Cancer is a serious life threatening disease, so what are the factors that increase the risk of developing it? How can it be prevented?
To answer these questions, Professor Mattias Heikenfelder of the German Center for Cancer Research explained that cancer may be hereditary, meaning that it is inherited from parents by genetics, but it can also be acquired in the course of life during certain conditions.
The German doctor added that there are factors that raise cancer rates, such as smoking, and at the same time there are factors that reduce the risk, such as eating vegetables regularly.
Heikenfelder noted that in theory, a detailed analysis can calculate different and individual risks for each person and every type of cancer, and ideally those at risk of developing certain types of cancer should be examined repeatedly.
Tobacco and alcohol
It is well known that tobacco, alcohol and exposure to ultraviolet light and some viruses increase the possibility of infection, and that there are many unknown effects that doctors do not know their role.
For her part, Dr. Oti Mons, who also works at the Cancer Research Center, explained that smoking is a strong factor in lung cancer.
Healthy lifestyle
Mons added that the possibility of developing a prevalent type of cancer such as breast cancer can be reduced by following a healthy lifestyle, which is based on a balanced diet, exercise and non-smoking, knowing also that about 90% of the genetic changes responsible for the development of cancer They happen and acquire during life, but it is clear that genetic factors play a very important role.
Doctors believe that it is still possible to prevent many types of cancer, and this applies to 30 to 50% of cases.
Heikenfelder believes that some types of cancer can be avoided completely, for example cervical cancer, which is caused by HPV viruses, and that there is an "vaccination" vaccination against them.
Mons pointed out that the early detection of colon cancer greatly increases the chances of recovery from it, as the primary sites of cancer are discovered through endoscopy and the removal of these tumors at the beginning.
Incorrect nutrition increases the risk of certain types of cancer. For example, consuming fats and sugars for long periods increases the risk of cancer in the liver, intestines and kidneys, as metabolic disorders occur, cells die and infections occur, and lack of movement and alcohol intake increases. Rates of some types of cancer.
The golden advice for cancer prevention is healthy and balanced nutrition and continued exercise and movement activities for at least 150 minutes per week, with smoking cessation and drinking alcohol.
Pills
The results of a British study showed that women who use birth control pills are less likely to develop certain types of cancer compared to women who do not take birth control pills at all.
The study shows that women who take long-term birth control pills are less likely to develop certain types of cancer, according to a report published by the German channel SVR.
British specialists relied in their study on data for more than 46 thousand women participating in the study in the late sixties of the last century, where half of them took birth control pills, and the other half never took pills, and the study lasted for more than 40 years until 2012, and women underwent regular medical examinations, And those who had cancer were registered.
Through this study, the researchers reached a clear conclusion that taking hormonal birth control pills definitely reduces the risk of certain types of cancer, such as stomach or ovarian cancer, and taking birth control pills appears to be protection against cancer.
Also, women who took birth control pills for a long time and stopped doing this need not feel anxious, as data shows - as Dr. Lisa Everson, who accompanied the study at the University of Aberdeen in recent years - confirms that women who took birth control pills and stopped doing so are also less Very vulnerable to the possibility of developing cancer.
It is estimated that around 150 million women regularly take birth control pills around the world, according to the German health website, "Deutsche Abbotke Zeitung".