Is Cancer a Preventable Disease?

Cancer is the general name given to a group of malignant diseases that arise when cells in an organ or tissue divide and multiply irregularly. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a single disease but consists of more than 150 types. The development, causative factors, courses, and treatments of these types often differ. Accurate public information about this group of diseases is therefore very important for cancer prevention and early diagnosis. Cancer should not be accepted as a matter of fate, and scientists should continuously provide accurate guidance to inform the public about prevention strategies and early diagnosis.

The Factors That Trigger Cancer Development Fall Into 3 Categories:

1. Environmental factors (preventable),
2. Hereditary factors (not preventable; early diagnosis is highly valuable and often possible),
3. Random mutations (not preventable?, mostly related to aging).

Cancer is a substantially preventable disease. A number of environmental factors, which we will examine in detail below, have a proven close relationship with cancer development, and environmental factors are the easiest cancer causes to prevent. With the exception of a few cancer types, almost similar factors apply to men and women. However many precautions we take, cancer will continue to exist to a certain extent for as long as humanity exists, because cancer is also a disease of aging. Cellular aging, an individual's genetic predisposition, and natural carcinogens present in our bodies (for example, testosterone in older men and estrogen in women) will make this process inevitable in some individuals.

Looking at proportions helps us understand the issue better. More than approximately half of all cancers are associated with smoking, preventable infections, a sedentary (inactive) lifestyle, obesity, and an unhealthy diet. A number of environmental factors and occupational carcinogens, such as asbestos exposure, close contact with and prolonged inhalation of benzene and certain carcinogenic chemicals, and regular alcohol consumption, are now definitively linked to cancer. Reducing all these factors through public awareness will lead to substantial reductions in cancer incidence. If we create a nonsmoking society, we can eliminate more than %90 of lung cancers. Smoking has now been linked to many cancers. In a nonsmoking society, it is known to affect many cancer types in addition to lung cancer, including head and neck, pharyngeal tube, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, bladder cancers, leukemia, and even breast cancer.

The first 5 most common cancers in men in our country are, in order, lung, prostate, bladder (urinary bladder), colorectal (large bowel), and stomach cancer. Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women in our country, continues to account for one in every 8 female cancers. Cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancers can also be listed among common female cancers. Although lung cancer is less common in women than in men, it can still be considered a frequently encountered cancer. The most common childhood cancer in our country is leukemia. In young people (the 15-24 age group), testicular and bone cancers in males and thyroid cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma in females are the most frequently encountered cancers.

What Are the Ways to Prevent Cancer?

Many factors that cause cancer are now well defined. Let us examine the most important of these factors together and learn how we can protect ourselves against cancer.

The Relationship Between Obesity and Cancer

Currently, smoking is the environmental factor with the greatest capacity to cause cancer, followed by obesity. However, obesity is predicted to become the primary cause of cancer worldwide by 2020.

Studies conducted over many years have demonstrated that excessive weight gain increases the levels of certain undesirable substances in our bodies that trigger cancer. These substances may be hormones or cell stimulants called cytokines. Insulin growth factor, estrogen, and testosterone are examples. Sustained increases in these substances trigger chronic inflammation in the body and initiate the process of cancer development. Abdominal fat accumulation, in other words an increased waist-to-hip ratio, can be associated with the cancer process. Maintaining this ratio at an ideal level should therefore be a goal for healthy individuals.

Being overweight, or obese, contributes approximately % 20 to cancer-related deaths. Being overweight has been observed to increase the risk of developing many cancers in men, including colon and rectal (large bowel), kidney, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer. It may also increase the risk of gallbladder and liver cancer and play an effective role in the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer.

According to recent studies, obese women are %40 more likely to develop cancer than women of normal weight. Obesity-related cancers in women include bowel, bladder, uterine, kidney, pancreatic, esophageal, and particularly postmenopausal breast cancers.

Numerous clinical studies have focused on cancer and an unbalanced diet. Weight loss through regular nutrition and exercise in overweight individuals has been shown to reduce their cancer risks. The main mechanism implicated in the relationship between weight gain and cancer is insulin resistance and excessive release of an insulin-like substance. This mechanism reverses in individuals who lose weight and take steps toward healthy living. People should be encouraged and supported to lose weight to prevent excess weight or obesity, which are known to trigger many life-threatening diseases.

Paying attention to how and what you eat will both provide your body with the necessary minerals and vitamins and prevent obesity by preventing excessive weight gain. Take care to eat a diet rich in natural vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. It is important that the foods you consume are not frozen, excessively fatty, salty, sugary, or full of additives. Do not skip meals, and take care to eat three meals a day. By not skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day, you will both do yourself a favor and set a good example for your child. Cook red meat without burning it to prevent carcinogenic substances from harming your health, and take care to eat meat once a week. Eating fish 2-3 times a week and consuming chicken will also help meet your omega-3 and vitamin needs.

Children who eat regularly and healthily will not gain excessive weight. Limit their consumption of junk food, chocolate, chips, and foods and drinks containing fat and sugar. Ensure that they eat plenty of natural fruit and vegetables, organic if possible, and certain amounts of meat, chicken, and fish. Children who gain excessive weight have a greater risk of developing diseases. Another important point to remember is that overweight adults also have a high risk of developing cancer. It is therefore necessary to take care to maintain a healthy weight at every age.

The Relationship Between Smoking and Cancer

If we create a nonsmoking society, we can eliminate more than %90 of lung cancers. Smoking has now been linked to many cancers. In a nonsmoking society, substantial reductions would be observed in many cancer types besides lung cancer, including head and neck, pharyngeal, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, bladder cancers, leukemia, and even breast cancer. According to World Health Organization data, in the 20th century, tobacco use caused approximately 100 million deaths, and 6 million are added to this number each year. Cigarettes contain more than 50 chemicals directly linked to cancer. Smoking filtered cigarettes does not reduce exposure to these chemicals. Over the years, smoking filtered or light cigarettes has caused people to inhale smoke more deeply to meet their nicotine needs, shifting lung cancers deeper and toward the lower lobes without reducing their incidence. The relationship between smoking and lung cancer began to emerge in the first quarter of the 1900s and was scientifically proven in the 1950s. However, governments and cigarette manufacturers concealed this scientific fact from the public for years, spreading smoking addiction worldwide. In 1997, Liggett, one of America's best-known cigarette manufacturers, was found liable following a lawsuit brought by a person who developed lung cancer and was forced to publish an apology to the entire world.

The development of a cancer with a high risk of death, such as lung cancer, is not attributable to a single cause. Research has identified many causes of lung cancer. Various factors may play a role in its development. However, most of these factors are associated with tobacco use.

Smoking and Lung Cancer: smoking causes lung cancer. Harmful substances (carcinogens) in tobacco damage cells in the lungs. Over time, these harmful effects can cause cancer in the cells. Whether a smoker develops lung cancer depends on the age at which they started smoking, how long they have smoked, the number of cigarettes they smoke each day, and how deeply they inhale. Quitting smoking will substantially reduce a person's risk of developing lung cancer.

The best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit smoking or never start!

Cigars, Pipes, and Lung Cancer: cigar and pipe users have a greater risk of lung cancer than people who do not use them. How many years a person has smoked cigars or a pipe, how many they smoke each day, and how deeply they inhale are factors affecting cancer risk. Even if they do not inhale, cigar and pipe smokers are at risk of other types of lung and oral cancer. People exposed to secondhand smoke also have the same risk of developing lung cancer through exposure to tobacco smoke.

If you still smoke, quit immediately! You can get help with guidance from your doctor.

When considering the effect of secondhand smoke on childhood cancers, children imitate their parents by observing them. Do not allow anyone in your family to smoke, and do not allow smoking in your home. According to data obtained in 2010, smoking among children and young people is declining. Over the last 10 years, awareness campaigns about the consequences of tobacco use have continued without slowing down. However, families must remain constantly vigilant. Research has shown that among children aged 12 and older, more than %25 smoke regularly, which is by no means an insignificant figure.

Lung cancer remains at the top as the most common cancer and one causing death in approximately %85 of cases. Considering that approximately %80 of smokers started smoking before the age of 18, families should tell their children about the harms of smoking and explain the health benefits of a smoke-free life. Parents who smoke should quit to set an example; this will both reduce their risk of lung, oral, esophageal, bladder, kidney, and pancreatic cancers and heart disease and have a positive effect on their children.

The Relationship Between an Inactive Lifestyle and Cancer

Today, individuals work at an increasingly intense pace under the complexity and difficulties of life, and the time they devote to themselves and their health decreases every day. Yet physical activity is essential for healthy living. Even during a busy working day, our bodily movements are passive. Although these irregular, unpaced movements tire us, they do not replace the physical activity necessary for our health. Over time, this leads to irregular mealtimes, disrupted bowel habits, unhealthy food intake, and consequently an unhealthy lifestyle. Numerous scientific studies conducted to date have proven that regular exercise reduces cancer risk. Regular exercise lowers the levels of insulin and insulin-like proteins, which cause many adverse effects in our bodies, controls estrogen levels in women, and prevents prolonged bowel transit time, thereby particularly reducing bowel cancer risk. Increased insulin and insulin-related proteins in the body stimulate cells and trigger uncontrolled cell multiplication, laying the groundwork for cancer development. Regular exercise after a cancer diagnosis has also been proven to have many benefits.

Reduced physical activity decreases bowel movements, allowing many undesirable carcinogenic substances formed in the stool to contact the bowel surface and initiate cancer development. In women, particularly at older ages (after menopause), fat tissue is the main source of estrogen. A disproportionate increase in fat tissue increases hormone levels, which in turn raises the risk of breast and uterine cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Considering all these reasons, exercising every day as much as your health permits can protect you against many types of cancer, particularly prostate and colon cancer. It is important to know that your body is not programmed to remain inactive. Any activity you undertake will therefore benefit you and help you maintain a healthy weight. With your doctor's help, you can decide how long and how often to perform exercises appropriate for your age and health.

In general, adults should perform at least 150 minutes of light exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. An equivalent program can also be spread over certain days of the week. Children and adults should perform at least 1 hour of light or vigorous exercise every day. Those choosing vigorous exercise should continue this physical activity at least 3 days a week. You should limit activities that require no movement, such as sitting, lying down, watching television, and using a computer. Even a small amount of physical activity benefits your health. Limit the time your children spend in front of the television and computer. Encourage them to exercise regularly. This will keep your child healthy and fit and prevent excessive weight gain.

The Relationship Between UV Rays and Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. It is considered under 2 categories: melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. Although melanoma is an uncommon form of skin cancer (approximately %5), it is among the cancers with the most aggressive disease courses, and its incidence has been increasing, particularly in recent years.

The good news is that precautions can be taken to prevent this cancer, or it can be diagnosed early and treated effectively. Most skin cancers result from excessive exposure to UV rays. Most of these UV rays come from the sun. However, artificial sources of UV radiation, such as tanning beds, can sometimes also cause skin cancer. You do not need to avoid the sun completely. Staying indoors and leading an inactive life would not be very sensible, because daily physical activity is important for healthy living. However, excessive sunlight can be harmful. You can take certain steps to limit the effects of UV rays.

You can limit UV exposure by staying in the shade. Wearing clothing that covers as much of your body as possible also prevents excessive exposure to UV rays. If you must go outdoors between 11:00-16:00, when the sun's rays strike more directly, you should wear a hat and sunglasses that protect against UV rays. This protects the sensitive areas around your head and eyes. In sunny weather, regardless of the season, applying sunscreen with a +30 UV protection factor to exposed areas (face, arms, legs, etc.) is another precaution that helps protect against skin cancer.

Many people believe that the UV rays produced by tanning beds are harmless. This is incorrect. Ultraviolet lamps emit UVA and UVB rays. Both UVA and UVB rays cause long-term skin damage and contribute to skin cancer development. Starting tanning bed use before the age of 30 is particularly associated with an increased melanoma risk. Most dermatologists and health organizations do not recommend tanning beds or ultraviolet lamps. If you want a tanned appearance, you can achieve it safely by using a self-tanning lotion.

Skin cancer is another cancer that requires attention in children. Simple precautions are sufficient to protect our children from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, which play a causal role in %90 of skin cancer development. Children require special attention. Children who spend considerable time playing by the sea or outdoors are more likely to get sunburned and are unaware of the approaching danger. Parents and caregivers should make a habit of dressing children in clothing that covers as much skin as possible, putting a hat on them, and applying sunscreen when going outdoors, to protect them from the sun's harmful rays. When they are a little older, teach children about these harmful rays. If your child burns easily, you should be even more careful: keep their skin covered, apply sunscreen with at least a +30 protection factor, and ensure that they do not stay in the sun for long (particularly between 10:00-16:00, when sunlight strikes directly). Sunglasses that protect against UV rays will also protect both their eyes and the sensitive skin around them. In addition, babies younger than 6 months should not be exposed to direct sunlight; they should wear protective hats and clothing, and sunscreen should be applied to areas exposed to the sun.

Apart from the important topics listed above, certain genetic factors (hereditary or mutational), radiation exposure, and some infections have also been proven to cause cancer. We will examine each of these subjects in our subsequent articles.