World Cancer Day: Behavioral Factors Promoting Cancer

Have you ever done cancer screening? Early detection have saved many from cancer. Screening for cancer peculiar to sex, i.e prostrate or cervical or breast cancer increases chances of survival. Prevention is the key and  cheaper than cost of  treatment and social and psychological impacts of having cancer.

 Read Also; Psychology and the Alleviation of Cancer Symptoms. 

If you have not gone for screening, the World Cancer day is another reminder to take action now.

You can read more on some behavioral/ environmental factors implicated in the promotion of cancer which are;

     Tobacco; Nearly 80% of the 1 billion smokers in the world live in low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco smoking causes cancers of the lung, oesophagus, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix. Second-hand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke): causes lung cancer in non-smoking adults Smokeless tobacco (also called oral tobacco, chewing tobacco or snuff): causes oral, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer.
 

      Physical inactivity, dietary factors, obesity and being overweight; There is a link between overweight and obesity to many types of cancer such as oesophagus, colorectum, breast, endometrium and kidney. Diets high in fruits and vegetables may have an independent protective effect against many cancers. Regular physical activity and the maintenance of a healthy body weight, along with a healthy diet, considerably reduce cancer risk. In addition, healthy eating habits that prevent the development of diet-associated cancers will also lower the risk of other noncommunicable diseases.

    Alcohol use; causes oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum and breast.
     Infections; such as helicobacter pylori, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Epstein-Barr virus is the cause of approximately 15% of all in 2012. Vaccines are available for hepatitis B virus and some types of HPV and can reduce the risk of liver and cervical cancers, respectively.


    Environmental pollution; Pollution of air, water and soil with carcinogenic chemicals contributes to the cancer burden to differing degrees depending on the geographical settings. Exposure to carcinogens also occurs via the contamination of food, such as aflatoxins or dioxins such as household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels (over 4 million people die prematurely) to the 6% of these deaths are from lung cancer. Indoor air pollution from coal fires doubles the risk of lung cancer, particularly among non-smoking women.

   Occupational carcinogens; are causally related to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and bladder cancer. For example, mesothelioma (cancer of the outer lining of the lung or chest cavity) is to a large extent caused by work-related exposure to asbestos.

  Radiation; Exposure to all types of such as ionizing radiation ( from both natural and man-made sources, increases the risk of various types of malignancy including leukaemia and a number of solid tumours).  

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation; causes all major types of skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma.
Medical radiation; Radiation is used in medicine and can help save lives as well as prevent the need for more invasive procedures. However, inappropriate use may cause harm because of unnecessary and unintended radiation doses for patients;
 Radon and health; Residential exposure can also arise from radon, a naturally radioactive gas sometime present in soil and building materials increase risk of lung cancers. Radon levels in homes can be reduced by improving the ventilation and sealing floors and walls.

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Additional References

•  Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs (NCBCI)
•    Pubmed. 
•   World Health Organization