MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- The overproduction of a protein may be what starts harmless colon polyps on their journey to becoming malignant tumors, Finnish researchers report.

The University of Helsinki research, published online in Cancer Cell, reveals that PROX1, a protein that controls formation of normal organs in embryos, is produced in excess during the early stages of cancer development. PROX1 even encourages tumor cell growth without additional signals from surrounding normal tissues.

The removal of PROX1 from cancer cells appears to reverse their malignant behavior, suggesting that future research may focus on the protein's use in colon cancer therapies.

Men and women face a lifetime risk of nearly 6 percent for the development of invasive colorectal cancer, making it one of the most common malignancies in the Western world. Past epidemiologic studies have cited obesity and several dietary factors -- including fat, red meat and a lack of vegetables and fiber -- as increasing the risk of the disease.

More information

The National Cancer Institute has more about colorectal cancer screening.

FRIDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Spanish researchers report they may have found a way to tell which suspicious prostate lesions are likely to develop into cancer.

The findings, published in the May 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, show a link between high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PIN) lesions and the PTOV1 gene. The more PTOV1 the lesion expresses, the more likely cancer will develop. The report also backs the reverse -- that the lack of PTOV1 means a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

PTOV1 is a protein that researchers don't fully understand the function of, but they have previously found too much of it appears to promote the spread of cancer cells.

If subsequent studies confirm PTOV1 as a biomarker for prostate cancer, it could help men with the lesions avoid repeated needle biopsies.

"Those patients with a high PTOV1 score should undergo an immediate repeat biopsy," study author Rosanna Paciucci, a researcher at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital Research Institute in Barcelona, said in a prepared statement. But those with low PTOVI may not need to receive future "annoying and useless" biopsies, she said. "We estimate that we can save 40 percent of unnecessary biopsies -- those that are repetitively negative and contain HG-PIN lesions that do not develop into cancer."

HG-PIN, while present in most cancerous prostates, is a pre-malignant lesion and, given its association with other cancers, it is often repeatedly biopsied when found. Past studies have put the average risk of cancer being diagnosed in a HG-PIN biopsy at between 20 percent and 30 percent, the researchers said. However, none of these studies were to tell which lesions would progress to cancer, the researchers say.

Paciucci cautioned that her team's results need to be confirmed through a larger study group. "From this validation, we can expect to improve the current rate of early detection of cancer," she said.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about prostate cancer.

WEDNESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer survivors who eat more fruits and vegetables, stay physically active and avoid tobacco have a higher quality of life than those who don't do these things.

The bad news is that many cancer survivors aren't eating right and aren't exercising enough, although a good three-quarters do follow recommendations not to light up.

"We all know that living a healthy lifestyle, eating well, being physically active and not smoking reduces the risk of physical problems and improves overall physical health," said Kevin Stein, director of Quality of Life Research at the American Cancer Society's Behavioral Research Center. "Here we have additional evidence that it not only reduces disease burden but also improves emotional health and quality of life and, moreover, the effect appears to be cumulative. The more you comply, the better your quality of life."

Stein is senior author of a new study detailing the findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Yet the message doesn't seem to be getting through.

"When I sit down and talk to patients about changing their lifestyle after treating them for cancer, a lot of times you're glaring into people's eyes, and they don't really believe what you're telling them," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "I don't think really people really grasp the importance of what they do in their lives in terms of how it affects what happens to them."

That would include behaviors engaged in both before and after a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

More than 10 million Americans are cancer survivors, making them more vulnerable to other health conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and, more generally, a reduced health-related quality of life.

The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors engage in 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week, eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and not smoke.

Previous studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle can prevent cancer recurrence and prolong survival, yet many of these studies were conducted at elite cancer treatment centers, Stein said.

The new study aimed to get a more realistic portrayal of the issue by asking more than 9,000 survivors about their quality of life. Participants were either two-, five- or 10-year survivors of six different types of cancer.

Only 14.8 percent to 19.1 percent of survivors were meeting the five-a-day fruits and vegetables recommendation, while 29.6 percent to 47.3 percent were meeting the physical activity recommendation.

On the other hand, 82.6 percent to 91.6 percent didn't smoke.

But a mere 5 percent were meeting all three recommendations, up to 12.5 percent weren't complying with any lifestyle behavior recommendations, and less than 10 percent were meeting two or more.

The findings echoed a recent study that found that cancer survivors have rates of obesity and physical inactivity similar to those of the general population. That study, published in the June 1 issue of Cancer, found that less than one-quarter of cancer survivors were regularly physically active, and more than 18 percent were obese.

"We want to focus on survivors because of their increased risk" for other conditions as well as cancer recurrence, Stein said. "In addition, they're in the health-care system, so this is a teachable moment," he added. "We have an opportunity to talk to them about their health, communicate to them, 'Hey, you've dodged a bullet this time, here's an opportunity for you to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of a second cancer or another co-morbid condition and also improving your quality of life.' "

More information

The American Cancer Society   has more on cancer risk and lifestyle factors.

SATURDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Shiny lip balms and glosses may attract ultraviolet rays and increase the risk of skin cancer, warns a dermatologist at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Dr. Christine Brown noted that protecting your lips from harmful sun rays is as important as using sunscreen to protect your skin. But a recent study found that less than 25 percent of Americans use some form of lip protection.

Lips are more susceptible than skin to aging from chronic sun damage and also more prone to developing serious cancers.

"When skin cancer occurs on the lower lip, it has the potential to be much more aggressive and metastasize to surrounding lymph nodes," Brown said in a prepared statement.

Shiny balms and glosses don't offer protection. Instead, they attract the sun's rays to the lips.

"What most people don't realize is they're actually increasing light penetration through the lip surface by applying something clear and shiny to them," Brown said.

Women should only wear glossy lipsticks in the sun when they have a layer of sun protection on underneath, dermatologists advise.

Anyone who's planning on being outdoors for more than 20 minutes at a time should use a lip sun block with an SPF of 30. Women should apply it in the morning under any lipsticks or lip glosses and then reapply the sun block throughout the day.

People should check their lips for signs of cancer. Consult a dermatologist if you notice any changes to the color of the lip surface (an area turns opaque or white), or if you have persistent peeling or flaking of a spot on your lip, Brown said.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about lip and oral cancer.