the toxins and transform bacteria from harmful to a healthy ones.

Fibre is found in grains, oatmeal, fruits, beans and legumes.

Professor Parham explains that "fibre is not in any animal product (as can be seen from above examples). It is in products that grow in the ground.  And if you want to keep your intestine healthy and keep your waste disposal working well, you have to put a lot of fibre in your body everyday.”

It goes without saying much that animal products such as chicken, beef, pork, cheese all harm the waste disposal system because they have no fibre. However, dark, lean leafy vegetables are full of antioxidants that help prevent cancer. Examples of such vegetables are tomatoes, guava, watermelons, carrots, mangoes, papaya, sweet potatoes, oranges, tangerines, lemons, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, broccoli, lime.

“Zambia has some of the greatest green leafy vegetables. You eat the roots plus you eat the top. You can eat the green tops of beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes. That is the smartest thing I have ever seen in a diet,” notes Professor Parham.

Cooked animal productions, especially meats, harm the antioxidants in the human body. Present in all meats are amino acids called Creatine. This is present in all meats including fish, when grilled, fried or boiled at high temperatures; it makes Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), a cancer causing agent. HCA increases the risk of breast and colon cancer.

The longer the meat is cooked, the higher the levels of HCA. If meat is boiled or grilled over hot flame, it produces another toxic agent called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The more intense the heat, the higher the level of PAH which increases the risk of stomach cancers.

Fortunately, foods such as squash, kale, spinach, turmeric, garlic and onions all stimulate the immune system which is responsible for destroying foreign invaders such as viruses, cancer cells and carcigeons.

Turmeric

Turmeric is said to be one of the world’s most powerful stimulants known to man.

Most harmful to the immune system is fat. While there are two kinds of fat, vegetable and animal fats, neither one is good, but vegetable fat which has Omega3 found in Canola, Olive and Flax seed oil is said to be better. The worst fat comes from meat, which has Omega 6 (like butter), it slows down the immune system and does not respond just as fast.

The detoxification system consists of the liver, the colon, the skin and the lungs. The liver has a system of enzymes that detoxify cancer causing substances and make it more water soluble and are excreted through urination, sweating, breathing, and defecation.

Enzymes can be stimulated to work better by eating foods such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel sprours, Oranges, Tangerines, and Turmeric.

Professor Parham advises that "the bottom line is eat intelligently, when you go to the stores, buy something yellow, green, red, orange, pink, and not something brown. Eat like your grandparents used to eat in the village. And try and eliminate animal products.

“If you are going to drink milk, try and drink soy milk. Cow’s milk has a protein in it called whey, one of the worst proteins you can put in your body," concluded Pro. Parham.PYM

Stay clean 'down there'

By Meluse Kapatamoyo

Away from the blog, we have had debates on the right and healthy way of ensuring cleanliness of our privates parts, especially how to keep one’s vagina clean.  

To get expert advice, i put this question to Dr Sharon Kapambwe, Head of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme in Zambia on how best this practice can be done.

Dr Kapambwe says the best way to keep one’s reproductive system clean is to thoroughly wash the vagina regularly but “DO NOT” douche or clean the inside with fingers because, “when you do this you remove the protective cervical mucus and disturb the good germs in the vagina. You also risk damaging the surface area of the vagina”.

Dr Sharon Kapambwe

This increases the risk of easily contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

She says a healthy vagina has good bacteria that produce acid which stops the growth of, HIV, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted germs. The same bacterium is found in fermented products such as sour milk and yogurt.

Cervical mucus cleans the vagina, traps and kills germs, provides lubrication and also helps transport the sperm to the egg during the fertilization process.

Acid conditions in the vagina create an inhospitable environment for bad bacteria or viruses such that they are less able to survive in the female reproductive tract.

This led to asking Dr Kapambwe on the use of tampons.

“A tampon is different. It is medically tested and is not going to bring in infections. It’s sterile, unless you open it and expose it to air, only then can it gather bacteria. People do get infection from tampons every now and then because of exposure to air but on its own it’s a very sterile product and it’s meant to fit in the cervix for a certain time, “ she explained.

“But when it comes to your fingers, you would have touched so many things and you do not know what you are carrying around that is why we worry when you start putting fingers down there. The vagina itself is much cleaner than your mouth as it cleans itself.”

There are other ways of keeping your reproductive system healthy. This can be done by maintaining a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and using condoms. In addition visit a screening clinic regularly as routine check-ups can prevent severe infections in the genital area. PYM

Early diagnosis of cancer in chidren vital

By MELUSE KAPATAMOYO

Turning tragedy into triumph is not an easy thing to do, but that is exactly what one woman intends to do with the Kayula Childhood Cancer Foundation (KCCF).



KCCF Excutive Director Mumba Sata

 Mumba Sata started the foundation in memory of her daughter, Kayula Zina Sata who died from a rare cancer disease in 2009.

Kayula was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at age three and died 15 months later. The disease is common among children below age five.

"It was a traumatic time. She was limping and had an extended stomach. We saw various doctors to find out what was wrong. By the time the diagnostic was made, the cancer was in stage four, meaning it was very much advanced.

She underwent chemotherapy, which was later followed by an operation but not even that was enough to save her,” narrated Mrs Sata at a media breakfast held at Lusaka’s Intercontinental Hotel to launch a campaign which aims to increase awareness on childhood cancers.

Mumba believes that had Kayula been diagnosed early, she would still have been alive today. With the foundation, she is determined to see to it that the number of children dying from cancer is reduced.

The foundation plans to build a pediatric oncology hospital with a multi-specialty laboratory, and also build and maintain a transit home for patients and their guardians awaiting further medical attention or those discharged from hospital but were still waiting to find finances to get back to their respective places.

The Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) located at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) is the only health institution in the country offering treatment for cancer and provides both outpatient and in-patient care. CDH admits on average 15 to 20 paediatric patients per month from different parts of the country.

UTH senior registrar at the Hematology- Oncology unit, Dr Catherine Chunda said cancer is the most common cause of death in children in the developed countries.


Dr Catherine Chunda

 The three most common cancers in children include Lymphoma (swelling of the jaws), Retinoblastoma (affects the eye) Nephroblastoma (affects the kidneys).

But while survival rates in cancer patients in developed countries have gone up to more than 75 percent, with the United States at 80 percent, results in developing countries have not been so impressive.

Dr Chunda explained that “the problem we have in developing countries, including here in Zambia is that cancer is diagnosed in its advanced stage. In cases where it’s diagnosed early, failure to start or complete treatment has been a large contributor to many of the deaths being experienced in all these countries."

She said abandonment and refusal of treatment is the commonest cause of cancer treatment failure in developing countries. Zambia has 45 percent abandonment and mortality rates.

Other challenges hindering proper management of Cancer in developing countries are lack of diagnostic and treatment facilities. This is in addition to inadequate hospital infrastructure and medications. The presence of malnutrition in some of the children diagnosed with the disease is also a contributor.

Dr Chunda advised that recognition of childhood cancer requires; “early recognition of symptoms, rapid referral and access to primary medical care. Rapid referral and access to specialist care, data management infrastructure because in many cases a child with cancer may die before diagnosis and registration.”

According to a 2010 study by Dr Chunda and Cancer expert Professor Chintu, the most common Cancer tumours in Zambia are Lymphomas, Retinoblastoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and Nephroblastoma.  

In 2011 and 2012, CDH recorded 566 and 361 cases of children with cancer.  The hospital has only six permanent staff, three nurses and three doctors.



Mrs Sata with journalists Brenda Zulu and Ruth Banda

 Quoting 2008 statistics from GLOBACAN, 12.7 million new cases of cancer were recorded that year alone which unfortunately led to 7.6 million deaths worldwide. 56 percent of these deaths occurred in developed countries, while 64 percent occurred in the developing countries where 250, 000 new cases of cancer in children upto the age of 15 years old.

Ministry of Health Permanent secretary Dr Peter Mwaba said to meet the demands of shortage of staff and also the shortfall of equipment at the centre; government was currently training 15 radiologists and had procured four Computed Tomography (CT) scans to be installed in hospital in Kitwe, Ndola, Livingstone and Lusaka.

He announced that 60 bed spaces out of the 200 being built at the new cancer diseases would be allocated to children with cancer.

“But the onus should not only be on government, we need community participation and mobilization if we are to fight this disease. Parents, stakeholders all need to come on board and ensure that every child has a chance to lead a normal and healthy life.” PYM.

Fibroids : A woman's enemy

By Meluse Kapatamoyo

A visitor to my blog recently requested that I do some research on fibroids. Here is an interview I had with Dr Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, a gynaecology consultant at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.



Dr Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, a gynaecology consultant at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH)



Fibroids in Zambia

Fibroids, also called Leomyoma, are new overgrowths of the fibrous muscles of the uterus. Although they are essentially one and the same type of tumour, they are given different names according to the part of the uterus they occupy. Intramural fibroids are located in between the uterine muscle while the ones that push into the uterine cavity are called sub-mucous and those on the surface of the uterus are known as Sub-Serosa fibroids. The sub-serosa fibrods can even be in a suspended position from the uterus surface like fruits hanging from a branch, these are referred to as Pedunculated fibroids. All these are seen in equal measure at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) but they present with different severity of problems (symptoms).

AGE GROUP

Fibroids occur in the years of child bearing age and most symptoms culminate when a woman is in her 30s. This is because fibroid growth is aided by prolonged presence of the hormone, oestrogen. Oestrogen is only opposed by the hormone progesterone when a woman is pregnant and this may explain why women that have never experienced a pregnancy-related-protection by progesterone are more prone to fibroids.

Early Detection

It is important to mention that of the diseases associated with the uterus, cancer of the cervix is the commonest cause of severe illness and responsible for 98.1 percent of all deaths related to new growths on the uterus. The preoccupation of women and care givers should be to discover cervical cancer cells early and not fibroids. That said, fibroids are responsible for much suffering and poor quality of life that include bareness, heavy menses leading to anaemia, life threatening infections, pain and occasional death to mention but a few.

What are the statistics of fibroid cases at UTH?

Fibroids are common among women such that slightly over 10 percent of women live with fibroids and only 2 to 3 percent of these actually have them large enough to cause symptoms of pain, menstrual disorders and sub fertility thus requiring treatment.

Preferred Treatment

Treatment of fibroids ranges from simple implantation of anti oestrogens under the skin to surgical procedures such as uterine curettage, open surgical procedure referred to as myomectomy (operation conducted on the uterus to remove fibroids) and to hysterectomy - the total removal of the uterine.

What determines the treatment?

The location of the fibroid and accompanying symptoms all guide to the selection of the method of treatment. Location, size and symptoms are most crucial determinants of mode of treatment. However, age of the patient, general condition, fertility wishes and previous intra-abdominal procedures all contribute to the choice of treatment. Patients are part of the process of choosing the mode of treatment but basic medical principles mentioned should not be breached. Most importantly, the cost of treatment, thoroughness of treatment and safety of the patient should not be confused. In navigating between these principles, many patients at UTH rightly end up undergoing surgical procedures.

The treatment can even cause death. Poor evaluation of pelvic and back pains has led into fibroid “operations” and the pain continues or worsens alongside many other irreversible complications. Treatment of fibroids is a specialist undertaking which does not entertain shortcuts.

Can a woman who has undergone a fibroid operation before get pregnant?

Part of the evaluation and counselling process in treatment of fibroids include preserving or enhancing chances of fertility. Treatment of fibroids when fertility issues are pertinent, it is not an event but a process. Majority of women treated for fibroids even surgically fall pregnant but the doctor must continue to look after such a pregnancy until delivery. For example, a third of fibroids are treated because of demand to restore fertility and 70 percent of such treatments are successful.

Every single operation is different from the other and doctors will advice since they are aware of how mutilative the procedure is. For example, after curettage, a month is all the rest you need while after a myomectomy, anything up to one year’s rest from pregnancy may be required.

Fibroids and Pregnancy

Fibroids undergo a painful degenerative process because of hormone changes during pregnancy. Sometimes labour can be difficult or even impossible when fibroids impinge on the pathway of a baby. Further, this uterine anomaly can be responsible for increased post-delivery bleeding. All this constitutes interference with pregnancy.

A woman has a 70 percent chance of normal vaginal delivery. But an evaluation of this possibility needs to be made by specialists and not by trial and error.

Statistical Occurrence

This is not studied but fibroids will keep coming if the contributing condition continues to persist. Interestingly the majority of fibroids stop growing or even shrink after menopause. Doctors do not usually wait for this natural “self-treatment” of menopause since some fibroids are known to become cancerous and in any case, cancers in their own right increase at this age.

Recommended Diet

There is no known dietary connection to fibroids. However heavy menstrual bleeding related to fibroids requires replenishment of iron by foods rich in iron such as greens, fish and stake.

Ends.../

(A huge thank you goes to Mrs Annoymous to whom this article is dedicated. I hope all your questions have been answered)