These 5 risk factors can cause cells to become cancerous! To prevent them, try this →

In March 2023, the National Cancer Center and the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences published an article in the Chinese Journal of Oncology entitled "Analysis of the Prevalence of Malignant Tumors in China in 2016", announcing that the top 10 malignant tumors in terms of overall incidence in China in 2016 were: lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, brain tumors, and pancreatic cancer .

in:

The top 10 malignant tumors in women are: breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, thyroid cancer, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, uterine body cancer, ovarian cancer, and brain tumors .

The top 10 malignant tumors in male incidence are: lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, and brain tumors .

These 5 major risk factors

Causes normal cells to become cancerous

Although being diagnosed with cancer is a very sudden thing, the occurrence of cancer is not sudden, but a long-term, chronic, multi-stage process . It usually takes 10 to 20 years or even longer for normal cells to evolve into cancer cells and then form tumors that endanger human health, and this evolution can only be completed under the long-term influence of external risk factors.

So what factors can induce cancer? In addition to uncontrollable genetic factors, aging is also a major risk factor for normal cells to evolve into cancer cells. In addition, the "Cancer Prevention and Screening Guide (Popular Science Edition)" also points out that other risk factors that can induce cancer include:

1

Behavioral factors

Such as: active smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, drinking, lack of exercise, etc.

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2

Infectious factors

Such as: Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human papillomavirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus, human T-lymphotropic virus type 1, human herpes virus type 8, Clonorchis sinensis, etc.

3

Dietary factors

For example: insufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, dietary fiber, and whole grains; excessive consumption of red meat, processed meat, and pickled foods; and intake of food and water contaminated with carcinogens such as aflatoxin and arsenic.

4

Metabolic factors

Such as: overweight/obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

5

Environmental factors

Such as: exposure to occupational risk factors, exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants, excessive exposure to ionizing radiation and ultraviolet rays, etc.

The good news is that the above 5 risk factors are preventable and controllable!

How to prevent different cancers?

It is recommended to do this

Cancer is not uncontrollable, and we cannot just sit back and watch it march forward with all its might. On the contrary, cancer is a chronic disease that is preventable and controllable. The World Health Organization points out:

One third of cancers are completely preventable;

One third of cancers can be cured if detected early;

One-third of cancers can be treated with existing medical treatments to prolong life, reduce pain and improve quality of life.

Therefore, as long as we implement the three-level cancer prevention strategy, we can effectively reduce the probability of cancer, slow down the development of cancer, and reduce the disease burden caused by cancer. The three-level cancer prevention strategy refers to:

1

Primary prevention

It refers to the prevention of causes, which is to avoid or reduce exposure to risk factors as much as possible to reduce the risk of cancer.

About 45% of cancers in my country can be effectively prevented by changing unhealthy lifestyles, avoiding exposure to cancer-related risk factors, and getting vaccinated in a timely manner.

Primary prevention measures

Quitting smoking

About 1/4 of cancer deaths in my country are related to smoking. Therefore, quitting smoking is the most economical and effective cancer prevention measure. Smokers should quit smoking as soon as possible, and electronic cigarettes should not be used. The good news is that no matter when you quit smoking, it will greatly reduce the risk of disease and cancer. Non-smokers should also try to stay away from environments exposed to secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

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Stay away from cancer-causing pathogens

We should get vaccinated against hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus (HPV) in a timely manner to prevent liver cancer and cervical cancer.

At the same time, avoid premature sexual activity (first sexual intercourse before the age of 16 is closely related to cervical cancer), reduce high-risk sexual behavior, and prevent cervical cancer, oral cancer, and vaginal cancer.

You should also avoid contact with infected water (water containing schistosome cercariae is called infected water, and contact with infected water is the only way to be infected with schistosomiasis), and do not eat snails (snails are the only intermediate host of schistosomes), to prevent various cancers caused by schistosomiasis, such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, etc.

Also, do not feed infants and young children mouth-to-mouth. It is recommended to use serving chopsticks during dinner parties to prevent digestive tract cancers including stomach cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and esophageal cancer.

Alcohol restriction

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)" recommends that adult males should not drink more than 25 grams of alcohol a day, and adult females should not drink more than 15 grams of alcohol a day. Special groups such as children, teenagers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women should not drink a drop of alcohol.

How to convert? You can use this formula: alcohol intake × alcohol content × 0.8 = alcohol intake. Based on a 4% alcohol content beer, a 500ml bottle of beer contains about 16 grams of alcohol. This means that if an adult male drinks more than one and a half bottles of beer a day, and an adult female drinks more than one bottle of beer a day, it is considered excessive drinking.

Maintaining a healthy weight

We should keep our weight within a healthy range through moderate exercise and a reasonable diet. The weight classification standards for Chinese adults stipulated in the "Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Chinese Adults (2021)" issued by the National Health Commission of China are:

1. BMI < 18.5 kg/㎡ means underweight;

2. BMI between 18.5 and 23.9 kg/㎡ is considered normal weight;

3. BMI between 24 and 27.9 kg/㎡ is considered overweight;

4. BMI ≥ 28 kg/㎡ is considered obese.

Note: BMI=weight/height² (kg/㎡).

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Moderate exercise

The National Fitness Guide recommends that people of all ages should adhere to daily physical activities. According to each person's physical condition and exercise habits, a personalized exercise and fitness plan should be formulated, and the principle of gradual progress should be adopted to continuously improve physical function and exercise ability.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, cycling, housework, gardening, slow swimming, and dancing; vigorous-intensity activities include running, fast swimming, fast cycling, aerobic exercise, team sports such as tennis, etc.

Healthy diet

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) recommends that we:

Adopt a balanced diet with a variety of foods and mainly cereals;

Eat more fruits and vegetables, milk, soy, and eat nuts in moderation;

Eat fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat in moderation, and eat less fatty, smoked, pickled, and processed meat products;

Develop a light eating habit, eat less high-salt and fried foods, and control the intake of added sugar;

It is recommended to drink boiled water and tea, and not drink or drink less sugary drinks;

Do not eat too much, control total energy intake and maintain energy balance.

However, there is no single food or food group in the world that can effectively prevent cancer, and avoiding any specific food does not eliminate the risk of cancer.

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Reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants

We should also strengthen indoor ventilation, choose safe and environmentally friendly decoration materials, and reduce exposure to kitchen fumes, which can effectively prevent cancers such as lung cancer.

other

Strengthen occupational protection to prevent excessive ionizing radiation and exposure.

2

Secondary prevention

It refers to early screening, early diagnosis and early treatment of high-risk groups , improving cancer cure and survival rates and reducing cancer mortality rates.

Secondary prevention measures

The "Guidelines for Cancer Prevention and Screening (Popular Science Edition)" points out that not everyone is suitable for cancer screening. To avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment, cancer screening should be carried out among high-risk groups.

Screening precancerous lesions or early cancer patients in high-risk groups, thereby achieving early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of cancer, can achieve the goal of improving the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients.

Internationally recognized cancers suitable for screening include: lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.

The esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, and thyroid cancer, which are highly prevalent in my country, and the nasopharyngeal cancer, which is highly prevalent in Guangdong and Guangxi, have all been included in the early diagnosis and treatment programs for cancers currently being carried out in my country.

Therefore, the above 10 types of cancer should be screened early. The recommended screening methods are as follows:

In the apparently healthy general risk population, rapid and simple tests, examinations or other methods can also be used to distinguish those who may be sick from those who may not be sick.

Recommended screening tests for adult women and men at all ages are as follows:

Recommended cancer screening schedule for adult women

Map: Zeng Xinyue

Recommended schedule for cancer screening in adult men

Map: Zeng Xinyue

In addition, the "Guidelines for Cancer Prevention and Screening (Popular Science Edition)" points out that in the apparently healthy general risk population, when certain symptoms appear in the body, it may be a dangerous signal of cancer. It should be taken seriously and promptly diagnosed and treated at a regular medical institution.

These symptoms include:

1. Abnormal lumps appear in superficial parts of the body.

2. Moles or warts on the body surface become darker or grow larger rapidly in a short period of time.

3. Abnormal sensations in the body, such as choking, pain, etc.

4. Ulcers on the skin or mucous membranes that do not heal for a long time.

5. Persistent indigestion and loss of appetite.

6. Changes in bowel habits and characteristics or blood in the bowel movements.

7. Persistent hoarseness, dry cough, and blood in sputum.

8. Abnormal hearing, nose bleeding, and headache.

9. Abnormal vaginal bleeding, especially contact bleeding.

10. Painless hematuria and difficulty urinating.

11. Unexplained fever, fatigue, and progressive weight loss.

3

Three-level prevention

It means alleviating cancer patients' symptoms and improving their survival rate and quality of life through reasonable treatment and rehabilitation.

The advanced experience of developed countries in the world shows that if we take active prevention and standardized treatment measures, it will have a significant effect in reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer.

In fact, the probability of curing early-stage cancer is very high. The earlier the cancer is discovered, the higher the probability of cure. With the current level of medical technology, most cancers that are discovered at an early stage, such as early lung cancer and stomach cancer, can be cured through surgery as the main method, combined with auxiliary treatment before or after surgery depending on the situation.

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Cancers discovered in the late stages are more difficult to cure, but that doesn’t mean they are incurable. Since the emergence of treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy, many patients with advanced cancer have the potential to be cured. Some patients with advanced cancer can achieve longer-term survival with the cancer through comprehensive treatment, thus turning cancer into a chronic disease.

Three-level prevention measures

The main cancer treatment methods include: surgical treatment, radiotherapy (radiotherapy), chemotherapy (chemotherapy), targeted therapy, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, etc., and multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment can also be adopted.

Cancer patients must go to a regular hospital for cancer treatment. They should not seek medical treatment from all directions and should not believe in folk remedies and false advertisements, so as to avoid delaying the disease, wasting money, and missing the best time for treatment.

In addition, the physical and mental state of cancer patients is very important. They should receive psychological counseling, maintain a good mood, enhance their own immunity, eat a balanced diet, exercise appropriately, use medications reasonably, and have regular check-ups .

Everyone is the first person responsible for their own health . To prevent cancer scientifically, we must start now, change our unhealthy lifestyles, avoid contact with cancer-related risk factors, get vaccinated in a timely manner, and undergo regular physical examinations and screenings.

I hope each of us can stay healthy for a long time.

References

[1] Analysis of the prevalence of malignant tumors in China in 2016, National Cancer Center, Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, March 2023.

[2] “Guidelines for Cancer Prevention and Screening (Popular Science Edition)”, National Cancer Center, People’s Medical Electronic Audiovisual Publishing House, October 2020.

[3] Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016), Chinese Nutrition Society, People’s Medical Publishing House, May 2016.

[4] “Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Adults in China (2021)”, Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China, People’s Medical Publishing House, September 2021.

[5] National Fitness Guide, General Administration of Sport of China, July 2018.

Planning and production

Author: Zeng Xinyue, popular science creator

Reviewer: Wang Zhen, Associate Chief Physician of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Planning丨Cui Yinghao

Editor: Cui Yinghao

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