Cancer: Environmental Factors

In the early 20th century, doctors noted a high incidence of bladder cancer among workers employed in the production of certain chemical dyes. Others, at the same time, made a link between radiology pioneers and the general incidence of skin cancer. It is from these observations that the first links are established between the appearance of cancer and the immediate environment, a question that has become a major issue for cancer research today, with numerous risk factors known as the environment.

In terms of treatment, screening and prevention, research on cancer has made great strides in recent years. But despite these advances, cancer remains the leading cause of death in the world.
If many risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption or unbalanced diet) have been highlighted, the role of environmental factors has become an important concern for oncology.

Since cancer is of multifactorial origin, how can we make the link between certain environmental exposures and the appearance of cancer? How to assess the role of environmental factors?

with:

• Robert BaroukiDoctor, Biochemist and Toxicologist, Head of Department of Metabolic Biochemistry at Neckar-Infants Malades Hospital
• Delphine ProudEnvironmental Epidemiologist and Léon Bérard at the Lyon Center and at NSERM, Department of Environmental Cancer Prevention
• Mathilde Tovier, 2022-2023 Annual Chair Collège de France Professor in Public Health, Director of Research in Nutritional Epidemiology at INSERM

=> To participate Nutrinate Health Study

Carcinogenic environmental factors

These carcinogenic environmental factors, whether chemical, physical, biological, but also psychosocial, are called the “exposome.” Diet, smoking, alcohol consumption or physical activity, without forgetting all the individual behaviors, at the individual level and collectively, to modify the cancer risk for current and future generations, the three experts affirm, that it is possible to act on. . As for atmospheric pollution, all these pollutants that we breathe concern fine particles, especially in urban environments. He recalls that “For example, 80% of breast cancers are hormone-dependent cancers associated with exposure to endocrine disruptors.“

Today there are several classifications, including the WHO International Center for Research on Cancer, which regularly produces monographs or collective assessments that bring together toxicologists, epidemiologists, and researchers from various disciplines to review all available scientific literature. It is all this literature that is closely examined and for which levels of evidence are then established, a gradation that helps guide public policies on those factors for which there is a significant level of certainty. It is the consistency of scientific evidence that makes it possible for humans to classify when a source of contamination is carcinogenic to confirm.

How to reduce the risk of cancer?

A study obtained by the National Cancer Institute was able to estimate that there are approximately 142,000 new cases per year, 40% of these cases can be avoided by changing behavior, first tobacco, then alcohol, etc. unbalanced diet, overweight, lack of physical activity. Activity… For Mathilde Touvier, “it is important both at the personal level, to change, to modify our behavior for what can be, and then also to act at the political level to modify the environment in which we operate”.

To act on air pollution, Delphine Proud pointed out “The importance of implementing policies and regulations that can reduce concentration, but also increase awareness of our behavior“

► To listen to the rest…