9 Risks Of Getting Cancer

[Buff-horns]

Avoiding nine major risks can cut chance of getting cancer

LOUISE GRAY

SCIENTISTS have identified the nine leading factors that must be avoided to significantly reduce the risk of cancer.

The worldwide study of cancer rates identified smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol, lack of fruit and vegetables in diet, urban pollution, indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels, unsafe sex and contaminated injections.

These risk factors combined cause more than a third of cancer deaths around the world, prompting calls for more preventative measures.

Several other reports have quantified the effects of risk factors on cancer incidence and mortality; however, most were limited to one factor, one cancer, or one population.

Majid Ezzati, from the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues estimated the worldwide and regional mortality from 12 different cancers attributable to the nine risk factors in 2001. For every risk factor the investigators undertook a comprehensive review of published studies and sources such as government reports. They found 2.43 million cancer deaths were caused by the nine factors.

Smoking was the largest risk factor worldwide and although the habit is dying out in many developed countries it is causing lung cancer in developing countries and Asia to rise.

After that alcohol was the worst factor, especially for men, causing liver cancer.

In developed countries, being overweight or obese is causing a range of cancers including breast cancer. In developing countries inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables is causing more stomach and colon cancer.

Pollution in growing urban areas and burning coal is a rising cause of lung cancer in Asia, where coal is used to cook.

Unsafe sex, which can cause infections leading to cervical cancer, is worse in countries where there are no screening programmes. Contaminated injections can infect people with hepatitis, which leads to liver cancer and is more common in countries suffering a shortage of medical resources.

Dr Ezzati said despite developments in screening and bio-technology, the study proved prevention is the best way to cut cancer rates worldwide.

He said: "Prevention through lifestyle and environmental interventions remain the main route for reducing the global cancer burden.

"If implemented, reduction of exposure to well-known behavioural and environmental risk factors would prevent a substantial proportion of deaths from cancer."

Dr Kat Arney, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said around half of all cancers in the UK could be prevented by changes to lifestyle such as healthy eating.

thescotsman.com

[Abandon]

Unsafe sex, which can cause infections leading to cervical cancer, is worse in countries where there are no screening programmes

Utter rubbish - no link has been proven, even in thought experiment.

Otherwise reads fair enough

[Orion76]

Unsafe sex, which can cause infections leading to cervical cancer, is worse in countries where there are no screening programmes

Utter rubbish - no link has been proven, even in thought experiment.

Otherwise reads fair enough

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is no link between HPV (genital warts) and cervical cancer??

[awarrumbungle]

More attention needs to be placed on all the toxic chemicals that we come into contact with. Shampoos to plastic toys to food to paint fumes.