Studying Cancer: A Look at the Causes, Treatments, and Prevention – Cancer is the uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells in the body. This is caused by a genetic mutation, and these growths destroy body tissue and can spread to other parts of the body. The most common type of cancer in women is breast cancer, and the most common cancer in men is prostate cancer. As for both genders, lung, bronchial, skin, colon, rectal, bladder, kidney, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and leukaemia are the most common.
The good news is that fewer people are dying of cancer today than they were decades ago. Here’s a look at some of the causes of cancer, current and future treatments, and possible ways to prevent cancer.
What Causes Cancer?
Environmental Factors
Some types of cancer have a clear cause, whereas in others the cause may not be so evident. For example, the majority of people know that smoking tobacco increases your risk of developing lung, esophageal, and oral cancers and that overexposure to tanning beds and the sun (especially without sunscreen) increases the risk of skin cancer. Exposure to certain pollutants and toxins in the environment can also cause cancer.
Genetic Factors
Many cancers appear to run in families and can be passed down to subsequent generations. This is usually because there is a genetic mutation that is passed down from parent to child. Examples include:
- BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic, and skin cancers.
- CDH1 mutations are associated with an increased risk of stomach and breast cancer.
- PTEN gene mutations can increase the risk of breast, head, neck, lung, and prostate cancers.
- RET mutations are linked to a specific type of thyroid cancer.
Other Factors
Age is another risk factor for cancer— both older and younger ages. Cancers associated with young age (under 20) include bone cancer, leukaemia, and neuroblastomas. Most other types of cancer are associated with being older, particular over the age of 55.
What Do Cancer Treatment Options Look Like Today?
There are many different types of cancer treatments available, and it all depends on the individual and the type of cancer.
Chemotherapy
This is one of the most common types of cancer treatments because many cancers respond to chemotherapy. After all, it uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Hormone Therapy
Breast and prostate cancers are two examples of cancers that are fueled by hormones. Lessening the effects of these hormones can prevent the cancer cells from growing.
Immunotherapy
This uses the immune system, the body’s natural defense system, to fight cancer. Oftentimes with cancer, the immune system doesn’t recognize the abnormal cells as a threat, and immunotherapy can help destroy cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy
This method uses high-powered energy beams (either outside or inside the body) to target and kill cancer cells.
Surgery
Surgery aims to remove as much of the cancer cells as possible.
Other Treatments
There are several other types of treatment, including treatment combinations for those suffering from the disease. Other types of cancer treatment include:
- Bone marrow transplants
- Cryoablation
- Radio frequency ablation
- Recombinant antibodies
- Targeted drug therapy
Can Cancer be Prevented?
Avoiding Known Carcinogens
It’s possible and even easy to prevent cancer when you know what causes it. For example, you can prevent lung cancer by staying away from tobacco products, and you can prevent skin cancer by wearing an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen daily and by staying away from tanning beds.
Understanding Family History
When it comes to a family history of cancer, it’s still unclear whether or not these types of cancer can be prevented. There is research being done on molecularly targeted drugs that can target specific DNA mutations— which can potentially prevent a person from developing a hereditary type of cancer. For now, it’s best to know your family history and get regular screenings if you’re at an increased risk of a certain type of cancer. Your chances of survival are much better when cancer is detected and treated early.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Overall, a healthy lifestyle can lower the average person’s risk of cancer and lower the risk of several other illnesses and diseases. Maintaining a healthy weight by eating nutritiously and exercising at least 150 per week can help keep all organs and body tissues healthy. Also, regular checkups can help catch cancer and other diseases in their early stages, giving you enough time to come up with a treatment plan.
There is still a lot that isn’t known about cancer, but there’s so much more that is known today than there was in the past. It’s still the second leading cause of death in the U.S., but this is likely due to late detection. With all of the advances in medicine, it’s likely that cancer will move further down that list.
