Breast Cancer

Despite all the development and advancement in medical science, the complete causes of breast cancer have not yet been fully comprehended and it’s a fact that any woman or even men can become a victim of this one of the biggest women killer worldwide. If breast cancer is not detected and cured earlier, it can be a fatal disease and there is not one certain way to prevent this disease. You need to take several steps to avoid this fatal disease and if you have become a victim of it, these steps can really help you to enhance your survival chances.

These steps include:

• Eat healthy
• Exercise daily
• Don’t smoke
• Restrict your alcohol intake
• Regular breast self-exam

Results of some studies indicate that anti-estrogen pill like tamoxifen may prove effective to decrease breast cancer risk in those women who have a family history of the disease. As mentioned earlier, the chances of survival can greatly increase if breast cancer is detected earlier and this is where self-exam and mammograms become quite important for detection of the disease early.

Self-exam

It’s better to conduct a self-exam of your breast once in a month and you must consult your physician if you notice any change in the shape and size of your breasts.

Mammograms

Women over forty years of age must undergo mammogram at least once in a year, as this procedure can find out those lumps and growths that can’t be found with normal hand touches. Those women who have a family history of the disease must tell about that to their doctors, as your doctor can tell you better whether yearly mammograms are better you or you need to do them early.

CBE

Those who aged between 20- 40 must undergo CBE at least once in three years. It can prove very effective to determine the risk of getting the disease. Similarly, those who aged over 40 must undergo the process, at least once in a year and one must pick a right health care professional for this test.

Smoking the biggest cancer threat

Results of some studies show that carcinogens found in tobacco can affect nearly 50% women as they are quite sensitive to these cancer-causing agents and these women are often at higher risk of developing breast as well as some other types of cancers.

Eat healthy

Vegetables and fresh fruits contain almost all those important minerals, vitamins and various other nutrients that are considered very important to shield against any type of cancer including breast cancer. Similarly, those foods that have good amount phytoestrogen can provide better protection against breast cancer. Phytoestrogen is abundantly found in whole grains, flaxseed and various soy-based products. It’s better to consume fruits and vegetable of different colors.

Take exercise regularly

Regular workout can not only protect you against breast cancer, but many other diseases like hypertension, diabetes and heat attack as well. Results of some studies indicate that women with increased body weight can become an easier victim of breast cancer and its exercise which comes to your rescue to avoid getting excess lard.

Alcohol intake

Some study show that women with higher alcoholic intake have increase of developing breast cancer, and those who consume alcohol moderately often have lower risk of developing breast cancer. So, if you also have higher alcoholic intake, it is better to reduce its intake to avoid becoming the victim of breast cancer which can be fatal if not treated at time.

To some extent, a cancer can be prevented. Several causes and risk factors for cancer were identified so far.

Smoking

It is the tar in the smoke that causes lung cancer, cancer in the throat (laryngeal cancer), and cancer in the stomach (gastric carcinoma), and bladder cancer.

Second-hand smoking also represent cancer risk.

Tobacco, smokeless.

Alcohol

Alcohol, among other, causes pancreatic, liver, colon and breast cancer (3).

Low-Fiber Diet

Low fiber diet may cause constipation, thus prolonging contact time of harmful substances in the food with the intestinal wall, and increasing the risk for colo-rectal cancer.

Meat

High intake of red (beef, pork, veal and lamb), or processed meat (salami, hamburgers..), over a long period of time increases the risk for colo-rectal cancer (3).

Other Foods (1)

• Areca nut
• Salted fish (Chinese-style)

Obesity (3)

Obesity and sedentary life increase risk of cancer.

Sunburn

Heavy (blistering) sunburn increases the risk for skin cancer (basal and squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma) at any later time in life. Any exposure to ultraviolet UV-B and UV-A rays (sun, tanning saloons) theoretically increases risk for skin cancer.

Melanoma (besides on the head and arms) often appears on the skin areas that were not regularly exposed to the sun but were affected by a single episode of sunburn. Details of skin cancer risk factors.

Microbes

• Aflatoxins, produced by some fungi
• Epstein-Barr virus – Burkit’s lymphoma (rare)
• Helicobacter pylori – stomach cancer
• Hepatitis B and C virus – liver cancer
• HIV (AIDS)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 represents a risk for cervical cancer
• Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I
• Schistosoma haematobium

Asbestos

Asbestos is a well known cause of mesothelioma. Several years/decades of exposure are usually needed for cancer to develop.

Dioxin

Dioxin appears in the air and water mainly after waste combustion, and even after big forest fires (2).

Medications (1)

• 8-Methoxypsoralen (Methoxsalen) plus UV-A radiation
• Cyclosporine
• Estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy and oral contraceptives increase risk for the breast cancer (4)
• MOPP and other combined chemotherapy including alkylating agents
• Phenacetin
• Tamoxifen (may reduces the risk of contralateral breast cancer though)

Radioactive Substances (1)

• Neutrons
• Plutonium-239
• Radioiodines, like iodine-131, from atomic reactor accidents and nuclear weapons detonation
• Radionuclides, a- and  b-particle-emitting, internally deposited
• Radium-224, -226, -228
• Radon-222
• X- and Gamma (g)-Radiation

Other Chemicals (1)

• Arsenic
• Benzene
• Beryllium
• Cadmium
• Chromium
• Formaldehyde
• Mustard gas (Sulfur mustard)
• Nickel
• Silica particles, when inhaled
• Talc containing asbestiform fibres
• Vinyl chloride
• Household combustion of coal, indoor emissions from
• Mineral oils
• Plants containing aristolochic acid
• Shale-oils
• Soots
• Wood dust

Work Environment (1)

People working in the following environments are at increased risk to develop a cancer:

• Aluminium production
• Arsenic in drinking-water
• Boot and shoe manufacture and repair
• Chimney sweeping
• Coal gasification
• Coke production
• Furniture and cabinet making
• Iron and steel founding
• Magenta production
• Painting
• Paving and roofing with coal-tar pitch
• Rubber industry
• Sulfuric acid production

Conclusion

Avoiding smoking, excessive drinking, excessive sun exposure (or, if not possible, using sunscreens with sun-protecting factor 15+ instead), red/processed meat, obesity, and sedentary life are main measures to prevent cancer.

Avoiding of long term exposure to cancerogenes substances should be also considered.

References:

1. Substances, carcinogenic to humans (monographs.iarc.fr)
2. Dioxin is carcinogenic (ejnet.org)
3. Risk factors of common cancers (yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu)
4. Risk factors of common cancers (II) (yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu)

Article reviewed and edited by Jan Modric on April 07, 2009