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Chapter 19: Problem 18

How does the environment contribute to cancer?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The environment may contribute to the development of cancer through exposure to carcinogens, lifestyle factors, and certain infections. Carcinogens can damage DNA within cells, causing mutations that may lead to cancer. Lifestyle factors, such as diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption, can affect cancer risk. Infections may also increase cancer risk by causing chronic inflammation, suppressing the immune system, or directly damaging DNA within cells.

Step by step solution

01

Understand what cancer is and how it develops

Cancer is a group of diseases that involve the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. It develops when the body's normal control mechanisms stop working. Old cells do not die and instead form a mass of tissue called a tumor. Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and are not life-threatening.
02

Identify environmental factors that contribute to cancer

Several environmental factors contribute to the development of cancer, including exposure to carcinogens (substances and exposures that can lead to cancer), lifestyle factors, and certain infections. Environmental factors can interact with a person's genetic makeup, increasing their risk of developing cancer.
03

Explain how exposure to carcinogens can cause cancer

Carcinogens are substances or exposures that cause cancer by damaging the DNA within cells and disrupting the normal cellular processes. Examples of carcinogens include tobacco smoke, asbestos, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When someone is exposed to a carcinogen, it can damage their DNA, leading to mutations that allow cells to grow and divide uncontrollably, eventually forming a tumor.
04

Describe how lifestyle factors can influence cancer risk

Lifestyle factors can also contribute to the development of cancer. Examples of these factors include diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. An unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and excessive alcohol consumption can increase a person's risk of cancer. For example, consuming a diet high in red and processed meats has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of various cancers.
05

Discuss the role of infections in causing cancer

Certain infections can also contribute to cancer development. Some viruses, bacteria, and parasites can increase a person's risk of cancer by causing chronic inflammation, suppressing the immune system, or directly damaging DNA within cells. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer, and the hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) can lead to liver cancer. By understanding these environmental factors and their role in cancer development, measures can be taken to reduce exposure to carcinogens, adopt healthy lifestyle habits, and vaccinate against certain cancer-causing infections to lower the overall cancer risk.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Vanderbilt University Medical Center maintains a Web site (http://bioinfo.mc.vanderbilt.edu/TSGene/) that contains descriptions of tumor-suppressor genes, including 637 protein-coding genes and 79 noncoding segments of DNA. How can noncoding segments of DNA function or produce products that function as tumor suppressors?

What is the role of the retinoblastoma protein in cell-cycle regulation? Is the retinoblastoma gene a tumor-suppressor gene or an oncogene?

Those who inherit a mutant allele of the \(R B 1\) gene are at risk for developing a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. You suspect that in these cases, osteosarcoma requires a mutation in the second \(R B 1\) allele, and you have cultured some osteosarcoma cells and obtained a cDNA clone of a normal human \(R B I\) gene. A colleague sends you a research paper revealing that a strain of cancer-prone mice develop malignant tumors when injected with osteosarcoma cells, and you obtain these mice. Using these three resources, what experiments would you perform to determine (a) whether osteosarcoma cells carry two \(R B 1\) mutations, (b) whether osteosarcoma cells produce any \(\mathrm{pRB}\) protein, and (c) if the addition of a normal \(R B 1\) gene will change the cancer-causing notential of astensarcama cells?

A genetic variant of the retinoblastoma protein, called PSMRB (phosphorylation site mutated \(\mathrm{RB}\) ), is not able to be phosphorylated by the action of CDK4/cyclin D1 complex. Explain why PSM-RB is said to have a constitutive growth-suppressing action on the cell cycle.

How are epigenetic changes associated with cancer? What kind of epigenetic changes may be required for a normal cell to become malignant?
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