Cure for cancer?
The elephants would hold the key 0:56
(CNN Spanish) --
Knowing exactly why one person gets cancer and another does not is not possible in general terms, explains the National Cancer Institute of the United States.
However, there are risk factors that can increase the chances.
Some are linked to behavior, such as alcohol and tobacco use, but others are beyond our control, such as family history.
A study published this week in
The Lancet
suggests that nearly half of cancer deaths can be attributed to preventable risk factors, including the top three risks: smoking, drinking too much alcohol, or having a high body mass index.
1. Alcohol
When you drink alcohol, the body changes it into a substance called acetaldehyde that "damages DNA and does not allow the body to repair the damage," explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English).
When the DNA is damaged, a "cell can begin to grow uncontrollably and form a cancerous tumor," say the centers, which explains why it is one of the main risk factors associated with behavior.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages can increase the risk of six types of cancer: mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver and breast.
And the risk is proportional, which means that it increases as consumption increases.
2. Tobacco
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 deaths.
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The National Cancer Institute explains that it is the leading cause of cancer and death from cancer and is associated with lung, laryngeal, mouth, esophagus, throat, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon, and rectum, and cervix or cervix.
As in the case of alcohol, tobacco products and second-hand smoke, that is, the one that is in the environment, have chemical compounds that damage DNA and are therefore risky.
And there are no good alternatives.
Cigarettes called "light" also cause cancer, as well as cigars.
3. Diet
Experts point out that "diets high in red meat, processed meat, and salty foods, and low in fruit and vegetables, have an impact on cancer risk, particularly colorectal, nasopharyngeal, and stomach cancers."
But how much?
A study published in 2019 in the JNCI Cancer Spectrum found that diet may be more linked to the development of cancer than we perhaps imagined, and that in one year (2018), more than 80,000 cancer cases in the United States were attributable simply to a poor diet.
The researchers evaluated seven dietary factors: a low intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy products, and a high intake of processed meats, red meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks.
"Low consumption of whole grains was associated with the highest burden of cancer in the US, followed by low consumption of dairy, high consumption of processed meat, low consumption of vegetables and fruits, high consumption of red meat and high consumption of sugary drinks," Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a nutrition and cancer epidemiologist at Tufts University in Boston, said at the time.
4. Age
"Advanced age" is the most important risk factor, according to the National Cancer Institute.
"If the number of cases per 100,000 people is calculated: up to 20 years, there are less than 25 cases; between 45 and 49 years, there are about 350 cases; from 60 years, there are more than 1,000 cases "explains the body.
5. Viruses, bacteria and parasites
The risk of cancer can be increased by certain infectious germs.
The ways in which they operate in the body are varied.
In the case of viruses, for example, they may interrupt the signals responsible for controlling cell growth.
There are infections that weaken the immune system, making our body less able to fight off other cancer-causing infections, and there are also viruses, bacteria, and parasites that can cause chronic inflammation that in turn leads to cancer.
(Chronic inflammation and immunosuppression, in fact, are two other factors highlighted by the US health agency)
Among the infectious agents to be mentioned are, for example, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the hepatitis B and C viruses, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the human papilloma virus (HPV), the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1), Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections, which also causes most cancers of the anus and is responsible for multiple cases of cancer of the vagina, vulva, and penis.
You can read information about the link between different viruses and cancers here.
6. Hormones
Estrogens, although they have key functions in our body, are also human carcinogens, which is why they are associated with the risk of suffering from this disease.
For this reason, hormonal therapies for menopause can increase the risk of breast or endometrial cancer, depending on the case.
"Studies have also indicated that a woman's risk of developing breast cancer is related to the estrogen and progesterone produced by her ovaries (known as endogenous estrogen and progesterone)," says the National Cancer Institute.
7. Obesity
Know what type of cancer you can avoid being underweight 3:41
Obesity has been associated with an increased risk of cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, endometrium (lining of the uterus), esophagus, kidney, pancreas, and gallbladder.
A study published in 2018 in the United Kingdom indicated that, by the 2040s, obesity was even going to become the most common cause of cancer among women, overtaking smoking, which has historically been the main culprit.
8. UV radiation
UV radiation causes the skin to age and causes damage that can lead to skin cancer.
Among the sources of IV is the Sun but also sunlamps and tanning beds.
Melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.
It is estimated that by 2022, at least 99,780 new cases will be reported, with some 7,650 deaths.
It is more common in men than women and among fair-skinned people and those who have been exposed to natural or artificial sunlight (such as tanning beds) for long periods of time.
This is how you should protect yourself against skin cancer 0:59
9. Radiation
Ionizing radiation, which includes radon, X-rays, and gamma rays, among others, "has enough energy to damage DNA and cause cancer."
This differentiates it from lower energy radiation, for example from cell phones, which has not been associated with cancer.
"Certain medical procedures, such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and radiation therapy can also cause cell damage that can lead to cancer. However, the cancer risks from these medical procedures they are very small, and the benefit of having them almost always outweighs the risks," explains the National Cancer Institute.
10. Substances in the environment
The National Cancer Institute lists more than 25 substances that can be found in the environment and that are carcinogens.
However, the agency clarifies, this does not mean that it will necessarily cause cancer to those who are exposed, but other factors must be taken into account, such as how long the exposure lasts and what the genetic background of the exposed people is.
Substances include benzene, cadmium, nickel compounds, soot, wood dust, ethylene oxide, radon, etc.
You can see the full list here.
11. The genetic factor
There are genetic mutations associated with 50 hereditary cancer syndromes that can generate a predisposition to suffer from the disease.
Inherited genetic mutations, in fact, are a key component in between 5% and 10% of cases.
There are tests that allow you to know if you have any of these syndromes and therefore a greater predisposition.
But having a hereditary syndrome doesn't necessarily mean you'll get cancer.
And it must also be taken into account that similar cancers can occur in the same family not because of a syndrome of this type, but because they share other factors that cause or predispose to the disease.
With information from Melissa Velásquez Loaiza, Mariana Toro Nader, Uriel Blanco, Rob Picheta, Jacqueline Howard and Megan Marples of CNN.
Cancer
