Cancer

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease in which malignant cells divide uncontrollably, destroying and spreading to healthy, normal tissue. Cancer can cause tumors (areas of abnormal cell growth) to form in the body. There are two types of tumors: cancerous and benign. Cancerous tumors can spread to other organs of the body while benign tumors are noncancerous and do not spread to other organs. Cancerous cells form when a mistake is made during the division of cells. There are many different types of cancer, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia.

What is the link between canned food and cancer?

Canned food can contain BPA, and BPA has been linked to cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. In fact, according to nih.gov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22576693), there is a study that has found a direct link between BPA and canned food. The study analyzed breast cells exposed to BPA and found that these cells had more expression of genes involved in DNA repair. These changes in the cell suggest that BPA exposure can cause breast cancer. Nih.gov also contains a study which connects BPA exposure to prostate cancer. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24594937) This study used 60 urology patients and took the BPA level of each of these patients. After analysis, the study concluded that there were prostate cancer patients had higher levels of BPA versus the other patients. This indicates that BPA is a cause of prostate cancer. Through studies like this, researchers know that BPA and cancer are correlated to each other, but they are still unaware why or how BPA can cause cancer in a person’s body. Carcinogenic (cancer causing) preservatives such as sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite are also found in canned food. The International Agency for the Research of Cancer has found that nitrates and nitrites increase the risk for developing cancers such as bowel cancer.

How serious is cancer?

Cancer is an extremely deadly disease and is the reason why thousands of people die every year in the United States. In fact, according to cancer.gov (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics), in 2018, approximately 609,640 people are estimated to die due to cancer just in the U.S. Based on this, imagine how many victims of cancer die worldwide per year. The most lethal cancers are lung, colon and rectal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. If not death, cancer treatment can result in many long term side effects, including fatigue, early menopause, heart problems, and kidney problems. Cancer treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer through the use of drugs. Radiation therapy uses radiation to treat cancer. During a surgery, doctors remove the cancer from the patient’s body.

How can cancer be prevented?

First of all, avoid canned food and any other products that contain BPA and/or preservatives. Don’t smoke as smoking is correlated to many types of cancers. Eat healthy and don’t be overweight. Physical activity will also help reduce the risk for some cancers. Be careful around the sun as sunlight can cause skin cancer. If you have the symptoms of cancer, tell a doctor immediately because the earlier cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat it. Common symptoms of cancer include abnormal lumps, high fevers, and weight loss for no reason.