Thalassemia Patients and Friends

Discussion Forums => Miscellaneous Questions => Topic started by: Danielle on January 15, 2009, 12:04:12 AM

Title: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Danielle on January 15, 2009, 12:04:12 AM
Hi, everyone. :)

I'm doing some nursing research for school and I just wanted to get some info.  Do any of you know, or heard of, anyone with Thalassemia getting any type of cancer?  Whether it's from smoking, the sun, etc?  I'm trying to figure out if cancer cells can survive in a hemoglobin deprived individual.

If you guys know of any information on this, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know.  I'm not looking for any names of people, or anything that may breech confidentiality.

Thank you.   :hugfriend
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Sharmin on January 15, 2009, 12:40:01 AM
Hi Danielle,

Are you looking for examples of people with thal minor, intermedia or major in particular?

My grandma is thal minor and she had cancer in her throat 7 years ago, she was treated with radiation and she had complete remission. 

Sharmin

Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Andy Battaglia on January 15, 2009, 12:44:57 AM
Danielle,

Miaki's husband, Stan had lymphoma. He was a major. My employee had lymphoma and a recurrence. He is a minor (he recently had a bone marrow transplant and is waiting to see if it works, as now he is transfusion dependent). Cancer thrives in a high iron environment, thus the research into IP6 as a cancer inhibitor, so it is likely and I have heard this is true, that it is one more problem older thals are confronting as the survival age rises.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Manal on January 15, 2009, 01:56:21 AM
Hi Danielle

I too know of three cases who had breast cancer, two are thal minors and the third had one muted thal gene + one muted sickle cell .

What i know is that cancer does not thrive in oxygenated enviroment

manal
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Lena on January 15, 2009, 05:30:24 AM
Hi Danielle,

I know of 2 thal majors with cancer-theroid and intestine related respectively- aged over 50 years old. Only  one has survived,that with the intestine cancer,the other died. I believe that as thals grow older they face the same health problems as the general population. There is as well the liver cancer due to hepatitis,but I do not think you refer to that.

Lena.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Sharmin on January 15, 2009, 04:00:06 PM
More reasons to have more antioxidants on board - we need something to combat the oxidative effects of iron overload. 
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Andy Battaglia on January 15, 2009, 06:50:37 PM
Westerners consume far too much iron and it has been reflected in high cancer rates. Do we really need iron fortified foods? No. Does the iron lobby, like the mercury lobby have too much influence? Yes.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Danielle on January 16, 2009, 04:24:57 AM
Wow, this is all very interesting.  Thank you so much, you guys.  Your info is very helpful.   :hugfriend

Sharmin, I'm looking for Majors, mostly, but also Thal as a whole.

Lena, you are correct.  I'm not looking into Cancers that have manifested due to complications of Thalassmia. but your other info is great.

Manal, so it's actually the complete opposite?  Cancer prefers an oxygen-deficient environment?  ???

Andy, I have heard about cancer being attracted to the iron, which is also very interesting to me.  There are other diseases, like Yersinia, that thrive on high iron, but also love Desferal.  I had gotten that years ago when my appendix burst.  It was horrible.

This is actually a quite intriguing subject to me.  Also, just as Thals are supposedly immune to Malaria, I'd like to find out about others diseases that cannot thrive in a low hemoglobin/oxygenated individual.  However, I remember Sajid telling us that he actually contracted Malaria a while back, if I'm not mistaken.   :huh

Thank you for the info, everyone.  :bighug

 :thankyou2
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Dori on January 16, 2009, 03:14:45 PM
Wow, this is all very interesting.  Thank you so much, you guys.  Your info is very helpful. 

Sharmin, I'm looking for Majors, mostly, but also Thal as a whole.

Lena, you are correct.  I'm not looking into Cancers that have manifested due to complications of Thalassmia. but your other info is great.

Manal, so it's actually the complete opposite?  Cancer prefers an oxygen-deficient environment?  ???

Andy, I have heard about cancer being attracted to the iron, which is also very interesting to me.  There are other diseases, like Yersinia, that thrive on high iron, but also love Desferal.  I had gotten that years ago when my appendix burst.  It was horrible.

This is actually a quite intriguing subject to me.  Also, just as Thals are supposedly immune to Malaria, I'd like to find out about others diseases that cannot thrive in a low hemoglobin/oxygenated individual.  However, I remember Sajid telling us that he actually contracted Malaria a while back, if I'm not mistaken.   




Hey Danielle,

Yersinia, is named a lot in books about iron overload.
It it is very funny to see your question about malaria. I was thinking about that too today. I thought maybe you can catch is when you ihgb is high. Then you hgb will drop and what about the malaria?

I know my explanation is not very good, but I hope you do understand it.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Zaini on January 16, 2009, 07:01:29 PM
Little Z once also caught malaria,her malarial parasite reports came back positive.

Zaini.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Sharmin on January 16, 2009, 07:03:02 PM
Perhaps it is the thal minors that are protected - because thal majors get blood transfusions and they may be at the same risk as the general population - not sure  ???


Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Zaini on January 16, 2009, 07:12:01 PM
I also thought at that time that she might have gotten the blood which had malarial parasites,but they screen the blood,so is it possible?
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Andy Battaglia on January 16, 2009, 07:19:55 PM
Thalassemia does offer some protection against malaria. This does not mean thals are immune. What it means is that malaria does not thrive in blood that is affected by blood disorders. Thals still get malaria but it is unlikely that malaria will kill a thal while it will kill others. Because of this, thal carriers survived malaria while others did not, leading to a higher percentage of thal carriers in the general population. There are various theories why, but apparently malaria does not do well when there are high fetal hemoglobin concentrations.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Kathy11 on January 16, 2009, 09:59:19 PM
Perhaps it is the thal minors that are protected - because thal majors get blood transfusions and they may be at the same risk as the general population - not sure  ???




This is the light at the end of the tunnel if its the" fact", "there must be something good " :biggrin

I can dream  cant I?
Kathy
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Dori on January 17, 2009, 11:05:53 AM
Danielle, do you want to know about iron overload and cancer? In that case I can get you in contact with a lady who does research about hemochromatose and breast cancer. She is very well educated. I am not sure she is a doctor or not. I think she isn't, but she knows a lot. If you like the idea, you can send me a live message. It is a very interesting woman. She is now in the seventies and she lives in the US.

Best wishes, Dore
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: T @ r ! Q on January 17, 2009, 05:06:03 PM
Zaini

Quote
I also thought at that time that she might have gotten the blood which had malarial parasites,but they screen the blood,so is it possible?

I have read and heard that MP is bit tricky to catch and if donor was bitten just a day or two before donating blood, then it might escape the screening. And chance of human error is always there "To err is human"
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Danielle on January 19, 2009, 11:11:42 PM
Danielle, do you want to know about iron overload and cancer? In that case I can get you in contact with a lady who does research about hemochromatose and breast cancer. She is very well educated. I am not sure she is a doctor or not. I think she isn't, but she knows a lot. If you like the idea, you can send me a live message. It is a very interesting woman. She is now in the seventies and she lives in the US.

Best wishes, Dore

Thank you, Dore.  I appreciate your offer.  Actually, I was only looking for info on Thalassemia and cancer right now.  If I end up doing research on iron overload and cancer, I will be sure to take you up on that offer.   :happyyes

Thank you again, everyone!  :hugfriend
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: rs_shadow0000 on August 01, 2009, 02:23:52 PM
I apperceive of 2 thal majors with cancer-theroid and civil accompanying respectively- age-old over 50 years old. Only one has survived,that with the civil cancer,the added died. I accept that as thals abound earlier they face the aforementioned bloom problems as the accepted population. There is as able-bodied the alarmist blight due to hepatitis,but I do not anticipate you accredit to that.

________________
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: ginacappo on June 12, 2011, 06:38:18 PM
I can give you plenty of info and yes Thal is from the disease could be overload of iron or getting hepitisis at a early age b or c if you really want more info there is plenty our there just have to search. I myself have just been diagnosed with liver cancer because of the thal. I find lots of answers out there on my own.
Title: Re: Thalassemia and Cancer
Post by: Danny.H on August 03, 2014, 04:53:49 AM
Hello Danielle
I see that this trend is from 2009 but I also would like to share some information.
I receive thal from my mother and my father bot are silent carriers I believe they are silent because my brother was tested for thal and he is normal while myself alpha thal trait -3.7 homo.
So my silent carrier father passed away in 2012 from a myelodisplastic syndrome that turned in leukemia .
My grandma my mothers mother also passed from complications I believe with her thallassemia she was 38 and passed from heart failure and she also already have a diagnostic of esophagus cancer.( she wasn't tested for thal, but everything I learned about her health problems point for get dealing with some blood desorder)
I also lost another cousin at 24 with stomach cancer I cannot proved he was a thal but one more time some things show he could be . All this cases I believe we're silent carriers  or trait.