Are there any main causes of cancer and what can you do to minimize your risks?
Fundamentally, cancer can be caused by external factors or by internal
factors. External factors include exposure to radiation, certain types of
infectious organisms, smoking / exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke,
some kinds of chemicals, etc.
Internal factors also figure in the main causes of cancer. They include
immune conditions in the body, mutations that are inherited, mutations
that result from metabolic processes, hormone conditions and more.
Internal and external factors may act individually or jointly (sometimes
in sequence) to produce cancerous tumors. Also, exposure to carcinogens
(substances that cause cancer) and other factors may not result in cancer
for a decade or more.
Cigarette smoking along with exposure to tobacco through second-hand smoke
released by others remains one of the main causes of cancer the world
over. As is well known, tobacco exposure can result in lung cancer. An
estimated 170,000 deaths during 2008 were attributed to cancer caused by
tobacco.
Studies point out that drinking water in America contains more than 2000
different toxic chemicals! These chemicals are among the main causes of
cancer and other degenerative diseases in the country.
There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in use for various industrial
and household purposes. Many kinds of conveniences we take for granted
would be well neigh impossible without the use of some of these chemicals.
Eventually, these chemicals are disposed of in water bodies including
rivers, buried in landfills or otherwise find their way into the
environment. This results in highly polluted, carcinogenic water, land,
food and air.
And this toxic chemical cocktail we live in day in and day out is
undoubtedly behind many of the diseases that beset us today.
Obesity, lack of proper nutrition and lack of physical activity accounted
for an estimated 565,000 deaths from cancer during 2008. This could have
been prevented by adopting the right lifestyle changes including eating a
healthy, balanced diet.
Excessive exposure to solar radiation and indoor tanning systems results
in skin cancer -- more than 1 million deaths resulted from this type of
cancer in 2008. Again, this is preventable to a certain extent.
Infectious diseases are also among the main causes of cancer. The
hepatitis B virus, human papillomavirus and the better known human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are known to cause some kinds of cancers.
These are preventable through the use of immunization, antibiotics and
possible changes in behavior.
So that's the answer to the question "are there any main causes of
cancer?" Yes, there are several diverse factors that can cause cancer.
Many of them are preventable.
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