Coffee drinkers had a lower risk of the cancer coming back
Colon cancer patients who were heavy coffee drinkers had a far lower risk of dying or having their cancer return than those who did not drink coffee, with significant benefits starting at two to three cups a day, a new study found.
Patients who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee or more a day had half the rate of recurrence or death than noncoffee drinkers
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Researchers from Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that regular consumption of caffeinated coffee improved the chances of a cure in stage III colon cancer patients.
“Two to three cups of coffee daily had a more modest benefit, while little protection was associated with one cup or less,” reported Charles S. Fuchs, M.D., MPH, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber. First author is Brendan J. Guercio, M.D., also of Dana-Farber.
The patients, all of them treated with surgery and chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer, had the greatest benefit from consuming four or more cups of coffee a day (about 460 milligrams of caffeine).
These patients were 42 per cent less likely to have their cancer return than non-coffee drinkers, and were 33 per cent less likely to die from cancer or any other cause.
The study included nearly 1,000 patients who filled out dietary pattern questionnaires early in the study, during chemotherapy and again about a year later.
“We found that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of the cancer coming back and a significantly greater survival and chance of a cure,” Fuchs added.
In patients with stage III disease, the cancer has been found in the lymph nodes near the original tumour but there are no signs of further metastasis.
Fuchs said these patients have about a 35 per cent chance of recurrence.
The study adds to a number of recent studies suggesting that coffee may have protective effects against the development of several kinds of cancer.
Coffee drinking has also been shown to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
“One hypothesis is that caffeine consumption increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin so less of it is needed, which in turn may help reduce inflammation – a risk factor for diabetes and cancer,” Fuchs explained.
Other than drinking coffee, people can take other measures to reduce cancer risks.
“Avoid obesity, exercise regularly, adopt a healthier diet and eat nuts which also reduce the risk of diabetes,” the authors reported in a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Other than drinking coffee, Fuchs said, people can take other measures to reduce cancer risks – avoiding obesity, exercising regularly, adopting a healthier diet, and eating nuts, which also reduce the risk of diabetes.
Jeffrey Meyerhardt, M.D., MPH, clinical director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Centerat Dana-Farber, is co-senior author of the study.
The research was supported by National Institutes of Health to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Additional support was provided from Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, now Pfizer Oncology. Fuchs and Meyerhardt are supported in part by grants from the National Cancer Institute. - IANS
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