Environmental Factors that Could Cause Cancer - Essay Example

There is no denying the fact that cancer is a disease that commands loads of shock, fear, and stress in popular perception. Strictly speaking, cancer is not a new disease. However, in recent times, the incidence of cancer has been on the rise (Dein, 2006, p. 35). Various dietary, genetic, lifestyle-related, and environmental factors could cause cancer (Dein, 2006, p. 35). Medical experts associate this trend with a range of factors such as pollution, smoking, stress, improper dietary choices, faulty lifestyles, substance abuse, genetics, and the like, which negatively influence the cell division mechanisms in the body and lead to cancerous tumors in different human organs (Dein, 2006, p. 35). To put it in simple words, cancer happens to be an uncontrolled division of cells in an organism’s body (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). In a healthy individual, the division of body cells is systematic and controlled and facilitates many important body functions and physiological developments.

However, in case this cell division gets uncontrolled, it may form a tumor, the name attributed to a mass of abnormal cells (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). As cancerous tumors are composed of abnormal cells, they do not serve any healthy function in an organism’s body. Rather, an unobstructed growth of cancerous tumors obstructs the normal working of the healthy tissues and in extreme cases, if not checked through medical intervention, may cause death (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). Cancers are caused by a variety of reasons or factors.

They may infect any part or tissue in a body. Many a time cancers are caused by genetic disorders (Adrouny, 2002, p. 7). A single malignant gene could transfer the risk of cancer to successive generations. For example, breast cancer and stomach cancers are the two cancers that are mostly of genetic origin (Adrouny, 2002, p. 7). Cancer may also develop due to bad habits like substance abuse and smoking. For instance, if one takes lung cancer, in more than eighty percent of the patients it could be traced to tobacco smoking or the consumption of tobacco products (Sherry, 1994, p. 23). Conclusively speaking, tobacco smoking happens to be a major risk factor that has been proven to cause lung cancer in current times.

Environmental pollution and the excess of harmful chemicals like pesticides, heavy metals, radioactive residues, radiation, DDT, carbon monoxide, benzene, etc. in soil, air, and water have been found to enhance the risk of cancer in human populations (Sherry, 1994, p. 26). Some viruses have also been found to initiate cancer (Sherry, 1994). The thing that needs to be kept in mind is that cancer is a disease that does not develop abruptly but rather happens to be the outcome of multiple factors accumulating over a prolonged period (Sherry, 1994).

Depending on the part of the body or area impacted by a cancerous tumor, there tend to be various types of cancers. There is bladder cancer which hits the urinary system (Health Insite, 2012). The symptoms of bladder cancer are the passing of blood in the urine, persistent urge to urinate without any results, urinating frequent, and experiencing pain during urination (Health Insite, 2012). Human bowels are also susceptible to cancer, giving way to bowel cancer. Most of the time, the incidence of bowel cancer could be lowered by subscribing to proper diet and exercise (Health Insite, 2012).

Besides, bowel cancer is curable if diagnosed at an early stage. Breast cancer is primarily found in women above 40 and it happens to be cancer most commonly found among women (Health Insite, 2012). Breast cancer is most effectively treated if it is detected before it gets an opportunity to spread beyond breasts to other parts of the human body (Health Insite, 2012). The varied parts of the human digestive system like the bowel, stomach, liver, pancreas, and liver are also susceptible to cancer (Health Insite, 2012).

The various other types of cancer that could affect the human body are male and female genital cancers, cancers of the head and neck, kidney cancer, leukemia or blood cancer, bone tissue cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes, nervous system cancers, and skin cancer (Health Insite, 2012). Contrary to popular belief that cancer is synonymous with death, the reality is that most of the time, cancer could be cured (Sherry, 1994). Early diagnosis plays pivotal and crucial in determining a positive prognosis for a cancer patient (Sherry, 1994).

Surgery, biological therapies, radiation, and chemotherapies happen to be the four fundamental approaches toward cancer treatment resorted to by the experts (American Cancer Society, 2012). Considering the ongoing cancer research, many new drugs and treatments are expected to be discovered in the coming decades (Sherry, 1994). Cancer is a disease that could be attributed to many genetic, environmental, or lifestyle-related factors. Cancer could affect almost any organ or part of the body. Irrespective of the negative image of cancer as a disease, the reality is that cancer is mostly curable if diagnosed in time.