Prevention against Cancer & how to reduce its risk?

Prevention against cancer and the ways to reduce its risk helps to bring a greater change in the body. It helps with early detection and successful treatment.

Here is our basic information about the term cancer and what you need to know about it.

Several types in one- Cancer might seem like a single type of ailment, it has broad meaning and variation. Cancer is not just one type of disease that happens to everyone, it is just a disease name and can vary from person to person based on its type.

Develops at any part of the body- It can originate at any part of the body. The basics of cancer development are when cells grow abnormally and take over standard cells. It disrupts the natural cycle of the body and leads to the formation of tumours which eventually spreads to the other parts of the body, making it all cancerous.

Time of occurrence - Cancer can also occur at any age and are efficiently treatable if detected early. While some cancers are highly contagious, others take some time to show their symptoms.

Mode of Treatment - Not all cancers are treatable through one common practice. Some cancer types are either treated with the surgical operation, others respond better with chemotherapy. There are two or more treatment processes required for the cancer treatment to garner the best results.

Witnessed Symptoms - Generally, cancer forms a lump that is known as a tumour, it is the accumulation of new malignant cells. There are also some cancers like leukaemia (cancer of the blood) that do not form any growth or tumour.

Stages in Cancer - Cancer is also identified with their different stages. Terms like Stage 1 and Stage 2 are often employed to describe the state of the cancer development that helps in the treatment. The Lower stage like Stage 1 and 2 signify that cancer has not spread while higher stages like stage 3 and 4 stage cancer have spread widely. The condition of the cancerous growth over the body determines the type of treatment.

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What causes Cancer?

cancer leads to the damage in the genes that either happens via chance or through abundant exposure to malignant chemicals present in the environment. The prime suspect that causes cancer is known as carcinogens. A carcinogen is a chemical that is present in some molecules of tobacco or smoke. However, cancer can happen with environmental agents, genetics or viral factors. The number of growing cancers in the world is not attributed to a single cause, they all vary from each other.

Hence to simply the main causes, we’ve divided them into groups.

• Biological Factors- Aspects such as age, inherited genetic abnormalities, gender, and skin type.
• Environmental Exposure- Natural emitted substance from nature like radon, UV radiation and fine particulate matter.
• Occupational Aspects - Coming in contacts with carcinogens like harmful chemicals, radioactive materials and asbestos.
• Lifestyle Factors - Unhealthy habits, for instance, heavy alcohol Intake, prolonged exposure of UV rays, tobacco consumption and chemicals like nitrites & polyaromatic hydrocarbons through barbecuing food.

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Cancer Prevention methods

About 30-40% of all cancer is easily preventable. It is true, with changes in your lifestyle and some careful precaution, cancer can be actively prevented. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it is possible. According to the reports from Harvard School of Public Health, it estimates that about 75% of cancer deaths can be prevented with helpful measures taken.

Here are some of the methods that you can use to prevent the development of cancer in your body:

Stop consuming Tobacco

Use of tobacco brings the most prominent risk for developing cancer. Consumption of tobacco kills approximately 6 million people each year. Most of you are unaware of how many damaging chemicals tobacco contains in itself. Tobacco smoke has about 7000 chemicals which have at least 250 that are harmful while the other 50 are known for causing cancer.

Tobacco leads to the causes of many types of cancers such as cancers of the lung, larynx, throat, mouth, kidney, oesophagus, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix. The other tobacco, i.e second-hand smoke causes lung cancer. Hence it should be avoided in all forms.

Physical inactivity and Obesity

Lack of exercise and weight gain also contribute to the cause of cancer. There is a link between being obese and overweight that leads to cancers of oesophagus, breast, colorectal, endometrium and kidney. The only solution to getting rid of fat is by doing daily exercise. Addition of a healthy diet and regular physical activity of the body can considerably reduce cancer risk. It’s been said that physical activity leads to a reduced risk of colon cancer. For women as well, regular exercise leads to a reduced risk of breast and reproductive cancers. Exercise itself is a healthy milestone even though you lose weight or not.

Decrease or cease Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol intake is one of the largest contributors of several types of cancer including oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, oesophagus, breast, liver and colorectum. The amount of alcohol you consume, the greater the risk of cancer increases with abundance. The risk turns more deadly when there's a consumption of alcohol and tobacco at the same time. Hence start slow, start by drinking one drink a day to an average.

Maintain a healthy diet

Healthy alternatives are not a major assurance of cancer prevention, it does help to reduce the risk hence it benefits indirectly. Here are some things to add in your habits for maintenance of a healthy diet:

• Eat fruits and Veggies on a larger scale - Your diet must involve vegetables, fruits, and other food that involves plant-based sources such as whole grains and beans.
• Avoid fat-based food - Food rich in oil can lead to obesity which contributes to the risk of many types of cancer in the body. Hence add lighter and less high-calorie food such as refined sugars and animal fat from your food.
• Restrict processed meat - According to the latest report from Cancer Research, it's been proven that eating processed meat in larger amounts can contribute to the risk of developing a certain type of cancer.

Exposure to Radiation

Radiation from either man-made or natural sources leads to an increase in developing leukaemia and other tumours in the body. The risk increases if you are under the exposure of the radiation at a young age or either when the exposure is in abundance. Exposure to radiation causes various types of skin cancer such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Hence it's vital to seek active prevention from the sun by the use of sunscreen and protective clothing. Try to get medical imaging studies only when it's required. Look out for residential radon that leads to an increase in the risk of lung cancer.

Guard yourself against infections

Many cancers are also attributed via infecting agents such as helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Though there are vaccines available for hepatitis B virus and some types of HPV that can rescue you from the risk of developing liver and cervical types of cancer. Many of these infections are sexually transmitted or through contaminated needles.

Avoid Environmental Chemical Exposure

Contaminants from air, water and soil containing carcinogenic chemicals lead to the development of cancer in varying degrees. Pollution from outdoors is highly malignant to humans as it leads to almost 3.5 million premature deaths and others with lung cancer deaths. Indoor pollution involves households activities like cooking with solid fuels. Especially, cooking with the use of coal fires double the trigger of developing lung cancer mostly in women.

Consult the cancer specialist at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi.