Benjamin Crump, attorney, for the family of the late Trayvon Martin, talks to the media after the release of 911 call at the Sanford City Hall on Friday, March 16, 2012 in Sanford, Fla. Martin, 17, was shot to death after being confronted by Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, 28, on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman told Sanford Police that he shot the unarmed black teenager in self-defense. Family members are calling for Zimmerman's arrest. Credit: David Manning for The Huffington Post
Benjamin Crump, attorney, for the family of the late Trayvon Martin, talks to the media after the release of 911 call at the Sanford City Hall on Friday, March 16, 2012 in Sanford, Fla. Martin, 17, was shot to death after being confronted by Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, 28, on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman told Sanford Police that he shot the unarmed black teenager in self-defense. Family members are calling for Zimmerman's arrest. Credit: David Manning for The Huffington Post
There are a lot of people who find budgeting tips helpful when it comes to managing their finances. Without a budget, you may find that you?re not even aware of why you have no money left at the end of the month. Putting together a budget, however, is how you start to take control of your bank account again. In this article we will talk about a few but effective methods for managing your money. By the way, you should definitely have a look at GoldMoney, it is a secure way to buy silver and gold on the Internet. Read these Gold Money reviews to learn more.
Gas or petrol can be a serious drain on your finances even when you own the most economical vehicle on the market. The simplest and most effective way to lower the amount of money you spend at the pump is to drive less, which is much easier than it sounds at first. If you make frequent trips to stores for one or two items, you?re wasting trips that could be combined. You should just make one trip per week to get everything you need. If you commute to work, consider car pooling or using an alternative form of transportation. When it comes to traveling shorter distances, consider walking, using a bicycle or perhaps a moped or scooter rather than a car. At least a few dollars every week can be saved if you actually think about your transportation options. In today?s consumer based society we are encouraged to spend impulsively and this can be terrible for your budget. You may go to the grocery store, for example, planning on spending twenty dollars, but once you get near the checkout counter, you decide to buy a magazine, a candy bar and a bottle of flavored water, which adds up to another five dollars. Giving in to your kids? whims while you wait will add even more money to your bill. This is just an example; the main point is that impulsive purchases can really wreck things for you if you?re trying to stick to a budget. One solution that might help you is to set aside a little bit of money within your budget for impulsive purchases and then make sure you stick to that amount.
Starting your own veggie garden can help you lower your food budget by quite a lot. For some people this will seem extreme but more and more people are starting to do this kind of project. Some towns, and even large cities also have community gardens where you can rent a small lot and grow vegetables. Fresh veggies from your own garden are a lot healthier than commercially farmed veggies so, in this case, saving money also helps improve your health. It?s also satisfying and could give you a new hobby. This particular hobby doesn?t have to be time consuming and it is absolutely worth looking into. With one activity growing veggies helps you feed your family and save money at the same time.
Maintaining your budget might seem like lots of hard work in the beginning but it isn?t hard to get used to it. You might even find that the new habits you?re forced to build are more satisfying than your old ways. So many people discover a tremendous satisfaction in a simple life that didn?t exist in a more monetarily driven style. When you use the budgeting tips in this article it won?t take you long to figure out that your money is lasting a lot longer. Lastly, be sure to read this article about gold and silver prices.
In this March 28, 2012 photo, Norman Garcia eats a burger and fries at a Burger King restaurant in Miami. Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In this March 28, 2012 photo, Norman Garcia eats a burger and fries at a Burger King restaurant in Miami. Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In this March 28, 2012 photo, a patron leaves a Burger King restaurant in Miami. On Monday, April 2, 2012, Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In this March 28, 2012 photo, a patron leaves a Burger King restaurant in Miami. On Monday, April 2, 2012, Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In this March 28, 2012 photo, Alex Dipasquale, left, selects a soda as his friend Lucas Kitt looks on at a Burger King restaurant in Miami. Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In this March 28, 2012 photo, new food items sit on display at a Burger King restaurant in Miami. Burger King launches 10 menu items including smoothies, frappes, specialty salads and snack wraps in a star-studded TV ad campaign. It's the biggest menu expansion since the chain opened its doors in 1954. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
MIAMI (AP) ? Burger King is trying to revive its ailing empire with a rival's recipe for success.
After years of lackluster sales of its Whoppers and fries, the struggling fast-food giant on Monday launched 10 food items in its biggest menu expansion since the chain was started in 1954.
But there are unmistakable similarities between Burger King's new lineup and the offerings its much-bigger rival McDonald's has rolled out in recent years. The Golden Arches already rolled out specialty salads in 2003, snack wraps in 2006, premium coffee drinks in 2009, and fruit smoothies in 2010.
Burger King doesn't deny that its new chicken strips, caramel frappe coffees, Caesar salads and strawberry-banana smoothies sound pretty close to those on McDonald's popular menu. But executives say the company came up with them through its research.
"Consumers wanted more choices," said Steve Wiborg, president of Burger King's North America operations. "Not just healthy choices, but choices they could get at the competition."
The menu additions are part of Burger King's plan to abandon its nearly single-minded courtship of young men, who were once the lifeblood of the industry but were hard hit by the economic downturn. Competitors went after new customers with breakfast items and healthier fare, but Burger King let its menu get stale. As a result, Burger King for the first time was edged out by Wendy's last year as the nation's No. 2 burger chain. McDonald's solidified its hold on No. 1.
To stem the decline, Burger King executives last year decided to modernize the 7,200-restaurant chain's aging stores, redesign worker uniforms with aprons so they stay clean and even serve the iconic Whopper in cardboard cartons instead of paper wrapping for the first time in more than 20 years. Food, however, is at the heart of their plan.
The revamp is nevertheless a gamble. Burger King's new food could be a flop, and of course, the chain is already late to the party.
"Being an innovator is critical in the fast-food industry," said Darren Tristano, an analyst for the food industry researcher Technomic Inc. But in recent years, he said Burger King has been more of a follower.
Eddie Yoon, a principal at consulting firm The Cambridge Group said companies like Burger King that come out with similar products as their rivals can be successful only if they offer lower prices or superior taste. But if it's merely a "me too" strategy, he said Burger King's venture could fall flat.
"You can have football teams, and just because they're both running the same offense it doesn't mean it will work the same," said Eddie Yoon, a principal at The Cambridge Group, a growth consulting firm.
THE RAMP UP
The fast-food industry has undergone a shift in recent years. Just five years ago, the top three fast-food companies were all burger chains. But concerns over obesity have paved the way for competitors like Subway, now the second-biggest chain, and Starbucks, which climbed up the rankings to the No. 3 spot. Smaller players such as Five Guys, which sells made-to-order burgers, are gaining ground too.
McDonald's quickly adapted. The world's biggest burger chain reinvented itself as a hip, healthier place to eat by offering wireless Internet and rolling out a string of hit menu items such as fruit smoothies, iced coffees and oatmeal.
Burger King failed to keep up. Its share of sales among burger chains fell from 17 percent a decade ago to 12 percent last year, according to Technomic. McDonald's share rose from 42 percent to 50 percent.
All Tom McDonald had to do was look at Burger King's competitors to see why sales at the chain were falling. A Burger King franchisee since 1989, McDonald said the chain's menu hadn't changed much over the years.
"We were getting behind with the wraps and salads that were coming on the market," said McDonald, who owns 19 franchises. "We had salads, but they weren't as good as the competition. We focused on burgers maybe longer than we should have."
McDonald said he expressed his concerns at the company's failure to keep up with the times. But the Miami-based chain had gone through a series of owners over the years, and McDonald said he got little response from corporate about addressing the problems.
He said the attitude from the top changed after New York-based private equity firm 3G Capital bought Burger King last year. That's when Burger King assembled a group of 15 key executives, franchisees and suppliers to evaluate the chain's menu, item by item.
The process, which took three months of daylong meetings, was grueling at times. One day, for example, the group sat through a lengthy presentation complete with charts and graphs on how oils and eggs affect the quality of mayonnaise. A blind taste test of 30 varieties followed. The verdict: They liked the one Burger King was already using.
"That was actually a pretty hard day," recalls John Koch, Burger King's executive chef.
French fries took multiple days, given the various factors like seasoning, oil and frying method. Even the day for soft-serve ice cream, which was rolled out last summer, wasn't as fun as it might sound: A supplier that had 400 vanilla flavors presented the nuances between Madagascar and honey vanilla.
"Trying to come up with the exact intensity of vanilla you need is a little bit daunting," Koch said.
Burger King quietly put some changes in place over the past year. The French fries are thicker so they'll stay hot longer. Burgers now come with one slice of cheese instead of two, so it melts more evenly. And naturally-smoked bacon is now cooked at each restaurant. Previously, Burger King had used a pre-cooked variety with a smoked flavor sprayed on.
THE ROLLOUT
Once executives settled on menu items, it was time to go to the masses. Would the new items measure up to those of Burger King's competitors? To find out, the company conducted consumer tests and revised its recipes over months.
Burger King considered making Panini-pressed snack wraps, for example, but tests showed customers wanted something lighter. The wraps it settled on closely resemble the ones offered at McDonald's ? a chicken strip sprinkled with cheese, lettuce and dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla. McDonald's even offers the same flavors ? honey mustard and ranch.
Even seemingly straightforward items had to be reworked over and over. The new "Homestyle Chicken Strips" went through 11 variations before the final version was selected. And it took about seven months and six tries before the company found the right mix of creaminess, iciness and tanginess for its strawberry banana and tropical mango smoothies.
"They didn't rush these products out to market," said McDonald, the Burger King franchisee who regularly eats at competitors to stay on top of what they're doing. He said he's confident the new menu items stack up to rivals. "They got feedback from consumers and reformulated them to get it right."
Eldy Pick, a customer who was at a renovated Burger King near the company's headquarters in Miami, said she liked having some lighter options. She normally gets the chicken or fish sandwiches and said the new cranberry apple salad she was eating was "a treat."
But food isn't Burger King's only problem. Many of its restaurants are showing signs of aging. So the company decided it wanted to give them a more modern look that mixes leather armchairs, high stools and plastic chairs in warmer lighting. High partitions will create more privacy in some seating areas. The makeover costs an average of more than $275,000 per restaurant.
That presents another challenge: getting buy-in from franchisees, who own 90 percent of the chain's U.S. stores. So the company is offering those who sign up for the remodeling incentives, such as a 50 percent discount on the annual $50,000 franchise fee.
So far, more than 1,000 franchise locations are slated to be updated in the next year. Over the next three years, 2,500 will be remodeled.
Customers will see changes even in stores that aren't remodeled. The drab red, black or blue shirts workers used to wear have been replaced by metal gray shirts and aprons that were designed with the help of employees. Wrappers, cups and bags now have vivid photos of food that were shot by the same photographer responsible for the catalogs of the high-end housewares retailer Williams-Sonoma.
To get the word out about the changes, Burger King is rolling out its biggest marketing campaign ever. TV ads will feature celebrities, including soccer player David Beckham, comedian Jay Leno and actress Salma Hayek. In one spot, R&B singer Mary J. Blige croons the ingredients of the snack wraps.
Whether the star power of the ads, updated stores and the new food on the menu can fix Burger King's troubles remains to be seen. But Alex Macedo, chief marketing officer for Burger King North America, said the chain has a good chance of rebounding because Burger King is a brand everyone knows.
"People love Burger King and really want a reason to come back," he said.
___
Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi
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CAIRO (AP) ? The Muslim Brotherhood's surprise decision to field a presidential candidate is stirring fears that the two biggest powers to emerge from the ouster of Hosni Mubarak ? the Islamists and the military ? are maneuvering to put in place a new rule in Egypt not much different from the old, authoritarian one.
If they succeed in divvying up the most important positions in government, the new leadership could be a blow to the hopes for an inclusive democracy that drove last year's uprising against Mubarak. Opponents of the Brotherhood and military warn that the maneuvering could lead to a repeat of the Mubarak-era domination by a single party of all executive and legislative powers ? only now with an Islamist tinge.
The Brotherhood controls nearly 50 percent of parliament and dominates the constituent assembly that is in charge of writing Egypt's new constitution. Given its electoral strength, its candidate ? Khairat el-Shater, the Brotherhood's deputy head but in reality its strongest figure ? instantly leaps to front-runner status for the presidency in the May 23-24 election.
"We didn't have a revolution to end up with a dictatorship of the one party," said the head of the liberal Free Egyptians Party, Ahmed Said. "If el-Shater is president, will he rule in the name of the people or according to the orders of the Brotherhood?"
The decision to field the Brotherhood's strongman was a surprise even to many of its own members, some of whom have openly expressed disappointment that the group is breaking an earlier promise not to run. They worry the decision sacrifices the group's credibility for short-term gains.
Liberals and secular leaders are fuming the group has abandoned its repeated promise to share power and fear it could monopolize rule, thwarting hopes for democracy. They worry eventually the Brotherhood may try to impose greater Islamic law restrictions and impose a new ruling elite of religious conservatives. Already, for example, a female Brotherhood lawmaker caused a stir by speaking out against the 4-year-old ban on female genital mutilation.
The Brotherhood clearly sees the presidency as vital to protect its political gains.
Since Mubarak's fall, its plan has been to use parliament to wield authority, promote its long-term Islamist agenda, and ensure the new constitution gives greater powers to the legislature, weakening the president's overwhelming authority. Two months after it convened, the Brotherhood has discovered that the parliament it dominates has little power, its attempts to replace the military-picked prime minister with its own have been blocked by the military, and competing Islamists were making their own bids for the presidency.
Saad Emara, a senior Brotherhood figure, said that after its parliament election victory the group has a right to real authority, the presidency, to implement its program.
Mubarak's ruling party "controlled all powers without a popular mandate," said Emara, also a lawmaker. "If we get the presidency, and we have majority in parliament and we can name the government, there will be some kind of harmony in implementing the project we want to achieve for Egypt."
El-Shater's nomination is also a bold play in the Brotherhood's convoluted relationship with the military, which took power after Mubarak's fall. Each distrusts the other but neither can afford a confrontation, so they have been dancing around each other in both cooperation and competition for power.
The generals have not commented on el-Shater, though state media close to the military have more sharply criticized the Brotherhood as power hungry.
However, some observers believe the nomination could not have come without a nod of approval from the military.
"A tactical compromise is entirely possible," said Steven Cook, an Egypt expert with the Council on Foreign Relations. "There is not a tremendous amount of trust but there is a willingness to make deals for short-term political interests."
The generals' top interest is to have a president who preserves the military's long-standing privileges and powers, amassed over nearly six decades at the helm of Egypt's political system. The military is believed to have been searching for a credible candidate to back, so far without success.
In el-Shater, the Brotherhood have put forward a powerful figure who would firmly establish the group's authority if he wins. But he is possibly a figure the generals can deal with, seen by many as an extension of the Mubarak-era politicians with a strong business background.
El-Shater, 61, joined the Brotherhood in 1974 and built a business empire. With other Brotherhood members, he founded one of the region's most established information systems companies, which survived a crackdown by the Mubarak regime in 1992. His businesses range from an upscale furniture chain to manufacturers of menswear and buses.
He became the behind-the-scenes strategist and top financier of the Brotherhood ? as powerful as its supreme leader ? and was imprisoned by Mubarak for 12 of the past 20 years. He is known as a supporter of free market economics but also as a conservative within the group, who shies away from addressing women in the eye in keeping with Islamist modesty demands. Brotherhood members who worked close to him say he is more pragmatic than ideological.
Khalil el-Anani, an expert on Islamic movements, likened el-Shater to Ahmed Ezz, a business tycoon who helped restructure Mubarak's ruling party in the 2000s to empower young, business-minded members and boost the potential candidacy of Mubarak's son Gamal to office.
"El-Shater created power centers within the group which answer to him," said el-Anani. "He is a broker, a man that you make business with. ... He is a kingmaker who doesn't have charisma. The military can easily trust in someone like him."
Emara, of the Brotherhood, said the group's nomination is "a strong card."
"There is a balance of power on the ground," he said. "We absolutely don't want a clash (with the military)... But we are trying to reach some kind of accord."
He denied any closed-door dealmaking. But he suggested the two sides could find a way of living together. He said the Brotherhood accepts that the military keep the defense and national security portfolios, while the Brotherhood wants power to deliver on issues of restoring security and improving the economy, education and health services and could put aside for now its demands for a more powerful parliament.
The U.S. and Israel have has seemed unalarmed by his nomination, and U.S. lawmakers have been among a stream of foreign dignitaries meeting him in recent weeks. "It was a very interesting and enlightening meeting," said Republican David Dreier, part of a congressional delegation that sat with him for over an hour Monday. He said el-Shater addressed human rights, women's rights and rule of law.
Commenting on el-Shater, Israel's vice prime minister said Sunday the peace treaty is in the interest of any Egyptian leader.
Critics say the presidential bid shows the Brotherhood only aims to dominate. Many liberals, leftists and secular figures have quit the constitutional assembly to protest Islamists' control of its formation.
"They are flexing their muscles," said Ziad el-Oleimi, a lawmaker for the Egyptian Social Democratic Party. "Between them and the military council, each is trying to assume as much power as they can while sidelining all other forces."
Even within the Brotherhood, there is dissent over the decision to field any candidate. The vote in the Brotherhood's Shura Council over whether to do so was close ? 56 in favor and 52 against. Dissenters have formed a group called "A Brotherhood Cry" that has held rallies objecting to the nomination and demanding the right to vote for whomever they prefer.
"People view us as ... a group that seeks to monopolize power," said Gafaar el-Zaafarani, a young Brother and son of a former leader.
Moreover, if a fully empowered Brotherhood can't ease Egypt's multiple problems, the group's long-term position is threatened. "If we are in the front, we may fail and our failure be exposed. This is a disaster."
Hani Sabra, a Middle East analyst with the Eurasia group, said el-Shater's candidacy shows the emboldened Brotherhood "enjoys a slight edge" in the competition with the military, though tensions could boil over if the generals retaliate by putting forward their own candidate.
"But the fact that the Brotherhood fielded el-Shater illustrates that it essentially called the shots."
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Metformin appeared to slow prostate cancer growthPublic release date: 31-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
CHICAGO The use of metformin in men with prostate cancer before prostatectomy helped to reduce certain metabolic parameters and slow the growth rate of the cancer, according to the results of a phase II study.
Anthony M. Joshua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.
Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication for diabetes. Prior laboratory research has suggested that metformin may also help to improve prognosis in patients with prostate cancer by slowing the growth of the cancerous cells.
To follow up on the laboratory clues, Joshua and colleagues evaluated 22 men with confirmed prostate cancer who had been assigned up to 500 mg of metformin three times a day prior to undergoing prostatectomy.
"This gave us the ability to compare what the prostate cancer looked like when it was first diagnosed to what it looked like when the prostate cancer was removed from the body," said Joshua. "We were able to directly measure the effect of metformin on the prostate cancer."
Patients were assigned metformin for a median duration of 41 days. During that time, none of the men reported grade 3 adverse events, and all of them underwent prostatectomy with no adverse effect related to use of metformin.
The researchers found that metformin significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin growth factor-1, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.
In addition, "although these are preliminary results, metformin appeared to reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer in a proportion of men," Joshua said. "Also, it appeared to reduce one of the main growth pathways that may have contributed to the overall growth of the tumor."
These results may have implications for men with prostate cancer who also have diabetes or early undiagnosed diabetes and for men with prostate cancer whose tumors have characteristics that make them sensitive to metformin, according to Joshua.
"This research builds on the hypothesis that metformin has a role in prostate cancer," he said. "Exactly what that role will be will depend on the results of the analysis currently being completed by our study team and others worldwide."
Joshua is particularly interested in better defining the precise mechanism of action and the subpopulation of patients with prostate cancer for whom metformin has the potential to improve outcomes.
###
This study was funded by The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation (Montreal) and the Terry Fox Foundation.
Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: http://www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the AACR
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR's membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.
For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.
Presenter: Anthony M. Joshua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Abstract Number: CT-04
Title: A phase II study of neoadjuvant metformin in prostatic carcinoma
Author Block: Anthony M. Joshua1, Vanessa Zannella1, Barbara Bowes1, Marianne Koritzinsky2, Joan Sweet1, Andrew Evans1, John Trachtenberg1, Michael Jewett1, Antonio Finelli1, Neil Fleshner1, Michael Pollak3. 1Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Background: Metformin is an inhibitor of the complex 1 in the respiratory chain, and is widely used in diabetes due to its effect on reducing insulin resistance. It has also been recently described to have effects via AMPK on inhibiting the mTOR kinase. Significant preclinical and epidemiological studies suggest its role in chemoprevention. These actions provide significant rationale to evaluate its utility in prostate cancer. We conducted a phase II single centre study of neoadjuvant metformin in localised prostate cancer.
Methods: Men were required to have histologically confirmed prostate cancer involving at least 20% of at least 1 unfragmented biopsy core. Exclusion criteria included patients who on initial assessment are found to be on treatment with any drug used for the treatment of any form of diabetes, or patients that begin treatment for any form of diabetes during the course of the study. Pts were treated with up to 500mg tid of metformin. The primary objectives were to demonstrate safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant metformin administration in men with prostate cancer and to document changes in phospho-AKT signalling indices.
Results: 24 patients were enrolled with 22 evaluable; median age was 64 yrs (range, 45-70 yrs). Baseline characteristics included median PSA 6 ng/mL (range, 3.22-36.11ng/mL). Median duration of drug treatment was 41 days (range 18-81). No grade 3 adverse events were reported, all patients underwent subsequent radical prostatectomy with adverse effects related to metformin. Significant pre-and post changes were noted in serum IGF1 (p=0.02), fasting glucose (p=0.03), BMI (p
Conclusions: Neoadjuvant metformin is well tolerated prior to radical prostatectomy. Data to date indicates promising effects on metabolic parameters, tissue results will be presented including proliferation indices and signaling pathway assessments.
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Metformin appeared to slow prostate cancer growthPublic release date: 31-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
CHICAGO The use of metformin in men with prostate cancer before prostatectomy helped to reduce certain metabolic parameters and slow the growth rate of the cancer, according to the results of a phase II study.
Anthony M. Joshua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.
Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication for diabetes. Prior laboratory research has suggested that metformin may also help to improve prognosis in patients with prostate cancer by slowing the growth of the cancerous cells.
To follow up on the laboratory clues, Joshua and colleagues evaluated 22 men with confirmed prostate cancer who had been assigned up to 500 mg of metformin three times a day prior to undergoing prostatectomy.
"This gave us the ability to compare what the prostate cancer looked like when it was first diagnosed to what it looked like when the prostate cancer was removed from the body," said Joshua. "We were able to directly measure the effect of metformin on the prostate cancer."
Patients were assigned metformin for a median duration of 41 days. During that time, none of the men reported grade 3 adverse events, and all of them underwent prostatectomy with no adverse effect related to use of metformin.
The researchers found that metformin significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin growth factor-1, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.
In addition, "although these are preliminary results, metformin appeared to reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer in a proportion of men," Joshua said. "Also, it appeared to reduce one of the main growth pathways that may have contributed to the overall growth of the tumor."
These results may have implications for men with prostate cancer who also have diabetes or early undiagnosed diabetes and for men with prostate cancer whose tumors have characteristics that make them sensitive to metformin, according to Joshua.
"This research builds on the hypothesis that metformin has a role in prostate cancer," he said. "Exactly what that role will be will depend on the results of the analysis currently being completed by our study team and others worldwide."
Joshua is particularly interested in better defining the precise mechanism of action and the subpopulation of patients with prostate cancer for whom metformin has the potential to improve outcomes.
###
This study was funded by The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation (Montreal) and the Terry Fox Foundation.
Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: http://www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the AACR
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR's membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.
For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.
Presenter: Anthony M. Joshua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Abstract Number: CT-04
Title: A phase II study of neoadjuvant metformin in prostatic carcinoma
Author Block: Anthony M. Joshua1, Vanessa Zannella1, Barbara Bowes1, Marianne Koritzinsky2, Joan Sweet1, Andrew Evans1, John Trachtenberg1, Michael Jewett1, Antonio Finelli1, Neil Fleshner1, Michael Pollak3. 1Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Background: Metformin is an inhibitor of the complex 1 in the respiratory chain, and is widely used in diabetes due to its effect on reducing insulin resistance. It has also been recently described to have effects via AMPK on inhibiting the mTOR kinase. Significant preclinical and epidemiological studies suggest its role in chemoprevention. These actions provide significant rationale to evaluate its utility in prostate cancer. We conducted a phase II single centre study of neoadjuvant metformin in localised prostate cancer.
Methods: Men were required to have histologically confirmed prostate cancer involving at least 20% of at least 1 unfragmented biopsy core. Exclusion criteria included patients who on initial assessment are found to be on treatment with any drug used for the treatment of any form of diabetes, or patients that begin treatment for any form of diabetes during the course of the study. Pts were treated with up to 500mg tid of metformin. The primary objectives were to demonstrate safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant metformin administration in men with prostate cancer and to document changes in phospho-AKT signalling indices.
Results: 24 patients were enrolled with 22 evaluable; median age was 64 yrs (range, 45-70 yrs). Baseline characteristics included median PSA 6 ng/mL (range, 3.22-36.11ng/mL). Median duration of drug treatment was 41 days (range 18-81). No grade 3 adverse events were reported, all patients underwent subsequent radical prostatectomy with adverse effects related to metformin. Significant pre-and post changes were noted in serum IGF1 (p=0.02), fasting glucose (p=0.03), BMI (p
Conclusions: Neoadjuvant metformin is well tolerated prior to radical prostatectomy. Data to date indicates promising effects on metabolic parameters, tissue results will be presented including proliferation indices and signaling pathway assessments.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 31-Mar-2012
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