More than 80% of cancers are related to lifestyles.

Madrid, February 2012. More than 80% of cancers are related to the lifestyles and personal habits, and many of these factors are easy to prevent and correct, according to Dr. Antonio Brugarolas, Director of the Oncology platform of the Hospital USP San Jaime and head of the second opinion consultation in Oncology at the Hospital USP San Camilo (Madrid). Cancer is caused by an alteration in the mechanism of regeneration of cells and their control mechanisms and, in its origin there is involved a large number of factors.

It is estimated that approximately 5% of the tumors have a genetic origin and that exposure to toxic agents at work may be behind 10% of cancers. The rest, 80-90% of tumors are related to lifestyle and personal habits. Is said, and rightly, that cancer is a disease of personal habits and lifestyle and is important to features that can avoid factors that promote cancer ”, says Dr. Brugarolas.

In fact, is estimated that the incidence of el cancer is would reduce between a 30 and a 40% for a same person if lived in full nature rather than in a city with pollution, because would get protection faced with many factors negative, although would suffer deficits in many others aspects also important., so the risks are not as relevant as it may seem at first sight ”, indicates the doctor.

However, while some factors influencing the appearance of many types of cancer, known biographical itinerary of each tumor is usually unknown ”, explains Dr. Antonio Brugarolas. I.e. after the first necessary and fundamental change that produces an alteration of a cancerous cell (called initiation), are producing a number of other associated changes that may occur during a very long latency period, which can carry between 5 and 40 years. This second stage (promotion) presents a multiple incidence of repetitive and concatenated, factors that go by selecting characteristics that confer to the malignant tumor aggressiveness.

Personal habits represent the highest percentage in the frequency of cancer (all may represent 50% of the factors associated with the occurrence of cancer) and they include common behaviors such as exposure to sunlight, diet, consumption of tobacco and alcohol and exposure to disease.

Among these factors, the most frequent are:

-exposure to solar radiation: one of every three new tumors that are diagnosed are skin cancer. Exposure to UV solar is a factor of melanoma and skin cancer, so it is recommended limit exposure to the Sun and use protective factors high.

-smoke: the factor responsible for the best-known cancer is soot, ash produced by the remains of organic materialthe products of combustion of coal, oil, diesel fuel and tobacco as well as foods (meats, fried foods). The smoke produced by the burning of organic material is carcinogenic and although forest fires and volcanoes throw lots of carcinogenic products into the atmosphere, the most important pollution occurs by smoking and the use of coal in cooking and heating.

-Polución: Besides pollution from transport and smoke from heating in cities joined the concentration of particles and agents toxic of industrial origin, which increase the effects of carcinogens. These particles are still a very long and persistent cycle because they go to the ground, contaminating the waters, and go to the plants and animals. It is estimated that when the concentration of this type of particles in the air increases 1% risk of lung cancer increases a 14%.

-tobacco: the cigarette smoke that is consumed without aspire has 4 times more carcinogenic components that the inhaled and non-smokers living together in the same room are equally exposed to these carcinogens.

– the food:

-embers and grills: requemada meat made broiled, grilled, fried legs very Golden, or very made toast and, in general, charred food contain carcinogenic products known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It is important to improve the conditions of cooking of foods to preserve them nutritious properties and eliminate the occurrence of toxic. A way to avoid the appearance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cooking the chicken on the grill, for example, is to marinate in lemon before cooking it.

-stews and traditional dishes: cooking and subsequent cooling slow meals that combine meats and vegetables creates the appearance of nitrosamineswhich are carcinogenic. Epidemiological data suggest that the domestic introduction of the refrigerator has contributed to the gradual disappearance of cancer of the stomach in West

-drinking alcohol: causes liver cancer, especially when there are hepatitis and cirrhosis, and represents a carcinogen of the first order in oropharyngeal cancer and esophageal agent.

Consultation of second opinion in Oncology at USP San Camilo is the reference in Madrid of the Oncology platform, located in the hospital USP San Jaime (Torrevieja), a reference center specialized in the development and implementation of new technical diagnóstico-terapéuticas of cancer. The Oncology platform constitutes one organizational model in Spain, in which the cancer patient and their needs constitute focus around which a team of first class work.

S held USP hospital

founded in 1998 and headquartered in Madrid, USP hospital is the first hospital group private Spanish market. Currently, USP hospital has a network of 12 hospitals, 23 health centres and 4,000 doctors annually serving more than two million patients. In 2010 the company registered 331.494 clinical stays, 118.931 surgery, 11.202 births and 424.511 er.