Life Style, Smoking and Air Pollution, Key Carcinogenic Agents

Member of radio oncology department of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences announced life style, smoking and air pollution as key factors that predispose cancer.

According to WebDa, expressing that cancer is one of the most important non-contingent diseases prevention from which is regarded a priority of the health system due to its chronic nature, burden of disease and treatment costs, Dr. Mahboubeh Sadeghi said: “the most important factors that cause cancer in all societies have almost the same pattern including carcinogens, life style, food misbehavior, and population changes.

Referring to the most important carcinogens, she said: “smoking, biologic and chronic infections (aflatoxins, helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus, and hepatitis B, C), alcohol, lifestyle (nutrition, obesity, and physical activity), ionizing radiation (sun rays, ultraviolet, radon gas, X-ray, Gama ray, and electromagnetic fields), air pollution (asbestos, benzene), water and soil (arsenic and other heavy metals) and habitat (animal fuels), contact with chemicals (asbestos, silica, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, and coal, materials used in the dye industry), genetic allergies and existence of sensitive genes in some malignancies are among the most important factors.

This faculty member of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences said: “cancer is a cause of death throughout the world and, following cardiovascular diseases, it is the second common cause of death in developed countries and the third cause of death in less developed countries”.

Pointing to common cancers in the country, she said: “the most common cancers in developed countries include prostate, breast and colorectal cancers that if identified early they can be treated and controlled; liver, stomach and esophagus cancers are more common in less-developed countries in which they are not treated successfully due to late diagnosis”.

Assistant professor of the radio oncology department of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences added: “according to World Health Organization estimates, deaths from cancer will double by 2020”.