What causes cancer?

Cancer – Basic information There are over 200 types of cancer! There are many different ways to get

cancer, not just hereditary like a lot of people think.

Most people don’t just get cancer, there is usually other problems that caused it.

Age A lot of types of cancer become more

common as we get older. The longer we live, the more time there

is to make “Genetic Mistakes” . As you get old your cells change so

much that they could become cancerous.

They could also be cancerous but it takes longer for them to develop.

Immune System If you have problems with your immune

system you are more likely to get some sort of cancer, Doesn't mean you will though.

Some examples of immune system problems are AIDs/HIVs, rare medical syndromes, certain viruses.

The types of cancers that goes along with the immune system are liver, stomach, and cervical cancer.

Bodyweight Maintaining a healthy bodyweight, more

physical activity, and a healthier diet can lesson the chances of you getting a certain type of cancer.

In the UK scientists say if you follow those 3 “rules” every 1 of 3 deaths would not occur.

Day to Day Environment You can get cancer from things you can

not even prevent like 2nd hand smoke. Some more common examples of this is

Tabaco (smoke), the sun, natural and man made radiation.

There are MANY more example, some of these are even avoidable and some aren’t.

What is Carcinogen? It means “something that causes cancer. Carcinogens damage the DNA, causing

problems in genes that can lead to cancer. Examples of this are Tobacco, air pollution,

the sun, harmful gases. Carcinogen is only a contributing factor,

there are many other reasons to how cancer is formed.

DNA mutation (Physical) These include radiation, ultraviolet light

and mineral fibers like asbestos fiber, which causes mesothelioma.

Sources of radiation may include x-rays, cosmic rays, and indirectly from radon gas.

DNA mutation (Chemical) Chemical mutation is caused by binding and

chemical interaction of a chemical substance to the DNA.

This binding may cause damage to DNA or may simply cause the genetic code to be misread.

Examples: benzopyrene (found in cigarette smoke) and vinyl chloride (found in the plastics industry), and hetrocyclic amines (found in over-cooked food).

DNA mutation (Biological) Includes viruses and bacteria. Viruses has many different ways to

make a cell cancerous, not just one. Most donate their DNA to the host cell

and cause problems in the genetic code. Which will eventually lead to cancer.

Examples of these are human papilloma virus, T-cell lymphocytic virus, hepatitis B virus,