Tobacco contains at least 50 carcinogens and has become a leading cause of cancer and cancer-related death. Tobacco inhalation, even secondary inhalation, can disrupt a large number of cell signaling pathways that can lead to damaged genetic material and eventually cancer. 

Regardless of your age, people who quit smoking have substantial gains in life expectancy compared to those who continue to smoke. Furthermore, quitting smoking at the time of a cancer diagnoses can even reduce the risk of death.

It is best to reduce your intake of alcohol as in cases of chronic alcohol consumption, there is an increased risk of cancer, particularly those of the upper aerodigestive tract. One possible association between alcohol and tumorigenesis is the metabolism of ethanol which acts as a co-carcinogen. 

When ethanol is broken down, it produces acetaldehydes and free radicals. Free radicals are an atom, molecule or compound that is highly unstable, therefore, they pair up with other atoms or molecules to achieve a more stable state. When the concentrations of free radicals are abnormally high, they are hazardous to the body as they can attach to parts of the DNA, proteins and cell membranes. In particular, their ability to bind to DNA is thought to contribute to the development of cancer.

Research has found links between our diet and cancer due to the large variation in instances of specific cancers in different countries. For example, people of Asian ethnicity have shown to have 25 times lower incidence of prostate cancer and ten times lower incidence of breast cancer than residents in western countries.

Obesity and excess body fat is a major global health challenge that has not only been associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease but is also a major risk factor for the development of cancer. Therefore, a healthy weight range will not only decrease your chances of the development of cancer but also other health problems. Several studies have also found that there are active components derived from fruits, vegetables and wholegrains that have chemopreventive effects.

Many years of research have identified a physically active lifestyle can reduce the occurrence of some cancers. There are several biological mechanisms hypothesized to explain this link including changes in endogenous sexual and metabolic hormone levels and growth factors, decreased obesity especially central adiposity, and possible changes in immune function.* Exercise not only influences cancer development but also other aspects of the cancer experience including detection, coping, rehabilitation and survival after a cancer diagnosis. Therefore, try to build a healthy exercise regime into your week.

* Christine M. Friedenreich , Marla R. Orenstein, Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention: Etiologic Evidence and Biological Mechanisms, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 132, Issue 11, November 2002, Pages 3456S–3464S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/132.11.3456S

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major etiologic agent in the development of skin cancers. Sunlight is a continuous spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that is divided into three major spectrums of wavelength: UV, visible and infrared. The UV range has the most significant spectrum of sunlight, therefore, it is known to cause direct cellular and DNA damage as well as alterations in immunologic function.* The DNA damage occurs through the formation of cyclobutene pyrimidine dimers which interferes with the base pairing process during DNA replication, leading to mutations. One known mutation from UVR occurs to p53 which is a tumour suppressor gene involved in DNA repair pathways and apoptosis of cells whose DNA is highly damaged. When p53 is mutated, the DNA repair process is compromised which can lead to the initiation of skin cancer. 

UVR also adversely affects the skin’s immune system through several ways including diminishing antigen-presentation and inducing immunosuppressive cytokine production which makes you more susceptible to skin cancers.

Some simple changes in your behaviour and lifestyle may prevent sun damage and skin cancer. You can minimize sun exposure during peak hours, ensure you wear sun protective clothing and sunscreen, and avoid using tanning beds and lamps.

* Narayanan, D.L., Saladi, R.N. and Fox, J.L. (2010), Review: Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer. International Journal of Dermatology, 49: 978-986. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2010.04474.x

It is important to be aware of the stress symptoms that affect your body, thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. We can categorise stress into two forms: acute (usually occurs in emergencies such as a fight or flight response and is often beneficial to the body) and chronic (heavily implicated in causing health problems). Research has revealed evidence that chronic stress can induce tumorigenesis and promote cancer development.* One way is through the activation of the inflammatory response and pro-tumorigenic immune cells within the tumour microenvironment. These immune cells maintain a balance between promoting tumour inflammation and anti-tumour immunity. Chronic stress alters this balance resulting in a long term pro-inflammatory response resulting in the immune cells acting on all stages of tumour development (initiation, promotion, malignant transformation, invasion, and metastasis). Other ways that chronic stress can be linked to increased cancer risk is through angiogenesis which refers to the formation of tumour blood vessels that facilitate tumour development and metastasis. Studies have found significantly increased tumour blood vessel formation in stressed animals compared to control. 

Try and reduce the amount of stress on your body with useful stress management strategies like regular exercise, practicing relaxation and mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing, and meditation.

?* S. Dai et al, ‘Molecular and Cellular Oncology’ REVIEW article. Front. Oncol., 19 August 2020 Sec. Volume 10 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.01492

When we have an injury to our tissues, our body has a normal physiological inflammatory response to allow the tissue to heal. The damaged tissue begins by secreting chemicals which activate the white blood cells within our immune system to produce a substance that induces our cells to divide and grow. Once the damaged tissue has healed, the inflammatory process ceases. 

However, in instances of chronic inflammation, the inflammatory process may begin when there is no injury or doesn’t cease when it should. Certain circumstances where this may occur are when infections don’t go away, an abnormal immune reaction or obesity. Over time, this can cause damage to our DNA and eventually lead to cancer.