Finding cures, debunking myths, searching for causes
Cancer research is gradually turning cancer into a chronic disease for many and a cure for significant numbers. Cancer is a generic term for a collection of diseases that can affect any part of the body. While there are similarities in these diseases, there are differences that require tailored approaches. The causes vary with various types of cancer.
Similarities
All cancer involves uncontrolled growth of cells in the body, caused by damage to the growth control mechanism in the cell. Most of the time, damage is repaired by our immune system or the cell just dies, preventing cancer from developing. Too high a rate of damage (for example, caused by daily cigarette smoking) or too little repair (for example, increases in rates of cancer as we age and our immune systems become less efficient) can increase the chance of a damaged cell growing and dividing unchecked.
Differences
Some cancers are easier to detect, either because of where they are located (e.g. on the skin) or because we have a test that will detect changes early (e.g. mammograms for breast cancer, PSA blood tests for prostate cancer). Like any disease, cancer is easier to treat successfully when detected early, while the growth is small and hasn’t spread.
Cancer myths debunked
Myth—Cancer is a death sentence
In increasing numbers, cancer is becoming a chronic disease or is cured completely. We all know someone who had cancer 10 or more years ago and is doing well. I have a friend whose cancer was 25 years ago and has had no sign of recurrence.
The 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined is now about 67%; those for breast, prostate and thyroid cancers are 90% or better. Researchers are constantly finding better treatments and methods to detect cancers early when they are more easily treated. Survival rates have increased by 1.5% on average each year since 2001.
Of course, ideally we want researchers to find the causes of cancers and to recognize pre-cancerous changes so we don’t need to suffer through treatments and worry. Cell changes in the cervix, and bowel polyps are now recognized as potentially pre-cancerous changes that are searched out and treated before cancer can develop.
Myth—Cancer is contagious
Cancer cannot spread from on person to another. However, a few cancers are caused by an infection that can be passed to another person. Two examples are cervical cancer, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), and liver cancer, that can be caused by hepatitis B and C viruses. We now have vaccines to prevent these infections which are reducing the cancers they cause.
Myth—Cell phones cause cancer
Somehow the rumour that 5G cell signals cause cancer has been spreading through the internet. While we do know that exposure to ionizing radiation (e.g. X-rays) can cause cancer, cell phones emit radio waves, a type of non-ionizing radiation that has never been found to cause cancer.
Myth—Artificial sweeteners cause cancer
Although older sweeteners, like cyclamate combined with saccharin, were found to cause bladder cancer in lab animals, currently used sweeteners, like stevia and the sugar-alcohols (e.g. erythritol, sorbitol), have been well tested and were found to be safe. Aspartame has also been tested in over a half million human subjects and no links were found to various cancers, like lymphoma, leukemia or brain cancer.
I’ve found that aspartame and some of the other artificial sweeteners tend to have an unpleasant aftertaste, however, especially when too much as been added. Of course, we know that too much added sugar is bad for our health. Excess artificial sweetness may fit into the same category by keeping up our cravings for the sweet taste. But it’s surprising how quickly our taste will adjust to less added sweetness, as it does for decreased salt. Since cutting back on sugar and salt, I find many commercial baked goods too sweet or salty for my taste preference now. I commonly reduce sugar in recipes by 1/3 to 1/2.
Myth—Herbal medicines can cure or treat cancer
While some natural medicines or treatments like acupuncture and massage may help with side effects or the stress of cancer or its treatment, none has been shown to cure or treat cancer.
Remember that herbal medications are medicines still in their natural form, and can have side effects or drug interactions you need to watch out for. For example, kava kava may cause liver damage and St. John’s wort can increase the effects and side effects of some antidepressants, since it works by a similar mechanism. Be sure to discuss any use of herbal medicines with your doctor or pharmacist.
Myth—Most cancers run in families
While an estimated 3 to 10% of cancers are the result of inheriting a faulty gene from a parent that increases cancer risk, most cancers are not inherited. Most cancers are believedthoroughtly to be caused by damage to one or more genes that starts in a single cell during a person’s lifetime.
A newer alternative explanation for cancer, being investigated, is that damage occurs to the energy-producing mechanism of the cell (the mitochondria), providing the cell with unending energy to grow and divide faster and longer than normal cells that die off after a finite number of cell divisions. Interesting research… hopefully it will result in new ways to treat or prevent cancers.
But even inheriting a bad gene doesn’t necessarily mean you will get the associated cancer. Genes need to be “expressed” or turned on to have an action, in this case, increasing a person’s chance of developing cancer. Epigenetics is the study of the factors that turn particular genes on and off, and these factors can be controlled and changed. This research is also working toward new treatments and prevention strategies for cancer.
Myth—There is no cure for cancer
Many cancers today can be cured, especially if detected early. Testicular and thyroid cancers have a 60% cure rate. Breast, prostate and bladder cancers are cured around 50% of the time. These percentages increase each year, as cancer researchers do their work.
Cancer prevention
Many cancers are preventable. For example, according to the WHO report on Cancer in 2020, 2.4 million deaths occur every year due to use of tobacco products. Other known risk factors are heavy alcohol consumption, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.
There are also known environmental factors, like exposure to certain pesticides and herbicides, asbestos, second-hand tobacco smoke, radiation and excess exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays that cause cancers. Too few of the chemicals we use have been thoroughly tested for carcinogenic (cancer-causing) activity.
And there are many chemicals produced inside our bodies that cause or stimulate cancer growth too, like oxygen radicals, excess hormones and other substances that induce inflammation or stimulate growth of malignant cells.
I keep watching for research into causes for cancer, so we can all take steps to avoid this terrible group of diseases, but it’s also important to take advantage of screening strategies for early detection that scientists have developed. Researchers tell us that about half of all cancers could be prevented.
More resources need to be directed toward cancer causes and prevention. While cures are increasing, overall rates of cancer are increasing too. And even when the science is there (for example, smoking has been known to cause cancer since the 1950’s) it can take decades for change. We need better systems to turn scientific discoveries into action and results. This is called “knowledge translation”… on average, it takes 17 years for a scientific discovery to be implemented as regular practice or policy. COVID research has been a refreshing and inspiring exception, thank goodness! It’s been inspiring and informative to watch the science evolve and be implemented in such a short time.
During the month of May, Cancer Research Month, please pause a moment to thank and support the researchers who continually strive to eliminate cancer by researching treatments, causes and prevention strategies.
References:
Medical myths: All about cancer – Medical News Today
Colon polyps – Mayo Clinic
Cancer-causing substances in the environment—National Cancer Institute
Tobacco use causes almost one third of cancer deaths in the WHO European Region – World Health Organization
A Call For More Research On Cancer’s Environmental Triggers—NPR
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