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Health See other Health Articles Title: It is possible to prevent certain cancers: doctor SINGAPORE, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The incidence of cancer is indeed rising globally, but it is possible to prevent certain types of cancer by avoiding some of the known risk factors, like smoking, and get vaccinations for certain viruses, a doctor said on Friday. Lee Soo Chin, senior consultant at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, said smoking is one of the most preventable lifestyle risk factors for cancer. "If people stop smoking, it will significantly reduce the risks of lung cancer, throat cancer and a lot of other smoking-related cancers," she said in a recent interview with Xinhua ahead of the World Cancer Day on Feb. 4. There are other cancers that are related to viral infections, too. Hepatitis B, which is common in many parts of Asia, is associated with increased risks of liver cancer. Therefore, it works for people to be vaccinated against the virus by getting commercial vaccines. Hepatitis B used to be common in parts of China, where many people are getting vaccinations against the virus nowadays. PREVENTION IS POSSIBLE Cervix cancer is largely preventable, too, with vaccinations that are now available, Lee said, though it is not possible to prevent all cancers as the risk factors may not be as distinctive. Lee said the rising incidence of certain cancers in many countries could be related to the increasing affluence of the society. The most common cancers in a developed country can be different from that in an under-developed countries, too. Breast cancer, for example, has been seeing a steady rise in incidence over the years in Asia amid increasing affluence, possibly due to girls reaching puberty earlier and women having fewer children and having children at a later age. Another possible factor could be the changes in people's diet to have more red meat. "However, there hasn't been a clear trend that we are seeing a higher proportion of younger people who are diagnosed with cancer, " she said. An international campaign is being mounted ahead of the World Cancer Day on Feb. 4 to unite the world in the fight against the disease through raising awareness, public education and lobbying for change. The theme this year is "Together it is possible." The preventable factors also include over exposure to the sun and possible environmental factors, like pollution, though it still calls for definitive studies to confirm that certain environmental pollution can increase the risk of cancer. TARGETED THERAPIES Scientists and investigators are having a better understanding of cancer and can differentiate between many subtypes of cancer, making it possible to work on biological or targeted therapies. The standard routine some ten years ago to treat cancer would be chemotherapy, which is typically associated with a lot of side effects. But more recently, the increasing understanding of the growth mechanisms of cancer has made it possible for scientists to identify key pathways in the cancer and develop "smart drugs" that target the weakness of the particular cancers. "They are much less harmful to the surrounding normal cells. Because of this, the patients can tolerate the treatment much better. We tend to see that the efficacy is very good," Lee said. Some of the drugs may be developed to target only a certain subtype of cancer. For example, a new drug may work for only a small percentage of all the lung cancer patients. Such a drug might be deemed not working in the past as there were no differentiation yet between the different subtypes of lung cancer. Some of these drugs are also oral therapies, making it more convenient for the patients, compared with chemotherapies. However, it typically takes 10 to 15 years for a new drug to go through clinical trials and be approved, which means it is likely to be expensive. "Unfortunately, this is a problem in certain countries where there is no third party payer or insurance, where people are actually paying for the medical cost themselves," Lee said. The government and the healthcare system can be involved to reduce the costs of such drugs, Lee said. SCREENING AWARENESS IMPORTANT Screening is increasingly important, too, in the prevention of some of cancers. It is necessary to educate the public so that people can be aware of the screening recommendations, Lee said. In many countries, it is recommended that women above the age of 50 start breast cancer screening, that both men and women above the age of 50 start colon cancer screening, and that women who are sexually active start cervix cancer screening. The screening programs are one of the key reasons why the mortality rate is lower among cancer patients in the developed countries, too. "In general, if you are in a developed country, you are still more likely to be able to detect the cancer earlier and to get better treatment," Lee said. The senior consultant said public education is important. "I think the most important for the public is to be aware that cancers are a very common disease, which is the major cause of deaths in many countries. People should be aware of preventable risk factors so that they could avoid them," she said. "People with strong family history of breast cancer may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. They may even start screening even earlier than the recommended age of 50," she added. Editor: Fang Yang Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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