Cancer is a word that often brings worry and confusion, especially when we think about what causes it. In the United States, many common cancers can be stopped before they even start, simply by making different choices in our lives.
For example, skin cancers, like melanoma, are usually caused by spending too much time in the sun without protection. Lung cancers are often linked to smoking cigarettes.
But figuring out exactly how much cancer is caused by our choices, as opposed to just getting older or plain bad luck, has been hard for scientists.
A new study from researchers at Yale University has made some progress in this area. They looked into how changes in our DNA lead to the growth of cancer in many types of the disease.
Before this study, scientists already knew that they could predict the effects of certain behaviors, like sunbathing or smoking, on our genes.
In their research, the Yale team focused on specific changes in the genes of 24 different cancers.
These changes can show how much things like too much sun have contributed to cancer. They found a way to measure how much each of these changes mattered for the cancer’s growth.
What’s interesting is that they could tell which parts of getting cancer were due to things people could avoid and which parts were not.
For instance, avoiding tobacco and protecting your skin from the sun could significantly reduce the risk of cancers like those in the bladder and skin.
On the other hand, prostate cancers and brain cancers called gliomas seem to happen more because of aging and less because of lifestyle or environmental reasons.
This research could be really helpful for people living in areas or working in jobs where cancer rates are unusually high. It might help find out if something in the environment is increasing the risk of cancer.
The study suggests that understanding the mix of causes behind cancer could help in finding what leads to it. This could be a big deal for public health, helping to spot cancer risks early and potentially save lives by preventing more cancers from happening.
However, the study didn’t look at every possible change in the genes that could lead to cancer. There’s still a lot more to learn about complex genetic changes.
But the findings are a step forward in understanding how much of cancer is within our control and how much isn’t.
This important research was shared in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, led by Jeffrey Townsend and his team.
Their work offers hope and direction for how we might reduce the impact of cancer by focusing on what we can change and understanding what we cannot.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about a new method to treat cancer effectively, and this low-dose, four-drug combo may block cancer spread.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
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