Cancer And The Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cancer And The Environment - Essay Example Certain environments, regions, and areas lead to high rates of specific cancers. For example, Asians are at high risk of stomach cancer and Americans, have greater chances of catching breast of prostate cancer. However, when Asians migrate from their native countries to America, the risk of stomach cancer decreases for them and like other Americans, their risk of catching prostate or breast cancer comes near to that of average Americans (USDHHS, 2011). Therefore, exposures to certain environments, regions, and substances will go on to define the risk of various cancers. For example, people who have excessive exposure to benzene, a chemical substance that is found dyes leads to higher risk of bladder cancer. Internal Factors There are certain internal factors, within the body, with also determine the likeness of a person getting cancer. Genetic factors, weaker immune system, abnormal hormone system and others are of a few of these. For example, scientists have discovered few rare fami lies that have been passing on altered genes on to their generations thus increasing their susceptibility to a certain kind of cancer (USDHHS, 2011). Despite the fact that this only account for less than 2-5 percent of all cancers, some people may be born with their inbuilt tendency to catch certain cancer. Genes also play an important in this regard because not all people who are exposed to certain environments get cancer. There are millions of smokers in the world but not all of them get lung cancer, however, there are certain specifications in the genes, which increase or decrease the risk of the person to catch cancer if exposed to certain environments. The study of genes for above-mentioned purposes is known as molecular epidemiology, which is a growing field of study in the field of cancer studies. Interactions of Environmental Factors and Genes Environmental factors like sunlight, toxic substances and chemicals in the environment and prolonged exposure to these factors could lead to serious alterations in our genes and permanent alterations in this regard have the capability to cause cancers (USDHHS, 2011). Despite the fact that researchers have come up with the variety of factors that may cause cancer, gene alterations and increase the risk to cancer but they have still not able to come up with the exact or even tentative amounts of exposure to certain environmental and their combination of genetic factors that would lead to cancer. The Nature of Cancer There are over 100 types of known cancers to the humankind and all of them start within the human cells, which are the building blocks of the body (USDHHS, 2011). The human body has the predefined and controlled system where the older cells die off after a certain period and younger cells take their place. However, cancer acts like a foreign invader in the human body and tries to dictate its own terms of growth of cells, which is greater than the normal growth, rate thus creating a tumor. When these can cer cells increase in number, they become more powerful and start interfering with the functions of tissues thus depriving human body of performing certain functions.