Posts Tagged ‘Alcohol’

What are some of the risk factors of cancer and bone cancer?

These cancers occur more frequently in children and young adults.
- Those who have had radiation or chemotherapy treatments for other conditions are majorly prone.
- Adults with Paget’s disease, a noncancerous condition characterized by abnormal development of new bone cells, will be at an increased risk for osteosarcoma.
- Children with hereditary retinoblastoma (an uncommon cancer of the eye) are at a higher risk of developing osteosarcoma.
- Many of these risk factors can be avoided.
- Others, such as family history, cannot be avoided.
- People can help protect themselves by staying away from known risk factors.

Cancer risk factors
- Growing older
- Tobacco
- Sunlight
- Ionizing radiation
- Certain chemicals and other substances
- Some viruses and bacteria
- Certain hormones
- Family history of cancer
- Alcohol
- Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight

Growing older
- The most important risk factor for cancer is growing older.
- Most cancers occur in people over the age of 65.

Tobacco
- Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death.
- Using tobacco products or regularly being around tobacco smoke increases the risk of cancer.
- They also are more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that starts in blood cells).
Smokers develop cancer of the
- lung,
- larynx (voice box),
- mouth,
- esophagus,
- bladder,
- kidney,
- throat,
- stomach,
- pancreas,
- cervix

Sunlight
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation comes from the sun, sunlamps, and tanning booths which causes early aging of the skin.
- Skin damage can lead to skin cancer.

Ionizing radiation
- Ionizing radiation can cause cell damage that leads to cancer.
This kind of radiation comes from rays
- that enter the Earth’s atmosphere from outer space,
- radioactive fallout,
- radon gas,
- x-rays,
- other sources
People exposed to fallout may have an increased risk of cancer like
- leukemia
- cancers of the thyroid,
- cancer of breast
- cancer of lung,
- Stomach cancer.

Medical procedures are a common source of radiation:
- Doctors use radiation (low-dose x-rays) to take pictures of the inside of the body.
- Doctors use radiation therapy.

Certain chemicals and other substances
- Jobs of painters, construction workers, and those in the chemical industry have an increased risk of cancer.
- Exposure to asbestos, benzene, benzidine, cadmium, nickel, or vinyl chloride in the workplace can cause cancer.

Some viruses and bacteria
Being infected with certain viruses or bacteria may increase the risk of developing cancer:
- Human papillomaviruses (HPVs): HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer.
- Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses: Liver cancer can develop after many years of infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
- Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV-1): Infection with HTLV-1 increases a person’s risk of lymphoma and leukemia.
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. People who have HIV infection are at greater risk of cancer, such as lymphoma and a rare cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma.
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV): Infection with EBV has been linked to an increased risk of lymphoma.
- Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8): This virus is a risk factor for Kaposi’s sarcoma.
- Helicobacter pylori: This bacterium can cause stomach ulcers. It also can cause stomach cancer and lymphoma in the stomach lining.

Certain hormones
Estrogen alone or estrogen along with progestin hormones may increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, or blood clots.

Alcohol and Poor Diet
It can lead to developing of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, and breast.
Poor diet, lack of physical activity, or being overweight increases the risk of cancers of the colon, uterus, and prostate.

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What is the reaction of alcohol with colorectal cancer?

Colon and rectum are two of the main organs which make up the digestive system, mainly the large intestine. Any problems persisting in any of these organs may result in the malfunctioning of the digestive system.

Colorectal cancer is one such disease which highly affects the rectum and the colon. When the cells in the inner lining of the rectum and the colon start multiplying even when there is no need for multiplication, it gives rise to colorectal cancer.

This is caused mainly due to the abnormal growth of the cells in the rectum and the colon. Colorectal cancer can be very dangerous if not treated at the correct time and in the correct manner. It is the third most common death causing cancer in the world.

There are various risk factors which may lead to colorectal cancer in a person. These risk factors include family history of colorectal cancer i.e. hereditary problem, age factor, smoking and many more. Another very common risk factor of the colorectal cancer is the intake of alcohol. You must be wondering how alcohol can affect the rectum and the colon. This article will tell you the reason why alcohol can prove to be dangerous to you colon and the rectum.

Alcohol has both positive as well as negative effect on the cells of the rectum and colon. As a positive effect, alcohol can lead to the death of the cancerous cells which are growing inside the organs but as a negative effect it may stimulate the proliferation of the cancerous cells. Studies have clearly shown that the risk of colorectal cancer in a person increases with the increase in his alcohol drinking habit. More the intake of alcohol more will be the person at the risk of colorectal cancer.

Studies have been made regularly regarding this aspect and they have shown that the people consuming around or more than 30 grams of alcohol per day are at an increased risk of colorectal cancer than those who do not drink at all.

The people who have an intake of more than 45 grams of alcohol per day are at the maximum risk of colorectal cancer. Also it has been proved that about 3.6 % of colorectal cancer cases are due to alcohol intake and the 3.5 % of the deaths due to colorectal cancer have drinkers involved.

In a research done for about 14 years and 7 months it was shown that out of 400 cases of colorectal cancer about half of the people were at the regular intake of alcohol.People who had 41 drinks per week had 95 % chances of suffering from colorectal cancer.

Alcohol is considered to be dangerous because it stimulates the growth of adenoma and as a result promotes colorectal carcinogenesis. It has been shown by various studies and researches that out of all the drinks containing alcohol, beer is the drink which is closely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer whereas wine has the weakest association.

Alcohol tends to alter the metabolism process of the liver compounds like the genotoxic compounds (eg: nitrosamines). This is because the microsomal monooxygenase i.e. the metabolism system of the liver is suppressed by the intake of alcohol and this as a result leads to the growth of colorectal cancer.

The risk of colorectal cancer due to alcohol intake depends on various factors like the amount of alcohol intake per day, the type of alcohol intake etc. On one hand when studies show that beer can increase the risk of colorectal cancer in a person it has also been proved on the other hand that the moderate intake of wine can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

In conclusion, it can be said that alcohol is moderately related with the risk of colorectal cancer.