Causes of cancer

Main article: Cancer (cancer)

Every minute your body produces cancer cells. However, their appearance does not lead to cancer because your immune system destroys them.

Factors that reduce the likelihood of cancer

• Absence of burdened heredity (oncological diseases in blood relatives) and severe concomitant diseases (including virus carriers);

• Favorable living conditions (environment, nutrition, healthy lifestyle, emotional comfort, lack of bad habits);

• Regular preventive measures (regular medical examination and prof. medical examinations, compliance with the recommendations of doctors).

Mutation in the cell genome and its uncontrolled division

The emergence of a tumor in the first approximation is the process of accumulation of mutations, that is, errors, genome in cells. As a rule, these are gene mutations associated with either proliferation (cell division) or apoptosis (programmed cell death).

There are sufficiently powerful, including immune, mechanisms to fight genetically altered or changing cells. A cell with damaged DNA must die of apoptosis. But if there were mutations that led to the fact that cells do not easily go into apoptosis, then they have an increased chance of turning into tumor.

Tumorigenesis is always the process of accumulation of mutations. Several mutations must occur before the properties of the cell change to such an extent that it can be considered tumor. That is why tumors are more common in the elderly.

In the process of mutation, a group of cells gets out of control, starting to divide uncontrollably. So a tumor is formed, each cell in which is mutated. Soon after the formation of the tumor, cancer cells can break away from the primary focus and metastasize - transferred to other organs (for example, with blood flow), forming tumors throughout the body.

2024

Cancer-causing 'eternal chemicals' found in popular condoms and intimate lubricants

At the end of July 2024, it became known that some popular condoms and intimate lubricants contain the so-called "eternal chemicals" - substances from the PFAS group (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds). They can provoke various health problems, including the development of malignancies. Read more here

Tampons from 14 popular brands cause cancer and infertility

In hygienic tampons of 14 popular world brands found toxic substances that can provoke the development of various diseases, including malignant formations. This is stated in the study, the results of which TAdviser got acquainted with in early August 2024. Read more here

Hookah increases the risk of death from cancer by 3 times. Tested for 40 thousand people

Smoking hookah increases the risk of death from certain types of malignancies by three times. This is evidenced by the results of a study by Vietnamese scientists, published on July 11, 2024. Read more here.

Cancer cell gene found

In late June 2024, researchers at the Massachusetts Cancer Center reported that they identified a gene that allows tumor cells to enter the bloodstream and attach to new tissues, forming metastases. It turned out that this gene allows metastatic cancer cells to cause changes in the surrounding tissues, making the environment more favorable for tumor growth.

"The results of our study can be used to find new therapeutic opportunities to fight metastatic cancer," said Raul Mostoslavsky, principal investigator of the project. Together with colleagues, he first compared the patterns of gene expression in primary foci and tumor metastases in mice with pancreatic or breast cancer. The researchers identified different genes whose expression increased in metastatic tumor cells and conducted a series of experiments that blocked each of these genes individually.

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It turned out that the suppression of the Gstt1 gene had no effect on the primary tumor cells of the mice, but blocked the growth and spread of metastatic cancer cells. Researchers later confirmed the results of the experiment on two lines of human metastatic pancreatic cancer cells.

Gstt1 encodes an enzyme from a superfamily of proteins involved in protecting cells from toxins. Thanks to this enzyme, metastatic cancer cells secrete a modified fibronectin protein, allowing them to attach to the cell walls of other tissues.

Gstt1 alters the matrix surrounding metastatic cells, allowing them to grow in a foreign environment, "explained Mostoslavsky. - The discovery of this gene could change the strategy for treating metastatic diseases. Especially important are new methods of treatment in pancreatic cancer, which is most often detected already at the metastatic stage.[1]

2023

Computed tomography triples the risk of cancer - proven by 1 million people

On November 9, 2023, specialists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) released the results of a study indicating that computed tomography (CT) significantly increases the risk of developing malignancies. Under certain conditions, the likelihood of cancer is tripled.

For the study, data were collected from almost 1 million patients from 276 medical institutions who at least once underwent a CT procedure based on X-rays under the age of 22 years. For each person, the dose of radiation received in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, was estimated. By comparing these data with national registries of malignancies, experts were able to identify those who developed blood cancer over time.

computed tomography significantly increases the risk of malignancy

The findings demonstrate a clear association between total doses of bone marrow radiation in CT and the risk of developing both myeloid and lymphoid malignancies. In particular, a dose of 100 mGy increases the risk of developing blood cancer by about three times. Thus, with a standard scan with an average dose of about 8 mGy, the risk of developing these malignancies is increased by about 16%. In terms of absolute rates, this means that for every 10,000 children and adolescents who undergo CT scans, 1-2 cases of blood cancer can be expected to appear within 12 years of the examination.

In Europe, more than a million children undergo CT scans every year, the report said. Although radiation doses during such examinations are reduced as technology improves, the study findings highlight the need to increase awareness of the medical community and apply strict radiation protection measures, especially for the youngest patients.^[2]

Alcohol in small quantities caused 23 thousand cases of cancer in Europe

On January 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the results of a study according to which the amount of alcohol consumed that is safe for health does not exist. Read more here.

2022: Two sodas a day raise risk of obesity-related cancer death

On September 15, 2022, a study was published, according to which people who drink two or more servings of sugar-sweetened drinks (PSN) per day are more likely to die from cancer caused by obesity, including cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, postmenopausal breast and endometrium. Read more here.

2020

Smoking is a major risk factor for cancer

In October 2020, Professor of the Moscow Clinical Scientific Center Mikhail Kropotov took part in the scientific symposium "The Impact of Smoking on the Treatment of Patients with Head and Neck Tumors." The discussion was also attended by Artem Gevorkov, senior researcher at the Research Center for Radiology of the Ministry of Health, and Svetlana Kutukova, a chemotherapy doctor at the St. Petersburg Oncology Center. Although the number of tumors caused by the human papillomavirus has been increasing in recent years, smoking still ranks first among risk factors for cancer, they said.

"A smoking patient has a whole range of comorbid diseases, often it can be a massive throat tumour. Unfortunately, this category of patients has been getting younger in recent years. We used to see head and neck tumours in patients in their 60s and 70s. Now patients come with a large tumor process at the age of 30-40, "said Artem Gevorkov.

Smoking and alcohol negatively affect the condition of the oral mucosa and are a constituent part of carcinogenesis. At the same time, the patients themselves often do not associate the occurrence of malignant neoplasms with an unhealthy lifestyle.

"Alpha-1 acidic glycoprotein is one of the main proteins contributing to the acute phase of inflammation. For smokers, it is constantly elevated, "said Svetlana Kutukova.

Smoking also reduces the effectiveness of other methods of treating cancer - chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as it contributes to the development of resistance to the most effective targeted drugs, as a result of which chemotherapy is ineffective.

"64% of patients with cancer continue to smoke despite the fact that they explain the consequences of the deterioration of the course of the disease," said Svetlana Kutukova.

It is best to start quitting smoking, according to Professor Mikhail Kropotov, at least 6 weeks before the operation. On the eve of the operation itself, this is, on the contrary, dangerous, since a sharp refusal can affect the tolerance of anesthesia and the course of the postoperative period.

Muscovite fell ill with cancer after installing braces

At the beginning of 2020, it became known about the investigation that the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia began to conduct after information appeared about the development of a cancerous tumor in a Muscovite after installing braces in a private clinic in the southeast of the capital. Read more here.

The impact of smartphones on the development of thyroid cancer has been proven

In late January 2020, Yale School of Health researchers published a paper that found cell phone irradiation is associated with higher rates of thyroid cancer among people with genetic variations in certain genes. Read more here.

2019: Bacteria cause 20% of all malignancies

In November 2019, it became known about the relationship between bacterial infections and malignant formations. Bacteria affect the onset of cancer, scientists from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte State concluded.

According to biologists, cancer develops due to the interaction between bacteria and the glycoprotein MUC1 (mucin-1), which is secreted by mucosal cells. As a result, such types of oncological diseases as cancers of the colon, lungs, stomach, liver and pancreas can develop.

It became known about the relationship between bacterial infections and malignant formations

Epithelial cells synthesize mucin-1 in order to protect themselves from bacteria. MUC1 forms a kind of slippery barrier, which protects cells from external stimuli.

According to the conclusions of scientists, MUC1 can play a dual role during infection, being either an anti-inflammatory agent, preventing bacterial attack, or vice versa, causing and accelerating inflammatory processes, which, in turn, can cause malignant neoplasms.

Scientists noted that about 20% of all malignant tumors are associated with a viral or bacterial infection. The reason for their appearance is constant inflammation.

In an article published in the journal Trends in to medicine Molecular Medicine, oncology biologists Pinku Mukherjee and Mukulika Bose discussed the mechanism according to which bacterial infections can cause the development of various cancers. Mukherjee emphasizes that in the future it will be necessary to study mucins more seriously in order to understand the root cause of the transformation of cancer cells.

The authors of the study hope that the results of their work will interest colleagues and allow them to better study the link between mucin-1 and the emergence of cancer. This can help prevent the occurrence of similar diseases or better diagnose them.^[3]

Cancer diagnosis

Main article: Cancer diagnosis

Cancer treatment

Main article: Cancer treatment

Notes