சிந்திச்சுப் பாத்து செய்கையை மாத்து... Lovely Tamil Jokes

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புதிதாக மணமான‌ கணவன் -மனைவி இருவரும் ஒரு ஒப்பந்தம் செய்துகொண்டனர். ஒருவர் மற்றவருடைய அலமாரியை திறந்து பார்ப்பதில்லை என்று.

30 ஆண்டுகள் உருண்டோடின..

ஒருநாள் மனைவி தன்னுடைய அலமாரியை சுத்தம் செய்யும் போது ஒரு மூலையில் 3 புளியங்கொட்டைகளும், சில்லறையாக 500 ரூபாய்க்கு நோட்டுகளும் இருந்தன.

ஆச்சர்யம் அடைந்த மனைவி தன் கணவனிடம் இது குறித்து கேட்டாள். கணவன் சொன்னான்..

" அன்பே என்னை மன்னித்துவிடு.. ஒவ்வொருமுறை திருட்டுத்தனமாக உன் அலமாரியைத் திறக்கும்போதும் ஒரு புளியங்கொட்டையை போட்டு வைப்பேன்.."

" பரவாயில்லை உயிரே..! 30 வருடங்களில் மூன்றே மூன்று புளியங்கொட்டைகள் தானே.. அது என்ன பத்தும் ஐம்பதுமாக ரூபாய் நோட்டுகள்..?"

" புளியங்கொட்டைகள் சேர சேர கடையில் விற்று காசாக்கிவிடுவேன் கண்ணே..!" 

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மார்க்கெட்டிலிருந்து வீட்டுக்கு காய்கறி வாங்கிப்போகும் ஒருவர் வெண்டைக்காய்களை உடைத்துப் பார்த்து முற்றலாக இருந்தால் கீழே போட்டுவிட்டு சென்றார்.. எதிரில் வந்த நண்பர் ஆச்சர்யம் தாங்காமல் ஏனென்று கேட்டார்..

என்ன சார் பண்றது..? உடைச்சு பார்த்து வாங்கினா கடைக்காரன் திட்டறான்.. உடைக்காம வாங்கினா வீட்டுக்காரி திட்டுறா..!

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 சின்னா ஆசிரியர்கள் ஓய்வறை வழியாகப் போனபோது ஒரு ஆசிரியர் கூப்பிட்டார்..

சின்னா, எனக்கொரு டீ வாங்கி வா..

மற்றொருவர் " எனக்கும்.. க்ளாஸை நல்லா கழுவிட்டு டீ போட்டு வாங்கிட்டு வா.."

சின்னா 2 தேனீர் குவளைகளுடன் திரும்பினான்..

" யார் சார் கழுவின க்ளாஸ்லே டீ கேட்டது.. இந்தாங்க...!"

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வயது முதிர்ந்த பெண்மணி ஒருவர் மாடிப் படியில் இறங்கும்போது கீழே விழுந்து எலும்பு முறிவு ஏற்பட்டது. மருத்துவர் மாவுக்கட்டு போட்டுவிட்டு

" பாட்டி, இன்னும் 1 மாசத்துக்கு மாடிப் படி ஏறக்கூடாது.." என்று சொல்லிப் போனார்.  

ஒரு மாதத்துக்குப் பின், மாவுக்கட்டை மருத்துவர் அகற்றும் போது பாட்டி கேட்டாள்..  

டாக்டர்.. இனி படியில் ஏறலாமில்லையா..?  

ஓ.எஸ்.. தாராளமா..  

நன்றி டாக்டர்.. தண்ணி பைப்பை புடிச்சி மாடி ஏறுவது ரொம்பக் கஷ்டமா இருந்திச்சு..!!!  

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பாட்டுப் போட்டியில் கலந்துகொண்டு வெற்றிகரமாக 2 கோப்பைகளுடன் திரும்பிய மனைவியைப் பார்த்து கணவன் கேட்டான்..  

சின்ன கோப்பை எதுக்கு கிடைச்சது..?  

கர்நாடக சங்கீதம் பாடினதுக்கு..  

பெருசு எதுக்கு குடுத்தாங்க..?  

பாட்டை நிறுத்தச் சொல்லி...!!!

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மும்பை நேரு விஞ்ஞான மையத்தில் அப்துல்கலாம் உரையாற்றிக் கொண்டிருந்தார். அப்போது எஸ்.எல்.வி செயற்கைக்கோள் வெற்றிகரமாக விண்ணில் செலுத்தப்பட்ட நேரம். “”பிரதமர் இந்திரா காந்தி தங்களைச் சந்திக்க விரும்புகிறார். நாம் இருவரும் சேர்ந்து சென்று சந்திக்கலாம்” என்று இஸ்ரோ தலைவர் தவான், அப்துல்கலாமை அழைத்தார்.

கலாம் செல்வதற்குத் தயங்கினார். தவான் காரணம் கேட்டதற்கு கலாம் சொன்னார்: “நான் எப்போதும்போல் சாதாரண நீலவண்ணச் சட்டையே அணிந்திருக்கிறேன். கால்களுக்குப் பூட்சுகள் இல்லை. செருப்புகள்தான் அணிந்துள்ளேன். இந்தக் கோலத்தில் பிரதமரைச் சந்திக்கத் தயக்கமாக இருக்கிறது"  

அதற்கு தவான், “உடையைப் பற்றி கவலைப்படாதீர்கள். வெற்றி என்கிற பேரழகான ஆடையை நீங்கள் அணிந்திருக்கிறீர்கள்” என்று கூறி பிரதமரிடம் அழைத்துச் சென்றார்.

இதில இருந்து என்ன தெரிஞ்சுக்கிறீங்க?  

மனுஷனுக்கு புறத் தோற்றம் முக்கியமில்லைனா? இல்லீங்கண்ணா .... 

சாதிக்கணும் , சாதிச்ச மனுஷனுக்கு ஆடை ஒரு பெரிய விஷயமா கிடையாது.. அது வரைக்கும் , நீங்க நீட்டா  டிரஸ் பண்ணுங்க, நச்சுன்னு! அதே நேரத்தில, இலக்கு முக்கியம்.. அது ரொம்ப பெருசா இருக்கட்டும்..!

மனசை எப்போவும் வாட விடாதீங்க.. மலர்ச்சி இருந்துக்கிட்டே இருக்கட்டும்.. நாம எல்லாம் சாதிக்கப் பிறந்து இருக்கோம் , ஏதோ வந்தோம் போனோம்னு இருக்க வேண்டாம்..!

Read more: http://www.livingextra.com/2011/09/blog-post_3713.html#ixzz1ZDexb7tz

Durga Chalisa

"Sankat Mochan Naam Tiharo" - Lord Hanuman Prayer

Jai Mata Di - Shri Maha Chandi Strotra

TOP THREE GOLDEN RULES OF ACCUMULATING WEALTH

If you are just starting out or even a veteran of wealth building, these 3 rules will serve you well in your ventures. Get them here!

Health and Wealth Centre recommends…

Believe that you can be Wealthy

This is the most basic rule, which most people refuse to abide by. They may express their desire of money overtly but deep within they do not believe that they deserve to have money. They have doubts. These doubts hamper the process of wealth creation like none other. Read the books provided by Health & Wealth Centre, participate in recommended wealth mentoring programs and see the role which the psychology of affluence plays in your wealth creation process.

Monitor your Earning and Expenditure Ratio

It is imperative to keep your expenditure less than your earnings. This is another rule that is so often broken. Before you start with a rebuttal, just look at your credit card statement. In fact, the world is seeing a recessionary phase right now because people choose to spend more than they earn. People chose to buy what they could not afford to pay for with the money they did not have. This trend is often blamed on excessive consumerism. But, if you observe it truthfully, it is just a matter of self-discipline. This created an immense disturbance in the world. This could create tremendous disturbance in your life and in your wealth creation plans.

Understand Money Language

Money needs to be understood. Most people never understand the basics of money and then they wonder why it never gels well with them. Financial language is different. Even if you are not a student of finance or economics, knowing some simple terms like net worth, assets, liabilities, investment, liquidity, bearish and bullish markets, simple and compound interests, etc is a good idea. Remember, money is used by all, so it is important to know how it operates. Only when you know the language of money you can know and understand what it says to you.

Get more tips from the Health and Wealth Centre!

Original Shirdi Sai Baba Pics with Aarti

Hitting colon cancer at all fronts

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

The effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on colorectal cancer (CRC) appear to differ by site of origin, according to a new study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Researchers from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) found that within the proximal and distal colon, brassica vegetables (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) were associated with decreased risk of these cancers. A lower risk of distal colon cancer was associated with eating more apples. However, an increased risk for rectal cancer was found with increasing fruit juice consumption. "Fruits and vegetables have been examined extensively in nutritional research concerning CRC; however, their protective effect has been subject to debate, possibly because of different effects on different subsites of the large bowel," commented lead investigator Professor Lin Fritschi, PhD, head of the Epidemiology Group at WAIMR. "It may be that some of the confusion about the relationship between diet and cancer risk is because previous studies did not take site of the CRC into account. The replication of these findings in large prospective studies may help determine whether a higher intake of vegetables is a means for reducing the risk of distal CRC," she said. Researchers investigated the link between fruit and vegetables and three cancers in different parts of the bowel: proximal colon cancer, distal colon cancer, and rectal cancer. The case-control study included 918 participants with a confirmed CRC diagnosis and 1021 control participants with no history of CRC. The subjects completed extensive medical and nutritional questionnaires and were assigned a socioeconomic status based on their home address. Consumption of brassica vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cabbage) was associated with reduced incidence of proximal colon cancer. For distal colon cancer, total fruit and vegetable intake and total vegetable intake appeared to decrease risk. Distal colon cancer risk was significantly decreased associated with the intake of dark yellow vegetables and apples. However, there was an increased risk for rectal cancer with fruit juice consumption. The risk of proximal colon and rectal cancer was not associated with total fruit and vegetable or total fruit intakes. Previous studies on CRC have often failed to distinguish between the different sites of origin of cancers in the large bowel, even though it is now well established that tumours in the proximal colon develop along different pathways to those of the distal colon and rectum and that risk of cancer varies by subsite within the colorectum. The mechanisms for different effects of dietary components on different sites of the large bowel have yet to be determined. The authors concluded that "from a public health point of view, it is easier to translate food-based analyses into dietary recommendations, rather than using the intake of a single nutrient." Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Heart drug offers possible treatment for patients facing respiratory failure

 by Biomechanism 

Treatment with the calcium-sensitizing drug levosimendan may be effective in improving muscle function in patients with respiratory muscle weakness, which often accompanies chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure, according to researchers in the Netherlands, who studied the effects of the drug on healthy volunteers. The drug, which is normally prescribed in patients with acute heart failure,increases the sensitivity of muscle tissue to calcium, improving the muscle’sability to contract.

The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“We found that the calcium sensitizer levosimendan improves the mechanical efficiency ofthe human diaphragm, suggesting a new, therapeutic approach to improve respiratory muscle function in patients with respiratory failure,” said Leo Heunks, M.D. PhD, who is a pulmonary and critical care physician at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre inNijmegen, the Netherlands.

“Respiratory muscle weakness frequently occurs in patients with chronic diseases, and also in critically ill patients on the ventilator, making breathing more difficult and causing more severe illness and even death,” Dr. Heunks added. “To date, there is no specific drug treatment available to improve respiratory muscle function in patients with respiratory muscle failure.”

Calcium is a necessary element in muscle contraction, and calcium sensitizers like levosimendan improve muscle tissue’s ability to contract by making them especially sensitive to the effects of calcium. In vitro studies have demonstrated calcium sensitizers improve the function of the respiratory muscles, and results of animal studies have shown calcium sensitivity is reduced in specific chronic illness settings. A recent in vitro study of diaphragm muscle tissue taken from COPD patients showed levosimendan enhanced the ability of those tissues to contract.

Based on the results of those studies, the researchers in this study hoped to determine whetherlevosimendanwouldimprovethe ability of the diaphragm muscle to contract in healthy volunteers, Dr. Heunks explained.

The researchers enrolled 30 healthy volunteers and randomized them to receive either levosimendan or placebo. Each volunteer performed two identical breathing exercises, one before receiving levosimendan or placebo and one afterward. During each exercise, the researchers used a specialized catheter to measure the nervous system’s stimulation of the respiratory muscles and the amount of force those muscles used in forced exhalation. Magnetic nerve stimulation was used to evaluate the movements of the diaphragm before and after the exercise period, and heart rate, blood pressure, exhaled carbon dioxide and blood oxygen levels were continuously measured.

At the end of their study, the researchers found subjects in the placebo group had a 9-percent loss of muscle contraction following the exercises, while those in the levosimendan group had no loss of contraction. In addition, the mechanical efficiency of the diaphragm during the exercises improved by 21 percent in the levosimendan group compared to the placebo group, meaning subjects treated with levosimendan needed less effort than those treated with placebo to achieve the same amount of muscle force in the diaphragm.

“On average, the breathing exercises in subjects receiving placebo resulted in significant reductions in diaphragm muscle contractions, while the group receiving levosimendan had no significant decrease in contractions,” Dr. Heunks said. “Essentially,levosimendan prevents the development of muscle fatigue of the respiratory muscles.”

Dr. Heunks noted that while these results indicate calcium sensitizers like levosimendan may provide an effective therapeutic option for chronically ill patients with respiratory muscle weakness or patients using mechanical ventilation, larger studies are necessary to confirm these results and determine the optimal dose.

“The dose of levosimendan used in this current study was derived from earlier studies in healthy subjects, demonstrating limited side effects,” he said. “Future studies should evaluate the effects of lower doses of levosimendan on respiratory muscle function in humans, to ensure patients can be effectively treated with as little risk for side effects or complications as possible.

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Health News – Heart Drug

A mother’s occupation while pregnant can cause asthma in children

o by Biomechanism 

Mothers who are exposed to particular agents during pregnancy could give birth to children with a higher risk of asthma, according to new research.

The study will be presented today (26 September 2011) at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Amsterdam.

It is well known that when people are exposed to certain substances and chemicals it can cause asthma. However, there has been little research investigating whether a mother’s work exposure during pregnancy can lead to asthma in their children.

This research, carried out by scientists in Denmark, included 42,696 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort and assessed the association between their mother’s occupation and asthma prevalence amongst the children at the age of 7 yrs.

The main focus of the study was on the effect of low molecular weight agents, such as synthetic chemicals and natural substances. This includes those found in vehicle parts, furniture, shoe soles, paints, varnish, glues and wood-derived products.

To assess the impact of low molecular weight agents, subjects in the study were classified into occupation groups, including those exposed to low molecular weight agents, mixed exposures, farmers, students and office workers.

The assessment showed that 15.8% of the cohort had asthma. Out of the children whose mothers were occupationally exposed to low molecular weight substances, 18.6 % had asthma. These results were found after other factors, such as the mothers’ age and weight, smoking status, use of medication and exposure to pets, had been taken into account.

There were no significant associations with asthma found within other occupation groups.

Dr Berit Hvass Christensen, from the School of Public Health in Denmark, said: “There are many factors which could cause asthma and many associations which have not been explored. We aimed to investigate whether a mother’s occupation can have an effect on their children.”

“This is the first large-scale study which has shown an association between maternal exposures during work and asthma in children. Whilst a link has been found, our results at this stage are modest and further research is needed into specific chemicals and substances to determine those that could be most harmful.”

Professor Marc Decramer, President of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), said: “Indoor air quality is a major global issue. The European Respiratory Roadmap, which was launched this week to improve lung health, highlights the need for exposure standards, whereby all work places examine levels of allergens and respiratory irritants in their indoor air, to help prevent lung diseases. There is a clear need for this as many allergens are not currently regulated by international guidelines. We believe that everyone is entitled to clean indoor air and we can achieve this by taking positive steps towards managing air quality in the workplace.”

Fruits and vegetables reduce risks of specific types of colorectal cancers

 by Biomechanism 

The effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on colorectal cancer (CRC) appear to differ by site of origin, according to a new study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Researchers found that within the proximal and distal colon, brassica vegetables (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) were associated with decreased risk of these cancers. A lower risk of distal colon cancer was associated with eating more apples, however an increased risk for rectal cancer was found with increasing consumption of fruit juice.

“Fruits and vegetables have been examined extensively in nutritional research in relation to CRC, however, their protective effect has been subject to debate, possibly because of different effects on different subsites of the large bowel,” commented lead investigator Professor Lin Fritschi, PhD, head of the Epidemiology Group at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia. “It may be that some of the confusion about the relationship between diet and cancer risk is due to the fact that previous studies did not take site of the CRC into account. The replication of these findings in large prospective studies may help determine whether a higher intake of vegetables is a means for reducing the risk of distal CRC.”

Researchers from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, University of Western Australia and Deakin University investigated the link between fruit and vegetables and three cancers in different parts of the bowel: proximal colon cancer, distal colon cancer, and rectal cancer. The case-control study included 918 participants with a confirmed CRC diagnosis and 1021 control participants with no history of CRC. The subjects completed extensive medical and nutritional questionnaires and were assigned a socioeconomic status based on their home address.

Consumption of brassica vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cabbage) was associated with reduced incidence of proximal colon cancer. For distal colon cancer, both total fruit and vegetable intake and total vegetable intake appeared to decrease risk. Distal colon cancer risk was significantly decreased in association with intake of dark yellow vegetables and apples, although there was an increased risk for rectal cancer with consumption of fruit juice. Risk of proximal colon cancer and rectal cancer was not associated with intakes of total fruit and vegetable, total vegetable or total fruit.

Previous studies on CRC have often failed to distinguish between the different sites of origin of cancers in the large bowel, even though it is now well established that tumors in the proximal colon develop along different pathways to those of the distal colon and rectum and that risk of cancer varies by subsite within the colorectum. The mechanisms for different effects of dietary components on different sites of the large bowel have not yet been determined.

The authors conclude that “from a public health point of view it is easier to translate food-based analyses into dietary recommendations, rather than using the intake of single nutrient.”

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The article is “Fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of proximal colon, distal colon and rectal cancers in a case-control study in Western Australia” by Neeltje Annema, Jane S. Heyworth, Sarah A. McNaughton, Barry Iacopetta, and Lin Fritschi. It appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 111, Issue 10 (October 2011) published by Elsevier.

Two new cost-effective ways to predict prostate cancer

 by Biomechanism 

Two new risk indicators for prostate cancer were unveiled at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress over the weekend.

Led by Dr David Ørsted at the Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, the first study shows that men diagnosed with benign prostate enlargement have an increased risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer. The second study shows that monitoring prostate-specific antigen levels can be used to predict the long-term risk of healthy men developing and dying from prostate cancer. Both could lead to more efficient and cost-effective screening for prostate cancer, with reductions in over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

According to European Cancer Observatory statistics, over 70,000 men die from prostate cancer in the EU every year. Prostate cancer and benign enlargement of the prostate gland, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, share common features. Growth of the gland is dependent on hormone levels in both conditions and both respond to anti-androgen treatment, but until now benign prostatic hyperplasia has not been considered a precursor to the development of a tumour.

Researchers investigated the association between the two conditions by examining data from five national registries, on a total of 3,009,258 Danish men.

The sample included 53,315 diagnoses of prostate cancer and 25,459 cases of death due to prostate cancer. Clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia was determined by records of hospitalisation (187,591 men) and/or operations for the condition (77,698 men) between 1980 and 2006, and the use of certain drugs indicated for the condition between 1995 and 2006 (143,365 men and 47,465 men respectively for the two treatments). The reference group was men without benign prostate hyperplasia.

Over 27 years, the study found that clinical benign prostate hyperplasia was associated with a two to three-fold increased risk of men developing prostate cancer, and with a two to eight-fold increased risk of them dying from prostate cancer.

“Benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer are the most common prostatic conditions with a large number of incident and prevalent cases each year. A possible association has been debated for several years but previous studies have generated ambiguous results. Our study is the largest to date and has consistent results showing an association,” research team member Dr Stig Bojesen will tell the congress.

Additional research is needed to determine whether benign prostate enlargement could be a possible cause of prostate cancer, but the results already have important implications given the large number of patients affected. “The possible clinical implication of our study might be that physicians treating men with benign prostatic hyperplasia should follow these men carefully, to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of a possible prostate cancer, thereby enhancing the chance of curative treatment. However, our study does not allow us to suggest the optimal surveillance programme for these men. This question should be addressed in future studies,” says Dr Bojesen.

The second Danish study, also led by Dr Ørsted, looked at whether prostate-specific antigen levels could predict prostate cancer incidence and mortality in the general population.

Prostate-specific antigen is a protein produced by the prostate gland. Healthy men have low levels of the antigen in their blood, and raised levels are considered an indicator of prostate cancer as well as other conditions of the gland. However, it is largely unknown whether antigen levels in healthy men predict long-term risk of developing prostate cancer.

Researchers looked at blood collected from 4,383 men aged between 20 and 94 years of age from the general population, who had taken part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study and followed them from 1981 through to 2009. They measured baseline levels of prostate specific antigen and investigated whether this correlated with later prostate cancer incidence and mortality.

During the 28 years of follow-up covered by the Heart Study, 170 men in the sample developed prostate cancer and 94 died from the disease. Measuring the antigen levels, the researchers found that stepwise increases in prostate-specific antigen predicted a 3-44 fold increased risk of prostate cancer and a 2-12 fold increased risk of prostate cancer mortality.

They also found that the absolute 10-year risk of prostate cancer was 11-22% in those with prostate-specific antigen levels of 4.01-10.00 ng/ml and 37-79% in those with levels above 10.00 ng/ml.

The ranges are wide and the higher risk for some men can be explained, Dr Ørsted will tell the congress. “The high risk for some men is probably due to some of the participants having already developed sub-clinical prostate cancer at the time of their entry to the study. These men would have had a shorter time from study entry to diagnosis and consequently, higher risk estimates.”

The results could be used to target specific sections of the population for screening. “One of the major problems in prostate cancer is over-diagnosis. Furthermore, two large randomised studies have shown that the benefit of general screening for prostate cancer is limited,” explains Dr Ørsted. “Our results indicate that physicians could focus screening efforts on men with higher baseline prostate specific antigen values while men with lower levels could avoid having frequent and unnecessary diagnostic examinations. This could reduce over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment as well as reduce expenditure in already strained health systems,” he says.

President of ECCO, Professor Michael Baumann, said: “These studies demonstrate how important it is to have good cancer registries and skilled cancer epidemiologists available. Large cancer registries, which contain high quality data and link to several items, enable us to address specific questions; for example, whether there is a link between benign prostate hyperplasia or long-term PSA levels and the risk of prostate cancer. Such research allows us to draft hypotheses for further research and to create more efficient screening and prevention programmes.”

ESMO spokesperson, Professor Hein Van Poppel, Director of the European School of Urology, commented: “The first study indicates the need for future research to focus on how to follow patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia in order to recognise an eventual cancer in time. PCA3, genetic fusion markers or methylation markers could be explored for this purpose.

“For PSA screening, the ideal screening timetable needs to be investigated. It could well be that screening needs to start at an age where there is no interference from benign prostatic hyperplasia in PSA production, i.e. at age 40; by repeating the PSA measurement at 45 and at 50 years old, the PSA slope can probably recognise those with a high likelihood of ever developing cancer, but also those who will not need further screening because their chance of ever developing significant prostate cancer is minimal.”

New hope for advanced post-menopausal breast cancer patients resistant to hormonal therapy

 by Biomechanism 

Results from a phase III clinical trial have shown that combining two existing cancer drugs to treat post-menopausal women with advanced breast cancer resistant to hormonal therapy significantly improves outcome. Researchers told the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress that women treated with a combination of everolimus and exemestane had an improved progression-free survival of nearly seven months compared to women who were treated only with exemestane.

Trial leader, Professor José Baselga from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (USA), will tell the meeting: “These results are impressive and, potentially, could represent a new therapeutic option for women with advanced post-menopausal breast cancer who have previously been treated with hormonal therapy.”

The hormone oestrogen promotes the growth of about two thirds of breast cancers, and hormonal therapies such as exemestane, which block the effect of oestrogen or reduce oestrogen levels, are used to treat these hormone receptor-positive breast cancers. However, many breast cancer patients and nearly all patients with advanced breast cancer that has spread (metastasised) to other parts of the body become resistant to hormonal therapy. “When patients stop responding to hormonal therapy, the benefits from any secondary therapy are limited,” says Prof. Baselga.

Exemestane is currently used to treat women who have metastatic breast cancer and women whose breast cancer has returned after initial treatment. It is also used to treat women with early breast cancer after they have completed two or three years of treatment with another hormonal therapy, tamoxifen.

Everolimus is an established treatment for recurrent, advanced kidney cancer and researchers are now looking at its use in other cancers. Phase II trials involving patients with advanced cancer driven by oestrogen receptor-positive advanced breast cancer have been promising when everolimus is used on its own or in combination with hormonal therapy. In order to follow this up, the phase III clinical trial BOLERO 2 was set up to investigate the efficacy of everolimus in patients who have become resistant to aromatase inhibitors – drugs that decrease the amount of oestrogen produced and help to slow or reverse the growth of the cancer.

The multi-national trial was conducted with 724 patients in 24 countries, with an average age of 62. All patients had been treated previously with the aromatase inhibitors letrozole or anastrozole. Earlier treatments also included tamoxifen (48% of patients), fulvestrant (16% of patients) and chemotherapy (68% of patients).

A group of 485 patients was randomised to receive everolimus and exemestane, while 239 received only exemestane until the disease progressed or unacceptable levels of toxicity were recorded. The trial was stopped early after an interim analysis revealed that further tumour growth did not occur for nearly 11 months in patients who received everolimus, whereas patients receiving only exemestane had progression-free survival for approximately four months.

Prof Baselga says: “This is a highly significant improvement in the time to disease progression in a patient population that is highly resistant to therapy.”

Trial sponsor Novartis plans to file worldwide regulatory submissions for everolimus as a treatment for oestrogen receptor-positive, advanced breast cancer by the end of 2011.

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Cancer Treatment/Post-menopausal Women